(first posted 8/7/2016) Along with all the European trucks that we saw before, there was also a wide variety of classic -and more recent- American trucks at the Truck Show in Stroe, the Netherlands. The oldest dated back to the twenties, the latest was a 2000 Show & Shine tractor unit. So let’s see what the Mack Brothers and their fellow truck manufacturing-countrymen brought to the Low Countries.
We start with a compact, a 1958 Chevrolet Apache 31 Stepside with the 235 c.i. 6-cylinder engine.
1956 6-cylinder Ford F350. First registration in the Netherlands in 1957 (as a new truck).
1990 Mack MH612 4×2 tractor. This series of Mack cabovers, introduced in 1982, is also known as the Ultra-Liner.
American 6×6 army trucks often got a civilian job as a dump truck after their retirement from the military. Not only the trucks that were used during the Second World War, but also the ones that were brought over to Europe in the post-war years. A diesel engine swap was common practice. Pictured a 1944 GMC CCKW 353.
1941 GMC CCKW 353, equipped with a Netam three-way dump bed. When I walked by later on the hood was open, so I could take a picture of its 91 hp GMC 270 engine.
1960 Mack B43S. It’s a camper now, but originally trucks with a body like this were used to transport furniture and such.
1950 Chevrolet Maple Leaf Three Ton with a dump bed. The wooden shoes on the bumper are painted in the current company colors of the truck’s owner.
1966 Mack B61SX brick hauler. The Dutch Floor company (the name on the front of the cargo bed and on the mud flaps) built trailers, semi-trailers and assembled Mack trucks for the European market. From 1966 to 1995 the company also built heavy-duty trucks under the FTF brand.
1990 Kenworth W900L, towing a 1997 Pacton low bed semi-trailer with a military load. The Kenworth is powered by a 14 liter Cummins engine.
1983 Peterbilt 359 with a 500 hp Caterpillar engine and a 15-speed Eaton Fuller transmission.
The Verweij trucking family brought a fabulous collection of classic Internationals to the show. The first is a 1926 International S-26 with the 6-cylinder Lycoming 4SL engine. I know that because the sign in front of the truck said so.
1924 International 43.
1953 International R-150 with the Silver Diamond 220 6-cylinder.
A civilianized International M-426 military tractor from the Second World War.
1949 International KB-5 cattle truck. Although I’m sure that cows are not allowed to use the loading ramp anymore.
1939 International D-40 flatbed truck, powered by the FAB259 6-cylinder.
1957 International S-160, another cattle truck.
The last of the Verweij collection, a 1978 International Scout II Terra with the 345 V8.
1946 Mack LTSW with a 350 hp Cummins 14 liter engine of a more recent date under its long hood.
1992 Peterbilt 379.
1979 Mack F786ST with the 285 hp Maxidyne ENDT-676 engine, a T2060 transmission and an 86 inch High Rise sleeper cab. A one hundred percent pure Bulldog, from the front bumper to the tail lights.
Another Mack F786ST tractor. Same specs, just a bit younger (see the registration plates, XB comes after UB). Both tractors have their first registration in the Netherlands and had the same first owner.
Macks were here to work. And they worked hard. Mainly in heavy-haulage, earth moving, hauling building materials and on the long trips to the Middle East.
1928 Southern, once owned by the Boston Firefighters.
1964 Mack B61SX dump truck with a 190 hp Thermodyne END-673 engine.
It’s showtime ! 1994 Kenworth W900B.
Same Kenworth model, 6 years younger.
1962 Mack C600. Originally this was a tractor, it has been rebuilt into a flatbed truck, towing a drawbar trailer.
1980 Chevrolet. It’s registered as a Blazer.
1956 Chevrolet 6500 flatbed truck, loaded with milk cans.
And with this overview we end the Stroe Truck Show tour, it was the most outstanding and comprehensive collection of classic trucks I saw on one day.
Great post Johannes – nice to see our European friends giving such loving care to these work horses.
A question about the 1941 GMC…is that a PCV valve on the rocker cover? I seem to doubt these had a PCV valve when new, so might this be a retrofit for some reason?
Good noticing. I became intrigued by your question and checked my photo files from the CCKW I shot a while back; it too has the same thing, which does rather look like a PCV valve. Hmm.
The plot thickens. Now I’m really curious.
I did find a picture of this engine from http://www.cckw.org It shows the exact same PCV valve looking attachment. Pictures from elsewhere of these engines from roughly the same time period (and non-military use) do not show one.
Here it is.
I wonder if it’s for the pressurization of the crankcase in low water crossings. I believe the military versions had a system for that, and pressurization of the axles and gearbox as well.
An old Parts catalogue covering these years indicates an elbow – [8.3130 in illus.] on top of the valve cover, and a listing for a threaded type PCV Valve at the other end of the tube attached to the elbow [for some models only]. This PCV is clearly seen in the photo of Paul’s, above.
On my 1st visit to Europe, I was surprised to see a ’70s-era White cabover in a customs traffic-jam at the Swiss border (we have them too, at state weigh-stations). Did Freightliner has much presence in Europe? If that show is any indication, Mack sure did.
I’m also surprised that there have been any long-wheelbase Class 8 conventionals in Europe, as at this show. The art- & bright-work they have is typical among owner/operators.
Long-wheelbase Peterbilt and Kenworth conventionals are mainly used as mobile billboards, show trucks, hobby trucks and such. Often you can also rent them for special occasions, for example the wedding of a truck driver. You can see they’re all dressed up, “Western Style”. Very rarely used as daily work trucks.
Now Mack on the other hand, that’s another story. As said in the article, Macks were assembled here and were used for the toughest jobs during their working career.
White, Mack, Kenworth and International all sold as new trucks in Europe until the 90s to a lesser or greater extant. Most however as COE due to stricter max length rules in Europe. However, when max length restrictions were relaxed in the US, American truck manufacturers stopped making them (or continued only for the South American, South African, NZ and Oz markets) and import effectively ceased. The “large car” US conventional type truck is totally useless unless you tow short trailers (e.g., milk tankers etc.) so as Johannes noted, most are bought for advertising or ego tripping.
Johannes, another great series of trucks, ones I’m a bit more familiar with. A couple of observations:
The Cummins-powered mack at the very top threw me, as I could not recall Mack using Cummins engines back then. But your explanation of it being a later re-power resolved my temporary confusion.
Love those “civilianized” Jimmys. I remember seeing some in Austria in the 50s, especially in lumbering/construction work in the mountainous areas.
That Mack moving truck/camper is to die for.
Just curious: How come you refer to the 1950 Chevy truck as a “Maple Leaf”?
The green 1966 Mack B61 brick hauler has unusual wheels, not the typical mack cast ones. An alternative sourced locally, I presume.
The mack F786 have decidedly different Euro-style sleeper cabs, distinctly different than the US versions, which did not have the raised roof and window. The Europeans were ahead of the Americans in that regard, as it obviously had more room.
The Mack C600 is an extremely rare beast; only 1064 Cs were were ever built, from ’63-’65. There’s very few survivors. I can’t clearly remember seeing one. Was this one assembled in the Netherlands?
About the 1950 Chevy; I thought if it says “Maple Leaf Three Ton” on the truck it’s a “Maple Leaf Three Ton”. The Mack C600 was imported from the US in 2012.
I little Googling brings the (not surprising) answer: they’re Canadian GM trucks built for export! 🙂 I had just not heard the term before.
GMC bore with splash fed cranks most were repowered during their working lives here.
The first Mack is an LT, a series developed in the early 50s in order to make inroads into the left coast market where, at that time, Mack was not particularly popular. Hence the option of Cummins diesels from new (though of course not the 350 – more likely it had a 220 or maybe a supercharged 275 when new) Some more info here: http://www.trucksplanet.com/catalog/model.php?id=352
You are correct about the F-series, which was sold in small numbers in Europe, often, as Johannes mentioned, used by the long-distance specialists on account of its robust construction. The raised cab was not sold elsewhere.
Great trucks! I had not been aware the Macks were built there.
It is also fun to see Internationals that are actually international. 🙂
Beauteous, grand collection (again). But…not a single IH Loadstar…???
Nope. Not even a Heidelberg built cabover model.
Especially loved seeing the F models. I see the earlier Macks like the dreamy B camper, but did the Netherlands ever see the later conventional cab Macks (R, U, DM,…) or had the demand totally shifted to cabovers by then?
Yes, we also saw the post-B-series conventionals. Even some Super-Liners are still used these days in heavy-haulage.
Have a look here, the website of Dutchman Martin Monné, the European Mister Mack. He owns the LTSW tractor and the B61SX dump truck as pictured in my article.
http://www.mackmonne.nl/
More pics of the camper here: http://mackmuppet.skyrock.com/47.html
This is how it looked originally.
Great array of trucks a lot of the later Ultras and K-worths can still be seen here working hauling logs and other regular freight, (I should be photographing them I now realise as I see them down the port when I’m carting fert) most have by now been repowered with more powerful engines to be able to cut trip times down.
Poor Scout, being subject to that paint job.
Fully correct Verweij company colors.
What an amazing lineup of trucks you’ve written up from this show, all of them pristine!
Fantastic selection of trucks! I had never seen an International like that M-426, nor the C-model Mack. Both seem to fall into that gray area between a cabover and a conventional. Also enjoyed seeing the F-model Macks, always one of my favorite cabovers but almost entirely gone from US roads. (There are a good number of R-models still working, though more commonly seen as dump trucks than as tractors.) And that B-model camper is just so cool! Love the style of the integrated cab/box.
Ahaaaa real, true gold bulldogs.