Do you hear that? The fat lady is singing…for a second time. If you’ve been able to put up with my ramblings for the past four years or spent any time digging through the archives you might remember this truck. I first came across this 1966 Walter AWUS back in March of 2012. Located behind the Town of Camillus composting pile this truck and a 1964 ACRS were nearly obscured by weeds. Around a year and half later both trucks would be sold at auction. The ACRS going for $2,300 and the AWUS selling for $2,350. I figured that was that and resigned myself to the belief that both trucks were presumably sold for scrap. It goes without saying that these old Walter Snowfighters are tough machines. So tough in fact that the ’66 model managed to hang on for nearly another two years.
As it was in 2013, Auctions Internationals was again tasked with selling this massive machine. The listing information was relatively unchanged since the last go around with the exception of the engine being listed as a six cylinder Cummins as opposed to an eight cylinder. Dragged from the tall weeds the new crop of photos showed what appeared to be a semi solid rig. Tread life and conditions of the tires seem half way decent. Just bring fresh fuel and batteries and fire it up.
I gave the Town of Camillus a ring to see if I could learn more about this old warrior. I spoke with man named Billy who was more than happy to share some details regarding the history and condition of the truck.
Turns out this Walter was purchased from the Town of Manlius, NY around 2005. At the time it was obtained strictly for parts and was not in any type of running condition. Sadly a snapped rear axle left this vehicle sitting toward the wrong direction of the wind for a number of years. When town staff attempted to start the truck they began by draining nearly five gallons of water from the Cummins. Needless to say it didn’t start.
The song doesn’t end on that sour note. Thanks to the hard work of Mike Bartlett and the seasoned knowledge of Joe Kelly I was able to put together a video of the truck highlighting some of the facts and features of the AWUS. I’m sure I misspoke on a few thing so please feel free to correct me in the comments below.
Looking back, I wish I had spent a little more time learning about the drive system these trucks utilized so I could have narrated with some form of intelligence. There is nothing that resembles that familiar pumpkin shape of the rear differential on these old trucks. I assume that is the magic behind the 100% Traction tag line. Can anyone put this in layman terms?
The auction for this old girl ends today, 4/28 at 7:10 PM EST. If you want to try your luck you can visit the official page by clicking here. Here’s hoping it finds a good home.
