Need a stylish car hauler? Here’s a truck that won’t even know you loaded a Camaro on its back end: this 1966 International Harvester RF190 is rated at 37,000 lbs (think how much hay it would hold!) The R series was launched in 1953, and that “f” in the model name means it has tandem rear axles. Listed here on facebook Marketplace for $8000, it’s ready to roll. Looks pretty good, too. Once you strike a deal, drive it home (slowly) from Medina, Ohio. We have JDC to thank for the tip – keep ’em coming, the more unusual the better!
A heavy-duty R-series could be had with diesel or gasoline engines; the base motor on the gas side of the ledger was IH’s new Red Diamond 372 cu. in. six cylinder. Larger displacement sixes were available – this one is equipped with an RD 450 cu. in. and a Holley carburetor, good for about 182 hp. But the top speed of around 55 mph wasn’t the attraction: this engine’s torque registers a tremendous 422 lb-ft at 1600 RPM. You can pull a house off its foundation! A two-speed rear axle was a common option; the RF was also occasionally optioned with 4WD. This gearbox is a five-speed manual. The seller notes that his truck runs, drives, and stops.
Truck cabs were finally evolving by the time the 1960s rolled around, with a modicum of attention devoted to comfort. The two individual seats are in decent condition, but we still don’t have bolsters or armrests. The instrument panel supplies several gauges and an ashtray, and hey – we have a PTO control here! That’s handy. The steering wheel and dash need attention, but the glass appears to be good, and all the handles, trim, and other accoutrements are present.
This truck has seen use but been well-maintained – it’s in good condition, with the addition of a roll bar behind the cab. The heavy truck market was International Harvester’s strong suit for many decades. Unfortunately, its foray into light-duty pickups was poorly managed, inflicting financial stress on a company that couldn’t absorb the blow. While we’ve lost the classic International Harvester truck line, the brand has survived in a marginal way as International Motors, enfolded into a division of Volkswagon. Appropriately, its primary products are medium and heavy duty trucks – the light truck line is long gone. Can you think of a way you would use this brawny hauler?
Reminds me of the cover on the Aerosmith album. 🎶 😎 🎸
Finally,,,settle in folks, yep, it’s 4am ramble time, but I’ll try and be brief,,yeah,,,when pigs fly. The 1st HD truck I drove,,,was a truck very similar to this, a tandem axle dump. I can’t see the rear suspension, but if a full “twin screw”, it may have that awful Hendrickson rubber pad, or springs. Either way, bring your kidney belt. The truck I drove had a 450 gas, and 5 and 3 sticks. In the dash pic, I think I see an air “hi/lo” by the shift knob,, indicating a possible RoadRanger. Twin screws didn’t have electric 2 speeds. I also see an axle interlock under the dash, but no maxi brakes, these still used the old band parking brake, so get ready to jump! We can’t see it, but probably has the old “wig-wag” low air signal usually on the ceiling. I see power steering, big plus, and may have a tilt bed, with that PTO, better yet. The 450 was simply INDESTRUCTIBLE,,,not the most powerful, but usually made it. On hot days with a load, these were very prone to vapor lock, so be ready to pee on the fuel pump,,,is what the lead man told me. :D
Great find, the Loadstar that replaced this truck couldn’t hold a candle to this, and more trucks, please.
This old International is awesome. The fact its still here and running and looking as good as it does is a true testament to just how well built they are. And it looks great to me too. I’d love to just run this through the gears. Folks like Howard, Stan, Geomechs, ( and anyone else whos ever driven for a living and I forgot, I sincerely apologize) can tell you how great it is just floating through the gears, timing each shift, using only your fingertips on the shift knob to “feel” the transmission slipping into next gear ( Clutch??? I don’t need no stinkin’ clutch!!!). It’s a great feeling. At least to a knucklehead like me. Michelle, once again, WOW!!! Thank you so much for all the fun well researched and written write ups you have posted here.
-Dave
Bet this’d have no problems hauling a 1938 Silver King 3 wheeled tractor home either, albeit at a casual pace.
The stuff of dreams. What a great find.
The silver would compliment the red truck rather nicely Nevadahalfrack!!!
Good writeup, Michelle.
International really did a number in the heavy duty market. The Big Ks, then the L-series, and then the R and V-Lines. You would have a hard time heading down the road and NOT seeing one either hauling gravel, freight, moving houses, or off to a fire. The R-series was very well used out west, and in almost any role you could imagine, even transporting an airplane.
A lot of calls to our place of business for parts. Surprisingly, a lot still available but the sources are slowly drying up. Eventually, it’s going to get to the point where the ones that are complete will be under wraps.
I’ve put together engine and transmission rebuild kits over the years. Sleeves and pistons for these are getting more difficult. Three years ago there was a challenge but now you might find yourself a winning lottery ticket sooner. Got a guy in NJ waiting for front wheel seals and he’s been waiting for about six weeks. Tomorrow, he’s probably going to want a status report, to which I’ll have to reply that the supplier has still got them on backorder. Of course there’s a few customers who envision a Mexican Christmas party with me being the Pinata…
Great pic geo. 📸 😎
Thanks, Stan, I can’t really remember where I got that, except, maybe I stumbled upon it while researching the trucking company who contracted moving that old bomber. They were house movers and ran nothing but Binder trucks.
Amen, brother, IH had the market cornered in HD trucks, of all the trucks I’ve driven,( dozens) the most were IH. Certain make trucks had certain roles in life. The R 190 series wasn’t really an OTR truck, like say a Pete or KW, although I’m sure many drivers slept across the seats in trucks like this, but catered to every local/regional application known. What the conventional didn’t cover, the cabovers did. I shouldn’t downplay the Loadstar too much. While it was no R190, it still was a darn good truck and Loadstars took over the duty the R190 left behind. And simply can’t let an IH post go by, where I’m sure some younger folks may ask, “wha’ happen’t, gramps”? While Ford, Frightliner[sic] and GMC were viable alternatives, IH was the king,,,until a certain 5 letter word came on the scene, we all associated with PV544s,,,Volvo. That’s right,,Volvo singlehandedly decimated IHs class 8 business, many times offering fleets “bakers dozen” deals, buy 12, get the 13th free. I’ve driven a couple Volvos, okay trucks, but certainly not an IH. In recent years, IH has made a comeback, of sorts in the OTR segment, still made in Fort Wayne or Springfield, Ohio, but never regained its former glory.
And I’m confused by that picture, where is the truck going? Took a wrong turn at Albuquerque?
Hey, Bro, it’s almost a wrong turn at Albuquerque but in this case it’s a few miles north. This story actually comes from the Canadian side, just a stone’s throw north of the International (no pun intended) boundary between Montana and Alberta. It was taken back in about ’59.
Southern AB was dotted with Air Force training bases during the war; just about every small town between Sweetgrass and Calgary had an airport. Lots of west wind for learning take-offs and landings. This AVRO Lancaster was left over from a peacetime patrol that ran from 1946 until 1955 (I think). Anyways it sat in a deteriorating hangar in a defunct aerodrome at a town called Vulcan (yes, Mr. Spock had something to do with that town) for a few years until permission was given from the RCAF to move it and restore it. A town, called Nanton, which had a sizeable aerodrome started up what would be later known as the Bomber Command Museum. This bomber was the opening exhibit and the house-moving company was hired to move it. This pic is one of several problems that occurred during the 35 mile trek.
Not every day we see a classic hauler dragging a classic British Halifax bomber out of the wheat(?) field and into a river!
Great old photo, geomechs.
Your one of those that keeps history in the forefront and we all appreciate you for it.
I agree with you Nevadahalfrack, I’ve said on here before that Geomechs seriously needs to write a book. I wish I lived next door to him!!! ( Although he’d probably be thankful that I don’t). He is a treasure trove of knowledge.
Hi Nevada. Actually the bomber in the pic is an AVRO Lancaster. I just explained a little about it to Howard. The Bristol Halifax was similar except that it ran Bristol Hercules radial engines with Sleeve Valves (minor detail) while the Lanc ran Packard Merlin V-1650 V-12s.
I mentioned that the Bomber Command Museum in Nanton, AB, took the project on full force and has completely restored the Lanc, and is currently working on a Halifax and a Mosquito. About four times a year they run up the engines on the big bomber, which is kind of neat to watch. I can only imagine 100+ aircraft running up in preparation for a bombing run.
https://bombercommandmuseum.ca/
Hi Dave. I actually got started on a book. So far, it’s in the outline stage but I’m going to refine it and try to make it somewhat entertaining; maybe a little informative but mostly entertaining. I sure don’t want to ruin anyone’s desire to read. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I’ll have something ready for the press.
I appreciate all your compliments and encouragement. I love to share my stories with my friends…
Hi Geo, I know I’ve mentioned before I’m not much of a reader. HOWEVER, If you write a Book, I want to buy it. And READ it!!!
Thank you again kind sir for the great photos and stories.
-Dave
Back in the good old days…. before they quit raising spuds around here…(Central Oregon). every farmer had a fleet of old trucks they had to keep running for 2 or 3 weeks a year during harvest. Almost every farmer had one of these trucks. Slow and cumbersome, they seemed pretty dependable and got the job done. Even the weekend warriors they had driving them had a hard time killing one of these….
Spent some time in an R190 wrecker when I worked at a KW dealer. A little hard to believe they’d build a truck this heavy with just a straight 5 speed, most tandems had an auxiliary box, 3 or 4 speeds. You can see where the frame has been lengthened for the bed which I don’t think tilts. I wonder if this rig started life as a tanker for a fire department and the pto knob was for a pump, don’t see any other leavers for a dump bed etc. Mighty nice condition for a work truck, bet it’s spent the last few years hauling round bales.
Bingo! I too think it was a fire dept. unit of some sort. A tanker would make the most sense, it would explain the condition, PTO for a pump, and red color. Looking at it again, I don’t think the bed tilts either. I would imagine they put RoadRanger 10 speeds behind a gas job, no? That is clearly a range selector by the shift knob.
I thought they outlawed round haybales,,,they say the cows weren’t getting a good square meal,,,boom tis
Good “Square” meal!!! Good one Howard!!!!
-Dave
Hey Howard, the inside pics are a little deceiving, what looks like a shift knob for a 10speed is the top of the parking brake lever. RoadRangers behind gas jobs were few and far between and didn’t show up until the 600 series in the ’70s.
(square meal! GROAN! don’t give up your day job!)
I believe you are correct, what we can’t see is the release lever for that parking brake, but images show they had a top like that. It’s in the “park” position. They get pretty hot if you don’t release it or they stick, been there. A RoadRanger would be pretty useless behind a gas motor, even though they had been around since the 50s.
RE: Farm jokes, I suppose you’ve heard them all, like if I hear “6 days on the road” again, I think I’ll puke. And I’ve been off work so long now, I think a day job would kill me,,,
Just to argue with ya, Howard but the R models were replaced by the Fleetstar 1900 and 2000 models and then the Fleet star 2010/2030/2050/2070 models.
The last truck I owned and drove was a ’65 F2000D model with a 6-71 and 13 speed RTO913. I ran that up until 1980 hauling taters in the Northeast.
I drove an R model locally hauling pulp for a while. It was one of the most ergonomic cab designs around IMO.
I’m kind of surprised that this one, being a tandem, didn’t have an auxillary transmission.
Hi Stephen, argue is such a harsh word, let’s say, spirited discussion. The Fleetstar, ( IH had a “star” thing going) was a good truck too, but, I read the Fleetstar was considered a Loadstar cab with a heavier duty drivetrain. Fleetstars offered a wide variety of diesels, where most R190s and Loadstars I came in contact with, were gas jobs. Seems companies I worked for that had R190s, they were updated by V8 gas job Loadstars. Fleetstars seemed to cater to tractor trailer applications. I remember “fleets” of Fleetstars lined up.
Yup. Same basic cab. The Loadstars up here in North Maine were mostly farm trucks.
Fleetstars were for the heavier duty jobs hauling potatoes, four foot pulp, and logs right on their backs and ones with bigger engines hauling trailers.
Late sixties to the end of the early eighties were the golden age of trucking, IMO.
When I got my class1 (now CDL) back in 1974 I took my road test and drove every day in a International that looked just like this with a V-8 and a 2 spd rear end. No power steering it gave you a work out when you were backing a trailer into a tight spot. But I loved that old truck.
Possibly a V-line? The V-Line and R-Line were essentially the same from the firewall to the back. The R was six-cylinder powered and the V was powered by the large V8. The V-line had those characteristic headlight pods that protruded from the fenders…
Jim, You are a youngin’!!!! In 1967 I took my NYS Class 1 road test on a 1954 Brockway 154 with a flathead Continental, 5 speed, and air shift 2 speed.
I think it was the rounded dash layout that I really liked.
Easy to heat, as well.
If I was a bit younger, I’d be all over this little jewel:
https://tinyurl.com/a527n8yk
BTW, here in Maine, when they went to a CDL system, I had been an owner operator for a couple of years. They required an employer to certify that the applicant had driven (IDK) 20,000 miles or so.
I signed my own paper. Ha!
Stephan mentions that this is an ergonomic cab.. This cab is known thru the industry as the “Comp-fo-vision” cab and was introduced in 1950 and used thru the mid 60’s. It was also used by Diamond T, Hendrickson, Cline, Scot, and many other independent truck builders. There is speculation that it was designed in a partnership of both International and Diamond T as it was common knowledge that the two company’s design engineers were close personal friends.
This truck would look awesome with my ‘63 VW Beetle and my ‘63 Willys Wagon on the back of it!