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

[Parks 788]

Some of you saw my thread a couple of days ago about our property catching fire from a negligent ajoining land owner. We live out in the sticks and lucky for us the Shamrock Volunteer FD did a great job putting the fire out that could have caused some structural damage had they not responded.

I've had the thoughts before this incident but now is back at the top of my mind. I need to get setup with some sort of fire fighting rig or apparratus for my property. Not looking to get something that will put out a fully involved structure fire. Looking for something I can use to help control grass or pasture fires, assist with controlling the fires I set when burning my brush piles or any other related need i have on my property to control threats related to fires whether at home or helping a neighbor if needed.

Those that have land what do you use or what do you have that is setup for fire control? Home-brew equipment or did you buy something to slide into a UTV or pickup truck to put out fires? What do you or friends have. Due to my job, I'm thinking about getting one of the 500 gallon water trailers (also known as a water buffalo) commonly used to control dust on jobsites or watering trees or plants that don't have access to water sources. These water trailers do come with 1.5 fire hose. Even with my deep discounts through work, buying new it'd still cost me about $7500. It is pricey and trying to figure out if this is the best option or what you all can recommend. It is something I would keep filled with water from early Spring through Fall.

This is what the water trailer looks like.

 

[Jon3830]

backfires and firebreaks

 

[Firpo]

Boy I think you’re on to something. We moved out to the county for the first time and one thing for sure, a person really needs to be self sufficient. Two years ago not two miles from my house some bozo started a grass fire at a gender-reveal party. They thought it was a good idea to shoot a tub of colored Tannerite with a 25mph wind and in the middle of a grass pasture, burned about 2,500 acres. I have to think if someone nearby had a rig like that it could have all been avoided. We don’t have any “property” so to speak, about an acre and a half but I keep everything trimmed way back from the house and I have 5 fire extinguishers I keep around the house and one in each vehicle.

 

[rickm]

When burning brush piles i make sure the grass around it is short and then use a gas powered leave blower to control it, let it burn out a couple of feet and blow it back onto it self.

 

[Chief Sapulpa]

A 10,000 gallon above ground water pool.

 

[Snattlerake]

Is there a PTO version of that tank?

 

[Perplexed]

A 10,000 gallon above ground water pool.

He’s got the right idea. A pond near the house, with a portable generator, water pump, and hose handy.

 

[SoonerP226]

We had a thread about this not too long ago, within the last year, IIRC. I recall discussions of using a few of those big IBC totes on a 16' utility trailer and a PTO-driven pump.

Matt Carriker of Demolition Ranch made a water-spraying rig out of a utility trailer and some totes on his Matt Carriker (formerly Off the Ranch, where he's doing his abandoned resort restoration) YouTube channel. He had his set up for spraying down the gravel road, but the idea's the same. I think he used an electric (or maybe gas-powered) pump instead of PTO-driven, but he had it setup so he could turn some valves and use the pump to fill the totes from a pond or the river.

 

[2busy]

Is there a PTO version of that tank?

Ag supply businesses have them. Used to spray herbicides on pastures

 

[Oklahomabassin]

How many hp is your tractor? A tractor and disk doesn't go empty like a 500 gallon water tank. It doesn't freeze and crack fittings either.

During control burn season it isn't uncommon to have cold snaps or nights cold enough to freeze a pump or a valve and potentially crack them if not purged.