I really enjoy the look of this truck, the International Paystar 5900i. I guess I am just a sucker for steel wheels and the color yellow. The chrome bumper, dual air cleaners and lighted mirrors work well together. Nothing too fancy but this is destined to be a government truck, Tompkins County to be exact.
Internationa Paystar 5900i – Click to Enlarge
International Paystar 5900i – Click to Enlarge
I’m sorry but I just can’t get enough of old product promotional films from years past. Hopefully you feel the same way. Check out this gem displaying the forest harvesting products from Koehring Waterous. The lineup covers machines from the late 70’s timeframe. The video starts off to the tune of spacey music with alternating images of equipment blue prints and spinning lathe. The first piece of equipment showcased is the Short Wood Harvester, a truly impressive piece of equipment that performs the role of feller, processor and loader all in one machine. If you stick with the video until the 3:57 mark your reward will be footage of a fully loaded Autocar screaming through the “Load Alinger.” If you were feeling this video like I was your ultimate reward are shots of engineers using drafting tables to design the forest product of tomorrow. Drafting tables! Times have changed for sure.
Below you see an example of a well maintained older dump truck. It happens to belong to the Town of Lysander. After staring at this truck for a few minutes I began to think about the differences between public sector (government) and private sector trucks. The White/GMC below is a good starting point. You’ll notice it is fairly plain. No fancy graphics or pin striping. No aftermarket bumpers, lights or horns. In fact, this truck doesn’t even have a displayed DOT or weight numbers. Must be a case of do as I say, not as I do. đ
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In contrast take a look this International 9900 operating for King’s Quarry. Aluminum rims, hood visor, graphics, pin striping, beacon lights, tag axle, diamond plate storage boxes. The list is nearly endless!
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Of course these trucks are not the rule or standard when it comes to private versus public. You can find variations in either direction if you take a moment to look. At the end of the day I happen to like both!
I have a Magic 8 Ball on my desk at work. I use it to make all my critical decision. Should I have chili for lunch? Should a take a nap in the conference room? The majority of the time the 8 Ball is worthless, responding with insights like “outlook unclear” or “ask again later.” There must be a better way! When it comes to trucking for the new year of 2013 the editors at TruckingInfo.com have attempted to take the guess work out of a new year. Using their industry connections they have boiled down the new trends and equipment that could possibly change the scene for the coming year. Some highlights include…
You can check out the full TruckingInfo article by clicking here. It’s well researched, well informed and well worth the read.
Modern firefighting is equipment intensive. Without fire engines and other support vehicles the brave individuals who responsed to desperate 911 calls would be at a serious disadvantage. When a piece of equipment is down for repairs or service the window to return it to service is very small. To keep the rigs on the road you may need the help of trucks like the Internationals below.
Dallas Fire Rescue International S-Series – Click to Enlarge
Contributor Thomas sends us photos of two old work horses used by Dallas Fire Rescue. He tells us…
I estimate them to be 1980-81 S1900 chassis. These are both units still in service for Dallas Fire-Rescue (Texas) at their maintenance and service center. The first truck is a small tow truck for transferring disabled vehicles around the shop. The large three axle is used rarely if there is something like a engine or transmission that needs to be swapped quickly or at a station.
Dallas Fire Rescue S-Series International – Click to Enlarge
Do you know of an old truck that is still earning itâs keep?  Email Me!
I stopped to photograph this loader because it was very large. That is pretty much the story behind this one. Browsing through the specs for this 744K online I noticed it has keyless start as standard option. A security code is still required to start the machine so don’t think you can just cruise away with this beast if you spy it at the local job site.
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In the snowflake world this plow must seem like jaws. I’m not sure if the white triangles on the blade skirt are meant to be some sort of safety marking or just a decal that raises the level of coolness on this WorkStar. Either way, it works. I guess the wing man in this truck must be the bashful sort or was expecting to do some pretty aggressive shelving!
Onondaga County DOT – Click to Enlarge
And as usual, video.
Well this sure looks like fun. Check out the exciting video of The Tombstone Run, a now annual event held on the twisty mountain roads of Oregon. Plenty of eye and ear candy here as old Peterbilt, Mack, Autocar and Kenworth logging trucks churn up the steep mountain passes. The video is nearly 30 minutes long but contains numerous view points of the trucks as they make their way down the road to an eventual BBQ lunch.
If you need more the local paper produced an excellent write up of the 2012 event complete with photos and driver interviews. Check it out by clicking here.
The crane in the photo below is not a miniature or scale model. It probably has a working height of around 230 feet which is absolutely dwarfed by the 390 combined feet of the wind tower and blade assembly standing nearby. The tower below is part of the Maple Ridge Wind Farm and is just one of a 195 that dot a 12 by 3 mile stretch of land outside of Lowville, NY. More fun facts about the farm can be found here.
*Reader Update*
Richard helps fill us in on the details..
The crane is NOT a 555, it IS a Manitowoc 16000, on Maple Ridge it is set up with 295Ⲡof main boom plus the âwind tipâ, series 3 counter weights. Total operating weight of the crane 882,000 pounds. In heavy lift configuration it can hoist 440 tons (roughly itâs own weight). In this configuration it can hoist approx 195,000 lbs to the tip.
To move the crane over the highway, it takes 5 guys, a 75 or 90 ton RT crane, 2 days and 19 tractor trailers to have it road ready.
COOL!
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This International 9400 was just about done dropping of a Freightliner at the local dealer when I passed by. An International towing a Freightliner? The natural order of things or maybe a rare occurrence? The answer would probably change depending on the person questioned.
Big Red Towing – Click to Enlarge
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