1921 LaFrance
Primitive by modern standards she was state of the art in her day. The 852 cubic inch six cylinder engine produced 130 hp. The pump moved 750 gallons of water a minute. A redundant electrical system means two spark plugs per cylinder. One set connected to a coil, points and distributor system and the second set connected to a magneto. A hand crank in case the battery failed. However, No power steering. Heck, not even a steering box to give some mechanical advantage. Just a straight connection to the wheels. A drive around town is a serious workout. Double clutching is required to shift and the spark advance is manual and on the steering column. The brakes and clutch are both directly linked. No hydraulics to give you any advantage. A massive motorcycle chain drives the rear wood spoke wheels.
Built in Elmira New York she was delivered to Hugo, Oklahoma May 6th 1922. She was active until October 1960. The Brigade purchased her in 1962 and restored her to her current condition and she was returned to service in July 1962. She still runs and we’ve started on some long needed maintenance in anticipation of her 100 year anniversary.
An update: We completed the maintenance and ran her in a parade on her 100th anniversary! Now the front tires need to be replaced and we are working on getting the wheels off.
1942 GMC
Acquired from Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque she is much more modern than the LaFrance but still no power steering and you still have to double clutch. She even has AC – ok by that I mean you can crank open the bottom of the windscreen to let some air flow through. She is also in running condition.
Watch for both of these trucks around town especially during parades! Click here to contact us.