Do you like big trucks? Of course you do!
I had the pleasure over the weekend of visiting an incredible collection of antique trucks, all part of The Mahan Collection in Basking Ridge, NJ. I was quite fortunate actually, because the collection isn’t open to the public. The open house was via invitation only, and as they say in New Jersey, “I know a guy who knows a guy.”
The trucks have largely been restored by Gary Mahan, I understand through his own efforts, and via the acquisition of another collector’s trucks. Most of them are Mack, though there are a number of other trucks from other manufacturers as well as antique construction equipment on the collection grounds. The trucks are housed in a half-dozen warehouses, most with informative placards similar to what I’ve seen at The Museum of the United States Air Force, right down to the provenance of each truck.
Here’s a handful of the trucks and other interesting things I saw. If you’re in the NJ/PA area you’re likely to see some of Gary Mahan's collection at truck shows sponsored by the American Truck Historical Society (ATHS).
A big thank you to my friend Randy for the invitation.
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| The beautiful property of the Mahan collection. |
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| One of the many buildings housing the trucks. |
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1943 Mack FC, the world’s largest chain-driven truck. This dump was used moving over-burden, rock, coal, copper, nickel, and iron ore.
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Unusual 1927 Mack AB that features a Caterpillar engine. This particular truck was used in Scranton, PA.
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You’ll probably never see the Mack bulldog perched atop the Caterpillar logo anywhere like this.
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1934 Mack CH.
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One of the more contemporary trucks in the collection, a 1960 Ford F-1000 Super Duty. This particular truck was operated by a CT garage.
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| A modern Mack that Mahan uses to haul trucks to ATHS shows. |
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| Not every truck in the collection has been restored. This cement mixer shows its age and character. |
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| An unusual find in the Mahan back lot. |
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| You want stencils? We got stencils! |
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| I enjoyed seeing how many of these old trucks incorporated both steel and wood in their construction. Here wood supports the dump body of the Mack FC shown above. |
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| Here wood is used for the windshield. |
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| Here wood is used for the truck bed. |
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| The Mahan man cave. |
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| Most awesome table ever! |
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| We've got tires! |
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| We've got parts. Some of them primed even! |
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| We have fiddly bits. |
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| Gary has paint! |
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| Gary has a sense of humor! |
I love going to places like this with anything old and mechanical, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWow, all that and not even officially open to the public. I do have a fondness for those old Mack trucks with the cab that looks like it came straight off a horse-drawn carriage. Have built two or three truck models as a break from aircraft too - come to think of it you're right, I do like big trucks!
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