MATS 2012 – The Loadstar Returns

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Eric

The Mid American Truck show is about to hit full swing and already the web is full of new products and trucks.  Some truck builders couldn’t contain their excitement and began releasing information about new products yesterday.  Case in point the new International Loadstar.  The new Loadstar marks Internationals return to the cab forward low entry truck market.  A rig like this is typically used for trash trucks were drivers enter and exit the vehicle many times a day.

Source: International

Additional Reading:  Navistar Introduces International Loadstar Work Truck

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MATS 2012

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Eric

Soooo, I know I mentioned that I was attending this years Mid American Truck Show but sadly those plans fell through the floor and into the basement.  The show officially starts tomorrow but already the web is on fire with pictures and videos of new products from International, Freightliner, and Peterbilt just to name a few.  I’ll do my best to aggregate the information and present it to you as the show goes on.  Stay tuned!

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Back to School

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Eric

I was stumbling through Google Images yesterday when the picture below caught my eye. Clicking the link brought me to a website operated by the University of Guelph. Never heard of it? Never have I. Probably because I am not a Canadian. Regardless, Guelph University has a mind blowing online photo library with a very extensive collection of trucks photos, primarily of the International Harvester variety. Or maybe you’re a tractor fan? Plenty of those to go around as well. I was very impressed with the amount of information that was available for each photo. Dates, locations, model numbers and years have all been recorded. Finding a photo is simple and usually takes you down a rabbit trail of suggested searches and collections that will devour hours of your time.

Click here to visit the search results for “trucks”

IHC DF-480 Assembled at IHC Chatham, Ontario plant.

Did you notice the Emeryvilles in the background?

Source: University of Guelph

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Ahhh Sheetz

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Eric

Sheetz.  No, that’s not a new swear word, it’s a very nice gas station chain with locations along the east coast.  They also have a attractive tanker fleet as you can see in this Freightliner Cascadia.  How about those super singles on both the rig and tanker, fancy.

Sheetz Freightliner Cascadia - Click to Enlarge

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Last of the Snow Fighters

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Eric

If this past weekend was any indication of the weather to come I believe we can safely assume old man winter is dead for the year.  And if you believe Al Gore winter just may be gone forever.  But no matter what happens with the global climate this plow truck has seen its last winter.  The Walter below and its sister once plowed for the town of Camillus, NY.  You can still find them resting behind the town garage where the spend time with an old military tow truck.  The peeling logo on the door pays homage to Camillus Cutlery, the world famous producer of knives which was located within the town limits.  Despite roots that reached back to 1876 the factory closed in 2007 for good.  Sadly, the company that produced Walter trucks followed the same path, although twenty year earlier, with production at the plant outside of Albany, NY ceasing in the early 80’s.

Best guess for the age of these trucks?  Maybe the early 70’s based on the more angular cabs and windows.

UPDATE 11/13/13

The Walter below is 1964 ACRS. Power is provided by a Cummins of uknow variety. The second truck is a 1966 AWUS model with the same 8 cylinder Cummins at the ACRS.

Walter Snow Fighter – Click to Enlarge

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

Posted in Lost and Found, Snow Plows | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A Moment of Silence Please…

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Eric

Regular Daily Diesel Dose visitor Steve sends us this great photo of an old International Loadstar. Sadly, he was tasked with hauling this solid looking truck to the scrap yard. According to Steve this truck spent the second half of its life working for a county school board pushing disabled buses into the shop.

Thanks again Steve!

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

Posted in Lost and Found | Tagged | 5 Comments

Heavy Hauling with the Mack Titan

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Eric

Here is a great video of three Mack Titans moving 400 tons of decommissioned generator vessels (huh?) across the southwest United States. Watch as these massive trucks push and pull a custom made 300 foot trailer. Enjoy!

Posted in Youtube Finds | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Still Working – International Paystar 5000

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Eric

The International Paystar 5000.  If I was forced to pick my favorite truck, the Paystar would be a strong contender.  In fact, the very first post on this site was about a truck like the one below.  The Paystar is the severe service truck of trucks in my humble opinion.  How can you go wrong with a solid steel bumper and construction stlye fenders?  You can’t.  The Paystar, a truck that has refused to evolve into a swoopy hood, fender skirted, aerodynamic highway cruiser.  This rig looks tough because it is tough.  That being said I was little unsure of what DDD category to place to this particular truck.  Lost and Found?  Still Working? As you can see the hood and grill have suffered as the result of traumatic accident. There is also some damage to the top of the cab. Maybe a roll over is to blame? The solid steel bumper looks straight but I don’t imagine that would even come close to denting in the event of a rear end collision. Chances are good some other piece of heavy equipment with a bigger and taller bumper than the Paystars backed into the grill. Either way, this truck now enjoys life like so many older Americans do, spending time on the golf course. This Paystar will probably be used as an unregistered site truck for the remainder of its years to haul mulch and top soil on the back nine. Enjoy you retirement!

International Paystar 5000 - Click to Enlarge

For more Paystar 5000 action check the links below!

On the Job – Owner Operators

International Trucks – The 70’s Roster

Thiele Body – The Factory Photos

Welcome to Daily Diesel Dose!

 

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Grand Theft Engine?

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Eric

Last week someone drove a tractor trailer to the Mack truck factory in Macungine PA and stole twenty brand new engines.  Pennsylvania State Police report a truck entered the factory in the early evening of March 6th and dropped of a trailer.  It is unclear if this trailer actually contained goods for the factory or was just a front to gain access.  The mystery truck in question then hooked itself to a different trailer containing twenty shiny new diesel burners and promptly left the scene.  The follow day the truck, trailer and engines were discovered on the side of the road about 68 miles from the factory.  The driver is still at large.  Total value of the twenty engines?  390,000 US dollars.  WOW! Simple math breaks that down to 19,500 per engine!  Remember, don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.

Mack Vision, missing its stolen engine.

Source: LeighValleyLive.com

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Western Star Axle Case Study

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Eric

Today we have a case study in axle position with the Western Star 4700.  If you went to the dealer today to order a brand spanking new 4700 you would be presented with a variety of options to make your future truck unique to your needs.  One such choice is the axle position.  With the 4700 series you have two choices in this regard, a set forward or set back axle.  The orange plow truck below is a set forward model which means the axle is closer to the front of the truck.  So why go with this setup?  I’ll spare you the mumbo jumbo about the Bridge Formula, GAWR, and GVWR by cutting to the chase.  Most truck buyers prefer the look of a SF truck as it allows for fuel tanks and battery boxes to be located under the cab, resulting in a cleaner and more traditional look.  Besides the cosmetic factor a set forward axle will send more weight to the back axles which is important with a dump truck.

Western Star 4700SF – Click to Enlarge

Now this Western Star is also a 4700 but with a set back axle.  You’ll notice the wheels are closer to the cab of the truck.  The big advantage with a SB setup like this one?  Turning radius, it’s tight, perfect for a truck like this roll-off that will need to get it to some very tight spaces over the course of its career.

Western Star 4700SB – Click to Enlarge

Additional Photos

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Posted in On the Job, Snow Plows | Tagged , , | 2 Comments