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At Auction – International R-190 4×4

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Eric

Another day, another vintage plow! Two days ago I went to an auction that featured, among other things, a 60’s something International R-190 snow plow. This truck was equipped with a factory four wheel drive system, air breaks and a 6 cylinder International gas engine. In addition to the home made plow up front there at at one time was a wing that disappeared decades ago. All things considered this R-190 was very solid for a plow that served in the the salt encrusted lands of the Northeast. There was very little rot to be found in the usual places around doors and cab corners. The hydraulic systems for the plow still worked and the engine ran like the day it rolled off the assembly line. The chrome pieces on the grill were straight with only minor dings. Unfortunately the smallest exhaust pipe in the world was busy strangling the engine of both power and sound. Under a thick layer of red paint existed blue and yellow tones suggesting a possible past life as a NYS DOT truck. I couldn’t find any evidence to support this theory or any other for that matter. The auction hammer eventually dropped at 1,300 USD. A decent price. Hopefully it won’t head be heading to the scrap yard any time soon.

Here is a video tour of the truck.

[Show as slideshow]

Also on the auction list where two cranes of the 50 and 90 ton varieties. The 90 ton was a Detroit powered behemoth. Coverage to follow!

Posted in Snow Plows | Tagged international r-190 snow plow | Leave a comment

Tuesdays with Walter

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Eric

I like to provide as much info as I can when I spy old trucks either still working or rusting away in the weeds. There are times when I know exactly what the make and model is while other times I just have to make an educated guess. Most of the time my guesses are never confirmed but once in a while the truth comes out. Back in March of 2012 I stopped to check out a pair of Walter Snow Fighters left to rust behind the Town of Camilus Highway Department. I wasn’t sure of the age or exact model so I took a guess and went with the 70’s. Turns out I was off by a few years. Yesterday while doing my weekly check of listings on Auctions International I was greeted by a pair of familiar faces. Right now both trucks are selling for a whopping 25.00 dollars each. They are listed as being in poor condition, non starting, for parts only. On the bright side the the registration is transferable! Click on the link above to see the official report or browse my photos below.

1964 Walter ACRS power by a 8 cylinder Cummins.

1964 Walter AWUS powered by a 8 cylinder Cummins

*FINAL UPDATE*

The ’64 ACRS sold for $2,300 while the 66 AWUS sold for $2,350. Both trucks went to seperate buyers. I wonder if they avoided the scraper?

Tough Enough for the Job?

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Eric

Two or three weekends ago I went to an auction of municipal equipment. The standard fair was there in regards to snow plows, pickups and heavy equipment. Most items were well used and over ten years of age. Walking the line I noticed a nice looking late model Ford F-450 with a plow and dump body. It looked great. The paint was still bright red with gold pin striping and the interior was fairly clean. The milage on the odometer read around 65,000. At first glance it would seem this truck had plenty of life let. Looking at the vehicle maintenance history it became clear that this Ford had spent its fair share of time in the shop with rough idling, leaking trans, busted radiators and corroded brake systems. I started to wonder if maybe the F-450 was the wrong platform for heavy duty plowing. Maybe a platform based off a medium duty truck would be better. Enter the International TerraStar.

As you can see this one is setup for a wing. Now the question is this; is it better than a Ford F-450 in terms of durability? Well, who knows. I really only wanted an excuse to share these photos and maybe start a discussion.

International does claim that the TerraStar has the strongest frame rails, toughest engine, sturdiest transmission and meanest transfer case in the class. So what do you think?

Sorry, no pictures of the Ford.

Posted in At the Dealer, International | Tagged international terrastar | 1 Comment

Shake Hands With Danger

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Eric

Waaay back in the early part(just a guess) of the glorious 1970’s Caterpillar joined forces with the National Safety Council to produce a film dedicated to the safe operation and maintenance of heavy equipment titled Shake Hands With Danger. The theme of the film revolves around the idea that many of us know when we are doing something dangerous but proceed for a variety of reason. We choose to shake the hand of danger. While many other training films cheap out when it comes to recreating an accident the producers of this film employed professional stuntmen to portray unlucky operators as they fall from great heights, set themselves on fire or lose control of their machines. The message of safety rings true after all these years with many of the dangerous activities still common causes of accidents to this day. Do not wash parts with gasoline. Do not remove the tracks of dozer without blocking the wheels. Do not place your hands in a pinch point. The results of each action is clearly shown. Fake blood included. The narration and music of this film follow a country western theme with each accident used to increase the song by one more macabre verse. For example, when the safety gap on a grinding wheel is not checked we are treated to the line of..

I used to laugh at safety, now they call me three finger Joe.

If that doesn’t ring in your mind I’m not sure what will. While it is fun to see equipment run wild and destroy buildings and small vehicles please keep in mind that every scenario represented in the film is based on an actual event. So while your watching keep an open mind. The life you save may just be your own!

Posted in Youtube Finds | Tagged shake hands with danger | 2 Comments

Akerman Excavators

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Eric

During my journey through red slate country last month I stopped at active quarry that utilized a variety of older heavy equipment and trucks for daily operations. Two of the excavators in use come from the Akerman family; a brand which I was largely unaware of before seeing them in person.

Below is a Akerman H16D. Built from 1985 to 1992 The H16D has a reach of 37 feet, a fact that is obscured by the sheer size of the hole surrounding this excavator.

Elsewhere on site was a smaller, relatively speaking, H14B. Like its larger brother the 14B also saw a production run from 1985 to 1992. In case you are wondering the Akerman name and its Star Wars inspired logo were rolled into to the Volvo Construction Group in 1991.

I would like to tell you that I knew all the information regurgitated above but I just cribbed it from the VME website which is awesome resource for all of their older machines. Pictures included! Very interesting.

Posted in Heavy Equipment | Tagged akerman excavator, akerman h14b, akerman h16d, slate quarry | 2 Comments

Heavy Duty Sterlings

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Eric

The Sterling brand name may have returned to the pages of history but the same can not be said for many of their trucks. It doesn’t take too much effort to find one on a street near you. Here are two prime examples of Sterlings setup for heavy duty applications.

To begin, we have a 6×6 snow plow for the Town of Fenner. Check out that plow mount up front. Massive.

We also have this triaxle Sterling with a large cable spooling system on the back. This truck wears the markings of a large national electrical contractor so I can only assume this is used to string high tension lines. You’ll notice that it has three axles instead of your traditional two axles with a tag setup. Something of a strange bird here in NYS.

[Show as slideshow]

Posted in Snow Plows | Tagged sterling 6x6 snow plow, sterling truck | Leave a comment

Fire Truck Fridays?

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Eric

Could fire truck Fridays become a regular occurrence around here? Who knows. Is there enough interest out there for such a thing? Let me know how you feel. To help persuade you in one way or the other here are few photos from Zack and his website.

[Show as slideshow]

Posted in Your Submissions | 1 Comment

Youtube Finds – The Ultimate Moose Bumper

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Eric

It’s that time of the year when deer and many other four legged creatures give in to the irresistible urge to run in front of moving vehicles. If you’ve ever hit a deer with your car or truck you know how dangerous and damaging such a collision can be. In more rugged parts of the world truckers often attach large steel bumpers to their trucks to protect their rig from such accidents. Take a look at the 100-Ton 6×6 Kenworth in the video below for an example of a bumper that could probably run through an entire heard of moose, or if your prefer meese, and never miss a beat.

Posted in Youtube Finds | Tagged kenworth oilfield truck, moose bumper | Leave a comment

Still Working – R-Model Mack Tanker

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Eric

I sure do enjoy spotting old trucks still earning their keep. This very morning I happened across this well preserved Mack R-Model for Midland Asphalt as it was spraying down some sort of coating before asphalt was applied.

Seeing this truck brought me back to the days of my youth when the village DPW would chip seal streets around the neighborhood each summer.

The Video

Do you know of an old truck still earning its keep? Email eric@dailydieseldose.com

Posted in Still Working | Tagged mack r-model tanker, midland asphalt | 3 Comments

Ax Men Season 7

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Eric

This Sunday the seventh season of Ax Men airs on the History Channel. I will tell you right off the bat I could care less about the log count and who is king of the mountain. It’s all a load of steaming bull crap. I enjoy watching the show for the trucks, heavy equipment and the occasional Rygaard temper tantrum. Any show that treats us to shots of Pacific trucks still working to haul massive trees out the forest is okay in my book. With that being said here a few logging photos Ryan sent me from his travels out west.

I really like the looks of the old Freightliner setup as a yarder. If you watch Ax Men you will know that finding a large enough stump to secure the yarder is always a problem. Each year we a treated to at least one episode where the stump pulls from the ground or shatters under the force. That won’t be a problem here as two Cat dozers with their blades buried in the earth are used as tie downs. Some really great shots here. Thanks Ryan!