On the Job – Hitachi EX750

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Eric

The television in my childhood home was a Hitachi. I never really thought much about it but once I learned that Hitachi also made heavy equipment the TV became much cooler in my eyes. More than once I tried to impress people with that little factoid but it never resulted in the desired response. Usually blank stares or a polite nod followed.

Dan sends in another great set of photos for us to enjoy. Major demolition work is under way on the former Deaconess Hospital in Buffalo, NY. All the tools of the trade are here including giant magnets, concrete crushers and scrap handlers.

For more information on the future of this site click here.

Hitachi EX750 – Click to Enlarge

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The Drom Box

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Eric

Yesterday Ryan sent me some photos of a former Hostess plant near Sacramento, CA. Everything onsite is how it looked the day the company declared bankruptcy and ceased operations. Among the rows of parked trucks (most of which were cabovers) something caught my eye. The drom box.

Click to Enlarge

The drom box (dromedary) was a popular setup for truckers out west for a number of years in what would be considered the golden age of trucking, think late 40’s through the 60’s. The theory behind the drom box was the ability to haul more cargo while remaining within the established length limits of the time. As the age of cabovers ended and length restrictions changed the drom slowly faded away. Outside of specialized rigs you probably won’t see one on the highway anytime soon…unless you live in Canada. Recently Wal-Mart started a pilot program dubbed the Supercube. This unique setup uses a Freightliner Argosy glider kit and call haul up to 30% more cargo than a conventional tractor trailer. Wal-Mart argues that this truck is good for the environment as it can move more product with less fuel. Driver associations are wary of the supercube as it could enable trucking firms to move more freight with less drivers. Check out the two articles below for more info and photos.

Walmart’s 60-foot supercube draws a double take – Landlinemag.com

Super-cube rig for Walmart Canada might raise some issues – Truckinginfo.com

Same great product with new packaging!

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Posted in Lost and Found | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Lost and Found – Chevy Bison

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Eric

I had to turn around when I saw this truck parked at the end of a long driveway. At first I thought it was a GMC General but it turned out to be a truck that is a little more rare, a Chevy Bison. Following the strategy of badge engineering GM saw fit to provide Chevrolet with their own heavy Class 8 truck based off the General. With the exception of the bow tie on the grill I’m not sure how different the two trucks were from each other. The Bison was introduced in 1977 and had a short production run of just three years. It’s brother the General would last much longer with production ending in 1987. Cat, Cummins and Detroit Diesel power plants were available. There is a nice writeup of the Bison here at TrucksPlanet.com

As for this Bison I can only imagine what lays under the hood. The dual stacks look great and would sound even better if connected to a Detroit. The tandems out back appear to hold up some kind of material handler. This truck was located at a local scrap place so I hope this is not a recent drop off!

Chevy Bison – Click to Enlarge

Know of any old trucks or heavy equipment in hiding?  Email Me!

Posted in Lost and Found | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Chasing Snow – Oshkosh Snow Blower

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Eric

Well isn’t that cute. It has eyes! This Oshkosh blower resides outside of Fulton, NY at the local K-Mart. The snow banks at this shopping center are huge but would be mini mountains if it wasn’t for the raw power of this machine. The website for this company appears to be dead so we can only dream about what might have been there at one time. Probably nothing but you never know. Maybe they had the answer to life or just a great taco salad recipe.

Oshkosh Snow Blower – Click to Enlarge

Additional Photos

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Need more Oshkosh? Check out the link below.

Snow is Coming

Posted in Heavy Equipment, Snow Plows | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

On the Job – Broken Pipes

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Eric

Winter is a difficult time of year for workers tasked to repair broken water pipes. Here we have an OCWA crew hard at work to restore service on a blustery and cold afternoon.

OCWA Crew At Work – Click to Enlarge

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At The Dealer – Western Star 4700SF

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Eric

Finally a plow truck in my favorite color! The Town of Cuyler looks ready to roll with their brand new Western Star 4700SF. A Viking-Cives plow and dump body are the vendor of choice for this setup. Power is provided by a DD13(Demand Detroit.) One of my favorite parts of this truck happens to be the highway department seal. Check out that rendition of old plowing iron. Maybe Oshkosh or FWD inspired?

Western Star 4700SF – Click to Enlarge

One other interesting piece of equipment on this rig happens to be the auto-chain system installed on the first rear axle. I can’t say I have ever seen these on anything but fire trucks. I wonder how the work for plowing?

The idea behind automatic chains is simple. The chain is engaged from the cab and spins around a small wheel device. It provides just enough chain for the section of tire that is contact with the ground. In theory this seems like a great idea but in the real world it may just end up being a bunch of spinning metal. If anyone out there has practical experience with such a setup feel free to leave a comment below.

For some video of auto-chains click here but beware of loud music. For a more detailed history check out this informative link. Did you know the patient for automatic chains reaches back to the early 1900’s? I guess they must work to have lasted so long. Either that or they have really great sales people!

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Posted in At the Dealer, Snow Plows | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

1947 International KB-12

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Eric

A few days ago Pat emailed me a few links to some Youtube videos he stumbled across. Believe me when I tell you this is great classic truck film. The subject of this video revolves around a 1947 KB-12 that has been upgraded and customized to heights unthinkable back ’47. Part 1 deals with the restoration process of the truck and points out some of the finer details, like how NHRS 300 Cummins was massaged into the engine bay of this old Binder.

In Part 2 we hit the road to be treated to the sounds of this great truck as navigates extremely twisty mountain roads. The beauty of the natural terrain is matched only but that of the KB-12. The K-Series of trucks is quite possibly the best looking line of trucks ever produced by International. This video surely won’t make you think differently.

Thanks again Pat!

Posted in Youtube Finds | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Superliner Sunday

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Eric

Old man winter did a good job decorating this Mack Superliner for the picture you see below. This is a sharp looking truck and one that appears to be still used for business. It’s hard to believe that Superliners are starting to become more of a ATHS show piece than trucks you see plying the roads.

Mack Superliner – Click to Enlarge

Posted in At the Dealer | Tagged | 1 Comment

Big Rig Bounty Hunters – My Thoughts

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Eric

By now you should be familiar with my thoughts on reality TV programming that in some form involve trucks and or heavy equipment. I will give any show, regardless of quality, a passing grade if it contains any of the before mentioned activities. The one exception being Container Wars. That show is a hot mess that should be avoided at all costs. All things considered History does a good job walking the fine line between factual and entertainment based programming. Attempts are least made to connect their shows to historical facts, places or events. Over the top characters and unbelievable recreations are kept to a minimum.

I enjoyed the season premiere of BRBH and for the most part found the show and its events to be plausible if not believable. However I did think the cattle truck that was stuck on the railroad tracks was just plain silly. It took waaaaay to long to resolve that simple issue. So far I don’t find any of the main characters to be annoying or dislikable. At first I thought “the veterans” would fit that bill with their goofy antics but they are clearly old school truckers who take pride in their work and their careers. This show is great for truck spotters and anyone else who enjoys seeing the gritty industrial underbelly of this country. I didn’t notice any painful edits involving stock truck footage or doctored sounds. In other words the IRT playbook has been left behind. Segments breaks and entire episodes do not end with promises of something dangerous or deadly to come. I give this show a thumbs up and will watch again.

New episodes of Big Rig Bounty Hunters air Thursdays nights at 10/9c  on History.

Posted in Diesel on TV | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Coming Soon – Ram 1500 with Diesel!

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Eric

Have the small displacement diesel floodgates finally opened? Yesterday Ram announced that starting in the 3rd quarter a 3.0 liter V-6 diesel will become an option for their half-ton truck lineup. The EcoDiesel, as Ram calls it, will be mated to their eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Both the engine and the transmission are the very same components found in the soon to be available Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel. Specific horsepower and torque ratings have yet to be revealed but class leading MPG is all but confirmed.

2013 Ram 1500 – Click to Enlarge

In hindsight it now makes sense that Ram would be the first to market with a small diesel. Their new corporate parent (Fiat) has extensive knowledge and use of such powerplants. The next question, when do Ford and GM follow suit?

Source/Image: Chrysler

Posted in Industry News | Tagged , | 2 Comments