a documentary about trucking in the 70's

Must have been that old truckstop just before the scales. I remember it being open when I first started driving for Stevens.

 

d

69 CO4070A in pic I bought in 73,I think I paid,8 or 10k,don't remember.Tan 4300 Eagle I bought new in 1977,was 39k.Not 80k.Black 4300 Glider was 27k new,I built it in 85.

 

Speaking of old truckstops, if you look on the menu of the Iron Skillet, it shows the old El Paso Truck Terminal that used to be off of Airway Blvd where the Chevron fuel stop is now.

 

In73 it was a Skelly oil co stop.

 

Not many people remember Monfort, but I trucked in their heyday. Once on I-80 in Iowa somewhere, at night, I was struggling along at 57 mph in the right lane with a loaded R model Mack, and a truck coming up fast in the left lane, on the CB the driver said, "don't move", and this Monfort truck roared by me, had to be doing 90. Not too long ago, a friend in Mn. said he saw a cattle pot rolled on it's side, and on the roof, he said what looked like a faded "Monfort" name. I heard, bears in the air would see that and radio to a cruiser on the ground, a Monfort truck was coming, and to leave them alone. I think they had 4 fuel tanks, big Cat motors, and 2 drivers, and the trucks didn't stop until they got out east. http://sportscourtmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/monfort-feed-truck.jpg

 

Awesome video! I'm glad overdrive researched it and told a bit more of the story then just showing the video.

I posted it on Dec 26th after I got it from reddit.

Happy New Years!

 

Bill John ( mom's cousin) said they were the only ones to ever blow his doors off.

 

That video brings back memories.

The only place I've ever seen a Monfort truck that was not moving was in the TA exit 13 Brookville, PA taking on fuel.

 

The 1st trucking co. I worked for, had mostly daycab Mack R models, That I drove, and they bought 2 IH Eagles just like yours, for longer distance stuff. One was yellow and white, the other was brown and white, like yours. 350 Cummins, 13. They were dedicated trucks, and the "Mack" drivers never drove them. I'm pretty sure they had Reyco suspension, as air ride was still a ways off, and really weren't the nicest riding trucks. ( from what the drivers said)
A friend had an old Schneider 4070B like that, 290, 10 speed. I drove a 4070B with a "shiny 290" ( 300) Cummins and a 13. It too was a Reyco and rode awful, but for backing in somewhere, it couldn't be beat. Nasty blind spot on the right side though. That truck did a weird thing. In the 1st 12 gears, it was real slow to wind up, but once you got it in the "big hole", that truck would cruise 65 down and up.

 

Back in the 70's there weren't a lot of air rides,it was new technology.Different suspensions had different characteristics.Some rode good light,and terrible loaded or vice versa,you just couldn't have it both ways.....until air ride.That 77 Eagle had IH Reyco spring,not bad as it was light,but it wouldn't do real heavy work.IH didn't offer air ride back then.Back in the 73280 days,it was pretty important to try and keep your light weight around 30k or less,for decent payloads,these suspensions were ok for that.After I had that truck a couple of years,I decided to stretch the frame,and put air ride susp. and a 60" sleeper on it.Found a real nice rear cutoff,off of a low mileage wrecked Ford CL-9000 up at Vanderlelys salvage in Pa..Had New-Way 4 bag,with a set of 4.10 SQHD's and a nice 5th wheel.I installed the cutoff,and stretched the truck to 235" from it's original 200"wb.
One of my early trips out west with it,I was pulled into the Ft. Collins Co.scale for an inspection.The diesel bear crawled under my tractor,took a long look at the New Way airbags,and finally asked "What are those?"Explained it politely to him,how they functioned.Another trip after that,coming out of Oregon into Idaho,a piece of leaf spring,on the highway poked a hole in one of my bags.Blocked the frame with wood,and limped into Boise.Called everyone,asking for an airbag back then was like speaking Greek.Finally got one brought up from SLC on the bus the next day.Carried a spare cell after that.