- Posts: 295
- Thank you received: 0
Truckequip photos from the 70's
Less
More
14 years 9 months ago #20713
by JimmyDodge
Replied by JimmyDodge on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
Thanks Bruce for posting those great pics, Well done mate.
Barry, I have to agree with you about Ford LTL's I have always thought they were a sharp looking rig.
What is / are the problems with them ? they always seem to go for not much money in the Truck sales mags.
Cam , did the Ford Louisville's deserve the " Looselybuilt" nickname I have often heard them called , Just interested.
Harleigh.
Barry, I have to agree with you about Ford LTL's I have always thought they were a sharp looking rig.
What is / are the problems with them ? they always seem to go for not much money in the Truck sales mags.
Cam , did the Ford Louisville's deserve the " Looselybuilt" nickname I have often heard them called , Just interested.
Harleigh.
Please Log in to join the conversation.
14 years 9 months ago - 14 years 9 months ago #20714
by bigcam
Replied by bigcam on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
I'm going to sound a bit biased here Jimmy, but they were a very well made truck. They had dual curcuit brakes in 1975, I think KW and White didn`t discover them till about 1980, IH certainly didn't untill the S and T lines. They had a high tensile chassis that came from thier own iron ore mine,they were always very well optioned fron standard, Suspension seats, heaps of gauges, adjustable steering colomn, and the bigger ones had power steering standard,and they were a very competitivly priced truck with plenty of power.The LTL was the best of them,nice long bonnet,and all the right power train options,though I've allways had a soft spot for the LNT 9000 with a 903 in it.The all steel cab was also heaps stronger than a KW cab if happened to go base over apex. All in all a great truck that was safe and made a lot of blokes a lot of money. Tell me to shut up if I'm sounding a bit to biased.
Last edit: 14 years 9 months ago by bigcam.
Please Log in to join the conversation.
14 years 9 months ago #20715
by
Replied by on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
I recall getting a lengthy ride in a LTL9000, must have been about 1984 or 1985. I was living by myself in a little country town called Kulin, back then (about 285 km SE of Perth) .. and late one afternoon, a bloke with Eastern States plates and hauling two trailers pulled up outside my yard, which was the industrial area, just on the Northern outskirts of Kulin.
Now .. I got a real surprise at the sight of this .. because road-training wasn't legal at Kulin in that era. The bloke came in to the yard, and started chatting. He wanted a place to park up for the afternoon. I asked WTF he was doing with 2 trailers in Kulin? He said he was moonlighting from the East to Perth, and wanted to travel into Perth down the little-policed Brookton Hwy. I must say, I was VERY surprised at the risk he was taking, but he was pretty cool about it all. I was packing up a truck I was taking to Perth that night. I suggested he pull into my yard, we load my truck on one of his trailers (he had some room), and I'd kick him a few bucks to haul it to Perth for me, and I'd ride in the cab with him. He was all too keen.
We went down the pub, had dinner and came back, loaded my truck on, and off we went .. about 9:00PM we left, I seem to recall. The LTL had a 3406B Cat and a Spicer cogbox .. and it had about 800,000 kms on the clock and purred like a kitten. This bloke was old-school owner-operator, and he loved that truck and treated it better than his missus, I reckon. The 3406 purred, but that bloody Spicer whined worse than any worn-out Eaton diff. I was stunned at the racket, and asked him how long had it been like that?? .. "From the day I picked it up, new!" .. he said .. :'(
Apparently the Spicers were like that, real whiners. I couldn't have coped with it, if it was mine, I'd be looking for a bag of sawdust to shut it up!
We got into the outskirts of Perth around about midnight, or just after, and after having an interesting ride and chat. We unloaded my truck, and I left him to it. He was heading North the next day, with some big load he'd organised, and I never saw him again. I can't even remember the blokes name, it was that long ago, but he was a real nice bloke, a real gentleman. He just liked breaking laws that he considered weren't right ..
The silly part about it, is that people drag triples all around Kulin, down the Brookton Hwy, and right into Perths Eastern suburbs today. However .. the Brookton Hwy has had a serious upgrade since the mid-1980's, it was a pretty windy goat track back then. The thing was, the hour we traveled down it, into Perth, there was hardly a car to be seen on it.
Now .. I got a real surprise at the sight of this .. because road-training wasn't legal at Kulin in that era. The bloke came in to the yard, and started chatting. He wanted a place to park up for the afternoon. I asked WTF he was doing with 2 trailers in Kulin? He said he was moonlighting from the East to Perth, and wanted to travel into Perth down the little-policed Brookton Hwy. I must say, I was VERY surprised at the risk he was taking, but he was pretty cool about it all. I was packing up a truck I was taking to Perth that night. I suggested he pull into my yard, we load my truck on one of his trailers (he had some room), and I'd kick him a few bucks to haul it to Perth for me, and I'd ride in the cab with him. He was all too keen.
We went down the pub, had dinner and came back, loaded my truck on, and off we went .. about 9:00PM we left, I seem to recall. The LTL had a 3406B Cat and a Spicer cogbox .. and it had about 800,000 kms on the clock and purred like a kitten. This bloke was old-school owner-operator, and he loved that truck and treated it better than his missus, I reckon. The 3406 purred, but that bloody Spicer whined worse than any worn-out Eaton diff. I was stunned at the racket, and asked him how long had it been like that?? .. "From the day I picked it up, new!" .. he said .. :'(
Apparently the Spicers were like that, real whiners. I couldn't have coped with it, if it was mine, I'd be looking for a bag of sawdust to shut it up!
We got into the outskirts of Perth around about midnight, or just after, and after having an interesting ride and chat. We unloaded my truck, and I left him to it. He was heading North the next day, with some big load he'd organised, and I never saw him again. I can't even remember the blokes name, it was that long ago, but he was a real nice bloke, a real gentleman. He just liked breaking laws that he considered weren't right ..
The silly part about it, is that people drag triples all around Kulin, down the Brookton Hwy, and right into Perths Eastern suburbs today. However .. the Brookton Hwy has had a serious upgrade since the mid-1980's, it was a pretty windy goat track back then. The thing was, the hour we traveled down it, into Perth, there was hardly a car to be seen on it.
Please Log in to join the conversation.
14 years 9 months ago #20716
by GM Diesel
GM Diesels - Converting diesel into noise since 1938.
Replied by GM Diesel on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
Thanks for the yarn onetrack...enjoyed that.
I remember when the LTL's came out back in the early 80's Ford copped alot of flak after a couple of prangs caused by a steering problem. The were recalled and sorted but it damaged there sales badly I think.
I remember riding in one with a 3406 and thought it rode well. Was well layed out and certainly comfortable in the cab.
Basil
I remember when the LTL's came out back in the early 80's Ford copped alot of flak after a couple of prangs caused by a steering problem. The were recalled and sorted but it damaged there sales badly I think.
I remember riding in one with a 3406 and thought it rode well. Was well layed out and certainly comfortable in the cab.
Basil
GM Diesels - Converting diesel into noise since 1938.
Please Log in to join the conversation.
14 years 9 months ago #20717
by Rob365
Replied by Rob365 on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
The second Lousville in these pics (white with orange stripe), would that have been with Ballina Removals?? I still occaisionally see current day (LTS?) Ford's in same livery that belong to them.
Re: LTL 9000's. I don't mind the look of them, yet never driven one though. A friend of my Mrs calls them "widow makers". He still hasn't elaborated on why he calls them that....?!
Cheers
Rob
Re: LTL 9000's. I don't mind the look of them, yet never driven one though. A friend of my Mrs calls them "widow makers". He still hasn't elaborated on why he calls them that....?!
Cheers
Rob
Please Log in to join the conversation.
14 years 9 months ago #20718
by VicHung
Replied by VicHung on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
No BigCam, you aren't biased, you are dead right. Like a lot of people I call them Loosely-builts too, but it is more a play on the Louisville name than any reflection on their quality. They were a very good truck!
The firm I work for had a lot of them, including the LTL, mostly fitted with Detroit engines and Roadranger gearboxes, although a few had Rockwell gearboxes which were a disaster. We still have a couple which are in everyday use.
They were a very good truck indeed, as I have said and I always enjoyed driving them; the one I drove most of the time had a Cummins 400 and 15-speed Roadranger and I loved it and it had a great driving position, you could drive it all day and still get out and walk.
Sadly, it got turned into a Sterling when the designers forgot that people had a left leg that needed to be put somewhere, and then Mercedes bought it and put it down for good.
RIP, the old Ford Louie! :'( :'( :'(
The firm I work for had a lot of them, including the LTL, mostly fitted with Detroit engines and Roadranger gearboxes, although a few had Rockwell gearboxes which were a disaster. We still have a couple which are in everyday use.
They were a very good truck indeed, as I have said and I always enjoyed driving them; the one I drove most of the time had a Cummins 400 and 15-speed Roadranger and I loved it and it had a great driving position, you could drive it all day and still get out and walk.
Sadly, it got turned into a Sterling when the designers forgot that people had a left leg that needed to be put somewhere, and then Mercedes bought it and put it down for good.
RIP, the old Ford Louie! :'( :'( :'(
Please Log in to join the conversation.
14 years 9 months ago #20719
by werkhorse
You might Laugh at me because I'm different, I laugh at you because you're all the same
Replied by werkhorse on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
You might Laugh at me because I'm different, I laugh at you because you're all the same
Please Log in to join the conversation.
14 years 9 months ago - 14 years 9 months ago #20720
by melonreo
<a href=" s47.photobucket.com/albums/f174/melonreot/?action=view
Replied by melonreo on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
My first interstate drivin was in a LTL with a wopping 365 cummins 13 overdrive 1500RPM@100KPH she had long legs but was always struglin till i worked her out had an air controled speed limmiter , the foot trottle would drop to the floor at 105 KMpH it was a pain in the A$$ at 104, till i got under the dash and found the adjusting srew :'( :-/ :-[ :P, it was alright , had a huge bonnet .. igot a load of fertalizer out of Port Kembla ( first time ) -got the map out - looked at all the larger red lines ie: princees hwy .. hume hwy were all big red lines,, this big red line went up from albion park or there abouts to bundanoon in a fashion, i looked at that and said that will do me and off i went, mmm road seemed sorta quiet , got a bit narrow , the the white center line dissapeared, and from a distance seem to look like it justed stoped at the base of this valley, then at the end it was a sharp left turn and up we went ,,,,,all i was thinking was what have i done to myself, winding my way up looking out the left at the pretty ocean view :-/ , then i saw a sign that read " CAUTION TRUCKS STOPPING -TURNING and REVERSING " i thought i dunno what that s all about , and a bit further up i came to this very tight hairpin loop up, $#!t that sign was for me ,$#!T, $#!t , $#!T i had three goes at reversing up to get around this tight corner ,the best i could do was get the bull bar square against the wall,,,i looked in both mirrors and all i could see was the ocean,,,i had this horrible feeling in my guts and it felt like i was backed into a boat ramp that i could not get out of and i new that the water behind me was very deep :'( :'( :'( man was i pushing hard on the brake pedal,, you bet i was , at thiis point i forgot to mention that i was towing a 45ft convertable, i didnt want to drag the trailer around and ripp out some axels.. worst part was all the hoist controls were out side the cab under the bunk , so out i get i look up the road heaps of cars waiting ,i look down the road heaps of cars waiting, nothing better than a audiance when you are in a spot of bother, i liftd up the hoist and got the first 2 axels off the ground """good thing we had ball race turn tables""" as the trailer cut in on the corner all the wheels touched the road , man that was a tight corner, up around the corner was a pink mack truck and dog he came to channel 40 to tell me what to expect, i did not know that the truckies used a different radio channel,
i have never traveled that road again.
it is easy to see how a lot of people have lost their lives from entering into situations that they werent expecting.
driving this old LTL was a lonely job so i christened her ""LONELYVILLE" on the bug deflector,,,,,some say i should of put loonyville
CAM almost forgot " ;shut up"
i have never traveled that road again.
it is easy to see how a lot of people have lost their lives from entering into situations that they werent expecting.
driving this old LTL was a lonely job so i christened her ""LONELYVILLE" on the bug deflector,,,,,some say i should of put loonyville
CAM almost forgot " ;shut up"
<a href=" s47.photobucket.com/albums/f174/melonreot/?action=view
Last edit: 14 years 9 months ago by melonreo.
Please Log in to join the conversation.
- Cunning Stunt
- Topic Author
- Offline
Less
More
- Posts: 1257
- Thank you received: 1
14 years 9 months ago #20721
by Cunning Stunt
Some play hard to get
Replied by Cunning Stunt on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
Nice going Pat..................I suppose that after that exercise you had soiled your duds???
Now we will call you Smellin Reo
Now we will call you Smellin Reo
Some play hard to get
Please Log in to join the conversation.
14 years 9 months ago #20722
by atkipete
Replied by atkipete on topic Re: Truckequip photos from the 70's
I used to drive an L9000, with a Cat 350 engine (3406 I think) and it was a good truck. The Cat engine was brilliant, gear lever came straight out of the 13 speed Roadranger and very easy to shift gears.
On the down side the dash was a mess, gauges and switches everywhere and the ride was pretty bad.
On the down side the dash was a mess, gauges and switches everywhere and the ride was pretty bad.
Please Log in to join the conversation.
Time to create page: 0.545 seconds