Old Photos of Eckley
By Richard Birnie, owner of the Orphanage in Yuma.
November 19, 2019
YUMA, COLO - The Orphanage, in downtown Yuma, is displaying a restored 1920 Ford Model TT fire truck, the second T stands for Truck, belonging to the Eckley Volunteer Fire Department. Originally owned by the Yuma Volunteer Fire Department, the fire truck on display was sold to the E.V.F.D. in the 1950's. The TT fire truck will be on display from November 16th through February 15th.
Almost from the beginning of Model T production, the public clamored for commercial chassis on which to build a multitude of working vehicles. Due to its versatility, the T made a suitable platform for fire trucks. First offered in 1911, but not officially considered in production until 1914, Ford started selling stripped down chassis. They were stripped of all bodywork except for the cowl, engine cover, radiator, front fenders and headlamps. Customers would take these rolling chassis to independent body makers to create custom bodies that suited the customer's needs.
Rural fire departments with modest budgets appreciated the Ford chassis' reasonable price, low operating cost and easy maintenance. In 1917, in anticipation of Chevrolet and Dodge producing truck chassis, Ford decided to produce a commercial chassis with a stretched wheelbase. The Model TT was based on the T but with a rear axle worm gear, heavier frame & rear axle, and it would carry a payload of 1 ton. The TT sold for $600 and in 1920 almost 54,000 commercial chassis were sold.
Specifications for the Model TT chassis are as follows: 125" wheelbase, compared to the Model T at 100". The engine size is 177 cu. in. producing 20 hp., and with standard gearing, 15 mph was the recommended top speed. Transmission is a two-speed planetary type. Suspension is via transverse, semi elliptical springs both front and rear and the wheels are wood artillery wheels. Ignition is a magneto type.
The present Yuma Volunteer Fire Department was organized on November 26, 1920 and this was its first motorized fire truck. It was probably purchased in early 1921, the serial number indicates that it is a 1920 model. When the town of Yuma upgraded, this fire truck was passed on to the Town of Eckley. Eckley used the TT "as is" for decades until the late 2000's when they started on a ten year restoration which ended in August 2018.
This E.V.F.D. fire truck sports a body provided by the Julius Pearse Fire Department Supply Company of Denver, CO. Julius Pearse was one of the organizers of the original volunteer fire department of Denver, an organizer of the Colorado State Fire Association and, in the late 1800's, a pioneer fire chief of the city of Denver. Later in life, he formed the Julius Pearse Fire Department Supply Company which supplied all manner of fire-fighting equipment in addition to custom bodies for commercial chassis.
The E.V.F.D team for this ten-year restoration was Andy Hagemeier, Tony Probasco and Tim Probasco. Mechanical restoration and paint by Chapman Custom Auto, Edison, NE, stripes and graphics by Hot Brush, Bird City, KS and plating by Quality Plating, Yuma, CO. Paint was donated by Todd A. Wendt. The restoration project was completed in August 2018.
The Orphanage is in downtown Yuma at 300 South Main Street. For more information about this exhibit or future displays, please contact Richard Birnie at (970) 630-3360, or visit the website at orphanageyuma
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