I was wandering around downtown as I often do on my lunch break when I came across this scenic Western Star photo. The Clinton Square fountains had been drained in preparation for an Irish festival and this rig had just dropped of a trailer containing a stage and other lighting.
Homer Simpson was once quoted as saying “In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the woman.” A simple hypothesis but one that does not explain how to obtain the sugar. I have the answer. Sugar comes from trucks. Big, beautiful trucks.
We saw some of the older Hawaiian sugar hauling trucks last week thanks to Ryan. Today we return again to the big island to see how it’s done in modern times.
As you can see, Rojac Trucking rolled out the red carpet for Ryan. Boring factory paint jobs are not allowed!
He also crossed paths with Bandit Trucking, Diverse Trucking, and Alex Gomes. Trucks, enhancing the natural beauty of Hawaii.
Typically the focus of Autocar Mondays falls upon just one truck but this week we have five tried and true classics to drool over. Autocar overload commence!
The Pioneer Valley chapter of the ATHS holds their annual truck show in mid October. I’ve often toyed with the idea of going but always talked myself out if it. I’m not sure why, it’s only about three hours away and I’ve certainly traveled further for much less. After looking at these fine machines I really don’t have an excuse not to visit next year.
These fantastic photos come to us courtesy of John Kilmer.
Great rigs with a mix of a new and old trucks to Daily Diesel Dose. Who could forget about Snoopy?
Many thanks to John for sharing these great photos. Have you spotted an Autocar? Let the world see! Email eric@dailydieseldose.com today!
This summer was a real embarrassment of riches type of situation. There were so many great truck shows and other events that generated massive amounts of footage. Back in the day a video like this one from the ATHS Hudson Show would have been first class footage and now look it at it, reduced to Sunday filler nearly a month after it was shot. We might be heading into the lean times of the year but I think I’ve stored a few chestnuts away to see us through.
The past couple days we’ve seen new plows, old plows and now current plows. While checking out the surplus items it’s impossible not to come across the trucks of the active fleet. Yesterday we saw a photo of a brand new tow plow. I was lucky enough to grab a video of this truck as it pulled out of the yard. Impressive for sure. It will be interesting to see these trucks on the road this coming winter.
Along with brand new Macks two old International 2574s were still wearing DOT logos and colors. One of them was even preped for plowing with a sander in the dump body. It was eventually moved to a back corner of the lot after it gathered plenty of attention from those thinking it was for sale.
Along with the new tow plow some other toys showed up this summer. This Case grader looks ready for business.
With November looming just over the horizon most trucks around the grounds were already in full winter gear while others were just waiting for their blades. Even rigs usually setup for hauling fifth wheels had their sanders attached. Finally random thought, loader mounted snow blowers are not as cool as truck mounted blowers.
Yesterday, new plows. Today, old plows. It’s the way of the world. Rust will consume us all. You can’t blame me for having a bleak outlook after attending another surplus equipment auction at the NYSDOT Region 3 HQ. All the usual suspects were there in the forms of International 2574s and 4700s. The Thruway even snuck an early Mack Granite with lowboy into the mix. It was only a 2003 model. So young.
Some of these rigs had life left while others wouldn’t be worth the time. A quick sampling of license plates in the parking showed plenty of people making the trip from states that hire private contractors to plow roads. Hopefully they were here for parts only. NY get’s their money worth out of these trucks before tossing the husks aside. Look at this old S1900 from the SUNY Oswego. Looks alright till you open the door and see your feet. Flintstone power in every sense of the word. I was afraid a bird might land on the roof and the entire cab would crumple inwards like a empty soda can in the vacuum of space.
While I enjoy looking at all the old stuff I also take these auctions as a time to check out the new rigs. Trucks like this tow plow! The future of plowing in New York State has arrived. Everything about this setup is brand new right down to the new DOT logo on the door. Gone is the flying T. Outrageous if you ask me but no one ever does. Why?
Neat video of this to follow tomorrow along with all sorts of new trucks and a few other gems.
Related: Everything Must Go!
Yesterday I attended the N.Y.S. Highway & Public Works Expo which is the place to display and see all the latest and greatest technologies of the snow fighting industry. The Center of Progress building at the NYS Fair was jammed with trucks, loaders, and all other manor of equipment. It was there I saw the first new International PayStar setup as a snowplow. Since the introduction of the Caterpillar line of trucks the PayStar seemed to all but disappear. Now that partnership between International and Cat is drawing to a close I suspect I’ll see more of these trucks around. The 2016 model year will see a new style of this model along with a new naming convention, the HX.
You may have seen this truck floating around social media the past few weeks. It’s a Kenworth T-470 painted from top to bottom in pink to raise attention for breast cancer research. This is the actual color the truck will wear will delivered to an unknown municipality.
Of the many vendors on hand one was heavy truck outfitter Trius. While they didn’t bring a truck to the event (that I know of) Clarence did find this impressive looking Oshkosh on the lot of their Fort Edward, NY location. Those Penn Turnpike Macks in the background look absolutey puny by comparison.
Below you’ll find a gallery with more from the show plus two truck from spotted at the local International dealer a few weeks ago. The first two trucks were spotted weeks before the show at the local International dealer. In order, a plow with plow, Town of Lyme Mack Granite, stock WorkStar, International DuraStar for Morristown, stock WorkStar, Town of Centerville, WorkStar for City of Dunkirk, Mack Granite for City of Rochester, WorkStar for Town of Plymouth, and a big ol Kenworth for Tonawanda.
October 21st, 2015 is a significant date in human history. Today is the day that Doc and Marty McFly return to the future from 1985. In honor of this moment let’s return to a recent event in Daily Diesel Dose history with a revisit to the LORAM ballast cleaner first seen nearly one month ago.
This time my second sighting included a better camera and much better light.
When I saw this truck slowly working its way through traffic I prayed that my traffic lane would receive a red light. Living it up to its name the stop light stopped me right at the front of the line and I was able to grab a shot of this old Freightliner dump truck. The split windshield suggest this truck is not any newer that 1989. Beyond that I can’t tell you much about this rig. Fill in the blanks in the comment field below if you have something to share!
Autocar Mondays is brought to you today by Jack and his photos of a nicely restored gas powered Autocar. The year and model are unknown but it’s safe to say this is a DC model. It was spotted at truck/farm/vintage equipment show this past August in Virginia.
Anyone out there familiar with this truck? Feel free to help complete the details by leaving a comment below.
