If you’re ready to buy a vintage truck, don’t miss this field in New Underwood, South Dakota. It’s the equivalent of a shopping mall for 40’s and 50’s commercial tractors with the occasional pickup thrown in. This Federal (maybe a ’47?) is a typical example – the glass is decent, the wipers and other trim are intact, most of the lights are present. Federal was founded in Detroit in 1910 as the Bailey Motor Truck Company – a name that lasted only weeks. It was renamed Federal and is best known for its heavy-duty delivery trucks. Engines were generally supplied by Waukesha, Hercules, and Continental. This 1947 Federal 55MA, veteran of truck shows and with its gas motor replaced by a modern Cummins diesel, sold for $84k about a year ago.
Eight or nine trucks are photographed for the listing, but I think the seller is showing just a small selection of his collection. Here’s a wonderful 1948 Diamond T 306, perhaps the most valuable of the lot. Charles Tilt, straying from his father’s occupation as a shoemaker, began building automobiles under the Diamond T name in 1905. When a customer requested a delivery truck, Tilt produced a stylish answer, setting the stage for its future. The company made about a quarter million trucks until it was purchased by White Motor Company in 1958.
Speaking of White, I think this is a White flat-radiator tanker from the 1950s. The badging is difficult to make out, and the nose carries not the make of the truck but the name of the trucking company, which is repeated on the door. Anyone know what year and model this is? As with the rest of this seller’s merchandise, the glass, lights, trim, and body are in good shape. No word at all in the listing as to the operating health of any of these vehicles.
Here’s another Diamond T, this one from the 1950s. Diamond T introduced its new cab in 1950 with the 322 one-and-a-half-ton and its stablemates, the 420, 520, and 620 with weight ratings ranging up to five tons. The cabs were sourced from International Harvester. The 323 was introduced in 1953 with a greater emphasis on driver comfort – better padding in the seats, more adjustability, improved ventilation. By now, Diamond T’s expensive pickups were faltering in the marketplace, leaving it to survive on its heavy-duty line-up.
This slightly derelict but still handsome Harvester is likely a K model. The K series was made from 1940 to about 1947, when the fancier KB series took over. The center-hinged hood means this is a heavy truck – Harvester’s light-duty pickups hinge from the rear. A missing bit of grille is the only obvious flaw, though if I were on the premises I would investigate the panel fit in front. Aside from these five, our seller has at least two GMCs, a Mack or two, and several others. Flint Fieseler found this flock of trucks; the lot is listed here on facebook Marketplace, with no individual prices, though a trade for a skid steer might be welcome. Which is your favorite?
:), :), :), careful what you wish for, huh? If my interest level diminished some with posts like “the hat”, or fighter jets, Ms. Rand has taken care of that. Thank you.
Since I moved “out west”, I’ve found, there are no junkyards, peoples back yards are the junkyards. Collections, if you can call them that, seem to stem from lack of rust, so a mechanical issue usually sidelines these rigs. They sit where they quit.
From the top, the Federal always looked a lot like the Diamond T, although I read Federal made their own cabs. Model numbers always confused me, and hard to tell the years, Federal used this style into the 50s. Pretty sure it’s a gas job. The Diamond T, also mid range duty, also gas. The White I believe is called a “Super White Mustang”, and sports a diesel, probably a 180 Cummins. The next Diamond T was basically a rebadged IH, and 1950 was the last year for the 222 pickup, also an IH. The K model IH is another mid range,, K8 or K10 ( there was no K9, for obvious reasons) and while the KB pickups got a different grill, I believe the HD ones were unchanged. The GMCs, shown in the ad, if you can access them, I didn’t think non-FB members could see the ads, but they look like early-mid 50s 950(?) series, with 4 or 6 cylinder Detroit diesels. The White and older Diamond T appear to be the only road tractors, all the others were more than likely stake beds.
So, the bottom line to all this? Trucks of this nature have a limited following, for several reasons, biggest deterrent is their size. Out west no problem, but your neighborhood association may frown on such ventures. Believe it or not, I bet most mechanical parts can be found, or an update to modern power is probably the best bet. Since these old gals working days are long over, as a hobby truck, or flatbed, dump, or single axle tractors to haul the toys that won’t go on the road, is about the only calling today. The size may be intimidating, but pretty simple construction, only bigger.
Naturally, what fun to see on a typically ordinary day, tip of the hat to Ms. Rand.
Awesome!. Around here we see an individual few of these scattered around the fields, ranches and barns on occasion but this is great! Too, between your research Michelle and your follow up Howard I now know a little more of what we’re looking at when we see one of these standing out in a field.
I thought of you when I sent this in. It’s simple, I see an old Federal, I click.
Good Day To All
Flint
Howard- How are you feeling? I heard that you wound up in the ER with a heart attack when you saw the headline and the lead photo. 😉😁
Hi John, nah, my anxieties are reserved for the grocery store these here days. It did bring a smile to this old gearjammers face, a term not even applicable anymore. Can you jam gears on an automatic?
How much is a 1942 Ford truck worth?
Large commercial trucks are some of my favorites! I live in the West (actually in Alaska) where I see trucks like this sitting on the edge of fields and in the woods just waiting to be rescued. Wouldn’t mind owing a Diamond T truck as they have such great styling. Good thing I own 9 acres and no nearby neighbors!
Ahhh these old trucks… I’m 75 and grew up on a State Highway connecting Cleveland and Toledo…. spent many hours watching trucks like these go by with various extinct trucking company names on them. Back then, semi trucks had 3 axles… 2 on the tractor and one on the trailer. Probably because the engines lacked the power to move heavier loads. This is just when reliable Diesel engines came into being.
My dad was involved in a company that produced precision parts including valvetrain components (tappets) for Cummins. Often the engineers and buyers would visit the plant and dad would bring them to the house after dinner for a drink
as Cummins was just developing a new engine that would be a game changer. This engine was used in their 1952 Indianapolis 500 car which started on pole but retired with a turbocharger jammed with rubber and debris. Our tappets were in that car. The engine was then produced for market and carried a 100,000 mile warranty.
The family biz had several trucks… one being a current model Federal Styleliner 16 foot stake which was a more modern design than the one pictured. It was gasoline powered with probably a Continental engine. The fenders swung away to allow ease of servicing.
Not having a fork lift was overcome by using the Wagner Scoopmobile… 4 wheel front axle… single wheel rear with an overhead steering tiller. 6 cyl Chrysler engine. No cab… no muffler… just a short curved pipe right under the operator. Men would lift boxes into the bucket and place them on the truck. It was also used to load shavings going to scrap as well as somehow unloading bundles of 12 foot steel bars….. and pulling bushes out at home, or plow out the driveway after a blizzard. It had a 4 speed trans. and reportedly would go 40 or so… steering with the tiller. It was about a mile to the house down the aforementioned St. Rd. and whenever it was at the house every kid for blocks came over to see what all the commotion was and this crazy contraption roaring and spinning the wheels with some wild man on it bouncing it up and down… It was the 50’s….
When I was 15 I climbed on it one day and foot on clutch in neutral, started it up… slowly learned it and began to play in the shavings bin….
👍🏻 (Because the buttons aren’t working again..)
Cool story, chuck-some of us thought ourselves daring for grabbing the family ride when no one was home and here you go working a crazy big bucket that could tear down the building if it got out of control! Kinda puts it all in perspective.
Hi Chuck, thanks for that. Cummins ( “Cummings” is okay too) was without question the most popular diesel motor. Of all the trucks I drove, which was a lot, I’d say 75% were Cummins, 20% Detroit, and 5% Cat. Growing up, I too was located near a major highway, Hy. 41 in Milwaukee. In the 60s, there was no bypass and Hy.41 was 2 blocks away. There was a hill nearby, and late at night, I’d hear these Detroit powered rigs, winding through the gears, only to do it at the next stoplight again. No wonder I became a truck driver.
The 3 axle tractors trailer was more about weight than power. Shipping heavy loads was still the railroads Business, and 3 axles was adequate. It wasn’t until longer distances and heavier loads when more axles were required. Far as power, into the 60s, even with 5 axles, power was still on the shy side. Most diesels then were naturally aspirated, meaning no turbocharger. The turbocharger changed everything for the trucking industry, and by the late 60s, most trucks had them. Ford was the last truck maker to offer a diesel, a Cummins, in 1961 on the 2 story Falcon, the H series cabover.
I grew up surrounded by Diamond T’s, Reo’s, “Binder’s”, the occasional Marmon, and a whole passel o’ Fords and GMC’s. My first truck was a ’63 Emeryville with a 220 Cummins and a 10 speed Road Ranger. Probably had your dad’s tappets. Good memories. Thanks Chuck!
WOW !! Ed… thanks for joining in !! Tell some stories !
Hi Ed, don’t forget Mack. Mack was huge in the Midwest, and probably 9 out of 10 dump trucks were R model Macks. This is the 1st real truck I drove, a ’75 R-600 Mack, 300hp, 6 speed, and a 28ft City dump trailer. Being my 1st tractor trailer job, I was literally thrown into it after a short 5 minute ride with the boss. He saw I knew what I was doing, and after a few numbers on a 3×5 index card, I was on my way. Quite a change from today’s rules. This truck remains the only truck I crashed( note new shiny bumper) after only a month on the job. For the next 34 years and 3 million+ miles, it remains the only wreck I was in.
I have to compliment the seller for his good taste assembling this fine collection of handsome trucks. The Diamond T and Federal appeal the most. I reckon that the wide open spaces of someplace like South Dakota is the only place you can park a collection like this. These are fairly uncomplicated machines but the challenge is the size and weight of everything making them a bit beyond the scope of the average hobbyist. You need lots of room and a forklift to remove and replace drivetrain components. The junkyard I worked at years ago acquired a White Mustang flatbed similar to this featured one from Bekins Moving and Storage. It was in fine condition and very useful but the yard owner got dollar signs in his eyes and impulsively sold it one day only to regret it shortly afterwards.
Dang…..listed just before the big auction Yevette is doing on trucks like these.
If I didn’t already have a GMC 4905a conversion coach, (8v-71 Detroit), I’d grab one and convert it into a tiny home / motorhome…….
the P/U shown is kinda the cadilac of up back then. Out classes the other stuff shown.
I’d take the for sale/auction shown & make a strait job or shorten (it’s only 1 axel) up’n usea w/5th wheel – for inter-city (short hauls) work (any/all the ’tri-city’ areas).
Might even put it the cummins 12v/allison, esp if my own camper 8^ )