Are you looking for a unique hauler? This 1949 International KB-7 with tandem axles may be the ticket. This rugged truck is on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $21,995! Whoa, that’s not cheap, but this is one cool corn binder.
This looks like a vehicle that Aruic Goldfinger would be driven around in, with the back of it filled with gold bars. This truck is a stretch for anyone grabbing it, especially at that price. It needs a lot of work, as you can see, and it has a specialized use so retrofitting it to carry your motorcycles may be tricky.
And, now you can see why. I bet that you thought this was an enclosed tanker of some sort? I did when I first saw it. How cool would it be to have a retractable top and maybe some windows in the side? Ok, maybe no windows, just a retractable top and a ramp system. This would be a huge hit at any car show or any motorcycle show with a couple of your restored bikes in the back. This is a former wire line truck for the oil industry in northwestern North Dakota before being retired. It “has a large drum located a bit forward of the center of the van body. It is power operated by a PTO on the side of the 5 speed truck transmission.” This truck was destined for the scrapper when the current owner bought it and brought it back home to Bozeman, Montana where it currently resides in his 250-vehicle collection. Now that’s my kind of collection!
One of you will know for sure (Geo, Howard?) what the exact model designation is for this truck. It’s a KB-7 as badged on the right-side engine cover. But, is it a KB-7-F because of the tandem axles? I’ve seen KB-6-F trucks designated that way but not the KB-7. The seller has it listed as a KB-6-F which I thought it was, but that’s clearly a KB-7 badge on the engine cover. One theory is that this isn’t a 1949 model but a 1947 or 1948? There is no VIN given so it’s hard to tell exactly what it is.
This truck looks rough upon first glance, but after looking at the photos for a while it really does look like it could be a straightforward restoration. The interior is all business. It “has a 5 speed transmission and a “Brownie” or Brown & Lipe 3 speed auxiliary transmission as well. This truck even has air rather vacuum boosted hydraulic brakes.” A cool feature is a rotating passenger seat for operating the controls related to the spool of wire in back.
This is International’s famous Blue Diamond 269 cubic-inch inline-six with 100 hp and 222 lb-ft of torque. The “engine turns over but I have not yet attempted to make it run. The carburetor and air cleaner are missing. I recently located a parts truck but have not bought those parts yet. The carburetor and air cleaner will go with this truck when it sells.” So, there you go. What do you think of this sleek, unique truck? Can any of you positively identify the model, or sub-model? Would you have a use for this one?
He probably bought it for scrap price and wants 21K, whoa !!! Someones been to Colorado buying wacky weed on a regular basis. PASS.
He sounds interesting! Has MANY more cars & parts listed. Pricy though…
After wasting 5 minutes of my life reading his life history he says how superior IH trucks were, yet his mother and father were able to destroy 2 motors. That distributor mounted through the tapper cover doesn’t seem the brightest piece of engineering. Your right, bought for scrap value and now wants the goldmine.
well for your information that engine set up the way it was worked quite well in the day! i had a buddy who had 7 of these old binders tandems with dump boxes on them never on the road, they were used to stockpile crushed stone in a rock quarry and did it for over 20 years! not fast! but you couldn’t kill them!
I dunno ( shrugging shoulders) Clearly a special purpose truck. I can’t find any K model dual axle straight trucks, so I’m thinking the forward rear axle is a “tag”, meaning it is not a drive axle, just for added weight, and I’m sure, with a spool of cable, this thing was heavy. There wasn’t much difference between a 6 and a 7, and it was common practice to remove the hood sides in hot weather, and many got misplaced, and maybe this KB7 hood was laying around. Being red, I’m thinking some kind of fire truck, repurposed, or a van body of some sort. One thing for sure, the company wanted to keep tabs on the driver, that’s a Warner Sangamo Speedograph ( we called it “the pimp”, or the “tattletale”) as it records speed ( if any) and time on a paper disc. Source of many arguments, many ways to cheat them,( sometimes a good rap with your fist, would send the “geiger counter” needle inside to skip all over) kind of the predecessor to the modern OBR’s ( electronic on-board recorders) Like a fire truck, that’s the problem with these “special purpose” trucks, that’s about all they do well. Cool find, but not too practical, as is.
Thanks Howard for explaining about the Speedograph, I was going to ask. Now I am going to search were the headlights fasten. Love the rap comment. Go Pack!
Hi Howard. Binder actually built tandems in this category. There weren’t all that common but they were still offered. The interaxle mechanism was in the frame just behind the cab. There’s a couple of guys restored a KB6 that carried a backhoe for most of its life. I think they ended up replacing half the frame but it turned out real good.
The OP was correct on the fact it was a wire line truck, belonged to a company called Dia-Log (I believe Weatherford may have bought them out) in Williston ND. This truck sat in my neighbors lot for years before he passed away. Very unique piece of history.
It is a old wireline truck for the oilfeilds. They are still built in a similar manner.
Is there ANYTHING Howard doesnt know about something on four wheels!
What a resource he is (you are) and I never fail to learn something from him (you). Just great!
As for the truck…it should be saved it just for the amazing body. The price is of course completely insane. But then we just had a new president inaugurated. So the price looked in that way looks completely reasonable.
It’s all a matter of perspective
Pretty heavy duty fire truck application, if that was its original calling. It might have been built for something else.I could see this being used to dispense spools of wire or plastic pipe. I used to see those ‘stool pigeons’ a lot when I was a kid. The local county even had them on it fleet of motor-graders to keep tabs on when the machine was stopped.
Its kinda kool ,at first I thought it was a big van .To bad its not it would have made a nice camper.But unfortunately its not.What would you do with it after you spent a zillion dollars fixing it up?Oh and this guy wants 22K for it, really ?Good luck with that.I don’t even think it would be worth that kinda cash if it was finished.
Hey!
Guys i want the 1949 inerntional KB-7
For: sale for me please please please,
Eddie…
This feature is basically from 5 years ago.
Good luck in your quest.
If someone has the name of the eBay seller, perhaps he still has it?
Interesting and unique, but one too many zeroes in the price. Old trucks just aren’t worth that kind of money. That truck would probably only bring 8-10 thousand if it was restored.
221 other auctions
all super high $$$$$
$80,000 v12,LOL
This seller certainly values his assorted stuff and that of his “friends” more highly than I would suggest the market does. Cars with no front clip and missing everything from the firewall forward…4,995.00? Huh?
He writes very informative and distracting notes on the items though
I guess he wants to die with all of it.
OMG, the ’53 Buick! =:^0
I would try to find reverse and start backing it up towards the scrapper
You have to find both neutral and reverse on this to back it up.
This old unit was at one time an oilfield wireline truck. That is why there is an open in back of the truck. The three speed brownie was there to power the spool that the wire line that was spooled on the big drum.
I absolutely love this truck. It looks so bad ass. What would I use it for? I have no idea. The price? I’d say between 5 and ten?
I agree with everything said, altho I might argue with Howard about the speedograph…I’m thinking it may be a tachograph to record the time spent with the motor running and the truck not moving. Billable hours for “PTO” work?
I learned to drive on a KB10 and the brownie stick being closer than the main box was different than the “smokers” (diesels) I moved up to.
Figure out how much it weighs, the price of scrap, etc…
Hi ruxvette, I thought of that too. A tachograph would make more sense. They certainly wouldn’t rack up many miles with this unit. Probably goes 35 mph with the “hammer down”.
I’ll bet you they grow bad weed in Bozeman Montana. I’ll have a couple of pounds of the stuff this guy is on please.
Bob
Wow just went back to e bay and checked out some of this guys other stuff.He has alot of kool stuff ,but the money he wants for it is out of the realm of freakin reality .Like JW said in the first comment ,he is smokin way to much weed.Wow.
Over priced but crazy people and old cars and trucks??? Go figure, Goes with the territory!.
I personally think while over priced the body work is just VERY cool, I think restored is a valid argument but not for this one as no market for it. BUT gut it and put the body work on a late model motor home chassis, and make a super cool retro style motor home out of it. Super sexy art deco styling, I just love the look of this beast. Make a matching trailer to haul your motorcycles or other cars in once you parked.