The Gallery - classic shots
From the archive – Classic rigs across the decades…a new one every week…
Have information on any of these trucks? – email the editor
Perhaps the most iconic truck of them all, or at least in the top-three greatest models of all time – the R-Series Mack transformed expectations of what could be expected of a truck, when it was introduced in the seventies.
It ushered an era of reliability and capability that other brands strove to emulate.
‘Southern Pride’ is a fine example of the type of combination that evolved after de-regulation.
The Christchurch-based tractor worked for the then-fledgling Mainfreight – which was Mack heavy in its early years, the brand being a favourite of many of Mainfreight’s owner-operators back in the day.
#5 Shot in 1987, this International Atkinson 4870 worked for Retko – Steve Reddy and Kevin Kitto – and was set up to for the, then, looming arrival of the 44-tonne era.
The truck produced 400hp from its Cummins 86NT powerplant, and the tractor cost $243,000 (gst inclusive).
This particular rig was owned by Steve, and it’s identical sister rig was co-owned by Steve and Kevin, were put on the road to do the Turangi-swap run, and while these days that’s nothing special – back in the eighties – double shifting and the Turangi swap were novel innovations that followed the deregulation of the road transport industry in 1984.
Basically an International T-line Eagle, the Atkinson had a better spec for this run, and Steve and Kevin opted for the longer legs of the Atkinson over the Eagle when they placed the order.
For more on how we got to the High Productivity – 50-Max- current era – hit this link.
#4 This stunning W924 Kenworth worked for Park Towing over many decades, and was photographed here in 1980 in its home-town of Christchurch.
Parks started business in 1925 as Parks Breakdown and the company has been a feature of the city for nearly a century.
Read more about them here on their website history page.
# 3 – Shot in the mid 1980’s, this FR700 Mack “True Blue’ contracted to Mainfreight and spent much of its time under a Steelbro Sidelifter.
The Sidelifter was a revolutionary piece of kit back in the eighties and Steelbro enjoyed significant overseas sales and was one of New Zealand’s export success stories.
Mainfreight has gone on to become one of New Zealand’s most successful companies, and co-founder Neil Graham was particularly proud of the fleet he helped establish in the South Island – with ‘True Blue’ being their ‘King’ rig back in the day.
#2 – Allied Ford Louisville L9000 shot in Christchurch during the early eighties.
Allied are part of the HWR group, and were a big consumer of both Mack and the Ford Louisville brands in the eighties.
This tractor spent much of its time under this tri-axle semi carting cement for Milburn in Canterbury.
#1 – Southland and Central Otago hosted some of the biggest fleets of Mack in the country – it was Mack rich for good reason – these trucks proved very reliable and for a region that was at the end of the parts supply chain – this was gold.
Of those Mack heavy fleets, Tuapeka Transport of Lawrence was perhaps the most famous.
Their Super Liner wood-chip-liner was arguably the most impressive on the road and this night study underlines what an impressive rig this was.
There are more pix and video of some of Tuapeka’s rigs at work and you can see one of their R-series at work in the eighties here.
The Tuapeka colours have been keep, but the name now resides with Road Transport Logistics who predominately run Kenworth. You can see them at work here.