This past Saturday I went to my first international truck show…in Athens, Ontario. While Canada might not seem like an exotic locale to many it sure does have some nice trucks. And look, cats and dogs play nice here.
Now for you truck show people the name of Athens might sound familiar as being the home base of the George Tackaberry classic truck collection. As I had hoped the show grounds of Centre 76 were loaded with a wide variety of trucks from this world class collector. Just look at this General.
Despite the largecars loaded with chrome at nearly every turn my favorite truck of the day was this M-Series 4×4 International. Nobby tires, diamond plate pit fenders, Frink body out back, it speaks all the right notes to my vocational truck loving soul.
Are you getting the feel of this show? Gorgeous trucks as far as the eye could see, so many in fact that I have to split this post over two days to give the proper coverage it deserves.
Here on the east coast a truck like this Autocar DK setup for oil field work is something of rarity. This rig is a real head turner with massive steel bumper, front floats, a steel deck with with 30ft polls and Tulsa winches. I don’t know much about what is going on under the hood but I assume it’s a large one (Cummins NTC400?) based on that external air cleaner. Transmission is probably something robust like a 5+4 with locking differentials being beyond question.
This truck was spotted in Pennsylvania at local heavy duty truck parts supplier Boot’s and Hank’s. Could it possibly be for sale soon? Thanks to David for grabbing a shot of this truck and sharing it with the rest of us. Make sure you check out his Flickr page here for more great photos of not only trucks but trains.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Nearly everything described in the verse above has taken place to this old truck. When we last saw this DC-75T three years ago the body was intact as far as hood, radiator and bumper we concerned. As the story goes someone stole this sheet metal. Vandals later returned to smash the glass in the windshield while other individuals took their hammer to the wrecker body. At one point in time it’s not hard to imagine that this truck was the pride of the fleet, costing the same as a high end tow truck does today.
This U-Model Mack has met a similar fate. While it was in worse shape three years ago than the Autocar it also became a victim of the hood stealing bandits of Adams, NY.
The cab on this old U was pretty well garbage from top to bottom. Think Flintstones mobile when it comes to floor pans. And then we have this old Brockway.
From a distance this truck look fairly decent and then you get closer and realize that like the Mack, there is very little sheet metal left in the cab. Still, of the three trucks this one had the most life left in it. A box of dissolved road flares on the cab floor came free to the winner bidder.
It’s time for another edition of Rail Car What Is It?
Unlike past entries, I’m not getting an aliens vibe from this piece of equipment. Instead, this one reminds of a giant device for making popcorn, similar to the ones used at movies theaters. Wait for the drum to fill up and then turn the handle to dump the freshly popped kernels.
Thoughts? Guesses? Let me know otherwise we’ll never have an answer.
This year I helped out during the 2016 National Brockway Show by taking the “official” show photographs. This meant that I had to be in a specific location prior to the start of the parade down main street. It wasn’t possible to take both picture and video so I figured that aspect of the show had to be sacrificed for the greater good. Hanging around all day lead to a pleasant surprise around 3:30 when a second parade started to take form as everyone headed back to the museum for the final night of festivities or made a break for home. I guess it makes perfect sense now that I think about it but the Brockway Show is one of the few shows around to feature two parades in one day!
Near the location of that Reo snowblower spotted in Geneva, NY a few months ago I also came across a few interesting loaders. The Hough H60 Payloader and the Dresser 530 next to it are descendents of the same heavy equipment linage.
Next to the IHC related products, a Terex frontloader with Protech pusher waits for winter. Undoubtedly Detroit powered to keep the operator awake during long nights of plowing store parking lots during heavy snow fall.
If you were hanging around this site back in 2013 you’ll remember my trip to Dobbins Auto Parts when a massive auction was held to clear out the 60 acre property. Every form of vehicle could be found on the property. There were Walter Snow Fighters, classic cars, buses, trucks, heavy equipment and more. I spent the better portion of a day wandering through the property becoming more amazed with every hill I crested. There was simply too much to see and from what I learned after the fact, too much to auction off. Mr. Dobbins was heavily involved in the sale that day often refusing to sell items after the auction hammer fell or removing lots shortly before they were to be bid upon. When the sun set hundreds of items remained unsold with uncertain futures. And then there was the debacle involving a large collection of military jeeps which proved to generate much attention among collectors as well as military authorities from nearby Fort Drum. Apparently the jeeps were to have be destroyed years ago. Oops. Despite this looming legal snafu and repeated warnings that the vehicles could NEVER, EVER, be registered for road use plenty of people still dropped tens of thousand of dollars per unit. Whatever became of the jeeps and their potential owners remains unknown at this time.
But I digress. After that sale many items remained on the property. For years there were rumors of everything being junked or some form of clean up operation taking place. A few vehicles were saved including a QCUS Walter. This past weekend the final auction was held and everything that was left behind went up for sale. Believe me, compared to what could be found in the weeds just three years ago the property on Sunday looked like a pristine national park.
With so much being sold, stolen or scrapped I was able to focus on some of the items I skipped over during my last visit. The buses! Certainly there were more many more back in the spring of 2013. Gone were the Oneida bodied buses and so many other unique nameplates but many classics could still be found.
Namely, this 1958 International R-185 with Carpenter body. I did see this truck the last time I was at Dobbins but it was thoroughly buried in the weeds with birch trees growing all around it. In time for the auction someone pulled it from its resting spot breaking the tie rods in the process but also providing an unobstructed view.
This bus was one of the most intact models from what I would consider the classic era of buses at Dobbins. The front sheetmetal was remarkably intact and aside from the busted out windshield this bus probably doesn’t look much different from the day it was hauled into the yard.
Now filled with corrugated sheet metal this tin can once hauled a family across the country. I could barely make out the last name painted on the side but could see the names of Ma and Pa along with their kids. Travel stickers on the bus doors indicated stops made with a variety of locations from across the country. This R-185 was gas powered with a five speed gearbox. Oh the stories this bus could tell.
Of course, there were many other buses to be found with more than enough S-Series Internationals with BlueBird bodies to go around. There were a few interesting rigs left including what appeared to be two V series Internationals with unknown bodies.
In the next day or so we’ll take a look a few new items not seen the last time as well as touch base with that old DC75-T wrecker. Prepare yourself now. The past three years have not been kind.
The 2016 National Brockway Truck show was a great success. The four day long event was filled with numerous activities all centered around the trucks that once earned the City of Cortland the nickname of Huskie Town USA. On Friday a group of truck set off from the Brockway Museum for scenic cruise through the hills of the neighboring countryside of Cortland and Onondaga Counties. Passing through lush farm lands along twisting country roads the Brockway convoy eventually arrived at The View, a local restaurant and bar with terrific…..views. The muggy August weather and the original condition of these trucks (No Air Conditioning) meant that both man and machine were ready for a cool down. An ample selection of cold drinks were ready and waiting along with excellent food.
Not part of the convoy this 359 model happened to be doing farm work nearby and stopped by to join in on the fun. A sure sign that Central New York is Brockway country.
Now for a teaching moment. If you hang around Brockways long enough you’ll eventually see a truck wearing a Huskidrive emblem. You might even see a truck sporting to Huskies side by side on the hood. These two items are more than just extra bling by people looking for attention, they represent a technology Brockway introduced in 1968 to merge low end axle ratios (necessary at the time for pulling power) with higher end speeds desired by both truckers and the general public. Essentially Huskidrive meshed a low speed axle for pulling with a high speed axle for cruising without the need for the typical large gearing found in a classic overdrive system. Similar to a two speed rear end I’ve heard there was a button on the dash to engage the Huskidrive while other claim there was level on the shifter. This is my layman’s take on the matter and perhaps oversimplified. If you know…let the rest of us know.
John’s Towing of Tonawanda, NY is one of the premier towing and recovery specialist of the region with over 37 years of experience. Founded by William H. Grunzweig Sr. and his three sons the company has thrived by offering unmatched customer service through a well trained staff and expertly maintained equipment. While a strong work ethic proves to be the backbone of the company the muscle continues to come from this beastmode Autocar.
Capable of pulling the heaviest truck or trailer or crane this truck helps keep John’s towing at the forefront of the Western New York tow scene. Oh, by the way, Buffalo receives its fair share of snow but it doesn’t look like this right now. This great shot comes from the Flickr album of DiamondReo90, scroll through the pages and marvel at the wonders that reside in Buffalo, NY and beyond. Some great stuff! Also swing by John’s Towing and Storage to view more of their fleet and learn more about the company.
Have any Autocar you would like to share? Email eric@dailydieseldose.com with photos and information!
Did you go to the National Brockway Show on the beautiful streets of downtown Cortland, NY? If you did… you are probably still recovering from the heat and humidity so classic to an Upstate New York summer. Nearly 150 Brockways returned home for the big show and I think I saw everyone of them at least four times. Plenty to come but until then refer to your homework from the other day.
