These two trucks, a REO and a Ford, were sitting on the same field near the Civil War battlefield of Chickamauga as the rusty Triumph TR7 coupe described in the previous post today.
The REO is a crane truck, as seen in this three quarter view. I am not familiar with REO and its trucks, aside from the Ransom Eli Olds foundation story and the band REO Speedwagon using the name of an REO truck for some reason, so perhaps someone else who knows these vehicles can identify it. (ED: Here’s a CC and company history on Reo trucks)
The crane assembly is labeled “Bucyrus Erie Hydrocrane,” with the label surviving the ravages of time much better than the crane itself.
The Ford F600 is a dump truck with as much surface rust as the REO. Although rusty, both trucks appear to be 100 percent complete, with intact glass, lights, trim, etc. They may have been sitting and weathering for a long time, but they appear to have been cared for once, and there may be useful life remaining in them.
That Ford is still fairly common around here as a yard ornament, also. However, seeing one with a dump bed is unusual as most of the ones I see used to have “U-Haul” painted on the side. Given my experience with U-Haul equipment, they likely just left U-Haul service within the past 2 to 3 years and died before making it to their new home.
The REO, on the other hand, is unique. For as long as appears to have been sitting, I can only imagine the nightmare it would be to get the dragline mechanism working reliably again. A guy would be time ahead to pull that off and put a dump bed or flat bed on it if inclined to use it.
Id save the REO and as previously suggested flat deck it, The Ford who cares an unknown truck here but not worth saving
That orange-with-a-black-hood, I think, was a semi-standard paint job for county and state highway departments in the 1960’s when that Ford dump truck was new, and I’ll bet that’s where it originated. Another clue is the low sides of the dump box; guys who needed to make a living with their dump trucks tended to need bigger dump boxes.
Seen lots of F600s in Aussie mostly as disused chaser bin trucks on wheat growing properties but they were never sold in NZ.
I’d take that REO cab and mount it to a modern chassis and powertrain. Say a Ford 550 and PowerStroke. Those 60’s vintage F600s are still plenty in my neck of the woods too. Farmers keep trucks like these going forever. I dont think the Ford was surplus U-Haul. Lack of the correct colors over the rust leads me to think that it was always mustard yellow.
Bucyrus Erie Hydrocrane, they sure had a way with words back then
Grass, Carl Sandburg
Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all.
And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and the passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?
I am the grass.
Let me work.
Bucyrus built some of the largest cranes and excavators. IIRC the parent company had equipment at the building of the Panama Canal.
Where they based out of Bucyrus, OH? I went to college with a girl from Bucyrus, OH.
Bucyrus started in Ohio, but moved to Milwaukee in late 1800s. Became Bucyrus International and are still very much in business. They make the huge surface mining excavators and other equipment. Recently bought by Cat.
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