Converting fireengine to "racetruck"

[pilotea]

I got this idea that might sound a bit over the top, let me hear your oppinion...

Buy a FL6/Volvo based fire engine (cost about 5-8000 pounds) with hardly any miles on it
Remove the equipment/box on the back
Put a 12-14 foot box on the back with either a lift or a ramp, just enough for putting a lotus 7 style car in the back with extra wheels etc

this gives me

A racetruck with 6-8 seats (all fire engines have crew cab with 2-3 rows of seats)
Excessive amount of pulling power to tow a large caravan etc
Some say they're tax and MOT exempt?
a 22-24 foot "racetruck" that fits in my driveway

is this a great idea or am I missing somthing?

I bought a 7.5 tonner the other day with a 1 ton tail lift, 3 seats and dual bunk beds. Great idea except it's 30 foot long and too long for my driveway and still only have 3 seats, I really need at least 4 so the fire engine looks like a brilliant idea and if you really wanted you could sleep in it. I'm not sure a 7.5 tonner is powerful enough for towing a caravan as well (it got a tow bar), no problem when it's flat but hills might be a problem

looks like I have a 7.5 tonner for sale soon :-)

[MJK 24]

Will need tax and MOT.

What categories do you have on your licence? You'll need Cat C for a Volvo FL6.

A 7.5 ton truck wont be worried by a caravan. Mine tow upto 3.5tons for around 3,000kms a week without breaking a sweat.

[pilotea]

MJK 24 said:

Will need tax and MOT.

What categories do you have on your licence? You'll need Cat C for a Volvo FL6.

A 7.5 ton truck wont be worried by a caravan. Mine tow upto 3.5tons for around 3,000kms a week without breaking a sweat.

I got C+E so no problem there :-)

[pilotea]

MJK 24 said:

Will need tax and MOT.

What categories do you have on your licence? You'll need Cat C for a Volvo FL6.

A 7.5 ton truck wont be worried by a caravan. Mine tow upto 3.5tons for around 3,000kms a week without breaking a sweat.

So what do you think about the idea considering my "needs". I did my C in a MAN 18.343, liked it a lot, especially after driving my Iveco 75E15, I think I might have godt used to the power...

[MJK 24]

I think on the plus side, you'll be buying a vehicle that'll have been maintained with no expense spared, low miles, probably wearing Michelin/Goodyear/Firestone etc etc which are all plus points.

Downsides are you've got to have a body fabricated for the back and it'll only be doing 12mpg (?) as opposed to nearer 20mpg from a 7.5 tonner? You're probably not doing many miles per annum though?

[pilotea]

MJK 24 said:

I think on the plus side, you'll be buying a vehicle that'll have been maintained with no expense spared, low miles, probably wearing Michelin/Goodyear/Firestone etc etc which are all plus points.

Downsides are you've got to have a body fabricated for the back and it'll only be doing 12mpg (?) as opposed to nearer 20mpg from a 7.5 tonner? You're probably not doing many miles per annum though?

I dont plan to do a lot of miles no. I might be buying a big caravan like this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AMERICAN-TRAVEL-CARAVAN-RV-T...

38 feet though, but they come in 30-32 as well, I dont think a 7.5 tonner will be able to tow it easily.

I've looked at some bodies online, it might not be that big of a deal to buy a used body at mount it, I don't know to the honest. I've looked at some ex post office truck boxes, they're 14-16 foot long as far as I can see and some come with a long tail lift, might not be that big of a deal to mount?

[MJK 24]

pilotea said:

I dont plan to do a lot of miles no. I might be buying a big caravan like this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AMERICAN-TRAVEL-CARAVAN-RV-T...

38 feet though, but they come in 30-32 as well, I dont think a 7.5 tonner will be able to tow it easily.

I've looked at some bodies online, it might not be that big of a deal to buy a used body at mount it, I don't know to the honest. I've looked at some ex post office truck boxes, they're 14-16 foot long as far as I can see and some come with a long tail lift, might not be that big of a deal to mount?

That Caraven is a no no for a 7.5 tonner. They're only allowed to tow 3.5 tons.

[pilotea]

MJK 24 said:

That Caraven is a no no for a 7.5 tonner. They're only allowed to tow 3.5 tons.

exactly, and I need at least 4 seats that's why I'm considering the fire engine option. Could get a recovery truck with crew cab, but they're hard to find above 7.5 tons and are usually quite "used"...

[JoelRP]

MJK 24 said:

Downsides are you've got to have a body fabricated for the back and it'll only be doing 12mpg (?) as opposed to nearer 20mpg from a 7.5 tonner? You're probably not doing many miles per annum though?

Yes, but if he is going to strip it out from the cab backwards, i would have thought it would be at least a bit lighter with a lotus 7 style car in the back than a load of pipes, water and equipment.

[pilotea]

JoelRP said:

Yes, but if he is going to strip it out from the cab backwards, i would have thought it would be at least a bit lighter with a lotus 7 style car in the back than a load of pipes, water and equipment.

have a look at this site

http://www.fireengines4sale.co.uk/ShowCategory.php...

no prices though, but they usually sell for between 3000-6000 at auctions

[rottie102]

I would try to leave all the exterior as it is and blag your way in for free to any track... You may need to dress up a bit though, but your dog can go too:

[pilotea]

rottie102 said:

I would try to leave all the exterior as it is and blag your way in for free to any track... You may need to dress up a bit though, but your dog can go too:

and I might get away with driving in non HGV zones... :-)

[Glade]

Off topic... but I've just realised it's far too much effort for me to get a C1 licence, so I can put my Westfield in the back of the FIL's Horsebox and go places

[JoelRP]

pilotea said:

have a look at this site

http://www.fireengines4sale.co.uk/ShowCategory.php...

no prices though, but they usually sell for between 3000-6000 at auctions

That's a great site

Unfortunately I am no expert on fire engines, but I think the idea is a very good one and actually makes quite a lot of sense. It's certainly makes for an unusual project. What sort of power do you get from a fireengine?

[pilotea]

Glade said:

Off topic... but I've just realised it's far too much effort for me to get a C1 licence, so I can put my Westfield in the back of the FIL's Horsebox and go places

you're much better of finding a luton van with a 12 foot box on the back. If you ever want to get a C1, drop the idea and do a C instead

same:

medical
theory test
hazard perception test
practical test
training

makes no sense to do C1, training might cost you 100 pounds more because of more fuel burn in a LGV-C but thats it...

[pilotea]

JoelRP said:

That's a great site

Unfortunately I am no expert on fire engines, but I think the idea is a very good one and actually makes quite a lot of sense. It's certainly makes for an unusual project. What sort of power do you get from a fireengine?

it depends on what it is based on, I would prefer FL6 based, I believe they come with 180-250 hp and a lot of torque, fire engines usually come with automatic gearboxes, increases the fuel burn a bit but its less hassle

[Ben Magoo]

I think you'd be better with this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TOYOTA-CAETANO-OPTIMO-3-COAC...

The body is there, it is already stripped and has on board power!

Bargain

[pilotea]

Ben Magoo said:

I think you'd be better with this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TOYOTA-CAETANO-OPTIMO-3-COAC...

The body is there, it is already stripped and has on board power!

Bargain

i've actually seen it on ebay (spends 4 hours a day on ebay). Not my cup of tea though :-)

[Glade]

pilotea said:

you're much better of finding a luton van with a 12 foot box on the back. If you ever want to get a C1, drop the idea and do a C instead

same:

medical
theory test
hazard perception test
practical test
training

makes no sense to do C1, training might cost you 100 pounds more because of more fuel burn in a LGV-C but thats it...

ahhh but then I'd have to buy the Luton van... fair point though.

Think a Brian James A-Max would go behind the Passat so might be an even more sensible option. Get it braked just to be sure.

But... for towing weights... is it the "Actual" weight e.g. on the VIN plate on the westy it says 860kg... but the actual weight is 525kg.

Can't sleep in that though.

[wolf1]

The weight on the vin plate is usually the maximum laden weight of the vehicle not what it actually weighs.