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While 7 axles is not all that common, but is not unheard of, and five or six axles are a pretty common set up in VA. It is also quite common to see the bodies placed several feet behind the cab in order to limit the weight on the front axle, not matter how many lift axles are used. These are known as "ton" trucks as you are payed by the net tons delivered versus the hourly rate most on-site trucks make. It has been a lot of years since I pulled out of a quarry, (40 plus) but at the time the quarry would not allow you to leave if you were overweight on any axle. You had to go dump it and re-load. We loaded by pulling a chain that dumped material from a hopper. It was up to the driver to move the truck as it filled to keep the weight on each axle correct. The truck had 5 axles and netted about 20 tons if I remember correctly. VA is very anal about weight laws and it is common for local sheriffs to use portable scales in addition to VA State Police enforcement. I know of at least one case where an absent home owner got a gift of several tons of gravel in their driveway as a way to avoid a portable scale set up just down the road.

Have you checked with Watts Mack, the site's sponsor.

Yes that is the truck that was at Macungie. Herb Fleck, owners of Daley and Wanser Moving in Nantasket, MA are the owners. I loved the story board they had with it that told about how many days it took for the drivers to get from Allentown to MA. when it was bought. I don't recall the exact time, but I think it was weeks, not days. The truck is not quite an original since they were forced to use an AB engine in it since the original was not available for use. That takes nothing away from a very unique project IMO.

The key here is it came from GSA, not a local government.

Didn't that end up somewhere in NJ?

When I was on the job I had over 40 work phone numbers memorized; every station and work location, now with speed dial I don't even know my own kid's number. And it's almost a carnival trick to do simple math in your head.

This whole conversation brings to mind what the insurance companies are doing to everyone when they offer a discounted rate to anyone who is willing to subject themselves to electronic monitoring. Never mind your overall driving record, if you regularly exceed the speed limit or do "jack rabbit" starts big brother will consider you to be high risk and drop you. I'll pay a little more to keep that out of the car thank you very much.

If you decide to bid make sure they come with a title. They look like surplus and the locality may be selling something they don't really own since the feds require that you return any surplus item that the locality was given by the feds to the feds for them to sell or re-distribute. In some cases the locality gets clear title and they can sell it on though.

A quick follow up to the last comment: I wondered why I kept seeing farm equipment in one of the busiest commercial districts around our area. (Rte. 3 and I-95, aka Central Park for those folks who travel through on 95) A newspaper article answered why when they interviewed a young guy who was making a run at farming for a living. It turns out that the only way he can make money is to lease every plot he can find to raise corn or beans on including a five acre field adjacent to the shopping mall. He said that the cost of the equipment was so high he had to keep it working to it's maximum efficiency in order for it to pay off and that by having the "latest and greatest" he could make it work with far less labor than used to be required. The only way he could do that was to move his equipment over a five county area by driving or trucking it around to the various smaller plots he found for rent. Many of the plots were old family farms that just were not big enough to make a living from, but by "consolidating" them he could make it pay. Hence what was once several farms is now counted as just one.

Farms are no different than what has happened in the manufacturing sectors. They haven't "disappeared", but they have been consolidated into larger properties owned by large holders like corporations due to the efficiency of today's equipment. What is disappearing are small family farm owners. Today's choices are get big or go home.

Maybe we'll see a more independent Mack that is able to return to building the type of product that customers want.

Neat article. The B-85 was primarily a fire truck designation, but they have almost nothing in common with the B85-SX other than sheet metal. Basically identical twins with different mothers. This is the first time I have seen a B-80 series with the B-85 designation, but based on the chassis number I guess they built at least 22 of them.

Congrats and good luck. We are spending quite a bit of time in SC since our granddaughter was born and we ended up buying a second home on James Island so the DW can visit when she wants to. Does SC assign their new troopers to areas away from home? New troopers in VA are not allowed to be posted in the areas they grew up in. Stay safe out there. I've had the misfortune to respond to several incidents where troopers were hit on the interstate. And remember despite what they teach you about keeping traffic flowing your safety is always more important than keeping traffic moving.

Apparently the family has decided to liquidate some of Mike's collection. Here is a link to the sales site: http://touring530.wixsite.com/trottoauto Some very interesting stuff and they seem to be very fairly priced.

Have a safe trip.

By the web site it looks like they are selling off some of Mike Trotto's stuff. The link brings you to a pretty nice LJ. http://touring530.wixsite.com/trottoauto

It's a bit of a ride for you, but I'd call L&S Radiator in Richmond to see what they can do. http://www.lsradiatorshop.com/

Mike, so glad to have you back. The site is just not the same without you. Keep plugging away at it. If you need a success story to inspire you check in with Randy (1958fwd). His weight loss and subsequent bariatric surgery changed his life. And keep in mind my mantra "Every day on the top side of the grass is a good day, some are just better than others."

Day? I wonder what I'd do with the other 23 hours and fifty five minutes?

Every day we have an opportunity to prove Darwin was right. If they can't hang on then evolution just took place. Vapatentman is correct. Every one of us was young and stupid. I still shake my head thinking about tearing down the road at 60 plus putting my gear on while a second person wrapped his arm around you to hold you on. In those days all that mattered was that you never let the second due company beat you into your first due area and that you tried like hell to beat them into their's. The maxim is you never make up time you lose in the fire house, so what we would do is throw our coats up into the hose bed, step into our boots before boarding, and then wiggle into the coat going down the road so we could clear the station faster. Eventually there were enough firefighter fatalities due to falls off of apparatus, combined with a whopper lawsuit won against Pirsch, that the practice of riding out of a seated area was stopped. In the county where I worked the trash guys are not allowed to ride the back, but instead literally run down street to keep ahead of the truck. The motivation is they get 8 hours pay even if they finish the route in less time than that. And they always do. I was really surprised that the municipalities in the Charleston, SC area still let them ride the back.

I hate IE 11, so I'm sticking with an older version. That maybe why I'm having issues. Google Chrome works fine.

If you try welding I would have a latex pattern of the tank made first. That way if the welding trashes the tank you can have a new one cast. Latex molding supplies are widely available on the net. My philosophy on stuff like this "is do no harm" to what maybe a very difficult part to replace since most used tanks are probably going to have corrosion issues as well.

Looks good. Of all the things I do on my trucks media blasting is dead last on the list of favorites. I'm sure you know this, but you need to blow that out a couple dozen times or I guarantee you that the paint gun will blow some hidden media up and ruin your paint job.

Has anyone explored the use of one of the newer electric pumps to power the hydraulics? They are becoming pretty common in new cars.

You will not be able to weld this because of the corrosion that has contaminated the aluminum. Two thoughts; use a bolt from inside the tank turning the mount into a stud instead of a bolt. That way you would be able to adequately seal up the bolt head. Another option would be to use gray Marine-Tex or JB Weld to seal up the hole. I'd go with the through bolt if it were mine and reinforce it with Marine-Tex or JB Weld and maybe epoxy it into the tank to keep it from turning as well. And of course if you want to spend the money you can have a new tank cast. Probably in the three to four hundred dollar range for the casting and machining. I use Cattail Foundry in PA.