remember this? SUPER TRUCK? Yes the wonderful occassional glossy special produced in the late 80s by the guys who brought you TRUCK and Truck & Driver. Thanks to Clutchslip (who's squirreled away some pristine copies) I can take you on a gtrip back into the past and the very best of FF publishing. This example comes from 1987 and features the magnficent Dart triple trailer salt carrier working in Mexico hauling 360 tons of salt. Powered by a Detroit Diesel 12V.149Ts delivering 1000hp the Darts were working for Exportadora, the world's largest salt producer....and this cover stuck in my mind for years so when Truck & Driver editor Will Shiers started talking about producing a new edition of SUPERTRUCK naturally I had to show him this.
I didn't know the name of the trucks but the cover was eeteched in my mind--shot byColin Curwood the Dart story is a cracker....frankly I didn't know who Dart was but in the story was a full history Started in 1903 (the same year as our Ford) it was bought by Paccar in 1958 before being sold in 1984 to Unit Rig & Equipment Company, the Oklahoma outfit that also owned Lectra-Haul diesel-electric mining trucks. I've know idea what's happened since then. Can any Biglorryblog readers help out? MP? RS? If so please send pictures!
BL:B takes his hat off to George Bennett and co who really went for the newstrade with gusto. Meanwhile, what do BLB's anorak army make of this weird machine? It's from a 1989 SUPERTRUCK and my Aussie readers should already be reaching for their keyboards to say: 'I know what it is...!'
Well do you? Because it used to run in New South Wales...but what truck was originally underneath this strange wedge-shaped cab? I can tell you for nothing it had a Cummins 'Big Cam' engine under the hood so guess we're talking 14-litre lumps here!
Open sesame....! Now click through here for one more......
And what's that in the background---never let it be said that BLB doesn't give his Aussie and Kiwi readers special puie-quiz treatment....and here's one to finish too...
STOP Press posted today on 3/11/09:
The KW-Dart twin trailer bottom dump in the photo together with the passenger car is not just a prototype. I think that six of these were supplied to Exportadora de Sal S.A. of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Mexico in about 1971. They ran as triple bottoms and replaced some earlier smaller capacity KW logging tractors. The job was hauling salt in the salt production facility down there in Mexico.
The KW's were powered by a GM 16V149T of around 1000 HP gross weight was around 600 T. Each trailer carried 144 tons of raw salt to the washing plant. Power to weight ratio was not very high but the 10Km haul was perfectly level. The trucks got up to about 30mph. They were arranged so that their air over hydraulic braking system first applied the brakes on the rearmost trailer first. There were a couple of jacknifes though. A man named Euan Morrison maintained them and I looked after the loaders and graders that worked on the site.
There was a write up in one of the UK trucking magazines around 1979 I believe.
Tap Guerrero Negro into your computer and you will find a bit more information there. Salt production was about 4.5 million short tons per year in the '70s
Regards
Michael Ingham
What a coincidence - I was checking out that copy of Supertruck last week, and dug out my Dart stuff too!
Unit Rig produced diesel, mechanically driven trucks under the Dart name, with the diesel - electric line branded as Lectra Haul. Unit Rig was absorbed into the Terex Empire in 1988.
I will get some Dart pictures to you when I next get a moment!
The Aztec Truck is a Ford Louisville with a home made cabin.I have a picture in an old magazine somewhere with a story on it.I think it was created in the mid to late 80`s.
Brian,
I believe the wedge-nosed Ford originally was a L9000 and in the second photo of it, the truck in the background is a Kenworth T650!
Joe
YES YOU MUST DO ANOTHER SERIES OF SUPERTRUCKS! DONT FORGET TO INCLUDE OUR DOWN UNDER SPECIALS WE FLOOD BLB WITH!
Rod - not sure if you know but Will Shiers is planning a Supertruck theme issue of Truck & Driver in the near future. April cover date I think. Not sure if any of your specials have made it into print but there's a great UK golden oldie from me about the first ever Super Truck (well it wasn't called a truck then - as trucks were things pulled along on the railway).
That looks like a bloody big 1980s Renault Master to me!
Watch out for a Super Truck themed T&D very soon.
Does anybody know if the Pacific logging truck shown above is still running around? I would love to find out more about this company and their Pacific's...