first truck

J3cub · Feb 25, 2013

I bought my first semi truck in 1961 when I was 21 years old. It was a chevy truck with a 35 ft lufkin grain trailer. I had the cotton seed haul from west Texas to Hollis Oklahoma. I was always loaded close to the 60,000 lb gross limit. I pulled this load with a 283 cu small block chevy. I put 150,000 miles on the little chevy. ( 2 motors) and then dropped in a 389 pontiac with a 4 barrel carb. Thought I had the fastest truck in the whole world. LOL

El Toro · Feb 25, 2013

A lot of military vehicles used that 283cid engine. The M114 and the M116 were the vehicles. Later on they went to diesel using a lot of Detroit and Continental engines. Some of those 283's had camshaft lobe failure. Hal

Mike (WA) · Feb 25, 2013

I had a neighbor back in those days who hauled alfalfa out of eastern Washington, to the west side for the dairy farmers. He had a Chevy with a 427, and that thing would pass everything but a gas station. It was red, with "Ramblin' Rose" painted on the doors. He had to fuel up at the bottom of the Vantage grade (about 15 miles, 7% or better grade, coming up from the Columbia River) in order to make it- but he was a real cowboy, so all he could think of was how many rigs with too small Cummins and Detroits he could pass going up.

da.bees · Feb 25, 2013

IMO,there was never a "sorry"SBC built. Some much better than others but all of them could toe the mark. Take a look at the modern LS verison (which bares no resemblence other than in name). Even the V6 that basicly came about by chopping two aposing cylinders off the V8,is a beast with torque and horse power right off the shelf that are insane. It will be interesting to see these new engines "massaged" by the skunk works guys.

Not intending to scare up a rabbit but what you pulled with that 283 coupled with performance of early diesels proves one doesn't have to have large engines to move large loads. Of course these moden day cowboys would destroy the tranny before getting through all the gears if they weren't too lazy to try to begain with.

If I never rember anything else my high school shop teacher told us,I will never forget "boys,you can pull a box car with a washing machine motor if you use the right gears". I have some stories to share about what some of us did with that piece of advice.

oldtanker · Feb 25, 2013

(quoted from post at 15:42:39 02/25/13) IMO,there was never a "sorry"SBC built. Some much better than others but all of them could toe the mark. Take a look at the modern LS verison (which bares no resemblence other than in name). Even the V6 that basicly came about by chopping two aposing cylinders off the V8,is a beast with torque and horse power right off the shelf that are insane. It will be interesting to see these new engines "massaged" by the skunk works guys.

Not intending to scare up a rabbit but what you pulled with that 283 coupled with performance of early diesels proves one doesn't have to have large engines to move large loads. Of course these moden day cowboys would destroy the tranny before getting through all the gears if they weren't too lazy to try to begain with.

If I never rember anything else my high school shop teacher told us,I will never forget "boys,you can pull a box car with a washing machine motor if you use the right gears". I have some stories to share about what some of us did with that piece of advice.

LOL my dad used to tell people "you can run a freight train with a 3HP Briggs and the right gearing". Can't begin to count how many times he said that when I was a kid.

Rick

twostepn2001 · Feb 25, 2013

Back in the fall and winter of '73-'74 I hauled cotton seed to Lubbock, Tx with a '74 Chev. C-65 with a 427 and 5 speed and 2sp rear end. Pulled a '45 ft. wood sided trailer.
Back then, never worried about overweight. Only restriction was the scales at the oil mill would only go up to 100,000lbs. so you weren't supposed to go over that.
Worked there for the complete ginning season.

larrystinescorner · Feb 25, 2013

How was the gas mileage? lol

notjustair · Feb 25, 2013

A while back I learned that the 270 straight 6 in my '58 GMC grain truck is because the military wanted something a little more stout for their big stuff. That thing has no oil filter and 77 thousand miles. It never needs a drop of oil between changes and hauls loads that I was sure it wouldn't out of places I shouldn't have taken it. I'm convinced that the engines of that era are something that can never be repeated. All in the name of progress. It's too bad, really, where progress has gotten us.

ericlb · Feb 25, 2013

the first big truck was a late 50's mack with a 2 stick 5 and 3, it took forever to get someplace but i didnt know that back then, then i either graduated, or went downhill, with a 1969 white 4000, that had a 290 with a 10 speed, still not sure which way i went on that truck but it made as much noise as the mack anyway,and its heater was just as poor in winter, first one i owned was a 1979 kenworth w900a, bc 400 cummins with a 13 speed, now that was a truck!

Super Trucker · Feb 25, 2013

Started with a 69 Diamond Reo 350 small cam cummins then to a 75 Diamond . Switched companys and thought I hit high cotton when they gave me a 85 AWFULCAR constuctor. That truck taught me a very valuable lesson NEVER wear a ball cap in a short cab truck! I hit a chuck hole in the road seat bottomed out and shot me thru the roof and drove the button in my cap right thru my brain! Now nothing but KW as long as I'm buying them.

J3cub · Feb 25, 2013

I had air over hydraulic brakes on the truck and straight air brakes on the trailer. I hauled from Levelland Texas to Hollis OKlahoma like I said before. I could outrun any 220 cummings on flat ground after I put the pontiac in it and I got a whopping 3 mpg on premium gas.

first truck

J3cub

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El Toro

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Mike (WA)

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da.bees

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oldtanker

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twostepn2001

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larrystinescorner

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notjustair

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ericlb

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Super Trucker

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J3cub

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