When tasked with building a forestry truck many departments’ goals are to get as much water and as big of a pump as they can onto the truck. This approach can quickly lead to an overweight truck, resulting in a vehicle that will not handle well and a department that has spent money for more pump than they will use.
Kimtek always looks at capacities first as it is important to understand how much weight your truck will actually carry. Then, when considering pumps, understanding that a 250 GPM pump may not be necessary with the given tank size and pressures will help lessen the total cost. Kimtek can build a forestry truck skid unit that meets the needs of the department but does not exceed the truck’s carrying capacity, has a reasonable size pump, and does not cost a fortune.
It is important to find out the actual weight that your truck can carry and target that maximum weight whether it is a ½ ton, ¾ ton, or 1 ton. You should pick a pump that provides flows and pressure curves appropriate for forestry use. Keeping in mind that if flows are only 15 to 60 GPM, is a 250 GPM pump what you are looking for? Also, is an integrated foam system something you want?
Kimtek’s solutions to your questions are simple and straight forward. They offer three tank sizes to fit different size trucks: 125 gallon, 160 gallon, or 200 gallon and they offer three sizes of Darley-Davey forestry pumps: 5.5 manual start, 9 HP electric start with manual backup, or 13 HP electric start with manual backup; making several combinations possible. Kimtek includes a Scotty Around the Pump foam system as standard equipment as well as a Hannay electric rewind booster reel with enough booster line for common use. Their skid units are built with quality NFPA baffled tanks, pumps, and rust resistant all aluminum and stainless steel construction making for a long lasting, reliable skid unit to add to your apparatus.
Kimtek has taken a different approach to building slip in forestry truck skids. They have used the same logical steps to provide compact pickup truck skids that they used when they began manufacturing medical transport and portable firefighting skids for UTV’s: keeping it simple, functional, and cost effective.
Take a look at Kimtek’s web site www.kimtekresearch.com, and check out the specs and photos of forestry truck skids they have built – you just might like what you see!
Ah, the memories of an old M37 military rig overloaded with poor brakes…
Ralph Sanders retired firefighter/paramedic
Ralph started with a volunteer rescue squad and became a full time firefighter. He went on to become one of the earliest full paramedics in NH. Retired, but not far from firefighting & EMS he is the owner of D.S.S. Consulting with the main focus on water & ice rescue equipment and off road patient transport. He can be found at events all over New England.
