sweet, got a firefighter to chime in...
what kinda extinquishers would you recommend for a stock and modified cherokee fyrfytr1717 ?
obviously an ABC, but what capacity? is a smaller unit gonna be enough?
any low budget gems? personal favorites?
You can never have too much (anti)firepower. The amount of storage space we're willing to sacrifice is really what limits our firefighting capabilities. Need on the other hand all comes down to how soon you recognize your rig is on fire. If you are in the vehicle and traveling slowly enough to see smoke
wafting out from under the hood, you can probably stop the fire with a 1A:10B:C (2.5lb) extinguisher. If you're traveling at a good clip and don't notice until smoke is
pouring out from under the hood, you'll probably be alright with a 3A:40B:C (5lb) extinguisher. If you're away from your rig and don't notice until you see flames and a black cloud of smoke, it's probably too late. Given this, I'd recommend either a single 5lb extinguisher or for the sake of mounting convenience, two 2.5lb extinguishers. Two 2.5's would probably be the best as you'd be more likely to mount them up high in an easy to get to spot as opposed to a 5 pounder that may get buried under the rest of your gear.
Here's another way to look at it... once you get beyond the capabilities of a 5lb extinguisher, the chances are the fire is going to be so hot you won't be able to open the hood without protective gear. If you can't open the hood, you aren't going to be able to stop an engine fire. If you don't stop an engine fire, chances are the vehicle is totaled. You could probably slow it down enough to open the hood by attacking from under the vehicle, but will most likely get severely burned in the process.
So, favorites? No, not really. They for the most part all contain the same agent in them. In fact when the extinguisher servicing folks come around, they discharge them through a sifter into a common tank and then refill them from this same tank. You probably get most of your original agent back, but it's mixed in with agent from the 1000's of other extinguishers they've serviced. So as far as favorites go, it's really just a matter of packaging differences.
There's really two options. Buy cheapies and replace them every 5 years or so, or get a quality serviceable extinguisher that can last you a lifetime. Extinguishers have about a 5 year shelf life before the agent begins to get caked up and becomes unusable. With a serviceable extinguisher, you can bring it to your local fire protection company (this is usually a good place to purchase them too) and they will empty, sift, and recharge your extinguisher for about $20. Cheapies on the other hand typically have glued in plastic valve assemblies which can't be removed. This means you have to discard and replace your extinguisher every 5 years. I know, you're probably saying, "For $20, I could just buy another cheapy!" Read on...
I myself would lean toward a quality extinguisher and here's why. First off, valve failure is much more likely with a cheap plastic valve mechanism. Second, I'd want to permanently mount the extinguisher in my vehicle. This requires drilling holes. The chances of finding an identical cheapy extinguisher 5 years down the road is slim. This means I'm going to have to drill new holes for a new mounting bracket. Now if you're just going to toss your extinguisher under the back seat or in a toolbox, or if your Jeep is a beater that you don't mind drilling extra holes in, then by all means get a cheapy. Keep in mind though that the quality extinguishers usually come with a nice, metal clamp style mounting bracket while the cheapies come with a plastic snap in type mount. You very well may end up having to buy a new cheapy extinguisher before the 5 years is up simply because your plastic mount broke.
That being said, my personal favorite is the
Amerex. It has a nice mount, a quality all metal valve, an easy to read gauge, is a nice shade of red, and has a good looking label. Like I said, packaging... Some other popular quality brands are Ansul and Badger. Most of these range from $50-$80. For cheapies, whatever you can find cheapest (Home Depot, Costco, K-Mart, etc.) is fine since it contains the same agent and is disposable anyways. Also, for a little more money, you can often find a mid-grade extinguisher at the above locations. Look for an extinguisher with a removable valve assembly. These can be serviced as well, they are just generally of a lesser quality than the extinguishers available at your local fire protection company.
Finally, don't park in dry grass or brush, don't forget about your ice chest, and don't underestimate the firefighting power of a properly thrown shovel full of sand or loose dirt.
:flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame:
Really though, you can never carry too many/large fire extinguishers. You also need to worry about igniting brush under/around the Jeep, too. I had a buddy lose a nice lifted ZJ because he got high-centered and his cat/muffler caught brush on fire and lit up the Jeep before they could stop it. Imagine that you walked down the trail to watch a buddy get through a mud hole, then walk back to see a brush fire under your rig. If you were there when it started, you could have used a 20oz bottle of water. But now you might need 3 5lb extinguishers to put out the brush fire.
