Resting in the wilds of Herkimer County one can find this vintage Autocar U-7144, a veteran of World War II, if they keep a sharp eye.
One of 11,000 trucks built during the WWII, this U-Model picked up a Quick-Way crane along the way. From what I can tell the U-7144 and their larger U-8144 brother were primarily used as tractor setups to haul bridge pontoons and other heavy equipment. However, resident heavy equipment expert Matt Folsom does tell us that Quick-Way supplied over 2,000 cranes for mounting on various truck chassis during the course of the war so perhaps this really is an all original combitionation.
Powered by a 529 cu. in. Hercules RXC gas engine the 7 and 8 series trucks were rated at 4 and 5 tons respectively. Gearing came through a 5 speed manual transmission with direct in fourth and an overdrive gear. A two speed transfer case provided 4×4 power. (Wikipedia)
The Quick-Way name originated 1922 when Luke E. Smith mounted his prototype crane on a surplus World War One truck making in the first American truck mounted crane. In 1961 Quick-Way would be purchased by Marion Power Shovel Company to expand their small excavator line.
So what do you think? Is this an original combination?
Do you have an Autocar you would like to see featured on Autocar Mondays? Email eric@dailydieseldose.com today!