Home or Property Brush Fire Fighting Rig/Equipment - What do you have or use?

[Parks 788]

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So I built this one for our property. We had a brush fire scare this past year:

Trailer was difficult to find. I wanted a 3500 axle under an 8’ trailer. Cost me $1k on marketplace. I then picked up a 330 gal IBC tote, and the 79cc 1” harbor freight water pump. I put a valve on the output of the pump so I can have it running but not dumping. All in I was at $1300. Best part is it’s light enough to tow around with my tractor.

The harbor freight pump can fill our pigs 55 gal drum in a little over a minute.

I was able to burn a lot more this year and feel good about doing it.

When I’m using it for fire suppression, I attached a 1” output hose and a fire nozzle. It’ll shoot about 50-100’.

For everything else, I run a regular garden hose so that’s it semi rigid and easy to store

That's a great setup. Are those 5 or 6 lug axles? I even searched FB Market Place for a very similar trailer but couldn't find anything like yours. Either too light of a single axle trailer or the tandem axle trailers were too long. If I could locate a short (8') single axle with 6 lug axles or a similar size tandem I'd do exactly like you have. Nice job.

 

[Okie4570]

Our main house should be safe from fires as I keep the pastures on all four sides mowed and we have about 50'-70' of manicured lawn between the house and pastures depending on which side. No big trees that could catch fire near the house and have embers blow on to it. The small house/mobile home is a bit more prone to ember caused fire but still have a pretty good cushion around it with manicured lawn. Lots of great info in this tread. Appreciate all the input so far.

If that's the case just spend your money on an in ground sprinkler system for the manicured part if you want to spend any money at all. Your side of the state rarely if ever gets the winds that the west side does, nor the flame length needed to start producing its own wind.

There's a fireworks factory near me that sits on 80a of native grass. Their primary means of grass fire protection is keeping the grass short around all the buildings(with a 3' gravel border around each building) , and everything else is baled for hay during the summer and left short while dormant over the winter and early spring. The red pin is a wheat field, everything else is native grass. They keep no water on site other that normal bury hydrants and spigots. Grass fire is pretty much zero concern for them or the local fire departments. Lightening is though lol.

 

[tynyphil]

I built a 3-point counter balance on the back of my tractor intended to be put on anytime I'm doing something heavy with the front loader or pallet forks. It's actually a 'Carry all" with 4-80# bags of concrete on a platform and a shelf on top of the concrete. I put a 40-gallon tank/sprayer on the shelf when burning. I lengthened the spray nozzle hose and power the pump with the tractor's battery/light circuit. I can drive and spray at the same time. great for keeping a grass fire at bay.

 

[Okie4570]

I've seen two of these though, they're pretty sharp, built in Kansas. $6k-$11k

https://www.minutemanufacturing.com...zziVuijJAMMgnIcFr9s3FrT8QBlgUSgiOi-rnHj7s6iQI

 

[dennishoddy]

I've seen two of these though, they're pretty sharp, built in Kansas. $6k-$11k

https://www.minutemanufacturing.com...zziVuijJAMMgnIcFr9s3FrT8QBlgUSgiOi-rnHj7s6iQI

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They used to build skids like that in Newkirk Ok. Sold all over the country, but when the owner/designer passed away, the business was sold off from what I understand.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

How are you coming on this? Recent fires have made me curious.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

 

[Oklahomabassin]

 

[cowadle]

Y'all could go a long way if you would just use your tractors to plant some borders of things that grow green when the rest is dormant. Like wheat or rye in the winter and then just disk that border in the summer and manage the residue for erosion. Keep your large areas grazed or mowed. Also put non flammable fire break sections in your fences especially next to buildings. I see whole evacuated neighborhoods that went up one house at a time that could have been prevented if someone would have just kicked down a section of ceder fence.

 

[Parks 788]

How are you coming on this? Recent fires have made me curious.

If this is directed at me. Still looking for the right trailer to pickup to make a fire fighting trailer for my property. Was going to buy a good used water trailer but they are just so dar expensive. As soon as I get a trailer, there rest will be somewhat easy to put together. Ideally, looking for a trailer in the 5'x8' range with a single 6 lug 5200# axle. Not a big trailer but a stout trailer with good capacity.