Stumbleweed

Their is a Interstate place about 20 minutes from the farm. I'm going to buy some blems for the Dodge and the Mack. I'm gonna break out my blower, open them up and and blow the cabs and then engine compartments out, change the oil and filters, make sure the blowers and intakes are operable and see if I can wake these old men up.!

Really apprecaite this post, Swishy !! I'll defintiely check to make sure the airflap and blower is working before I try to start it.

Thanks for the lesson on posting. This helps alot! And you're right, there are a lot of knowledgable, friendly folks on here. Not every forum site is like this, I assure you.

I appreciate all of the replies from each one of you. (I only wish knew how to directly reply to the posts separately so they would more directly relate to the individual posts.) Swishy's post took me a little time to understand it all. Lots of good info there. Thank you. And thank you thomastractorsvc too. Thanks also to fxfymn for gathering the bottom end of the pricing. i definitely don't want to cut them up and send them across the ocean. It would probably be a good idea for me to get them both running again. Clean up the engines with a steam cleaner and see what everything looks like. The Dodge I'm fairly positive has the IH 549. It was my uncles before he passed away. He was real particular in keeping the engine serviced i.e. regularly replaced the point and plugs, oil, etc. It always ran like a top. My father made the comment the other day about what a big engine it had in it. He said it was a real workhorse of a machine. The Mack worked well up until the day he parked it. I told someone earlier that he didn't drive it too much after he had the experience of a moccasin wrapping around his right foot one day when he was driving it. (Though we have kept stuff inside the truck to keep any snakes from deciding to reinhabit it, he didn't drive it very much after that.) **Little piece of advice, putting some rags saturated with gas or some other heavy petroleum smelling stuff on a piece of sheet metal under both sides of the seat, will keep "Mr No Shoulders" out from your cab. Anyway, as far as the trailer being straight etc. I think it is real good shape. After I get it cranked and cleaned, I'm going to take some more pictures of it. My father and his brother were always real particular to keep their equipment in top running condition. We've for a '78 Ford LT9000 TRi-Axle that is still running strong. I'm definitely of the mindset of not letting something just melt into the ground waiting for top dollar but I do want to get a fair deal for them. I think I mentioned it earlier but Pop is 83 and has Parkinson's. I take care of him (work on our farm and stay with him usually at least 5 mights a week) but I need cash to help pay for people that I trust will treat him well to come in and take care of him when I go home to see my wife and family. It's exhausting to be "on" 24 hours a day. Thanks to the others who have posted that I may not have acknowledged. I apppreciate each one of you who have taken the time to post the comments, insight and opinions! They are all very helpful.

Yeah, I think we are going to change the oil in both of them, buy some batteries and new fuel. Pop seems to think they will crank without much problem. (Of course, them actually cranking and running smooth will be much more vaulablle than speculation.)

Now, I'm sure that this question is very subjective and the answer totally depends on what one would run into if they were going to restore a truck like this lowboy. Having said that, assuming that the motor and transmission are good, anybody care to shoot from the hip as to what it would cost to restore the interior, and go through the truck and repaint it, etc., put new rubber all the way around etc.?? I know that is wide range. Just curious. We still have the loader and excavator. I'm deciding whether to transport them with a tag along trailer behind our other truck (Ford LT9000). I suspect that it would be cheaper to buy a good tag along as opposed to restoring the lowboy, though having the lowboy would give us greater flexibility in mobilizing on jobs, etc.

Superdog when you threw $1500 to $2000 a piece, were you referring to the 2 trucks, or the Mack tractor and the lowboy?

jhankcock, you're right. That's what it's got under the hood. Bigdogtrucker, the trucks are just north of Ft. Bragg. As far as the cabs and rails, my father seems to think they are fine. The Old Dodge has a Power Giant Gas engine in it. My father said that it had a big engine and was powerful but I know that there is less of a market for them obviously than diesel trucks. It's a cool looking truck though. I like the design of the access to things with the swing fenders.

I feel pretty confident that the trucks would start, though some of the rubber lines might be toast. (They were both running when they were parked.) My father agrees with Freightrain; that they would crank with some new batteries and fresh fuel. Any ranges of value (or links to sites that might be able to indicate that.?) (Here are a few more pictures of the old Dodge.)

First, let me say I'm amazed at not only the talent of all of the folks that bring these old beauties back to life but also the whole member community.. I have read a great number of posts on here and am sincerely impressed with such a positive, helpful and kind group of folks! These days"friendly" isn't found like it use to be. I'm writing in hopes of trying to understand how to go about putting a value on a couple of trucks that we have. The first one is a 1969 Mack R773 with a '56 Phelan lowboy. My father bought this when I was building. In addition to farming, he also did my grading with his old 175B Dresser loader. The truck ran fine last time it was driven. Then my mom got sick. It's been 10 years already since her passing. Since that time, my Dad lost a lot of momentum. He's now 83 and has Parkinson's. I take care of him and am wanting to go ahead and try to sell these trucks before they get beyond the point of restoration. The second truck is a 1972 Dodge Tri-Axle GAS burner. (I'll have to find out what size engine is in it.) I'm curious if there is a market for this truck. It's definitely a distinctive looking truck, that's for sure. Any and all suggestions would be welcome when it comes to establishing a value for them. Do people prefer to buy a truck and restore it themsellves or is there more money to be made by having someone restore it and then try to sell it? **Worth mentioning, the front of the Mack isn't dented.Between the screen on the front of the grill and the old "Wide Load" banner, it makes it appear maybe bent up. Pretty sure that that is not the case. Thanks in advance for help or advice you may have!