THE
SUPER PUMPER
SYSTEM
By Glenn Morson
From Concept to Contract
The Super Pumper The tractor utilized for the Super Pumper was a commercial Mack, model designated F715FSTP. The engine was a four stroke cycle Mack END864 V8 diesel of 255 HP. An Allison CLT4460 six speed semi-automatic transmission was coupled to the engine and equipped for a power take off unit to drive the priming pump and starting air compressor for the pump engine. Additional power take off units powered the air brake compressor including the power steering pump. The semi-trailer was mounted to the fifth wheel of the tractor. Mounted at the rear of the tractor trailer is a DeLaval six stage pump having a built in piston type valve to allow for operation in either pressure or volume positions. To supply water to the pump there are four unchecked inlets to the rear. Two of these are 4 1/2 inch while the other two are 12 inch with 4 1/2 inch inlets set into their caps. There are also two 4 1/2 inch checked inlets on each side of the apparatus at the rear. There are a total of eight 4 1/2 inch discharge outlets with four located on each side of the apparatus. Directly coupled to the pump is the Napier-Deltic engine this is an 18 cylinder turbo-blown compression ignition, water cooled opposed piston type operating on a two stroke cycle. The exhaust silencer is intended to reduce the overall engine noise level within 6ft distance from the apparatus. On each side of this silencer are 200 gallon diesel fuel tanks which can feed the diesel independently or simultaneously. The pump engine is started by air pressure (450PSI) provided from air tanks located on the tractor. There is a single master shut off to prevent engine over speeding. A mechanical crane is located at the rear to assist in positioning and supporting the rigid 12 inch suction connections. By the end of 1964, the pumping unit of the Super Pumper was approximately 90% complete.
The Tender
The primary tender would be a flat hose
bed trailer instead of the hose reels indented in the original
design; unfortunately the intended design was not practical at the
time of manufacturing due to limited technology. When a working
model of the tender with reels was made, problems surfaced with the
hose butts on the reels that proved the design to be impractical. A
manifold system with gauged discharge outlets would also be included
in the trailers design. Utilizing the same basic Mack cab over
tractor as that of the Super Pumper, modifications were made to fit
an operating platform that would support the high pressure monitor,
designated model F715FSTT... When originally delivered, the Tender
had a large McEntyre monitor similar to those on the fireboats. This
was replaced with a large Stang "Intelligiant" monitor which had an
8 inch barrel operated by hand wheels including interchangeable tips
of 3, 3 1/2, 4, 5 inch and a 2000 GPM fog tip. The monitor was
supplied via the four 4 1/2 inch checked inlets with two located on
each side of the tractor. There were also hydraulically operated
outriggers on each side of the tractor located below the operating
platform attached to the frame. Their purpose is to stabilize the
rig and counteract the nozzle reaction of back pressure. These
outriggers were also equipped with mechanical interlocking devices
in the event of hydraulic failure. The maximum reach of a stream
thrown by the tender's monitor was 600 feet. The bulk of the trailer
consists of a divided hose bed with each compartment capable of
carrying 1000 feet of 4 1/2 inch hose. The front end of the trailer
was equipped with a large “walk in” type compartment. The rear axles
were steerable from a reverse seated position located at the rear
center of the trailer; this was to be removed in a later
modification. This apparatus was designed and manufactured so that
the tractor could easily uncouple from the trailer. This allowed for
the tractor, carrying the large monitor, to maneuver easily and into
tighter spots than wouldn’t be possible as a tractor trailer
combination.
Satellites The Super Pumper System was developed out of necessity due to the inability to build the tender as originally designed. The new system consisted of the Super Pumper, Tender, and three satellite tenders that were developed to carry the same amount of hose and equipment as originally intended for the tender. Each of the three satellite twere built on the Mack "C" model cab designated model C85FD. They were equipped with Mack END673 176 HP diesel engines and manual transmissions. Each was capable of carrying 2000 feet of 4 1/2 inch hose and had a Stang "Intelligiant" monitor that had a 6 inch barrel which was manually controlled. These monitors had a water delivery capability of 4000 GPM and had 2, 2 1/2, 3, 3 1/2, and 4 inch tips as well as 700 and 2000 GPM fog tips. Each satellite had four inlets with two on each side. There was one checked and one unchecked inlet on each side. When lines were supplied to a satellite they were hooked up to the unchecked inlets first. All three satellites were equipped with portable manifolds. These manifolds had 4 1/2 inch inlets and either six 2 1/2 inch gated outlets or two 3 inch and four 2 1/2 inch gated outlets. Weighing a little over 200 pounds, the portable manifolds were utilized efficiently at operations requiring many hand lines the Super Pumper could supply the manifold from a remote location with the manifold positioned in front of the fire scene.
SATELLITES
The above text is an adaptation of John A. Calderone’s book entitled, The F.D.N.Y. Super Pumper System. If you are looking for a more in-depth history of the above F.D.N.Y. vehicles mentioned in this article, I strongly recommend you purchasing a copy of the book which includes over 100 photos and illustrations. The book is still available from the following sites: http://www.fireapparatusjournal.com/sp-order.pdf and www.westchestercollect.com. Also available are copies of the blue prints for the Super Pumper System from http://www.grovegraphics.com/blueprints.htm
The blue-line blueprint will be made
from the original velum drawing by a California firefighter that
is over twenty-five years old. This print is NOT a photocopy but
an actual blueprint. The overall size of this blueprint is
approximately 20 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches.
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