mrsmackpaul

So some more did you know ? “The torch of liberty once burned with real fire—and it nearly didn’t survive the 1980s.” In 1985, a lone construction worker stood high above New York Harbor, preparing to remove one of America’s most enduring icons: the original torch of the Statue of Liberty. Ravaged by time, weather, and a series of misguided repairs, the torch that had crowned the statue since 1886 was being replaced. This wasn’t just a structural upgrade—it marked the quiet end of a chapter in American history. Originally crafted by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the torch once glowed with real fire, a beacon of hope to millions arriving at Ellis Island. But after nearly a century, leaks and corrosion had left it beyond repair. Its removal stirred a mix of reverence and regret. Was this a step forward, or the loss of a living artifact? Before its retirement to the newly built Statue of Liberty Museum, the original torch embarked on a farewell tour across the country. Americans from coast to coast stood face to face with the weathered flame that had once lit the gateway to their dreams. Today, a gleaming, gilded torch shines from Liberty’s hand. Yet it’s the old one—battered, dimmed, and preserved—that continues to speak of resilience, transformation, and the ever-evolving meaning of freedom. Paul

There is a few threads from years ago that exporled this very question Paul

We have rubber conveyor belt and a mud flap hanging on the rear on a lot of drive tyres and road train dollies etc out here So a fella I hauled sugar cane for had this style on his trucks But his were removable and were rolled up and the brackets and supports lifted out once we were hauling cane When running about with no bins on we were meant to put them in I'm thinking you could easily make something like this I reckon the brackets on the removable ones were only 3/4 box or maybe smaller and just dropped into slightly bigger box section on the chassis They wound up in a holder with a ratchet wheel on the end, bit like a window blind Very light rubber belt It was a really neat deal and the whole lot got stowed behind the seat I think with a little though you could make a set of mud flaps that quickly lift out if you wanted as well Paul

My Pa (my grandfather), the very person to blame for condition about trucks and Mack trucks in particular Anyway, he had lot's and lot's of photos Most of them on slides My brother has them now days, we keep on talking about having a slide night Pa travelled all over Australia in the 60's through until his passing in the 90's Anyway, we aren't getting any younger so I best put a rocket up our clackers before we get to old And Brocky, you might be surprised just how much enjoyment people get from the photos and the stories behind them These forums would be pretty dull if there was no photos and no story behind the photos Paul

Yes Harry, I have heard similar about these in Australia Only heard about them, on this forum they have been mentioned as well, while still in the states And Brocky you are 100% correct, I think it maybe different than we think though as the same motor in a tractor has a lot lower rating than it does in a truck I'm thinking farm tractors, especially broad acre farming types are loaded up with the scarifier in the dirt and they stay that way for many hours, full power the whole time Paul

Yeah Bob, they gave it a hard time and turned a neat truck into a mess pretty quick Surprised at how well it handled Even in peoples front and back yards ha ha Paul

I agree Bob But the silly thing is we will end up with less photos as we never develop them past the bloody phone If we pop our clogs tomorrow, will someone else be able to get them off our phones Paul

Oh and just for the sake of it, was out delivering hay in the little Isuzu yesterday with a couple of helpers Mums old Kelpie, gone 16 now and Miss Molly the border collie, both fighting over who gets the window seat and who cuddles me Life is better with dogs Life is also a bit stinky with dogs as well, phew !!! Gunna be -1°C tonight, cold enough for me and winter starts in less than 2 weeks -4° C is the coldest I have ever seen Princess is excited as it means she can pick the pumpkins, need a good frost on them to finish them and seal them up for winter, Australians eat a lot of pumkins Paul

Sorry about that Movie is 2001 "Bandits" See of trailer works on the link,no real action there But if you can find it to watch Bob, I reckon the Big Bang will get the ass for a couple of hours It's quite funny And failing that try finding "Paper Back Hero" Australian movie about a bloke that drives a R model road train a bit,a bit of a romantic comedy type of deal, also good for a laugh Paul

V8 Perkins in some Massey Ferguson tractors, headers (or combines as you lot call them), sugar cane harvesters IH had V8s in 2WD tractors and their bigger rebadged Steigers Mercedes-Benz V8's were also in sugar cane harvestes And I'm sure the list goes on Paul

Have never seen one with grease and a extra seal, learning things every day Paul

Finally found out what happened to the front of the DM Watch the first 10 minutes of this Dunno how it ends as I had to deliver some hay And probably more entertaining than the Big Bang TV show Paul

And the 3208 fitted a lot better in the engine bay of a Louisville than a inline 6 As did the 903 Paul

That's a good run out of the truck, for sure Seems like fairly humble type of bloke, doubt we'll see him on any supertrucker videos on the jacob brake through every gear Paul

Just spoke to my local supplier, Monday delivered to me and between 40 - 50 bucks Australian They are getting me a exact price and as soon as I know I'll let you know Paul

If you want I'll ring around locally and pop them in the mail It make take a day or 2 to get to me and if I bung them on air freight they'll be in the U.K. within the week Paul

Just a quick Google and yes kits are available from Watts, the forum here Reckon PAI would also have the kit For me, that trucks a bargain buy, it runs and that's a positive and it doesn't knock, that's even better So it may or may not need a in frame rebuild, only guessing at this this stage But I feel for 10 grand or less you'll have a good truck Paul

Known as the "Muck Truck" out here And yes, yiu gotta eat what you gotta eat Paul

Dunno Bob I have a few movies I really enjoy and have watched them plenty of times Really pisses the Princess off when I watch them again for probably the 20th time Last Saturday night after a few boubons, I put "Wild Hogs" on, laughed like the idiot that I am And even surprised myself and stayed awake But normally it's the other way around, the Princess is watching some crappy show and I just toddle off to bed and she watches what ever crappy shows she wants I guess this why we love them ha ha Paul

RAW RAW RAW RAW, I think Princess has the same book of instructions ha ha ha Wood is only good for keeping us warm lol Paul

A very different flood than we have in most of Australia The water must of been roaring Truck looks amazing and the helper is there helping as well Life really doesn't get much better I'm thinking Paul

Good job and a good helper helping Paul

1981

And what happens in Australia were we have km/h Paul

Well I have no idea were NC is, I could Google it but a little mystery is good in life Should sell fairly easy been that neat Good luck with the sale, I don't sell anything, I'm gunna be one of those blokes when they have a clearing sale after I'm dead that everyone scratches their head about and the crap I have collected Paul