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Old Friends

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Eric

It may not look like it but you will hear this Freightliner FLC112 long before you see it. This is the equivalent of sleeper truck in the construction community. Why it even has a normal, stock look exhaust stack. Don’t be fooled, it can growl with the best of them.

I know we all love well maintained older equipment so here is an International S-Series (note the DT-466 hood emblem) 4×4 hailing from the same company, Oliver Enterprises.

Sorry, but I have no idea if the DT-466 sounds like the Cummins from above. I’m guessing it doesn’t. 😉

Posted in Still Working | Tagged freightliner FLC112, international S-series, oliver enterprises | 1 Comment

Buffalo Blizzard Clean UP

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Eric

Did your hear about all the snow that fell in Buffalo last week? It was kind of a big deal even for a part of the world that is used to getting dumped on in one fashion or another. Long time DDD contributor Dan was able to live the dream (my words, not his) and saw all the clean up action up close and personal. Public and private crews from across the state and the northeast pulled a string of non-stop days and nights to dig out western New York. Below you get see the action from the drivers seat. A massive thanks to Dan for sharing.

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Posted in Snow Plows | Tagged buffalo blizzard, buffalo snow clean up | Leave a comment

Youtube Gems

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Eric

Recently the website Jalopnik has stumbled across a great selection of diesel and truck related videos. Usually the site revolves around the Japanese sun that is the Miata but occasionally something much cooler, like a drifting S-Series International, sneaks into the mix. The poster of the video tells us his friend Ben recently performed some upgrades to the humble DT466 that “really woke her up”. Just like throwing cold water in sleepy baby’s face.

Formual1 cars are marvelous feats of engineering capable of performance that is unrivaled in any other form of motorsport. Toss in a Renault semi jumping off a ramp and you’ve got one fantastic video. I love what happens to the pavement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVBcEg6klJI

Adding to the list of things I never thought I would see, a drag racing backhoe. Capable of reaching speeds of 100mph because, well, just because.

Posted in Youtube Finds | Leave a comment

Lost and Found – International Loadstar

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Eric

Here we have an International Loadstar 1600, the lightest truck of the model line. I’m filling this old IHC under the Lost and Found category simply because it was sitting in a field. Despite the very rusted fenders suggesting years of rotting, this truck is sporting modern gold and blue New York plates along with a registration sticker current to November of 2014. I didn’t look under the hood but it’s safe to assume a gas engine would have been found. None of the surrounding businesses provided any clue about the possible owner but nearby Hafner’s Farmer Market is a strong contender. The irrigation pipe sticking past the door provides ample security, something like a primitive version of The Club.

Posted in Lost and Found | Tagged international loadstar 1600 | Leave a comment

Autocar Mondays – Steel Butterfly Hoods

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Eric

Coming soon to an auction lot near you! Two like new Autocar ACL64B’s from the Town of Sullivan.

Joe stopped by his old stomping grounds a few weeks ago and found trucks number 10 and 17 being prepped for auction photos. As mentioned, both are ACL64B’s with Cummins LTA10 285’s with Jakes and have Fuller Roadranger RTOF-14708LL transmissions.

For twenty two year old trucks they look they have some plowing life left in them. Thanks to Joe for sharing.

Posted in Autocar Trucks | Tagged autocar acl64b, town of sullivan highway department | Leave a comment

On the Job – Western Star 4700

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Eric

I first saw this Western Star 4700 for Syracuse Haulers a few months ago while returning bottles and cans for my hard earned deposit. Always claim your deposit people. You don’t want to give your state more money than their entitled do you? Anyway, this truck stood out mainly because it’s a Western Star in an all Mack fleet of roll off trucks. To be precise the fleet is all Mack if you don’t count the one hard as nails and still working Autocar. At the time of the first sighting I wasn’t able to take a photo but I knew my time would come. Last week as I wandered the streets of downtown looking for anything to shoot I heard my personal siren call, the wail of an OSHA approved back up alarm.

The Syracuse Haulers colors look good on this rig and fit all the chrome that come standard on these trucks. I hung around for awhile watching as the driver placed and moved bins around parked cars in a narrow alley way. All in days work for man and machine.

Posted in On the Job | Tagged syracuse haulers, western star 4700 roll off | 2 Comments

Buffalo or Bust

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Eric

By now you have probably heard of the apocalyptic snow that has obliterated parts of the Buffalo area. Areas south of city took the major body blow with between 7 and 10 feet of snow being reported while sections north of the city saw no more than a few inches. While the snow has stopped the clean up is just beginning and with a major increase in temperature foretasted for the weekend time is of the essence. Crews from neighboring counties, towns, and states have been mobilized to help dig out the region. Yesterday I learned that the County of Onondaga and the City of Syracuse were sending men and machines to help provide relief. They were set to assemble in a mall parking lot and convoy out together. I was able to swing by and grab a few shots before they rolled out.

As you can see none of the trucks are sporting plows. At this point the snow needs to be trucked off streets and sidewalks were in resides in massive piles. You can only push so much before you just have to get rid of it all together.

All told the County of Onondaga set 28 workers from a variety of county agencies along with seven dump trucks, three loaders and one backhoe. The City of Syracuse also provided three dump trucks and three loaders and twelve employees. Those crews were arriving as I was leaving so I don’t have any photos other than two shots of loaders being pulled by Moulton’s Towing.

Thankfully a photographer for the city was on hand to grab some wonderful shots of the convoy rolling out under the cover of darkness. Click here to view. Below is a short video that is self explanatory.

The support crews are expected to work 12 hour days with the City and County being reimbursed for their time and expense from New York State.

For more Buffalo blizzard coverage check out the Facebook group DOT Plow Trucks. You will find more shots of the storm and the men and machines at work. There is also a lively discussion about NYS turning away help from neighboring states.

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*Bonus Shot*

I received this photo yesterday from South of 5 & 20 who spotted a NYSDOT convoy heading west Wednesday. I wonder if the pumps slowed down when that VW showed up? 😉

Posted in Snow Plows | Tagged buffalo blizzard, city of syracuse dpw, onondaga county dot | 2 Comments

International DuraStar MPV

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Eric

Life is struggle. This fact becomes even more real when basic necessities like water and medical care are lost due to a natural or man made disaster. The new International MVP is a vehicle designed to provide these vital services in one efficent and reliable truck package. Working with Terranova, an Internatinoal DuraStar is transformed into a mobile relief center capable of purifying water, providing first aid and fighting fires.

And onboard filtration system is capable of purifying up to 5000 gallons of water a day from a variety of sources including streams, lakes and failed municipal supplies. The mobile medical unit is idea for emergency rescue and triage situations.

You can learn more about the DuraStar MPV by reading the press release here.

Image Source: Terranova GTS

Posted in Industry News | Tagged durastar mpv, International, terranova gts | Leave a comment

Battle Stations – Part 2

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Eric

Straight from the front lines of the colossal blizzard assaulting Western New York Dan sends us a shot a Kenworth C-500 working for the town Lewiston.

Trucking terminals have the coolest repurposed plow trucks. Usually they are retired OTR trucks like this old S-Series or this International 8200. I’m not sure if this old Mack follows the same mold. For starters the headlights appear to be factory deleted and the overall condition of the truck is near perfect. It’s also possible this rig was purchased by NEMF as a dedicated plower. Whatever the history this truck is a real eye catcher.

I’ve been tracking the deployment of the new Western Snow 4700 plows for the NYSTA for over a year now. It’s been a long process for these trucks to hit their respective bases but here is one in its finished form complete with lettering and painted hood.

Who doesn’t love the classic, S-Series derived, 2574 snow plow? Heading by the NYSDOT Region 3 HQ I spied more than a few still lingering around the back lots. This one appeared to be in good shape. Nearby was a large Oshkosh blower many decades old. I wasn’t able to grab a photo of it so I turned to the original plow chaser, Ryan. Of course he had the exact one in his collection. Click here for the photo.

In her travels my wife stumbled across a retired 2574 and took some photos. I am truly blessed. These things are starting to show up all over the place. I guess it will only be a few more years until the first generation of NYSDOT Macks start leaving the fleet for fates similar to the Internationals.

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On the topic of 2574 let’s talk about 2674, the set back axle option. They are just as cool and just as plentiful around the roads of NYS. Here we have truck 86 of the Madison County Highway Department. In the gallery are two more 2674’s for the Onondaga County DOT.

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Proving the adage that you’re never too old for school here is a S1900 plowing for the Westmoreland Central School District. Was this truck a hand-me-down from the nearby highway department? Smart money says so.

In the gallery below we have a little more of everything. A Town of Scipio WorkStar. A Town of Scriba Western Star. A Town of Schuyler Volvo VHD. A single axle International WorkStar for an unknown agency. A Town of Wolcott Freightliner 114SD. A Town of Annsville Mack Granite if full dress. A WorkStar for the Cicero-North Syracuse Central School District. A Town of Windfield Sterling.

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Posted in Snow Plows | Tagged international 2574 snow plow, international 2674 snow plow, international workstar snow plow, western star snow plow | 3 Comments

Battle Stations – Part 1

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Eric

By now most of the U.S. that receives snow during winter has received snow. In some cases, significant snow. Buffalo and Tug Hill I’m looking at you. It’s time to settle in and enjoy the vehicles that will help save us from ourselves all winter long.

This new Western Star 4700 for Schuyler County has a clean look to it with liquid tanks that hid under the dump body.

It’s hard to beat an Oshkosh when it comes to plowing snow. In the modern world of municipal work where every truck must be a master of all trades a dedicated snow fighter like these P-Series seem antiquated. However when push comes to shove and you are facing two and three feet of snow you’ll wish you had old iron in your corner. The town of Osceola runs this old truck which was spotted at Tracey Road Equipment receiving a new sander.

The Batman and Robin of International Trucks as seen below. Representing the variables between departments the Town of Popmpey runs a 6×6 Paystar for those steep, windswept, high country roads while a single axle 7400 is used by the University of Syracuse for nimble, crowded city street plowing maneuvers.

I don’t care how many times I see this truck I never get bored of it. For me it represents the quintessential City of Syracuse snow plow. Crusty, rusty, but still slugging it out. I believe the city has two of these rigs both equipped with Marmon Herrington AWD conversions. They are purpose built machines that are only seen during the winter.

Tomorrow the fun continues with even more plows including one the new Western Star 4700s fully lettered up for the NYSTA, old and older NYSDOT 2574’s, brand new rigs, and more!