Spreading - through the ages - TruckArchive

What drove the productivity of New Zealand’s rural sector was the ability to spread vast quantities of fertilizers – mainly superphosphate and lime – onto a a wide variety of landscapes – much of it rugged.

The evolution of the spreader from a primitive 1930’s 4×2 dispensing hand-spread fert from sacks, through the ex-military 4×4 sand 6x6s, up until the monster 8×8’s MAN and Merc’s operated by Fred Andrews, along with the AgTruk and Tructors makes for a colourful history.

As we refine our archive – more images will appear on this page.

We welcome your comments and knowledge to save this important part of our transport history.

Nissan spreader 4x4 Carson

Don Carson operated a very diverse and classy operation out of Balfour in Southland, and was always up for experimentation when it came to spreading. — Carson spreading in Southland in the 1980s. These TWA Nissans proved very good in the role.
Don Carson operated a very diverse and classy operation out of Balfour in Southland, and was always up for experimentation when it came to spreading.

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HM760-Image Fertiliser Works, Huntly - c.1950's(6)

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This was the first Nissan Diesel 6TW12 in New Zealand and went to work in 1967 for Mossburn Transport under a fert in, which was how most trucks of that era joined a fleet due to tax benefits.
In a day when diesels were rare, tandem drives were also thin on the ground, the 'Jumbo' was a revelation for an industry trying to wean itself of petrol and British trucks. — img390 S35 - No 9 Jumbo - Nissan
This was the first Nissan Diesel 6TW12 in New Zealand and went to work in 1967 for Mossburn Transport under a fert in, which was how most trucks of that era joined a fleet due to tax benefits. In a day when diesels were rare, tandem drives were also thin on the ground, the 'Jumbo' was a revelation for an industry trying to wean itself of petrol and British trucks.

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The Nissan Diesel 6TW12 'Jumbo' was a revelation when it arrived in Southland in 1967, as it boasts one of the few factory diesels of the time, that boasted 236hp in a day when 150hp was the norm out of a British truck.
This truck now resides in the acclaimed Bill Richardson Transport World museum in Invercargill. — img389 S34 - No 9 Jumbo - Nissan DE 3655
The Nissan Diesel 6TW12 'Jumbo' was a revelation when it arrived in Southland in 1967, as it boasts one of the few factory diesels of the time, that boasted 236hp in a day when 150hp was the norm out of a British truck. This truck now resides in the acclaimed Bill Richardson Transport World museum in Invercargill.

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Unusual even in its day when this was photographed in the late eighties/early nineties, this R-series Mack was set up as a dedicated lime and superphosphate spreader, and pulled a three-axle dedicated bulk trailer.

Don Carson operated in Balfour which has some of Southland’s finest plains country spreading out from every point of the compass, and this truck and it’s application resonates with the GMC 6×6 ex-military trucks that were put to work in this application for decades after the war.

It might not have been 6×6 but it certainly would have been a lot quieter and more comfortable… — arson_28R-series_Mack_tipper_super.jpg
Unusual even in its day when this was photographed in the late eighties/early nineties, this R-series Mack was set up as a dedicated lime and superphosphate spreader, and pulled a three-axle dedicated bulk trailer. Don Carson operated in Balfour which has some of Southland’s finest plains country spreading out from every point of the compass, and this truck and it’s application resonates with the GMC 6×6 ex-military trucks that were put to work in this application for decades after the war. It might not have been 6×6 but it certainly would have been a lot quieter and more comfortable…

Southland can get wet, and Fred Andrews of Riversdale had that in mind when he experimented with 8x8 MAN and Mercedes spreaders in the 1980s.

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We welcome pix but please ensure that they are yours to share. Give us as much info as you can – the where, when and what – and remember to include your name for credit! Should you have a big bunch of photos of something we don’t have a page for yet, – we are happy to create new page for you. Please contact the editor here to discuss this.