Ok so I’m starting a new thread as I have several questions, searched and read several items, but still have some questions. I’m looking to begin a build of a Mini Pumper fire truck. I’ve been trying to source the correct rear box/pump unit for my build. My requirements are to make it 4x4, as well as be able to pump and roll. The body I’m sourcing is capable of this, however the truck side of things is where it’s getting complicated. I have a couple of ways to go about this, and wanted some input from here for one of them. I’m currently sitting on a 2000 F350 4x4, SRW CCLB 7.3 Auto truck. The pumper bed has I believe a 2-300gal water tank. Now most will say to upgrade the chassis to an F450/F550, which is a consideration. But if there isn’t much difference between the two, vs the f350, would changing just the suspension basically “make” it into an F550? The bed should be 60” from cab to axle as a measurement. Bed came from an 86 F350. The biggest hurdle is the PTO portion. Not sure how Ford set up their CC trucks for this, but the 4r100 in my F350 needs an overhaul, but I would need to rebuild it with a PTO case, which brings another dilemma. The axle drop on both trucks are DS, but the PTO appears to be on the PS of the bed, and the one for the 4r100 is on the DS of the tranny. My other option is a 73 International CC LB 141” WB pickup. I’m still trying to figure out what engine/tranny/tcase combo the original truck might have been equipped with. I’ve read that the ZF6 tranny might be easier to find a PTO setup on, but like the 4r100, I’m looking for a holy grail due to the truck having the 7.3 diesel. I know most of the tow trucks equipped with 7.3s usually had a PTO, for either the zf6, or the 4r100. I know it’s going to need to have a dual rear axle, which if I’m swapping things, could be pulled from a donor truck. A lot of the newer trucks don’t have a cable style PTO engagement like the older trucks did which is hampering my efforts some, as the newer trucks have a pony motor setup, and I’m trying to utilize what I have vs switching things. I’m looking for advice if utilizing what I have could work, as I believe I could swap the PTO around, or refabricate it in a DS orientation. The big hurdle is going to be figuring out/finding the tranny part of the PTO. Research suggested a 240 Chelsea or FA series Muncie PTO. Research suggested the 5r100w used the same type of PTO as the 4r100, but I haven’t confirmed. Looking for advice as to how I should proceed. Sorry for the long post, but looking for ideas and suggestions. First pic is front of bed behind where the cab would be, second is just a side view for reference.

 

If the ‘00 F-350 SRW CCLB is a pickup it will not be a good donor for that body that was built for a cab chassis truck. Pickups have a different width from chassis cabs and pickups have a big hump in the frame over the rear axle where chassis cab trucks have flat frames.
An F-450/550 would be a much better setup under that body, nothing that you “add” to a truck can actually increase the rated capacity.
When I was with the local Fire Dept I was involved in building 3 different brush or mini-pumpers. The mini-pumper was not pump and roll capable as the GMC chassis we used wasn’t a good match for that option. That truck was a retrofitted Pierce body much like yours but was only a 250 GPM pump, looks like yours might be a 500 GPM? Actually, using a PTO driven pump is always a hassle for pump and roll operations, too difficult to match the vehicle speed along with the desired pump capacity for any given situation.
The other 2 brush trucks, where we definitely wanted reliable pump and roll operation were outfitted with self powered pumps. One, a Dodge 1 ton dually with a 250 gallon tank and a 250 GPM gas powered pump, the other an F-550 had a 400 gallon tank and a 400 GPM pump.
Have you ever operated a PTO driven pump in a pump and roll situation, if so did you run into RPM/GPM/pressure/vehicle speed conflicts? I have and every time there was a conflict between a few of those parameters.

 

My first fire department had an 82 GMC K30 6.2 diesel pierce minipumper/brush fire truck. It had front nozzles under the front bumper and could pump and roll. This allows the truck to run through a field and put out fires as you drove. It was also able to pump from much harder to reach locations. I was considering going to an F550 chassis, just for the capacity, however the early trucks that were C&C I don’t believe were any different in the 80s and 90s than their pickup versions, but I could be wrong. I have an International pickup that was ordered as a C&C. It currently has a flat bed, but by the time I convert it to 4x4(I have all those items, I’m still left to figure out the PTO part. I’m not trying to increase capacity, more not over stress a more underbuilt chassis. I was also wanting to make it a crew cab configuration, to allow for more space. I understand the matching of the speed, pressure, etc. during use at field/brush fires, you shouldn’t have to put 250gpm out as you drive. This does however make you have to calculate either volume or pressure depending on the situation. I spent 7 years spraying weeds for the RR, and we had to run a certain speed at a certain pressure to effectively put down the correct amount of herbicide. In water based applications, even field fires, you’ll still need a certain nozzle pressure, but bumper mounted nozzles aren’t going to need the same amount of volume or pressure as an 1”/1.5/1.75” attack line would, and if a hand line were to be pulled, the truck isn’t likely to get moved, prior to shutting down pump operation. I have considered a separate engine driven setup to run the PTO, but I’d have to figure that solution including added engine weight and fuel tank options.