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Still Working – Mack DM Wrecker

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Eric

Yesterday I made the call the to swing by the Fair Grounds to check on the demolition and clean up process of the Grand Stand. While crusing down I-690 and straining to see through the cloud of salt dust kicked up by traffic I saw the the rear end of snow plow. The roads were dry, the the sun was out and the temps were high so it took me a moment to realize that the truck was actually being towed. The wrecker was old school and moving slow. For a moment I thought my chance had come to see the 6×6 Autocar of the Syracuse DPW in action. I have to keep waiting on that one. Turns out the truck in question was this nice single axle Mack DM hauling a International WorkStar from the Town of Plymouth, NY.

Before you start cracking jokes about another Maxxforce on the hook take a moment to observe the photo. First, no Maxxforce badge is visible. Second, check out the windshield. It’s smashed from the inside out. Third, the rock shield on the dump bed seems busted and out of wack. My unofficial diagnosis? This truck flopped onto its side or into a ditch. Anyway, I really couldn’t get a good shot while driving alone so I put one and one together and cut on ahead to the local International dealer. I took up a spot in the the local travel plaza and waited. A few minutes later the DM rolled on through and took the truck down to the local IdeaLease facility. I hung around for a bit longer hoping to catch a shot of the truck leaving. I zoned out for a bit and almost missed by shot. By the way, I believe I shot this truck when new this past October at NYS Highway and Public Works Expo the click here.

I tailed him for a bit before I took my ramp to the fair grounds. It’s a Weld Built body out back that looks very familar to a DSNY rigs. Check out this photo for reference. If I’m correct, that would make two consecutive days Daily Diesel Dose has featured former DSNY rigs. That’s okay. Keep importing these fine machines to Upstate!

Oh, If you’re wondering what is going on at the fair? Too much! The site has nearly been cleared of all debris. I was absolutely amazed that 2500 tons of concrete and 150 tons could be process so quickly. Seriously, it has been three weeks to the day that the implosion took place! Most of the scrap has appeared across the tracks at the Upstate Shredding location.

Posted in On the Job, Still Working | Tagged idealease, mack dm wrecker, stadium international | 2 Comments

White on White

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Eric

Right down the street from my house is an industrial lot that over the years has housed a variety of business. It’s really nothing more than a chain link enclosed field of a gravel with a quonset hut dating back to the early days of the cold war. Truck related business have usually been found here with the current tenant being Butler Disposal Systems. Butler runs mostly a Mack fleet with plenty of what appear to be former DSNY style rear packers. I have no proof on this one but look at the Mack below on the right, it clearly has a plow frame. DSNY brings out the plows when NYC receives a blizzard which recently seems to be a yearly occurrence.

And what about this guy? Spokes up front. Massive overbuilt packer body in the rear. This thing just screams NYC. This style of trucks is NOT common nor popular in Upstate NY with conventional cab trucks being the preferred setup.

This front loader however is quite common.

Posted in On the Job | Tagged butler disposal system, mack garbage truck, mcneilus garbage truck | 1 Comment

Half the Crane

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Eric

We’ve seen this Kobelco CK2000 before of Raulli Iron Works. This time it sits in a empty lot, separated from the majority of its boom and counter weights. A fence just went up around the site so I’m not sure if this is it’s new parking area or a job site. I will continue to monitor and let you know. According to Raulli this crane is their second highest capacity unit.

What is number one? This 300 ton Link-Belt seen here at the Hotel Syracuse renovation. I never saw this crane come or go from the site which bummed me out. I did see it work a few times lifting a dumpster from roof to ground and back again.

Posted in Heavy Equipment | Tagged hotel syracuse renovation, kobelco ck2000, link belt crane, raulli and sons ironworks | Leave a comment

At the Dealer – Western Star 6900XD

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Eric

Last night I received a text message from Andy telling me to stop by Tracey Road Equipment because there was a huge Western Star on display with front fenders that had railings. I knew right then and there a 6900 series truck had been spotted. It was pitch black outside but I went anyway as it would be just my like that the truck would be gone the next morning. The darkness prevented an usable photos but through the light of my high beams I could see a 5th wheel and what appeared to be a setup for a roll off containers. Interest piqued! On my way to work this morning I stopped by for a few photos.

Railings on fenders indeed! The 6900XD is one of the largest trucks from a traditional Class 8 builder. In most cases this struck is strickly an off road performer and depending on engine options cannot be legally operated on public highways. Options include quadruple frame rails, planetary gearing, 100,000 lbs suspensions, AWD, twin steering, 28,000 front axles, and 600+ HP engines. I’m not sure what this truck has in terms of any of those choices but I’m good at guesses and conjecture.

Taking a walk around this rig I noticed this truck has twin steel fuel tanks but no DEF tank suggesting that under the hood a Detroit Series 60 engine resides. If I am correct this truck can definitely, never ever, be legally used on public roads. So where is it going? Good question but I have no idea.

The setup outback is a strange one to me. As you can see it has a 5th wheel while also rocking a Palfinger hooklift. I did some Googling and really couldn’t find much about it on either the Carco or Palfinger site. Some of the warning labels on this truck suggest a roll off looking trailer hooking to the 5th wheel? I’m not sure if the picture demonstrates a single phase of the operation or the end result.

The early morning sun was starting to break through and made shots of the rear end difficult but here they are. Hopefully this truck hangs around a bit so I can stop back when I have more time for closer inspection. If you know the purpose of the hook lift and 5th wheel let me know by leaving a comment below!

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Posted in At the Dealer | Tagged tracey road equipment, western star 6900xd | 4 Comments

Classic Trucks are the Best Trucks

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Eric

Each time I start working on a video from the ATHS National show last year I am amazed at the amount of trucks that I saw but no longer remember. Hopefully by now you believe me when I tell you that this show was massive. In order of appearance with a heavy dose of Kenworth.

1978 Mack CF
1978 Kenworth W-900A
Gas Powered White WC
1948 Divco 13
1986 Kenworth W900B
1977 Kenworth W900A
1980 Kenworth W900A
1970 Dodge CNT-900
1984 GMC Astro

Posted in Truck Show | Leave a comment

Generational Blizzard

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Eric

Have you heard about that blizzard that buried the east coast this past weekend? Of course you have. No matter where you live in the U.S. the weather on the right coast is the weather for the entire country. The Blizzard of 2016 aka Winter Storm Jonas brought over 30 inches of snow to six states, caused the deaths of over 30 people and resulted in economic losses of 3 billion dollars. Is it crazy for me to long for a blizzard like that? The last and only one I witnessed was back in 1993. Even though the snow passed me by I still have some photos to share courtesy of viewers like you.

First up Dave with some action shots of the private contractor fleets from the Malvern, PA area.

I was thinking to myself the other day that you don’t see many long hood Pete’s with plows attached.

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Seth provides coverage of the storm from Ardsley, NY outside of the NYC metro area. Below, a 2016 Freightliner SD108 6×6 with a Henderson Mark E Single Axle Dump Body with a Hi-Way Sander and Henderson SnowFoe Plow.

And a 2008 International Workstar with a Viking Body and Plow, and a Hi-Way Spreader.

Coverage concludes today with a shot from Jason prior to the storm of this 6×6 International WorkStar for the NYS Office of Emergency Management. This truck along with many other piece of equipment and manpower were staged at areas predicted to receive heavy snow fall. This truck was seen at a rest stop along 1-87 outside of Ramapo, NY. All things considered I haven’t heard too much regarding clogged roads or stranded motorists from NY. It looks like lessons were learned from previous storms. Even the Governor was in on the act pulling cars out of ditches with his Suburban. Thank you to all that worked in difficult conditions during this blizzard to keep roads and other vital public services open and operating.

Do you have pictures you would like to share from this past storm or any other? Email eric@dailydieseldose.com today!

Posted in Snow Plows | Tagged blizzard of 2016, winter storm jonas | Leave a comment

Autocar Mondays – Strong Foundation

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Eric

The true strength of any good building begins with its foundation. The same is true with trucks. Therefore It only makes sense that Connecticut Foundations Corp chose an Autocar for assisting them in the construction of the strongest foundations in the industry.

I wish I could tell you more about the specs of this truck but I don’t have them. This has been a problem with recent editions of Autocar Mondays that I hope to resolve soon. In the mean time we can only speculate at age, engine, trans, etc.

Digging through the CFC photo page you’ll find a few more shots of this truck. One of the better ones can be seen here. Rumor has it that this truck was recently replaced by a newer unit and might be up for sale soon. It seems to be one hell of a machine and in great condition. A big thank you to Bryan for sharing these photos.

Have you spotted an Autocar? Let the world see! Email eric@dailydieseldose.com today!

Posted in Autocar Trucks | Tagged autocar 6x6 truck, connecticut foundations corp | 4 Comments

The Pieter Schelte – Worlds Largest Demolition Machine

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Eric

What happens when the oil runs out? This is a question that has been asked for decades with answers that have often been wrong. Forecasting global oil supply is difficult if not impossible but when it comes to one single well in the middle of the ocean the equation becomes much simpler. After a well runs dry something must be done with the mammoth structure that is a modern oil derrick. Often times these rigs are simply imploded and left to collapse to the ocean floor thus starting their life as a new habit for aquatic life. In the North Sea regulations require that an oil rig be completely removed which requires an expansive and painstaking demolition process. The brand new mega ship the Pieter Schelte aims to change this time frame down to a matter of days if not hours. With a 3 billion price tag this true mega ships first removes the upper pumping, mechanical, and living quaters with the aid of eight massive arms. At the rear of the ship a gigantic lifting arm plucks the supporting legs clean of the ocean floor. The salvaged parts are then pulled to shore for easier dismantling. The video below gives you a great idea of how the whole setup is designed to work.

For a nice right up and a more technical break down of specs and all the jazz check out this Popular Mechanics article by clicking here.

Posted in Youtube Finds | Tagged pieter schelte, worlds largest ship | Leave a comment

A GMC For All Seasons

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Eric

I was cleaning up my inbox the other day when I came across this photo from Clarence. Not many GMC trucks of this vintage receive such a steady workout day in and day out. Here we see the C7600 being loaded by an Akerman H14. Stopping to think for a moment I believe we’ve seen this truck in nearly every season. Here it is winter. And here it is spring. I’ll consider this photo late fall so all we need to complete the collection is something from the dead heat of summer.

Posted in On the Job | Leave a comment

Still Working – Walter Snowfighter

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Eric

Along with that great photo of a 4×4 N-Series Ford, Jim also supplied a shot of this 1957 Walter Snow Fighter. Past history is currently unknown but I can tell you that this truck still finds work keeping the pit road open at the Champion Materials quarry in West Carthage, NY. Deep snow, step inclines, unpaved roads, the perfect scenario to slow down any truck that isn’t a Walter with 100% Traction. Thanks for sharing Jim!

Related Stories:

1966 Walter AWUS Snowfighter

Walter Snow Fighter Identification Guide

The Walters of Dobbins Auto Parts

Posted in Still Working | Tagged champion materials, walter snow fighter | Leave a comment