Hole521
1947 Ford Tow Truck front
This past August (2016), I was offered a truck that I had no idea existed or the owner would ever part with. The truck, of course, was Dave Glasman's prized, hand-built tow truck.
The truck started its life in 1947, when it was purchased by Landon Transportation (then Landon Cartage) of Kenosha, Wisconsin, as a semi-tractor with a 100hp Flathead V8, vacuum-assist brakes, and a two-speed rear end.
Then, around 1960, the truck was purchased from Landon Trans. by a local farmer by the name of Bob Horton. Mr. Horton had acquired the contract to convert R.I. Bong Air Force Base (Now Richard Bong State Park) to wildland by spreading woodchips across the base. Mr. Horton purchased two other similar trucks from Landon Trans. for this purpose.
When the contract had been completed around 1962-1963, Mr. Horton put the trucks for sale, one of which was purchased by David Glasman. Mr. Glasman owned and operated, with his father, Woodworth Garage, located in Bristol, Wisconsin. The Glasmans already owned a tow truck, but they wanted something bigger and nicer. Mr. Glasman spent his free time building the truck to be as it is today. He removed the original Flathead and four-speed transmission and replaced them with a 1956 Mercury 312 Y-Block engine, coupled to a 5-speed truck transmission. He removed the 5th-wheel for hauling trailers and built the truck bed from scratch, using whatever metal he could find.
Mr. Glasman completed the truck in 1970, immediately putting it on the road and putting it to work. Mr. Glasman towed heavily with it through the 1970s and early 1980s, but by the mid 1980s he had purchased newer, nicer trucks. His final tows were in the late 1980's, when it became his parade vehicle. When his plates expired for the truck in 1993, he parked the truck inside a semi trailer, where it sat until Labor day 2016 (September 5th) when I pulled it out to see its first daylight in over two decades.
The truck faired decently inside, however rust had taken its toll in a few places. The entire right side of the tow body has since been replaced, along with both running boards. The truck also required a new driveshaft and center bearing to be installed, along with a new heater core. While in storage, a raccoon got into the cab and tore the seat up, but that is only a minor problem, as replacement seat covers are readily available for the truck.
That all being said, I wanted to step away from building trains for a short while and take a crack at building the truck. I knew that I wanted to be able to drive the truck with Power Functions and an IR receiver, and that I wanted the winch to operate.
Using the scaler, I found the truck to be 1:14 scale. The truck features independent front suspension, along with steering provided by a servo motor, and a two-speed rear end. The lever on the left side of the tow body controls which driveline is engaged (PTO or wheels), while the right lever controls the rear end. While the cab doors do not open, the side compartment doors do.
Totaling in a 1,558 pieces, all pieces used exist in the color I have chosen (with the exclusion of the rims, but those look okay being light gray in color). Time to assemble the parts list!
1947 Ford Tow Truck front
This past August (2016), I was offered a truck that I had no idea existed or the owner would ever part with. The truck, of course, was Dave Glasman's prized, hand-built tow truck.
The truck started its life in 1947, when it was purchased by Landon Transportation (then Landon Cartage) of Kenosha, Wisconsin, as a semi-tractor with a 100hp Flathead V8, vacuum-assist brakes, and a two-speed rear end.
Then, around 1960, the truck was purchased from Landon Trans. by a local farmer by the name of Bob Horton. Mr. Horton had acquired the contract to convert R.I. Bong Air Force Base (Now Richard Bong State Park) to wildland by spreading woodchips across the base. Mr. Horton purchased two other similar trucks from Landon Trans. for this purpose.
When the contract had been completed around 1962-1963, Mr. Horton put the trucks for sale, one of which was purchased by David Glasman. Mr. Glasman owned and operated, with his father, Woodworth Garage, located in Bristol, Wisconsin. The Glasmans already owned a tow truck, but they wanted something bigger and nicer. Mr. Glasman spent his free time building the truck to be as it is today. He removed the original Flathead and four-speed transmission and replaced them with a 1956 Mercury 312 Y-Block engine, coupled to a 5-speed truck transmission. He removed the 5th-wheel for hauling trailers and built the truck bed from scratch, using whatever metal he could find.
Mr. Glasman completed the truck in 1970, immediately putting it on the road and putting it to work. Mr. Glasman towed heavily with it through the 1970s and early 1980s, but by the mid 1980s he had purchased newer, nicer trucks. His final tows were in the late 1980's, when it became his parade vehicle. When his plates expired for the truck in 1993, he parked the truck inside a semi trailer, where it sat until Labor day 2016 (September 5th) when I pulled it out to see its first daylight in over two decades.
The truck faired decently inside, however rust had taken its toll in a few places. The entire right side of the tow body has since been replaced, along with both running boards. The truck also required a new driveshaft and center bearing to be installed, along with a new heater core. While in storage, a raccoon got into the cab and tore the seat up, but that is only a minor problem, as replacement seat covers are readily available for the truck.
That all being said, I wanted to step away from building trains for a short while and take a crack at building the truck. I knew that I wanted to be able to drive the truck with Power Functions and an IR receiver, and that I wanted the winch to operate.
Using the scaler, I found the truck to be 1:14 scale. The truck features independent front suspension, along with steering provided by a servo motor, and a two-speed rear end. The lever on the left side of the tow body controls which driveline is engaged (PTO or wheels), while the right lever controls the rear end. While the cab doors do not open, the side compartment doors do.
Totaling in a 1,558 pieces, all pieces used exist in the color I have chosen (with the exclusion of the rims, but those look okay being light gray in color). Time to assemble the parts list!