Let's Look at Trucks Again.

Luciano Giacon's Mainfreight liveried Mack CH has an extension to the back and top of the cab; clearly seen in this picture taken at Pak 'n ' Save supermarket in Petone.

A Peterbilt logger on the road near Rotorua. This shot was snapped from the passenger seat while my wife was driving.
A 1995 model 378.

In a similar area to the above picture is this Total Transport 1998 Sterling with sheeted load.

J.R.Dougherty (more commonly known as Bobby D) operates the Mainfreight base in Masterton. His EC14 powered 1996 ERF is painted in the Mainfreight pattern, but in green instead of the more familiar blue with the livery of Hansell's.
Hansell's Group Ltd is a Masterton based food product manufacturer. Although this photo was snapped in 2004, Bobby still operates this same ERF and still in the same immaculate condition doing a daily run between Masterton and  Wellington.

Also snapped in 2004 was this Freightliner with large integral sleeper.

A big red Brownrigg rig!
2003 volvo FH12

Parked near the boat launching ramp at Lowry Bay is this big Freightliner cab-over.
By the look of the asphalt, it's where the local boy-racers spin their wheels.

The main street of Taupo is the setting for this 2003 Freightliner Argosy of JP Trucking. Unusually the trucks in this fleet were all painted in a variety of bright colours and individual liveries.

Carter Holt Harvey is well known in the logging and timber industry in New Zealand. This 1995 Volvo FH12 420 with curtains is probably carting wallboard or other similar building product.

On one occassion when Premier Bacon's Hino was being serviced, they used this 1996 Western Star 3864s.

Saturday

On Saturday morning I was in town and saw this very nice Ford.

It's a 1939 Tudor in left hand drive and in superb restored condition.

Saturday afternoon I helped my mate Hans bleed the brakes on his car.

Trucks Again It Is

Not much else to report at present, so here are a few more truck photos of the 90s and 00s.

The unit pulling this Falcon Forwarders curtain-side B-train is a 1988 is a Scania R143H.
An "H" chassis is not the usual choice to pull a B-train. "H" chassis are the heavy duty version normally seen pulling low loaders or on tippers or loggers that spend some of their time off road.

A 1985 Scania R142M with refrigerated box is loading up from a fishing boat at one of the wharves of Wellington.

R.A.Empson has his Ford L9000, that he contracts to Chem Couriers, parked up at Seaview.

This old Bedford tow truck was being employed to haul up something that had gone over the edge at the top of the Wainuiomata Hill. The "something" was so far down it was not visible in the thick bush.

Alpha Specialized Movers mostly relocate houses with this Marmon.

Alpha also have a 1993 Ford L9000.
Parked next to the Marmon at Wainuiomata.

A 1990 Scania R113m twin steer tractor is a rarity in NZ. I am guessing that it has probably been imported as a used vehicle from the UK. This Clark and Rogers example is turning into Pak 'n Save supermarket in Upper Hutt.

Another used UK import, is this Renault AE Magnum 385 parked in the front garden of a house in Stokes Valley prior to going into active service. I still see this vehicle quite regularly delivering to supermarkets in my home town.

At Seaview with the curtains drawn, is this sleeper cabbed IVECO Powerstar contracted to Mainfreight.

Halls had a similar IVECO, but this one a day cab. Their 2001 version is parked outside Pak 'n Save Upper Hutt waiting to deliver its load. The trailer is still in Hall's old livery.

Truck Photos yet Again !

The following photos I shot mostly in the 90s.

1990 DAF 3300 ATi operated by NZ Direct.

This Dominion Breweries Volvo F12 is unloading a load of its precious brew at a Lower Hutt night club.

Note the doors on the front of the rear trailer on this NZ Van Lines B-train. This is to allow loading and unloading of the front trailer right through the rear trailer without un-coupling.
Pulling power is provided by Colin Isaac's 1991 Scania R113M.

Dalton's delivered their potting mix with this 1982 International SF2670 for many years. More recently deliveries have been done with a Sterling rigid towing a full trailer.

Cooltrans had a number of refrigerated units operating for a while in the 90s, but alas the company has disappeared. this is their 1990 Mack RB688RST.

A 1973 Mercedes Benz 1418/32 still in active service in the 90s moving fairground equipment.

The signage on this MAN makes it fairly obvious what it is. With those graphics and the lack of a company name on the door, I suspect it is a MAN demonstrator.

Another cooltrans rig. This time a 1992 Mack CHR689RST.

Durham's 1997 Peterbilt 362 unloads a digger at the site of a new building in Upper Hutt.

A Rudd International S line with a well sheeted, but unusually shaped load at Copthorne Solway park in Masterton.

PBT Inter City Couriers (a division of Peter Baker Transport) operated this Mack CH689 from the time it hit the road in 1997. Seen here outside Peter Baker's seaview depot.

A 1983 Mack RA722RS Super-Liner with sleeper pod and coupled to a skeletal semi-trailer, parked near Trentham Railway Station in Upper Hutt.

RFL Fusos

I had an enquiry from Sean asking if I had any pictures of the RFL Fusos. I posted one on May 11, 2011 and also on September 27, 2011.
The only other photo I appear to have is this one.

This is a 1973 Fuso FU80T 8122RA of RFL that I snapped at the service station at Wairakei some time in the 80s.
I hope this give Sean his RFL Fuso "fix".

Some Older Truck Pictures Again

K.Church ran this Western Star with sleeper box. Conventionals with sleepers were not common in NZ around the time this picture was taken in Taupo. The vehicles on the decks give some indication to the age of the photo.



Rorison Mineral Developments ran an all Kenworth fleet in the early 90s. These two T602s were almost brand new when this photo was taken in their yard at mount Maunganui.



This must have been one of the first globetrotters in NZ, being used as the stage for a band at a truck show.

A few years ago there was a worthwhile car museum at Te Puke, but alas it has closed and all the exhibits sold off.
This Thames fire appliance was parked at the back of the museum.

A display at Hutt Park of the Leacock Transport fleet. Both Isuzus and the R.H. Scania are all 1980 models. The L.H. Scania dates from 1982.

Also at Hutt Park was this 1926 Bean.

Tait and McKenzie of Featherston had this nicely restored 1928 Ford Model AA. I haven't seen it for a long time, so not sure if they still have it.

This model A pick-up was at a gathering of Model As in Blenheim in the 80s.

Mack Superliner II with sleeper, snapped from an overbridge on the Auckland Southern Motorway.

Hauling for Mobil is this Foden, also on the Auckland Motorway.

Hyland is the name on the door of this 1985 International SF 2670-400.

Two Nissans and five Macks are in this shot of Capital Concrete's fleet at Hutt Park.

Very Big Rig

Last Sunday I drove my daughter back to Wellington, after she had spent the weekend at home. Near Petone I was surprised to see this big unit parked up ready to move this 260 tonne transformer. Apparently it is part of some upgrades that are being done to the power link between the North and South Islands.

Coming from a rural town we don't get to see rigs like this in action. This is, as far as I can remember, the biggest rig I have ever seen in my life.
 Each of the two trailers had 13 rows of 8 tyres, that's a total of 208 tyres to check the pressure in, by my calculations,

At each end was a a Kenworth. This one at the South end was a C500, but I am not sure what model the other one is, that is pictured in the top photo. They appeared to be powered by Detroit 60 series diesels, but I couldn't  find any clues to horsepower.
The hauler is Tranzcarr Heavy Haulage Ltd. There are some superb videos of other loads they have moved at http://www.tranzcarr.co.nz/

On the Road Again

Last Sunday was a nice warm day so I headed out on the BM for my first decent ride of the Spring/Summer season. I consider a "decent" ride to be at least one tank full of fuel. That's somewhere around 300-350kms.I headed north from Masterton, sticking mainly to the main roads, to Waipukarau.

Manawatu Kia and Nissan at Pahiatua have this early Datsun Bluebird on their lot. I couldn't get any closer than this, but it appeared to be in superb condition. My younger daughter would probably say,"It's so cute".

Just before Waipukurau I diverted on to the old main road over Pukeroa Hill and stopped at the top to eat my lunch which I had prepared before I left home. The present main road can be seen below with Waipukurau in the distance.

From Pukeroa Hill I needed to use full zoom to get this shot of a KW tanker on the main road.

At Waipukurau this Foden looks worthy of restoration.

Nearby a TM Bedford appears to be in regular use.

Heading back south again out of Waipukurau there were thunder clouds ahead of me, so I turned left on to Hatuma Road and used roads east of the main road all the way back to Dannevirke. I missed the thunderstorm and sampled some brilliant motorcycling roads.

Though a little narrow in places, there are many corners and "ups" and "downs"but with good surfaces and very little traffic.

That's a motorcycle road.

I love the lush greenness of springtime in NZ.

Two Scanias and a KW at Buckeridge's yard at Dannevirke.

A Nissan CG380 at Farmer's Transport yard, also at Dannevirke....

....as well as this Kenworth.

South of Dannevirke I turned off at Oringi and again avoided the main road through to Mangatainoka.

At Mangatainoka this well kept Ultra-Liner is still working daily (except Sunday it seems).