Sweden
Foreword:
This mini story was written by me. However, at my own request Mr Weatherstone has corrected my English because my native language is Swedish and he has done a great job.
He has read between the lines in a phenomenal way. The story has been more detailed than the original. William has also been so kind as to let me share my experience with others. Thanks William, from the depth of my heart!
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During my childhood I lived out in the country in Sweden, and away from the cities. At times I refused to play with my friends, preferring to spend time with my best friend, my father and his trucks, all class 8's except for the FARGO. (A Canadian built truck by Dodge-Chrysler.) A sample of a FARGO truck from the Ed Stankey Photo Collection, as seen HERE in Hank's Truck Pictures |
Before I was born he drove a Mercedes, produced after WWII. He told me later about an incident that happened to him ....
One winter he was driving over a frozen lake carrying a load of timber when his truck broke through the ice, and jumping out just in time to see the truck go under. Surprisingly, the nose went down completely but the logs floated and held the back end out of the water.
After much hard work and using a stump stubber they winched it back up and onto heavier ice. Many years later I would see this truck in the forest, scrapped. It was hard to tell that it was a Mercedes Benz.
Another time, I used to ride with my father when he worked at a small saw-mill, and drove a FARGO. It was a 2 axle straight truck hauling timber. This was in the early 1950's.
He used to say Fargo when talking about his truck. I did not know if it was a real name, or one he made up. I did not know if this truck was European made, or where. I remember very little about this truck.
| In 1954 he got a Volvo Titan 3 axle truck, putting out 150 HP. In Sweden it is not common to have tandems. Instead the 2nd axle is the driver, and the 3rd is a lift axle. (Trailing axle) This truck had a planetary transmission with integrated differential, called "Norrlandsvaxel" because of the high and steep hills we have to work on. The interpretation of this word "Norrlandsvaxel" would be "The gear of the north". |
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The transmission had one gearshift and a little box mount on it with a knob for high and low registers. He could change gears simultaneously using both the gearshift and the knob. It had 10 speeds forward and 2 speeds reverse. It was much easier to handle than 2 gearshifts.
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This truck had 2 timber bunks with 4 upright sticks, 2 on each side. The uprights were collapsible. When running empty, the folded uprights would look like a large letter "M". This truck was used mostly to haul timber, but sometimes gravel.If you look at this photo you can notice the letter "M" as I have described earlier. You can also see an apparatus hanging from the back of the truck. It is a hydraulic driven timber loader. It has a beam mounted on it towards the bogie, and mounted in a holder on the chassis. |
I remember one time when he came home carrying a CAT D6 on the platform. This was a heavy overload. The D6's gross weight was at least 26,400 lbs. (12 metric ton) and more than the Titan was allowed to carry. The blade was carried along on a single axle pup trailer.
Later, (1960) he got a Volvo Viking Turbo with an engine rated at 150 HP. My father was not the owner/operator but drove for the company. I understood when my father told me that this engine was weaker than the Titan. The Viking had a 125 HP, and the turbocharger added another 25 HP. The truck was used to carry timber, chipper, sawdust, sand and was used as a snowplough. It was a V-formed front plough with a side mounted adjustable wing, mounted on the chassis.
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In 1963 he got a new 3 axle Volvo Titan Turbo rated at 230 HP, and a 3 axle trailer with 4 bunks to haul timber. (Straight truck with pup trailer) This truck was a real workhorse. I remember when we had a load of timber on (without the trailer) and had to climb a long steep hill. My father was really impressed as the truck kept picking up speed during the climb, shifting into the next gear up, it slowly picked up speed, and carried him over the top with no problem. |
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One summer month the truck and trailer was in the workshop where they rebuilt these for carrying wood chips only. When it was ready, my father loaded both the truck and trailer. The gross weight was 123,200 lbs (61 1/2 ton or 56 Metric tons). The total length of the truck and trailer was 24 m (78 ft)
I road with him often, and when we rolled out to the highway, the Titan ran smoothly. It was full throttle getting the speed up and then at 80 km/hr (50 mph) he could back off and cruise along nicely. I was excited to watch him change gears and which of them he used in his driving tactic.
We ran twice a day to a paper mill, unload, and then drive back to the saw-mill. We would reload and then drive the truck home parking for the night.
The next morning my father woke me at 05:00 am. After eating cold porridge, and processed milk we walked to the Titan. My father also brought along a lunchbox for both of us.
He started the engine, and after a while we left and started climbing a steep grade, I was so excited and thought of this as a real adventure
This was in the summertime and he would stop the truck and we would sit outside on the grass in the sunshine, sharing a meal. Many times I felt I was in the seventh heaven. He was 65 years old when he retired from his work in 1984.
How about a toilet on these trips? Well I learned that Mother Nature was all I needed, so I used moss, and I can tell you it works very well.
I was 16 years old in 1965 when I had to stop travelling with him, as I had to move and settle in Stockholm for my studies and work. My schooling had come to an end in 1968, and therefore I hadn’t the summer vacations anymore. That was the last year to ride and work with my father.
My greatest dream was to grow up and be a truck driver, and follow in my fathers footsteps. It was not to happen, as I had lost my hearing in both ears. It was the greatest disappointment for me.
---------- Lars-Gunnar Astrom
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