1952 Chevrolet 1.5-Ton Flatbed Dump Truck

	Owned by Loren West "hillbilly6977" Bolter # 26373 Bruce, Wisconsin Join the talk about this truck in the DITY Gallery

01 January 2011
# 2851

More pictures of my old truck

From Loren :

This old Chevy Dump truck is titled as 1952 1.5 ton, but I’ve yet to locate the ID plate to verify.

It was home for less than 36 hours, when it had already been given 20 miles of rides up and down our country road - including a trip to the recycling center carrying only a bin with empty milk jugs and tin cans in the 14-foot box!

After years of doing chores like hauling manure, firewood, gravel and brush on our 40 acre hobby farm using an ATV and a pick-up, we decided to buy a small, older dump truck. For weeks I searched Craigslist, eBay, farm newspapers and weekly shoppers looking for something suitable.

Several possible candidates appeared each day. Eliminating all that were too big or too expensive still left a nice selection of single axle dump trucks and grain trucks from the early 1960's to mid 70's. Most had smaller motors and shorter boxes. All needed brakes.

I’d never considered a vintage truck until I saw the Craigslist ad for the ‘52. From what I could see from the photos, the truck looked clean and straight. The steel flatbed had removable stake sides which we wanted for hauling logs and hay bales. Plus, it had a rusty patina that made it look even older.

As a long-time antiques collector (vintage baseball equipment, Zane Grey books, Red Wing crocks, hunting / fishing gear), I’ve always considered lots of old stuff as works of art. This truck had the look and I wanted to know more.

The listing was 10 days old when I responded, so I expected it to be gone. The seller said it was still available and was I only the second person to inquire about it. Was there something wrong with it I hadn’t noticed in the description? Or did it just happen to go unnoticed?

After explaining the specs (quiet and strong 235 ci., 4+2 driveline, PTO hydraulics, all accessories and lights work and REBUILT brake system!), I made the 400 mile round trip to look at it. Impressed with how smoothly it started and ran, and with how solid it was for a 58 year-old northern Wisconsin truck, I decided to buy it. I’m working on the story of getting it home to submit in the “Saga” section of the Stovebolt site!

I’ve posted several videos on YouTube showing the truck in action. I’ll post more as I get them.

Thank you,

Loren West

This is a great prelude (we hope) to the Saga! You can really hold a reader. Of course, you've got a great combination of things that I like - an old truck, an old dump truck, an old flat bed, a WORKING BOLT (my personal favorite), your tenacity and fortitude in finding her ... and she's beautiful! And a little technology thrown in for good measure. The recycling was cool, too. It sounds like you are just having a ton and a half of fun! You've got to write more, more, MORE!! ~ Editor

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