Vehicle Description
1926 Maxim Ladder Truck
NO TITLE-SOLD ON A BILL OF SALE ONLY
The Maxim Motor Company was founded in Middleboro, Massachusetts in
1914 by Carlton Maxim. He was a firefighter, and his initial goal
was to build a fire engine for his department. Well, that blossomed
into a company that was purchased by Seagrave in 1963. On December
9, 1989 it ceased operation due to heavy competition, but in 2009
was re-established as a brand by Greenwood Emergency Vehicles of
North Attleboro, MA.
Estimates say that over 3,000 trucks were made on the Maxim line in
the 100 years of production. There is a story of Carlton Maxim
making a point with silver dollars. A town official didn't think
the company impacted the local economy. Pretty soon silver dollars
started popping up all over town. Maxim was paying his employees in
silver dollars to show how far the wages traveled. A lot of pride
went into building the trucks, they were custom-built by hand.
Nothing was prefabricated, the cabs and bodies were fabricated from
sheet metal frames from channel iron. The inmates ran the asylum,
the workers knew how to build the engines and the management left
them alone.
Exterior
Presenting to us in Fire Engine Red is a 1926 ladder truck variant
of the Maxim fire truck, showing in WHFD livery, (one can only
surmise that this represents West Hartford Fire Department, read on
to find out why). Brass headlight bezels flank a brass radiator
surround that has the Maxim logo proudly showing top and center. A
long twin cowled hood shows in red and is adorned with WHFD in
gold. Long red running boards connect the fenders on either side
and provide the footing for the firemen while rushing to the
rescue. A multitude of different ladders hang off the sides and
center to give many options for rescue. Large wooden spoke wheels
are on all 4 corners and present in good condition.
Interior
Spartan is the best way to describe this interior. No doors, no
windshield, just twin black vinyl bucket seats and twin black vinyl
guards to fend off Mother Nature on the coldest of nights. A wooden
floor has the control pedal protruding along with the long, long
shifter. A black bakelite steering wheel fronts the basic dashboard
which shows necessary engine functions, light controls, and a
Hartford County Mutual Aid Radio Network code list, (ahhh
priorities...It's time for a code 12). A Simsbury Fire District tag
is also attached and sports the number 0103.
Drivetrain
Lifting the twin cowled hood, we are greeted with an inline 6
cylinder that is fed air and fossils via a single one barrel
carburetor. All the torque is transferred to the rear wheels via a
heavy-duty manual transmission. We were unable to start or drive
the truck due to a missing hand crank.
Undercarriage
Very basic and to the point here. Leaf springs provide the ride
front and rear and mechanical drum brakes on the rear axle provide
the stopping power. Now the MAX SPEED 35MPH sticker on the dash
makes complete sense.
A rarely seen piece of firefighting history, now gracing our
hallowed halls of the Classic Auto Mall. Great for parades, shows,
or even a museum piece for the discerning collector. Code 12, Code
12, it's going to be a long night.
NO TITLE-SOLD ON A BILL OF SALE ONLY
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
