I find it easy to come by pictures of old equipment but never come across pictures of old field service trucks. I have pics of all mine going back to 1979 but would like to see the service trucks used in the 50s and 60s. I am interested in how service trucks evolved from a pickup with a tool box to what we use today. Anyone have old service truck pics?
Service trucks back then were only pickups. No cranes, compressors, welders or storage compartments. You threw your tools in the back and if you stayed overnight at a hotel, you took them in the room with you. Overtime was plentiful, the customer supplied the lifting equipment and most were darn glad to see you. Lots different today.
Had a buddy that made a service truck out of pickup. Put every tool known to man in/on it. Broke the frame in half. Oh, and if it doesn't have a welder- it's not a service truck (sorry, no pics)
My old fuel truck... wasting away in cold storage. http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab208/parkrapids/Old Trucks/IMG_0277.jpg
could't have been there very long gramps....the rims aren't set six inches into the dirt yet......very much a restorable truck IMO.
Motrack, What did your truck look like in '79, I was trying to figure out about what year they started manufacturing crane bodies on a broad scale, and what they looked like originally. I think alot of trucks were self-built back then, I've got a 91 f600 with a IMT body, but it has the more modern look to it. I guess Autocrane, IMT, etc. really took off in the 80's. Good lookin truck... Grandpa
My 1st truck was a 77 Ford F600 with a Maintainer body and all electric Poly Crane. I remember seeing service trucks at the mines and road jobs back in the 60s but was too little to have a interest in them. I have seen trucks from the 50s with utility beds on them so I find it hard to believe we just threw tools in back of a pickup and took off. When Consol built the Silver Spade in the late 60s there were many service trucks working on the site.
I started out working out back my 77 F100 pulling a home made air compressor done that for a year bougth a 73 F350 with a bed that was built in 1960 put my air compressor on the truck. 2 years later bougth a 1500 lbs boom and mounted on the truck been useing truck every since It needs a paint job it was solid white when i got it now its red white & brown primer spots everybody knows my truck around town if i paint it nobody would know who i am I try to post a picture some time
My first service truck was a 195? F5 w/ a service bed. It had an air compressor powered by a 12 hp Wisconsin engine W/ a hand crank; and the crane boom was raised by a hand pump and there was a 3-ton hand winch on the back of the boom. the truck was 19,000 gvwr w/ a gas v-8. It had tags and ins., but I almost never took it out of the steel mill. this was in '89.
Thats the kind of info I was looking for! I attended the work truck show in Indianapolis yesterday and talked to one service body company that started building bodies in 1929. Several other company have been suppling service beds since the 40s and 50s. The consept of a dedicated service or mechanics truck has been around for a long time. Sadly there seems to be little documention of them.
grandpa you need to get that ol Ford out and polish it real good.Might get more money now than you paid for it.
2 stick.... i just wish it was full of fuel...bah ha hha
I just could not resist posting this one. I found a photo of Atco's first service vehicle. lol
Bah ha ha ha hahahaha. :lmao
You'd a thought atco woulda got tired of toting all them tools around.... bah ha h hahhaa
Thats funny I dont care who you are!