« Bedford TKs---a mass demonstration on Biglorryblog thanks to Ashley L... | Main | "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!" Mexican trucks with strange names on Biglorryblog! »

'Ralph the unknown truck'...at least unknown to Biglorryblog. So what can you tell me about it?

ralph.pietersburg.jpg

I've had these pictures from Dennis Child in South Africa. They relate to a truck built by a company and badged as 'Ralph' . But who was that company or what was a a Ralph? It appears they made all sorts of trucks from regular road-going US-style cabovers (like the ones above) to weird bonneted heavy haulers with all of them used in SA and the middle east too. So come on BLB anorak army, what can you tell me about 'Ralph' the unknown truck? And most of these shots (from what I can gather) were taken in the 60s/70s...

ralph_tipper_consolidated_mines_6x4.jpg

Here's a 6x4 Ralph tipping truck running for Consolidated Mines in SA...Looks a bit like a Pacific in this shot. Below is one where the Ralph badge can be clearly seen. Looks like a Kenworth otherwise....

two.way.transport.ralph.6x4.jpg.

And another black & white shot of an earlier style bonneted 6x4 tractor  ralph.two.way.transport.jpg

Now here's a Ralph doing some heavy halage work at the docks...

ralph.rennie.jpg

Now here's another Ralph cabover in colour...

ralph.pieterburg.another.cabover.jpg

And a Ralph heavy haulage unit in Durban..

ralph.heavy.plant.transport.durban.jpg

Now cick through here for more mystery Ralphs...! But first another cabover...

ralph.fowler.transport.jpg 

Unfortunately I've no idea where Dennis got these pictures but if they are any of yours in this slection then let me know so I can credit them properly... 

ralph.ex.military.jpg

Some Ralphs were definitely ex-military often used as a tank transporter....

ralph.cabover.jpg

Now here's a couple of cabovers...including one with aircon..ooohh luxury!

ralph.cabover.aircon.jpg

Now here's a whole bunch of them working together..complete with MkII Cortina Police car.

modderfontein.ralph.photo.four.jpg

And another heavy hitter in B&W--the more I see the more I think 'Pacific' or 'Oshkosh'

modderfontein.ralph.photo.three.jpg

Now back to glorious technicolour...first with a cabover...

ralph.water.affairs.jpg

And last but not least a bonneted truck again----and please out me out of my misery as I'm most intrigued by the Ralph!!!! 

lo.jpg

So who can tell BLB anything about Ralph eh? And my thanks to Dennis and whoever else took the pictures.

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.roadtransport.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/36043

Comments (4)

Martin Phippard:

Dennis will be the man to tell us more but all I can recall is that the Ralph was the brainchild of Ralph Lewis and was, allegedly, the only home grown South African truck. Less than 50 were built and they failed because no two were exactly the same and build quality was suspect (axles out of line, etc). The company was called Rolway Engineering I think because Ralph Lewis favoured Lipe-Rolway clutches. Drivelines were typical of early 1970s US kit, being mainly Cummins, Fuller, Rockwell. And yes the cabovers did look very much like the Kenworth of the period. I believe that 3 units went to Consolidated Diamond Mines.

andrew cooper:

rolway enterprises limited,
p.o. box 3988,
alrode,
transvaal,
south africa.

the c12c3 tipper with the body up in the air was powered by a 700hp cummins v12.

and the cortina was a mk3 or more commonly known as "a sloping clocks".

According to my information only 42 Ralph trucke were built, the first in 1967, number 42 in 1971.

Best regards,
Alex Miedema
http://www.buzzybeeforum.nl

Richard Stanier:

It's contributions like this that make BLB indispensable to anoraks - Amazing stuff!

Post a comment