An old Swedish tractor towing an old Dutch semi-trailer, carrying an old German excavator. I can dig it. Scale the whole combination down to 1:55 and it would have been my perfect childhood die-cast toy. As a matter of fact, I did have a Siku toy of this Volvo N-series; it was a straight truck with a red cab and yellow cargo bed.
This generation of square-lined Volvo conventionals was introduced in 1973. The letter N (“normal steer”) was used to designate the Volvo trucks and tractors with a nose, while the F (“front steer”, forward control) was used for the cabover models.
The number on the hood’s sides reflects the engine displacement in liters, 7 in this case, followed by the vehicle’s factory GVM rating in metric tons.
Originally the tractor had a 200 hp, turbocharged 7 liter inline-6 diesel engine.
However, it now has a Volvo 10 liter engine, also turbocharged. The biggest engine available in the heavy-duty Volvo conventionals and cabovers back then was a 12 liter inline-6.
Stacks, full fenders and an underride guard complete the chassis.
On the left side a nicely made storage box.
The 1975 semi-trailer has a GVM rating of 34,000 kg (75,000 lbs). Trailer and semi-trailer manufacturer Groenewegen was founded in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 1931.
Today’s load, a Weserhütte Hydrowolff HW50. I had never heard of Weserhütte, let alone I ever saw one of their products before.
The fully restored 1972 excavator is powered by a 3-cylinder Deutz engine.
Machinefabriek Werklust was the Dutch Weserhütte importer. Werklust (translation: ambition, vigour, the desire to work hard) was also a renowned manufacturer of all kinds of earth moving equipment; like wheel loaders, powered by a 2-stroke Detroit Diesel. The sound! The sound!
Meanwhile I found a picture of the very same Volvo N12 Siku toy truck I drove as a kid. Imitating all the period-correct engine, gear shifting and air brake sounds, naturally.
A great combination Johannes! Im really starting to appreciate the old commercial diecast models, love the Siku truck.
Oh, that truck brings back childhood memories. I can´t remeber see one in real here but there was that other Siku modell, a yellow 3 axle dump truck.Do you remeber that Johannes? I wanted it so badly, but I never got it.
And then there was that movie “Theo gegen den Rest der Welt” from 1980, featuring famous german singer Marius Müller Westernhagen and a white Volvo N tractor.
I also never heard of Weserhütte before.
This Volvo N-series was quite rare here too, the contemporary Scania conventionals sold much better.
I can’t remember ever seeing the Siku Volvo as a dump truck back then. In the seventies I “drove” (all Siku) Hanomag-Henschel, Mercedes-Benz, Magirus-Deutz and the Volvo I mentioned. The older, early-seventies Siku trucks and tractors were a bit more realistic, thanks to the dual rear wheels instead of the plastic “super singles” all around…
here it is.
Yes, I had one of these older ones. A Hanomag-Henschel tractor with trailer from the ADAC, but I often lost the tyres.
My dad was a truck driver during my childhood and owned this 1994 Volvo NL12, the cab is the same from the features N720. The NL was quite popular here in Brazil, when was replaced by the NH the FH and others COE trucks became more popular due our truck legislation. In Brazil is limited the size of the tractor with trailer combination, so with a COE is possible use a longer trailer, now only Mercedes have a front engined semi called Atron
Impressive rig, thanks for posting!
Nice pics Johannes. Thank you. I find many of those early 80s truck designs aged well.
Years later, I sill found the International S-Series trucks looked clean and modern.
Nice pics! I have a Tupperware tub full of mostly Siku Trucks dating back the 80’s and early 90’s. They were my sons, but most are in pretty good shape so we’re keeping them in case any future grandkid might have some interest.
I suspect several, if not many of our CC readers, also spent countless hours “imitating all the period- correct engine, gear shifting, and air brake sounds…”
I know I did.
I built freeways- I was a Tonka Toy kid, and my folks cheerfully indulged me.
I knew the Volvo looked familiar. Here’s one parked alongside my ‘dam’ (duckpond).
Very nice, Pete! A “Do It Yourself”-project”? I’ve read you built 1:25 modelkits, is that the ERTL Volvo N10 kit? What about the semi-trailer and dozer?
I built many 1:25 and 1:24 truck kits too, about 35 to 40 years ago. ERTL, AMT, Italeri and Heller. Euro- and American trucks. In my post-Siku era, so to speak…
Yes, Johannes, that’s the ERTL N10. The low loader and the Caterpillar dozer are both AMT kits from the same era, about 1980. My wife Jane ‘helped’ me make the dozer soon after we were married – like I tried to ‘help’ her do a jigsaw puzzle. Having tasted each other’s hobbies we now stick to our own!
Right, thanks. My “peak” (truck) model kit era was the early eighties. Come to think of it, I built just one AMT kit, the Kenworth below.
A few of the Volvo N’s were imported to the U.S. in the late 70’s, but I think Volvo stopped bringing them over around the time they bought White Motor. The N was probably a little too similar to various White products.