Today I have no plows to post. It’s not that I don’t have any photos but I mean c’mon, enough is enough right? Rhetorical question. Let’s take a look at some equally vital and hard working vehicles, the tow truck.
I came across this white knight after it had just dropped of some form of log truck at the local spring shop. It’s operated by Doody Brothers Garage of Tully, NY.
A few days later I noticed this Big Red Towing unit hauling a disable Freightliner back to the local Penske franchise.
It took everything I had not to crack a Freightliner joke right there.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Why mess with success? Take the town of St. Johnsville, NY for instance and their two Paystar 5000 plows. These trucks represent the entire plowing fleet for the town. They look brand new and presumably run just as well. No need to mess with DEF tanks and particulate filters. No lack of power when a computer determines it’s time for a forced regeneration. Just old school snow pushing power.
Yup, I’m still posting photos of plows and plow accessories. What else can I do? Someday there will be construction and truck shows but until then we plow.
Last Saturday I came across this 7600 for the Town of Salina, NY plowing near the Pilot Travel Center. I pass by the town garage many times in my journeys I but never see any trucks. It was nice to finally catch one.
A few days later I was in Manlius, NY where I spotted this Sterling for the Onondaga DOT pulling in for break. Looks like the the quick access hood panel is missing along with the hood decal and grill trim.
Another dark green Western Star 4700 has arrived at Tracey Road Equipment for parts unknown. This one has a different dump body from the one we saw a few weeks back.
I’ll wrap up the post for today with a random collection of plows. First up some rigs leaving the OCDOT North Area Maintenance Facility. The PayStar twins of truck 283 and 284 from the City of Syracuse. Don’t judge, they have a hard life. A NYSDOT Mack Granite plowing RT 290 in Dewitt. Another shot of the Salina International 7600 and last but not least a International WorkStar for the Village of Manlius, NY.
Frankfort-Highland Airport, the land that rust forgot. Ryan snapped of some shots of this true classic from the 50’s that show the remarkable well preserved truck and Frink setup. Good things airports don’t use salt amirite?
We’re back on the plow chasing tour of the North Country today with a stop in the Town of Ellisburg, NY and what a stop it is!
Like most Towns in Jefferson County heavy snow fall is a way of life so it stands to reason some older plows might be lurking in the shadows. Ellisburg provided these rigs and then some. Of course there were some new trucks to be found with some nice looking middle age Internationals but they were all over shadowed by two classics. First, a mint condition Walter N model.
So clean you could eat off it! The crew at Ellisburg was nice enough to let Ryan behind the wheel and even nicer to let him video tape it! At one point I thought he was going to head to the street and make a run for Canada.
Tucked away in a back corner of the town garage was a treasure in the form of truly vintage Snow Fighter.
Plenty of cool stuff in the outer barn. I see what looks like a 4×4 Series, a Vohl Snowblower and yet another Walter.
Disney World for plow chasers! My hat is off to Ryan!
Joe’s Service Station of Guilderland, NY used to run this old Autocar for a number of years. Under the hood a resides a 290 Cummins and 13 speed Road Ranger. A factory installed A/C unit can been seen on the roof. The Holmes 750 wrecker body is still in solid working shape which is more than can be said of the truck. Sadly severe rust has set in between the triple frame rails resulting in serious swelling and damage. Welcome to the joys of New York!
I received and email from Mike the other day wondering if I knew anything regarding the whereabouts of the truck you see below.
At first glance it may seem like just another truck in the weeds but there is a little more to it than that. We are looking at a Walter QKGS model specially designed for the NYS Thruway. Equipped with roll over plows and double wings, these trucks were modified to hit a top speed of 58 M.P.H. which is nothing short of amazing if you know anything about Walter Snow Fighters. This truck was one of three stationed at strategic points along the Thruway system. Depending on the need the Walters would race to the site of heavy snowfall. What a sight that must have been!
For many years this particular unit sat behind Greene Trucking outside of Amsterdam, NY. I remember seeing it many times myself during various journies but never felt compelled enough to stop for a closer look. Each day I bolster my claim to the title of world’s dumbest man! At some point in 2012 this truck disappeared. Some fear that it fell victim to the cutting torch but that gruesome idea has never been confirmed. Let’s keep hope alive. Do you know anything about this super plow? Please let us know by leaving a comment below.
Welcome to the snow clearing mega post! Over the past week I’ve received plenty of photos and taken many myself of snow clearing operations. With back to back storms followed by arctic temperatures many business and communities have been forced to remove giant snow piles from street corners and parking lots in the name safety. The usual strategy of waiting for warm air or rain to help reduce this accumulation simply isn’t working this year.
Clearing in Granville, NY
Clarence shares with us a shot of his 2004 GMC 7500 being loaded by his 1992 Volvo L70 loader. Good looking setup! Feel free to stop by my clogged driveway anytime.
Clearing in Little Falls, NY
The front end loader and the dump truck may be the most common method of removing snow but heading off to Little Falls, NY we find a different set of equipment in use.
Mark shares with us some shots of a LeeBoy 3000 at work. A Bobcat working with a grader pull the snow of sidewalks and street shoulders for quick loading. The process moves as fast as returning dump trucks allow.
Just about an hour west of Little Falls we find the City of Syracuse using the more traditional method. A John Deere 624J with a multi purpose bucket first removes snow from around parking meters and street corners to the center of the street for eventual loading into waiting dump trucks. While not requiring any specialized equipment the front loader option demands the entire street be closed until work is completed. Take a look at the video below to see some wild action.
And here are some still shots from the day of the video and a few days later on a nearby street.
Heading off to DestinyUSA, the sixth largest mall in the United States, we find some very large Michigan/Volvo L120 loaders moving very small amounts of snow.
OnSite Services has the contract to keep the mall clean and accessible to meet your consumer needs.
Some business with small parking lots started clearing snow weeks ago. In this case, the Original Italian Pizza location on James Street. BTW, amazing chicken wing pizza here. The best you will EVER have.
This nice looking Case loader was doing the loading.
Clearing at Delta Sonic
A new Delta Sonic just opened up but before it could…snow removal! Here we see a nice looking Mack from Orchard Earth and Pipe.
Clearing in Dutchess County, NY
John shares with some photos of snow removal from Dutchess County. Looking closely at the second photo you will notice a loader with a front mounted blower. As John passed by the scene the Oshkosh also pictured was hooking up to remove the stuck loader from deep snow. The fast moving crew has pulled of the rescue before he could turn around.
Look! Another Walter Snow Fighter! How could you miss it? This unit along with that fancy Western Star belong to the Town of Adams Highway Department. This little slice of the world lies right in the path of a persistent lake effect snow band. While destinations just north and south can be spared depending on the winter Adams always will see the heavy stuff year in and year out. Not only does the snow fall heavy but the winds blow strong resulting in some massive drifts. This is where the Walter truly shines and demonstrates why it can not be replaced by any modern vehicle.
If you’re on Facebook and you haven’t joined the DOT Plow Trucks group I suggest you do. There is some great video of this Walter at work shelving or if your prefer, benching. You know the snow is heavy when this truck encounters drifts that physically push the truck to the side. Thanks to Ryan for the photos and Ty for opening the doors!