Big rigs were in their prime in the mid-1970s. Trucker culture was all the rage, CB radios were hip, and the lingo was just about everywhere. Movies, television shows, that C.W. McCall song “Convoy”…kids were dropping the whole cowboy-and-indian act and were ready to hop up in the cab and roll off in a puff of diesel smoke with some Bob Seger songs playing on the radio. The road was waiting and the country was yours to explore, all you had to do was drive. And many did, on highways, interstates and wherever a truck could fit, through sunny days and raging storms, all of it. Trucker culture is what inspired my father to hop up behind the wheel of many a rig for years. And I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t consider it myself quite a few times.
So for today’s Would You Rather, we’ve got four options for you. I decided to pick out the four conventional tractors that were made by manufacturers that were also making standard pickups…so no Peterbilts, Kenworths or Macks here, sorry. But there’s still a pretty good spread of machines that would get the job done, a couple of which are now classic rigs. Four options, one choice…which truck would you take out on the road and why?
International Transtar Eagle
GMC 9500 “Western Conventional”
Dodge Big Horn
Ford LTL 9000
Over the years I have driven all four. The Eagle wins hands down if you wanted to work at hauling for distance. If you wanted to go racing(remember the GATR series) you wanted the GMC or the Dodge. The Ford LTL was a dog.
Big Horn. If you can find one…
Never seen a Big Horn in real life , the proper name would be Big Unicorn . I have seen a GMC grain truck with a gas v8 kind of like a c50/60 with a 9500 cab , weird. I’l go with the GM with a screaming Detroit .
man, my ears are literally still ringing from the time I spent in one of those Louivilles with a 8v71 detriot.
Dodge Big Horn.
Nothing looks better than a BigHorn Dodge! Matched maybe by a Mack Superliner, but they didn’t start until 1977…
Gimme the Cornbinder!! The Fords were rough riding and almost as comfortable as your average medieval torture device. Never drove a big Dodge, so I can’t pass judgement. The Chevy/-GMC, though…,Detroit Diesels are cool now for some reason, I guess nostalgia. They make a great noise that’s best enjoyed from a distance or in passing. Sitting in one for hours listening to it drone (or groan if heading uphill ), isn’t something one recalls fondly. Honestly, I think Transtar Eagles were IH’s apology for the Emeryville.
I’ll take the Cornbinder. Had to maintain a GMC. What a pile. GM had no business building trucks.
gmc–biased worked for them for over 20 years–factory branches