bandit1trucking

This is probably a longshot, But we used to have a '78 General. In the early 1990's, we needed a couple of windshield wiper motors for it. Westfall GMC in Kansas City was where we finally found some. At that time, they had a lot of new Old Stock parts for the Generals. I don't know if they might still have anything stored away, but it might be worth a shot if you needed anything body/interior wise...

When I went to move it home, checked the fluids, stuck a couple of batteries in it, and it fired up probably on the second revolution... No air leaks, and all the lights still work except the headlights that got knocked out. One of them even still lights up.. My bullpuppy is home again...

Got the old windshields back in it for now, and the trucks wanted a group photo....

and another...

Little update... Yeah, 3 years later.. Went out of town on a job right after last post, was gone on it for about 9 months, then the next job was about 10 months, then here and there and everywhere... In the middle of which my laptop crashed. Anyway, update on the guy that stole my trucks... He pled guilty, and was just given probabtion. At restitution hearing, judge decided we were not entitled to any compensation... About a year ago, he was down just north of Houston, pulling an enclosed car hauler trailer when he had a flat on the back of his pickup. He jacked truck up, took flat tire off, THEN got under truck to get spare tire... It fell on him. I like to say the Karma truck is a heavy bitch.... He is no longer. This last summer, I finally got time to go bring the puppy home...

We didn't even actually go up there looking for a dumptruck, we went because they had a bunch of excavators. We were primarily looking for another 225 Cat, and they went really high for used machines. So then we ran at a 792 John Deere, and it ended up bringing 90,000. SO then they had a 245 Cat, nobody was really bidding on, because it was so big. We already had a 666 Koehring that we had to take the counterweights and bucket off of to move (taking it from about 115,000 to 75,000 pounds) so dad starts bidding on the 245. I finally asked him how we were going to move something like that with what we had, since it weighed about 145,000 pounds. He thought about it and quit bidding. He quit at 57,500 and it sold for 60,000. So at that point, he decided we needed to upgrade dumptrucks. Our only tandem dumptruck at that time was a '70 international with a 345 gas engine, 5 speed with a 3 speed brownlite, with hydraulic brakes... SO the 2 Macks was a MAJOR upgrade.

Thanks for the e-bay link. And I was thinking about the custom ring already. The two '79 models we had both had built for rings on them. The '72 and '73 dumptrucks I'm thinking had custom aluminum buttons that said "Custom built for Flatiron Paving". I guess that was a rather large company in Colorado. We bought both of them at an auction up there in 1988. There was over 60 Mack dumptrucks in the sale. The story behind how we ended up with 2 is kinda funny... The '73 R600 was lot number 277, and the '72 R700 was lot number 279... We decided we wanted one of those two, so about the time they get to about lot number 265, dad decides he needs to find a restroom. He told me, "if I'm not back by the time they get to those trucks, try to buy one of them. He said to go to about $15,000... So, we get to #277, and it got to where it was just me and someone way on the other side of the crowd bidding. I went up to 13,500. It sold for 14,000... No big deal, I'll try on 279... So we get to 279, and I got it bought for 13,000... I thought I did pretty good. So about 10 minutes later, dad walks up, and I told him We got 279. He gets this funny look on his face, and asks if I had been bidding on 277. I said Yes, id went to 13,500 and quit... He said, he was glad I quit when I did, because he didn't know it was ME he was bidding against... I about fell over. I said, "well, at least I got a better deal on mine, I spent 1,000 less than he did... We had driven the motorhome up there to the sale, and took mom and granny with us to visit relatives while were were there, so I got to drive "my" dumptruck home from Denver to Tulsa. I was only 16 at the time, so we got to cut down thru the corner of Colorado, into the Oklahoma panhandle to miss the scales and bypass Kansas. That was a trip I'll never forget... We got home, made a hitch to bolt to the back of the R600, and also put a hitch on the back of the little car that we pulled behind the motorhome ( a Pontiac Phoenix) and dad pulled the car toter trailer back up there with the car, then bolted the hitch to the back of the 600, loaded the car and brought that one home that way. We used to do a lot of things in an un-conventional manner like that, and I wouldn't trade the memories for anything.

Well, I did get some pieces back. The complete front clip showed up at the wrecker yard, so I got My '90 chevy dually front clip complete with bumper and grill guard, both doors, the seats and the tailgate... That's all... Wrecker dude told the cops that he did come to my place to get the dually, because a "homie" of his said it was his, and he wanted it hauled... He doesn't remember "homeboy's" name though... Said he bought these parts off of him for his own use... Claimed he didn't take the other two trucks or the trailer, which ALL came up missing the same time... Now, keep in mind, that just a month earlier this same guy was charged with a criminal felony, for trespassing and stealing a car from someone else in Tulsa... His arraignment on that case is the 28th of this month... And they didn't even arrest him this time, or impound the wrecker... The wrecker was back at his house that same night, and I have pictures of him at his "yard" the next day with the wrecker... I just feel that if I was caught doing something illegal of this nature, I'd be sitting in jail, and my shit would be seized...

In 1988, dad bought a '70 R model at an auction, for no other reason than it was cheap. We also went to an auction in Denver that year, and bought 2 dumptrucks. A '72 rl700 (I bought) and a '73 r600 (he bought) didn't intend to buy 2... its a long story...in 1989 w bought 2 more '79 r model tractors. Both 285 with 6 speeds like my '80 model. Then in 2000, I bought my '91 Pete 379 extended hood. I wanted something with big power, the only other tractor I had kept after downsizing was my '80 model R, and I just felt like I was pulling the guts out of it dragging a 75.000 pound trackhoe around on a regular basis...

I drove the rest of the way home. The only difference was I listened when the previous driver was explaining how to shift it...that summer, in both the gmc and the macks, dad would let me get some seat time especially if we were on the interstate. I already knew how to run all the equipment we had, so I started loading or unloading what we moved too. The next year, 1986, I made my first solo trip to Oklahoma city in the '69 Mack. I was on top of the world... we had a truck driver that usually drove the 80 model unless dad was using it, and in fact I would go swamp for him a lot when I was younger, but he said he'd.just as rather drive the '69, it rode a lot smoother, so when wed move equipment, I started driving the 80 all the time, he'd drive the '69, and dad would drive the general.

First Mack I ever rode in, was the '67 R model the day dad bought it. I think it was 1976 (I was 4) 237, 5x4. He bought it thru Mack trucks of Tulsa, it had just been rebuilt by empire truck rebuilders (I guess it had been wrecked) he had Leland rig it up with a winch and rolling tailboard (same rigup package that's on my '80 model now) he started out with a '62 international single axle gas truck (I still have it) in 1972. Then bought a new '73 international single axle gas. This was his first tandem diesel truck, and he was so proud of it. He came by the house and picked me up on the way to the shop with it. Next year he bought the '69 R. In 1980 he traded the '67 in for a brand new one (the one I still and always will have) in 1985 we bought a '78 gmc general, that was actually the first truck I drove on the road. I was 13, we bought it from the company my uncle worked for in Pittsburgh Kansas. On the way back to Tulsa, dad had a lot of trouble shifting it (first 13 speed he ever drove, kept missing gears and had to start over) about the 3 rd time I started laughing he hit the shoulder and stopped. Grabbed door handle, and said "since you think its so f'ing funny we're gonna see if you can do any better "

I really don't expect I'll get any of it back. I think if it had been up to the deputy that I gave the pictures to today, we probably would have went down there right then. The good cops hands are tied, the sorry cops don't give a shit... this is an actual wrecker company that is going around stealing vehicles. Not just someone with a wrecker. I kinda wish I hadn't even filed a police report... my options would be a lot more flexible if there wasn't paperwork with my name involved...

I really don't expect I'll get any of it back. I think if it had been up to the deputy that I gave the pictures to today, we probably would have went down there right then. The good cops hands are tied, the sorry cops don't give a shit... this is an actual wrecker company that is going around stealing vehicles. Not just someone with a wrecker. I kinda wish I hadn't even filed a police report... my options would be a lot more flexible if there wasn't paperwork with my name involved...

Well... I think I found one of my trucks. What's left of it anyway... The custom seats, doors and tailgate appear to be all that's left... I am PISSED...

That U is really looking nice. I'm not really much into the single axle or offset cab thing, but you and your papa have really done a lot of hard work there. Something you can be proud of for years to come.