Things You Miss

[other dog]

that got me to thinking...things you just don't hear much anymore.When I was A kid about anytime I went outdoors I'd hear A chainsaw running somewhere.Nowadays they use feller bunchers or A saw head machine,you don't hear chainsaws much except maybe someone cutting firewood. A 903 Cummins engine-used to drive one,but it's been years since I've heard that distinct sound. V-8 Macks-very rare to hear one now. And the old 2 cycle Detroits-I remember when Roadway had R-models with 318s in them and when they talked on the radio you could barely make out what they were saying but you could hear that 318 jimmy screaming in the background. I guess they were used to it.

[other dog]

I knew I'd think of something else-the sound of the mailman leaving A check in the mailbox instead of another bill.

[Andy Wright]

LOL on that last point OD!

I miss the sound of an air start. Used to drive trucks with that system and my Mack had that set up as well.

Re your comment about GM 2-strokes. Not many heard on the road here in West Oz but went over to a show in Melbourne in November last year and they were everywhere in older working trucks and restored ones! There was even a F100 with one shoe horned in! It was heaven!

[twostickmutt]

how bout a cumins with a backdrop manifold pulling a hill.

[chris88]

Nothing beats the sound of an old screamin jimmy. A buddy of mine has 2 track loaders with detroits in em and everytime i run em theres a big smile on my face until my ears start poundin from the noise. The only thing better then listening to a 2 stroker is watchin all the smoke.

[Doug Maney]

I guess I must live in the right area, I hear these things pretty often. A chainsaw is probably the sound I hear least. 903 Cummins are popular in Terra-Gator fertilizer spreaders, there are quite a few Detroits around, 8V-71's, 92's and 6-71's have remained in service as farm trucks.

There are quite a few V-8 Macks around, a local feed company runs 2 Superliner V-8's, a man about 10 likes from here was using his to haul with but since the last rebuild it appears as if he is only going to be pulling a sled with it from time to time. I get mine out pretty often and play, Tuesday and Wednesday my friend and I picked up another V-8 Superliner with my Superliner and trailer.

The sounds I miss are the clanging and banging of a strip mine. Growing up in the soft coal fields of PA I went to sleep many nights to the clanging chains of a dragline bucket, the rumble of the rocks when the drag or the end-dumps dumped the overburden where they wanted it. Many of these sounds are nearly extinct, every once in a while when I get back home I get to hear some of these sounds.

[other dog]

LOL on that last point OD!

I miss the sound of an air start. Used to drive trucks with that system and my Mack had that set up as well.

Re your comment about GM 2-strokes. Not many heard on the road here in West Oz but went over to a show in Melbourne in November last year and they were everywhere in older working trucks and restored ones! There was even a F100 with one shoe horned in! It was heaven!

Oh yeah,I'd forgoptten all about them! How about when you'd pull into A truckstop tired as -well,very tired,fall sound asleep and jump straight up a little while later scared as -well,scared because the truck parked next to you had an air starter and it startled you half to death!

[other dog]

I guess I must live in the right area, I hear these things pretty often. A chainsaw is probably the sound I hear least. 903 Cummins are popular in Terra-Gator fertilizer spreaders, there are quite a few Detroits around, 8V-71's, 92's and 6-71's have remained in service as farm trucks.

There are quite a few V-8 Macks around, a local feed company runs 2 Superliner V-8's, a man about 10 likes from here was using his to haul with but since the last rebuild it appears as if he is only going to be pulling a sled with it from time to time. I get mine out pretty often and play, Tuesday and Wednesday my friend and I picked up another V-8 Superliner with my Superliner and trailer.

The sounds I miss are the clanging and banging of a strip mine. Growing up in the soft coal fields of PA I went to sleep many nights to the clanging chains of a dragline bucket, the rumble of the rocks when the drag or the end-dumps dumped the overburden where they wanted it. Many of these sounds are nearly extinct, every once in a while when I get back home I get to hear some of these sounds.

Well sh....oot! I didn't know they even made 903s anymore! I've seen Terra Gators before on rt. 20 in Ohio for sale-maybe I'll stop and pretend like I'm A potential buyer to hear one run.

[other dog]

Nothing beats the sound of an old screamin jimmy. A buddy of mine has 2 track loaders with detroits in em and everytime i run em theres a big smile on my face until my ears start poundin from the noise. The only thing better then listening to a 2 stroker is watchin all the smoke.

I must agree.Back when they were probably the most popular engine on the road nobody had many good things to say about them,but they've definately stood the test of time,and like A small block Chevy,definately one of the greatest engines of all time.I love to hear one now.When I went to the truck show recently in Troutman,N.C. I thought there was A lot of trucks there that weren't antiques ,but then I realized the anteater KW came out in the mid 80's so I guess it is an antique-thing of it is,it made me realize that I'M an antique now too!

[ThaddeusW]

Funny thing was yesterday I went and did a job for a local volunteer fire dept and they had two mint American Lafrance pumpers blocking the street. Well they stared the older of the two (don't know the model) and man it was the sweet sound of a 6v53. A jimmy and an automatic is a real noisy combo but damn does it sound good, plenty of smoke too.

[Andy Wright]

Hardly need a siren!

[bulldog man]

I Miss the sound of the 238 (671) & 5&2 tranny w/ bellyblower exhaust echoing against an interstate over pass in the Singleaxle 74' 9500 GMC Tractor my dad & granddad bought a year before i came along loaded w/ wheat, soybeans or the dozer or trackhoe or 1066i.h. or 1370 Case both w/ duals used to pull dirt pans & sheepsfoot rollers on the lowboytrailer

Also the sound of a Thermodyne 673 or 711 diesel in a B Model or early R Model every day like i used to everyday . (this why i have frieghttrain's video saved in my favorites in you tube ) & another reason to pull strart olddog everyonce in a while to hear the 711 run

Also sound of the 318 (8V71) W/ 9513 TRANNY Behind it going through the gears in my 81 GMC Brigadier w/ duals pulling loaded lowboy & dumptrailers

a 427 Chevy truck motor w/ a load going through a 5&2 tranny (esp the 79 C-70 S/A Tractor my granddad had ) man what a sound

the sound of my 85 Chevy C-20 3/4 TON P/U W/471T Detroit W/ 6" STRIGHTPIPES & auto tranny a buddy of mine & myself had built in his dads shop when were 16yrs old i had that truck till i was 26 someone offered $8,000.00 for the truck & i sold i wish i had it back now

miss the sound of a strightpiped IH. 66 SERIES Farm tractor (esp a blackstripe) in a hard pull too

The sound of my late great uncles 64' DC Autocar dump w/ 220 Cummins & 5&4 TRANNY going through the gears

later yall

[RC51]

You mean a supercharged one pulling a hill with the rear outlet manifold,an NHRS.The yard next to me has an old P&H crane with P&H's own two stroke diesel,sounds kind of like a Jimmy,but with more bark to it,haven't heard it run in years.My 1954 B-62 with a C-180 Cummins,all you heard was the blower whine in the cab,and a barking exhaust note out the R.H. window,sounded much bigger than it was.Any good old Gas inline six with a split manifold,a well tuned GMC V-6 qualifys also.

how bout a cumins with a backdrop manifold pulling a hill.

[other dog]

I guess I must live in the right area, I hear these things pretty often. A chainsaw is probably the sound I hear least. 903 Cummins are popular in Terra-Gator fertilizer spreaders, there are quite a few Detroits around, 8V-71's, 92's and 6-71's have remained in service as farm trucks.

There are quite a few V-8 Macks around, a local feed company runs 2 Superliner V-8's, a man about 10 likes from here was using his to haul with but since the last rebuild it appears as if he is only going to be pulling a sled with it from time to time. I get mine out pretty often and play, Tuesday and Wednesday my friend and I picked up another V-8 Superliner with my Superliner and trailer.

The sounds I miss are the clanging and banging of a strip mine. Growing up in the soft coal fields of PA I went to sleep many nights to the clanging chains of a dragline bucket, the rumble of the rocks when the drag or the end-dumps dumped the overburden where they wanted it. Many of these sounds are nearly extinct, every once in a while when I get back home I get to hear some of these sounds.

Hi Doug,this just reminded me, I was on Youtube this morning (always good for entertainment when you're bored) looking at big muskie. I travel I-77 a lot from W.V. to Oh. and at exit 25 ...( I think-it's somewhere around there ) there's A sign that says "Big Muskie Bucket". I guess that's all that's left of "Big Muskie".The video was pretty good,and pretty sad-it showed the construction of it,when it was working,and it's end.It looked like they used explosives to dismantle it,that was the sad part-what an awesome machine it was!

[waslucky]

must be the antisocial in me ...... but both my macks have had mufflerson the starters sorta not put back on .........scares little ol ladies an kids when u fire up in street ..........an on that subject watched mad max 2 for a giggle other night an early v8 R they used in that had it,s muffler on starter removed as well ...once u heard that sound u cant miss it ...:)an if anyone can remember or sees movie after reading this , when Max starts it when he discovers it out on road it takes TWO starts to get it going .an 1st attempt u can hear starter gaspin for air .....can anyone spot the compressor in background or did Max have what every air start driver should have an airline w appropriate fittings to drain drive tires .......hell reading back thru this i,m antisocial AND cyynical ......

[bulldog man]

an if anyone can remember or sees movie after reading this , when Max starts it when he discovers it out on road it takes TWO starts to get it going .an 1st attempt u can hear starter gaspin for air .....can anyone spot the compressor in background or did Max have what every air start driver should have an airline w appropriate fittings to drain drive tires .......hell reading back thru this i,m antisocial AND cyynical ......

My grandparents took myself & my sister to see road warrior when i was 8 years old when it came out in theaters .

THIS WAS THE 1ST TIME I HERD AN AIR STARTER ON A TRUCK I JUMPED OUT MY SEAT IT SCARED ME SO MUCH To this day i still jump @ the sound of an air starter if i anit expecting it ....

later yall

[1958 F.W.D.]

When I was growing up, I spent a lotta miles in the right-hand seats of my father's two "F" Models. First one was a 1974 single screw, 300 with a 5 speed. The other one was a 350 with a 10. Oh how I loved to listen to the whistle of those Air Research Turbos when going up through the gears, or when you hit a hill.

I also miss climbing back in the bunk, and falling asleep with the movement of the truck, the road vibrating, those Mack engines screaming, the sound of the turbo, the squeak of Dad's air-ride seat going up and down......An occasional bump in the road......

I miss coming into a new city that I had never seen before, at dawn.....Looking around and seeing it waking up, being on an interstate, and watching the locals doing their morning rush to work, holding cups of coffee.....Seeing the sun breaking through the tall buildings of a city center......

......In the middle of the night, cruising along an interstate, seeing an occasional truck in the opposite lanes, hearing an occasional squak of "Hey Westbound, you got it on?" on the CB......Everything is quiet, peaceful, except for the hum of the driveline......The only light in the cab is the backlights of the gauges....I can see the reflections of the gauges as I peer out the passenger window into the dark night.

These were my weekends and summers from the time I was about 3-4-5 years old (short trips) to the time I was 12 or 13 when Dad went into the office of the company permanently. The summer that the boss finally bought his tractor I was so depressed........Once in a while after that Dad would get a tractor and make a weekend run, OHHHHHH THAT REMINDS ME!!!!!

Wow!!! Typing this brought back a huge memory! Not too long after Dad made the transition into the office (the boss brought him into the office of his then-growing very fast company, Dad had experience setting up ICC authorities) the boss would send Dad out occasionally when he ran short of drivers. I remember one time Dad telling me "C'mon, mom packed you a bag, we're going to Chicago!" We got in the car and went to the yard.....Imagine the look on my face when we pulled up to a brand-spanking new ULTRALINER (a demonstrator suppled by now long-gone Philadelphia Mack)!!!!!!!! I just got off the phone with dad as I am typing this, he thinks he remembers it had a 350 and a 10 speed.....Twin Screw.....All leather interior......Freaking Gorgeous! I remember the CB ringing off the hook with drivers asking "What the hell izzat?" because the Ultraliners had JUST come out and weren't really popular yet.....I also remember guys coming over to look at her in truckstops and rest areas........Dad thinks he remembers we were pretty close to 80,000 and that truck went up the "hills" in western Pa (going across the turnpike) like they werent even there. This was 1982 or 1983.

Wow....This is one of the times I wish I could re-live my childhood!

[Greg Rider]

There is a guy around here that has a Chevy dump with a 2 stroke in it.He had never delt with a Detroit or drove one.I told him that before you get in,slam your hand in the door ,that puts you in the right mood to keep your foot nailed to the throttle hoping to blow that thing up! Those Detroits love the high revs! When I was on the Fire Dept. we had a pumper/tanker with an 8V92 backed by an Allison 5 speed.To pull out we would put her in drive, idle out the door till you felt the rear tandems come off the concrete and onto the apron,look both ways,then mash the pedal down and don't let up till your at speed.

[other dog]

Hey Greg, that sounds like my girlfriend driving my Ford Ranger.

[1958 F.W.D.]

There is a guy around here that has a Chevy dump with a 2 stroke in it.He had never delt with a Detroit or drove one.I told him that before you get in,slam your hand in the door ,that puts you in the right mood to keep your foot nailed to the throttle hoping to blow that thing up! Those Detroits love the high revs! When I was on the Fire Dept. we had a pumper/tanker with an 8V92 backed by an Allison 5 speed.To pull out we would put her in drive, idle out the door till you felt the rear tandems come off the concrete and onto the apron,look both ways,then mash the pedal down and don't let up till your at speed.

That reminds me of when I got hired as a proby (civilian) firefighter at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard- If you have never been in the Philly Yard, parts of it are a "city within a city" having tall buildings from block to block....The (main) firehouse was in the center of a long block, with 10 story buildings on either side of it, on both sides of the street.....We had this 1976 Maxim ladder truck, with an 8V-71 natural.......The officer had to scream at the driver to tell him where to go, and the poor guys riding in the back jumpseats had to wear hearing protection..........And when you pulled out of the firehouse into the street, and mashed down on that throttle, the resulting sound that echoed off the buildings would make you think armageddon was coming.

Edited October 6, 2007 by 1958 F.W.D.