This is the Truck Journal Paddock and Shed Treasure page where we will put some of the paddock and shed treasures we've come across in our travels. The old 1937 Ford V8 here has lived in a shed on a farm for 10 years and prior to that was used as a farm truck and in the summer it towed a boat over the Kaimai's(albeit very slowly) to Tauranga for the holidays with all the family across the front seat. Robyn and Kevin Wade have this truck for sale. Contact me for the details.

We will update this page as we can and when time permits with a little brief under each one.

 

Contact: Bill on (09) 425-6797

or email him Billhohepa@xtra.co.nz

The first truck on the what will be an ever growing list is the late Jack Soper's Leyland Comet 90. We took this old girl for a drive during Series 3

Jack was restoring it and wanted it ready for the South Island Far Lap a few years ago where many trucks went to Invercargill for the Bill Richardson Memorial day. The local people of Balclutha banded together to make sure Jack was ready to go on the big day. From all accounts Jack thoroughly enjoyed himself on the run and his Leyland. This is a fabulous shed treasure and is in fact road legal.

This is the same truck (No 2) when it worked at Otapiri Transport in the 1950's. As you can see they've done a magnificant job in restoring it, so congratulations to all concerned.
This old Thames Trader was a Lion Breweries beer tanker from the 1960's. It's a tandam drive unit and it actually towed a trailer as well, not bad for the old Trader but I bet she was slow and hot. The trailer used to be sitting about 50 meters behind her in the paddock. I took this photo about 11 years ago south of Taihape. The tanker part is still there but the cab has disappeared so I guess I was lucky to get a photo of this little snippet of trucking history. I remember that if you worked for or contracted to the breweries they had wondeful wet smokos and lunchtimes. If you remember those times perhaps call me on (09) 425-6797.

This is the nose on a very early Kenworth that Mate Franicevich has in his shed awaiting restoration. Note the Kenworth badge on the front, totally different to the badge we see these days.

Mate said this truck worked off highway carting pine trees.

He also said this truck may not get restored prbably becasue Mate is running out of time to get it done.

Here is the same truck with a load of logs working at a Forest products site somewhere in the 1960's. This was one of the original Kenworths brought in by Forest Products

This old K International is sitting at George Wallis's yard near Wanaka and awaits restoration. George could be called 'Mr International' and he has a splendid collection of things International. The old K International was a popular choice of workhorse back in the day.

Below is a remarkable photo of these trucks working very hard,

Here are 2 Internationals working a very big log each and they show off what they can do as they go through a town in the South Island. The 2nd truck is a K model the lead truck is an earlier model International.
Here's an old photo of an old Ford Bonus Car freighter truck with some single spinner Fords on the back . I rember these cars as being really flash, but not as flash as the twin spinners that came the following year.