Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

[cjforumadmin]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Ancient-Video-Walter-Snow-Fighter-Trucks-Battling-Blizzards-in-the-1930s.html

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

I can't watch the video from work, but I just had to LOL at this:

but back then, these big beasts were viewed as the best thing since sliced bread (which was pretty freaking new iteself!)

:D

[Barry Donovan]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

back whent a storm was a storm, a truck was a truck , going by the house that is a house still standing.


this rain storm today... 4 to 6 feet all at once.. once upon a cold december. ..
but no its a smelly frying pan blown headgasket and a smoke cloud today. :

[mustang13]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

When I was a teenager, my Dad bought a 1950 Wally from a local Highway Dept., we stripped all the snow fighting gear from it, and he was going to make it a fowl weather wrecker for the family towing biz. It had a 190 Cummins, 5spd main, 4spd aux., and best of all, the center chimney through the hood!

Long story short, a guy feel in love with it, and with my Dads motto being "money is easier to stack than trucks",
off it went.

I was always intrigued by the portal style axle that, like the MB Unimog, Walters used on their trucks.

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

Jeremy, were those axles designed for the "snow fighter" to give it additional clearance or were they on all Walters?

[mustang13]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

As far as I've been told, all had them, and it was more a gear ratio thing, like in the high 10 to 1 if I recall. They were sloooooooooow, like 50 tops, right up your alley Bruab.

We'll have to do alittle googling for the facts, or if a gun is held to my head, I could call iand ask the old man ;D
(he's getting more grumpier by the day lol)

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

I about peed my pants when I found out the early ones had nearly 700ci flat head six-cylinder engines. 5 inch bore by 6 inch stroke or something like that!

[mustang13]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

I about peed my pants when I found out the early ones had nearly 700ci flat head six-cylinder engines. 5 inch bore by 6 inch stroke or something like that!

Yeah, and 150hp on a clear day, real powerhouse's lol.

The 1949 Autocar my Gramp and Dad had as a wrecker, started life with an 800ci Waukesha, and then a string of big cube Continental's, all blew up. When my Dad aquirered it from my Gramps, the first thing he did was install a Super 250 Cummins and never looked back lol.

Gas motors in old plow trucks were common for one reason, they started in the cold lol.

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

I about peed my pants when I found out the early ones had nearly 700ci flat head six-cylinder engines. 5 inch bore by 6 inch stroke or something like that!

Now I want to see one of those engines in person :o

[mustang13]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

Now I want to see one of those engines in person :o

I'll give you a clue as to what they look like Randal, a HUGE rectangle of cast-iron, with a mag, and a tiny up-draft carb lol

[Eliteman76]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

Hmm. I loved the second video clip. My type of plowing. Well, in my case, 4 low, and just freaking punching the go-pedal until I hit something or bounce off something.

I love solid axle trucks!


{Shameless plug of my '79}
;D

[Scott Liggett]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

pppfffftttt!! I just used Dad's '73 Coupe de Ville to ram drifts. So did my sister, except she kept getting stuck.

[Ermott]

Re: Ancient Video: Walter Snow Fighter Trucks Battling Blizzards in the 1930s

In Saskatchewan Canada where I used to live, they organized "Snow-Plow Clubs" back in the day.

Like minded citizens would band together, buy a tractor (or make a lease agreement with a local farmer) equip it with a plow and set to the task of keeping the roads open. It wouldn't be unusual to have several such clubs in a single community, some even funded by municipal money. One way or the other, everyone kicked in for his share of road mileage and a bit extra for the school road, the main street and so forth.

There is still at least one place where such a club exists. Lumsden Sask, a small community in the Quappelle valley just north of Regina, the Provincial capital.

Here's more info. http://www.lumsden.ca/rm189/pages/services.php#snow