Crazy idea that might work.

[Capt Nemo]

I was watching a vid of a guy who just bought a fire truck. Then it hit me! Use the truck as a dredge pump!

No officer! We're not dredging, we're fighting wildfires! The hose just goes down the creek a ways.

Bet that pump could suck half of California a minute through a dredge. And the truck has plenty of hose storage too. If it comes with a monitor, you can even do some hydraulic.

 

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[russau]

Heck why just 1 dredge............maybe a dozen or so dredges ! If your gonna go ...GO BIG !! and then when they come to get you , you'll have cleaned out the most of the material and been gone !

 

[N-Lionberger]

The hoses are on the heavy side so are all the fittings, though the quality is top notch. I was looking at a monitor off a firetruck I was thinking it would work well for mining, extremely well balanced with convenient hand cranks.

 

[russau]

You could also help fight those terrible fires out there ! And at long range if you rev. up the engine !

 

[Capt Nemo]

Use the monitor to hydraulic fire breaks and sluice at the same time. Also good for evicting highgrading tweaker camps off the claim.

This is sounding better all the time!

 

[Capt Nemo]

Just looking at an Oshkosh Striker 8x8, pump 1950 GPM at 240 PSI. Internal water tank 4500 gal. Can handle a 60 degree slope, with side stability of 30 degrees.

 

[khestee]

Fire pumps would not last drafting (that's what it is called when using hard suction hose to "suck" water) up gravel and other hard objects. The impellers are usually brass. When drafting a screen is attached to the end of the hard suction hose to prevent that or a floating screen is used to keep the hose off the bottom. The gravel would probably destroy the impellers and or clog the pump which in turn would break another part of the pump drive. They will suck a good amount of water but not gravel. Yes monitors, also known as deck guns, deluge guns and master streams could be used to wash away a lot of material but I'm betting hydraulic mining will be frowned upon.

 

[russau]

Pump's used for dredge's are ONLY intended to suck water NOT gravel's and they use a venturi to create the suction. Dredge pump's use a aluminum impeller , so the brass impeller on the fire truck pump would be fine !

 

[s2ndjetli]

Yes and NO Russau, My old department (Follansbee WV) drafted from the Ohio river a few times as they are in rural areas and it was common once we used up the neighbors tanker. OLDER trucks (depending on what Nemo would get may or MAY NOT have the blade issue on the prop as material varies with hardness) had issues, we put screens on the end and still got material that caused issues and created headaches. The idea is good however a few things to note. Unlike aiming a monitor a deluge has its restrictions and depending how much area is available he may just be wasting water. 2nd is parts availability if something needs replaced. Even with the internet, impellers and such for fire departments vs the average joe can sit a piece of equipment down for a season.Then there comes adaptability , when we would mutual connections were a bit&*^ and collaring to draw down a hill had to be correctly determined so if his water source is to low his pump may not do it... WOW this brings back memories of rolling up on structures out in the boonies..LOL thanks all .. seriously...

 

[russau]

Every dredge / high banker pumps I've seen (including catalogs ) people use a classifying screen to keep rocks / twigs /fish and such out of the pumps because to NOT use a classifying screen WILL chew up a impellor and housing of the pump you are using ! Plus using a 5 gallon bucket with holes in the bottom of it and then tiering off the suction's nozzle up and off the bottom will help keep you from sucking up the wrong thing into your pump to end your day !