It’s no secret that I prefer rear discharge mixers to the more modern front discharge trucks. They are the trucks I grew up with and as you age you become less tolerant of change. That’s why I was happy to see so many “classic” setups from the World of Concrete super show in Las Vegas. Ryan walked nearly 15 miles everyday through various show halls, hotels and outdoor displays to bring us this mega gallery of rigs from every truck and mixer builder.
Quite a few Canadian axle setups to be found in the mix as well.
So many trucks! WOC doesn’t pull any punches when it brings out the new rigs. We’ll see more from this show later in the week!
Will you take a look at this? A Marmon wrecker in the employ of a public transit agency? Someone was spending the big bucks back in the mid 90’s when they bought this truck!
I was standing around Friday afternoon watching the demo prep take place for the Hogan Building when out of the corner of my eye, blocks away, I saw the bright orange shape of a tow track passing through an intersection. I figured it was the tow truck for Centro that we’ve seen before but it looked different. It looked cooler. With traffic all sorts of goobered up from emergency road closures I walked a block over to a street I believed the truck would come down enroute to the Centro maintenance facility. My gut was right, I was shocked to see that it was Marmon! I took this backup shot in case I was truck blocked at the last second by a red light runner or pedestrian. I figure it might be of interest to bus fans.
And there it goes, leaving just enough smoke to let you know a real truck passed by.
I arrived to the demo site right around 8AM and found the Komatsu PC600LC completely assemled and ready for work. The demo crew was busy spreading a hill of sand across the street and sidewalk to protect it from falling debris and to later serve as a ramp. There were plenty of people on hand to watch along with nearly every local TV station.
Soon the big Komatsu rolled into place and began tearing the 100+ year old building down by slowly working left to right and back again like someone eating an ear of corn.
The majority of the demolished material fell within the building as the operator worked his way down the front facade. Photos from later in the day show the progress that was made.
Below a video of various clips showing the ease in which modern steel and hydraulics can tear through wood and masonry construction.
Do you remember Robert Stack and the show he hosted by the name of Unsolved Mysteries? The topics ranged from missing people, alien abductions, bank heists, government conspiracies and nearly everything in between. I used to watch the years old reruns religiously with my sister during summer breaks. Somehow the show with its low budget re-creations, Stack narrations, and creepy music was enough to give me chills during the middle of the brightest August afternoon. Just listen to this theme.
Recently I’ve spent some time on this site trying to find lost trucks. The most current example comes to us in the form of the 1961 Autocar Wrecker. Someone put the word out the Facebook group The Autocar that the past owner of this truck was looking to find it again. Can you blame them?
Clues are minimal at this time. It was last owned by Trans Tech Towing in Virginia. The truck in question is a ’61 model with Forever Young 1961 hand lettered on the side. Above is a photo from around 9o to 91. In 1995 it was sold to an outfit near Bristol, Tennessee with plans calling for complete restoration. Based on the last know photo (below) of the truck it looks like that didn’t happen. Or did it? If you have any information or updates regarding this truck please leave a comment below. Our operators are standing by.
One of the most exciting parts of Unsolved Mysteries was the updates section at the end of each episode. Can we recreate that feeling here? Other shots courtesy of Trans Tech Towing for the original photos and Daniel Fulton for the tear inducing photo. Seen below, circa 1987 with Holmes 750 wrecker outback.
Mid winter in Central New York brings many changes to man and his environment. In the City of Syracuse winter has a special penchant for bringing the ample stock of old and ill maintained buildings to their knees. The endless cycle of heavy snows followed by periods of thawing and freezing are natural roof killers. While this winter has been mild by historical standards we lost another turn of the century brick building in the commercial heart of downtown earlier this week to these forces of nature. Nearly three stories of weathered brick came crashing to the ground of the Hogan Building leaving a gaping hole worthy of devastation straight from a monster movie. News sources indicate a security guard for the empty building noticed an ever growing crack in the wall that eventually lead to the hole you see below.
Sadly ownership of the building, like many other historic properties across the city, was in a legal gray zone of LLC’s and other ententes all struggling for control while Rome burned. The City of Syracuse found itself responsible for taking down a four story building along one of its busiest and most storied streets. Ritter and Paratore of Utica, NY received the call to remove the building as quickly and safely as possible. They brought in a Komatsu PC600LC long reach excavator, the very same machine I stalked for months a few years ago during the Kennedy Square demolition job.
Demo was scheduled to begin Friday afternoon but was pushed back until Saturday morning. I jumped at joy when I heard the announcement. I am easy to please. Below, the scene as it was Friday afternoon. Pictured is Salina Street, a major thoroughfare completely closed do to fears of a complete collapse.
By now you probably figured that I crawled out of bed at the crack of dawn on a cold Saturday morning to film some of the demo. You just have to wait a few days to see the results. Until then, enjoy a little more of the setup action from Friday.
I stopped by Tracey Road Equipment again to grab a video of that awesome looking Western Star 6900XD. I attempted to narrate while sounding like a knew what I was talking about with less than stellar results. After looking over the hook lift setup again it appears to be a Palfinger Palift, the 5th wheel element is designed to provide an extra point of contact for increased stability and load capacity. At least that is what I believe. From everything I’ve seen (very little) This particular setup doesn’t seem that prevalent outside of Europe.
I was browsing through Auctions International the other day as I often do when I came across this rare Marmon cabover. I almost didn’t click on the listing as it seemed to be just a collection of old tools and other junk. Never judge an auction by its cover.
At first outward glance this rig appears solid enough for a truck that has been sitting since 1987 at the latest. For the optimistically inclined it might seem like a fresh batteries, some clean fuel for the Cummins NTC-350, a fresh set of tires for the steers and you’ll be able to drive on home. But then you open the cab door.
Yeaaaaah, that’s moss, and lots of it. What’s that saying about moss always growing on the north face of a Marmon interior? And then you read the rest of the listing and find out the head is missing form the engine. But hey, where else are you going to find a Marmom cabover still wearing the Global Van Lines logo on the door? If you need a parts truck this might just be the rig for you.
Check out the complete listing by clicking here. There is also a White 4400 for sale along with a Bay City dragline. The auction closes Monday, February 15th at 6:15 PM EST.
Yesterday at the World of Concrete industry trade show in Las Vegas International Trucks unveiled their first new model in nearly ten years, the HX line of heavy duty vocational trucks. The HX is slated to be the successor to the venerable PayStar model line that was first introduced in the early 1970’s. In typical Vegas fashion International staged a product launch in which a group of failed Elvis impersonators steal a HX dump truck and take it on a wild ride through town. While comical this video (see below) serves to highlight the performance aspects of the truck while driving through tight turns and over rough terrain. The whole chase eventually ends with a nice dose of police brutality. Way to to keep it real International!
Mr. Lucky, aka Ryan, just happened to be at the WoC show and grabbed a few shots of the various HX models on display. Eventually the complete line up will consist of four distinct models offering various engine choices, transmission and axle positions.
Owners of Caterpillar trucks might notice a few familiar design elements in the cab of the HX namely in the form of the single gauge speedometer and tachometer. According to International these are shared intellectual properties between the two companies. Production has begun on the HX at Internationals Saltillo, Mexico factory.
The HX name also represents a new alpha and numerical naming structure that will soon be found on all International Trucks. Thanks to Ryan for this exclusive photo! We’ll see more from World of Concrete soon!
Welcome to a special edition of Autocar Mondays! There have been plenty of drool worthy trucks featured in this category over the years but today you have the chance to bring one home to your own garage.
Just last week I shared with you some photos of a 6×6 Autocar boom truck of Connecticut Foundations Corp. In that story I mentioned the truck was rumored to be up for sale but I was unable to confirm by finding any listings on Ebay, Craigslist, TruckPaper and so on. Plenty of you read this story and apparently did your own digging by calling CFC and inquiring about the Autocar. Your persistence has paid off and the truck is now listed up for bid on Ebay.
From the listing we now know a little more about the truck. Highlights include but are not limited to…
16′ bed
20,000lbs fronts, 65,000lbs rears
6×6 (driver side front axle needs repaired/replaced for all wheel drive)
290 Cummins
13 speed overdrive transmission
Jake brake
11 ton crane – 56′ side reach
One eye catching stat, this truck has been owned since new by CFC. A garaged, one owner, well cared for Autocar?! Bid and bid often! The auction closes at 5:50PM this Friday. A big thank you is owed to Joe Miller for sharing the listing with me along with these photos of the replacement truck to the Autocar, a 2003 Kenworth T800.
Last year in an Autocar Mondays post from November I wondered where a very nice looking ’71 model had disappeared to over the past 2,555 days. At the time I believed I had not seen the truck in nearly seven years. Turns out, as usual, I was wrong. Back in 2012 I saw this truck at the ATHS Twin Tiers chapter show. By this point in time a nice looking flatbed has been added to complete the look.
Also present at the show was a fine looking DC model hauling a Northwest shovel.
Clearly the camera has a much better memory than I do! Most likely I’ve seen this truck since 2012 as well.
