When traveling it’s always nice to see a familiar face like this 1972 Autocar DC9364 owned by Don Berch.
As you might recall this DC still packs it’s original NTC 355 and 13 speed Fuller while riding on a late model air ride suspension and rears. No doubt those later mods made the journey from New Hampshire to Iowa much more pleasant.
Above we see Don on the first of many miles home outside the truck museum at the Iowa 80. Thanks for sharing Don!
While visiting the Iowa 80 truck stop I took a moment to cruise the parking lots full of hundreds of trucks. While many rigs were the typical soulless OTR fleet trucks there were a few worth noting, or more specifically their loads.
While that 745C has big tires there was a truck carrying a set for an even bigger dump truck.
A truck that probably is based around this frame.
On the way out to the truck stop I passed by a closed weigh station that had a fully assembled dump truck of this size on a lowbed. I made a note to stop on the way back but it was gone when I returned two hours later. I never would have figured that it would hit the road during the day but what do I know about heavy haul.
Here on the east coast Hendrickson trucks were always something of a rare bird and now with the passage of time that statement has only becomes more true. Heading out to the ATHS show in Des Moines I knew that if I was going to see Hendricksons in any significant quantity it would take place in Iowa. As you can see the hawkeye state did not disappoint.
The truck above was constructed by using an International cab that contained an integral sleeper. Don’t worry, Hendricksons of this time period used the Comfo-Cab popularized by International Harvester so no historical value was lost. I’m not sure but I assume Hendricksons packed larger than average power based on the seemingly endless hood and external air cleaners. Great looking trucks indeed.
God bless the folks that bring not one truck but an entire fleet of trucks to shows like the ATHS National Convention. The Sid Kamp crew rolled into Des Moines in style bringing seven Mack trucks that reached back to the age of the B-Model straight through to the Titan. They were even nice enough to roll them through the gate in order from new to old. Just about the only bulldog missing was a DM!
While the video you are about to see is fairly decent it was almost a great one. You’ll notice that the B-Model dump has a really great sound to it. Now imagine if I was standing a short distance in front of this truck while the driver laid into the peddle, rowed through the gears and left a giant cloud of black smoke in his wake. Yup, that’s what could have been if I wasn’t so concerned with eating a chocolate chip cookie at nine in the morning. Someday when you can download the visual images of your brain to the web sob stories like this one will be a thing of the past.
Make sure you stop by the Sid Kamp website to see even more great photos by clicking here.
Let us return to the Luber Homes auction held last month and marvel at the lump of steel that is this 1978 Link Belt LS-7400. As I understand this is one of the largest Link Belt machines of it’s era. Powered by a 12V71 Detroit the LS-7400 represented the serious attempt to make an all hydraulic powered excavator in the face of growing competition from Japanese nameplates. For decades this machine sat at the corner of the Luber property and was highly visible from I-690 thanks to its size and traditional LB paint scheme. For sometime the cab had been wrapped in a tattered blue tarp that did little to keep out the elements. On the day of the auction I was surprised to find that this machine actually ran, or at leas the engine was capable of idle. While I was onsite no one was brave (or foolish) enough to attempt a test run on the boom or tracks. Never the less it sold for around 4,500 dollars and since been removed from the property. Passing by the lot the other weekend it was strange to see the entire parcel devoid of equipment except for one sorry looking Drott all terrain crane that was in the process of being dismantled for transport.
There is just something about an Autocar with floats and a 6×6 configuration that looks natural. Here we see “The Goose”, a 1978 DC that has been repowered with a B-Series Cat and a 13 speed trans. Originally this truck left the factory with Cummins NTC 230 paired to a six speed and according to the current owner that combo made for a long day hauling a fully loaded log trailer.
From the first second I laid eyes on this truck I knew it was prime Autocar Mondays material. I don’t think you’ll find anyone to disagree!
A short clip of The Goose.
Sometimes you just see a truck and you realize that if you had the money, time, and knowledge you would make a similar looking rig. This Peterbilt wrecker pretty much checks all the boxes with a tasteful mix of custom bits and strength thanks to a Holmes 750.
And as much I like the meticulously restored trucks the old survivors are just as eye catching.
Old tow trucks surrounded by old trucks. What a combination.
To say that the most popular brand of trucks based on attendance at the 2017 ATHS National Show was the Kenworth W900 and the Pete 3XX would be an understatement. You’ve seen the video. You know I speak the truth. For that very reason I am going to ignore them for the moment and focus on the Internationals. Surprised? There were many great IHC trucks on hand of the both the heavy and light line. Any show that brings out two pristine L-Series pickups should be considered a success in my book. Of course there were Emeryvilles, Loadstars, and Scouts as well. One stand out that comes to mind is this former fire truck now acting as fun time cruiser.
Pretty cool even if it gas powered.
So many trucks to see. So little time.
Sometimes when I see a classic truck with a huge power plant being trailered to and from a truck show I feel like there is something missing. It’s one thing to see a truck start up and cruise over to the show field but in the end I am always left wanting more. I want to see the truck in action as God intended it to be, doing the work it was built to do. Demonstrating that it’s more than just a show truck the most popular Kenworth on Youtube is back to fulfill your classic truck action wishes.
That’s a 125,000lb crusher being pulled up a grade that is steep enough to make you wish there was an escalator nearby. And don’t forget that the Kenworth weighs nearly 24,000lbs on its own. Honestly, comparing this video to some of the more flatland moves by this truck I’ve come to realize that it sounds basically the same all the time. It’s always screaming no matter if it’s loaded or not. That’s a Detroit for ya.
It’s hard to believe that just a week ago today I was busy getting ready for the ATHS National Show in Des Moines, Iowa and now it’s over. Time sure does fly by when you’re having fun.
The ATHS set a new personal record by jamming over 1200 trucks into the fairgrounds. They also attempted a world a record of the most simultaneous diesel engine starts and most truck air horns blowing at the same time. The later was called off for fear of upsetting horses that were also on the property but the other was a success. With so many trucks on hand it was not possible to see them all unless you were one of the volunteers that helped with parking and even then one or two could still sneak in when not watching closely. With so much to see I put together a drive by of the show from early Saturday morning when peak truck was reached. I would estimate about 90% of the trucks at the show were captured in this video but there were a few spots that a golf cart couldn’t go that somehow were parking spots for big trucks. Fortune favors the bold.
