With your inventory of items of this type, do you find it common for the coachwork, shall we say, to be so funky. It almost looks like it was done by a person way down the line from Bantam.
Yes Stuart, I've seen some work like this, on trucks before. This truck started out, off the Chevy Assembly Line, as a regular, single axle truck. Was sent new, to Truckstell Co., for the Tandem Conversion (Factory Tandems, weren't available from Chevrolet, until 1956), then to Bantom, for the Crane, & Cab, modifications.
Spanky Hardy Collector Of Fine Old G.M. COE Trucks & Antique Holmes Wreckers
It would be neat to see that thing up close, just to see how that cab was modified--I'm intrigued by how they managed to save half of the windshield! Spanky, do you figure that the Bantam people did all the modifications to the cab?
Spanky, I sold a Bantam crane in good condition for my friend on ebay last year. It sold for $5500.00 but did not have the chevy truck base. Just the nice clean Bantam crane with crawler tracks. We sold it to a man who must be the Spank Hardy of Bantam cranes from down your way. He had eleven of em!!!
I have a farm about 70 miles or so from where the crane is for sale. I you would need a place to store one for a few months I could accomodate you gratis.
The crane sure would be a neat parade item. The ATHS national meet will be in Hutchinson, KS in 2008. One of you needs to buy and bring this crane to that show.
53moneypit, did you get your wife an early Christmas present?
Looks like a straight shot down I-70. Wonder if that rig will cruise the minimum speed?
Congratulations to the party that did buy it.
Can we expect to see it at the American Truck Historical Society meet in Hutchinson, Kansas in 2008? http://www.aths.org/ Maybe the State Fairgrounds would let you dredge out their pond if there is a dragline.
I would assume from the above post that this is your new toy! My only input would be to research the crane for "factory service bulletins" so to speak. It isn't unheard of for the boom dogs to fail and let boom down unexpectedly...make it safe and have lots of fun.
53moneypit, You're pretty close to me. I may have to pay you a visit and see that thing up close. I had my eye on it but while I was looking at it my wife came in the room and said "don't you dare," the kids wanted me to bid on it but they don't have to find a place to store it or explain it so I guess the best I can do is take a road trip to Elizabeth. :rolleyes:
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If it had been closer to me I might have just run a bid up there to bad. Oh well I've got enough on my hands currently. Nice truck though. Have fun 53. Come by Utah with that thing sometime I'd love to see it.
Congratulations, 53!! If that thing had been a little closer to me, I might have thrown a bid or two at it myself. Probably good that it wasn't. I had bought another tractor earlier this fall (that I didn't need either!!) and that kind of took care of my play money for a while. Have fun with the crane, and keep us posted!
53moneypit, the offer stands for a farm site to store the crane at for a few months until it can be moved all of the way. It could be driven the 65 miles or so to the farm I have off of highway K-4.
Sorry to hear that you aren't considering bringing it to the ATHS show in 2008. Oh well, I didn't figure anyone would want to bring it that far.
Congratulations 53moneypit, That is a real nice truck! I thought of a lot of cool stuff to do with that truck. One of the best was setting trusses on buildings. One of the silliest things would be to start the new sport of "Truck Jousting". Heck I'd watch it. Seriously though, that is probably a rare specimen of a vintage crane truck. It's good to see it going home to a stovebolt fan.
Why didn't I buy it? For starters I can't think that I would have a use for it other than parades and setting utility poles, or perhaps to erect a wind powered generator tower.
I'm still in the I HAVE TO EAT and Heat MY HOUSE mode rather than having any extra for more than the very cheapest of toys and necessities. But I hasten to add that I would like to have owned it for the novelty of it.
I, too, am thrilled that a Stovebolter got it, and one close enough that I might get to see it some day.
Got to thinking about this the other day. It's been a long time since we heard anything about it. Dave, do you still have it? Just wondering if there was an update.
Is there any pictures on this thing. the old links do not work
Poets Seat Auto Appraisals, Parts, Service Past: General Motor's Master Technician Member: Northeast Chevy/GMC Truck Club Phone Number: 413.774.5856 Collector of: 1951 Army Chevy Burb barn door,53 GMC COE,two 1934 Chevy Truck,1935 Chevy Army Truck.1950 Gmc Suburban clamshell these are just my chevy/gmc trucks.
I'd love to have it or one like it but then I'm an old truck Junky.. It would be a long haul to get it here from Colorado, I've got a line on a rumor of one close to me here, I'm working on getting access to the "Private" yard that it is located in.
I have these pictures from ebay back when it was out there.
A fellow bolter by the name "GMCJOHN" from Natoma, Kansas used to own this Crane. He purchased it at an Auction, & played with it around his Farm for awhile.
Spanky Hardy Collector Of Fine Old G.M. COE Trucks & Antique Holmes Wreckers
I showed those neat pictures to my teenage son and he asked the obvious question...how could they drive that rig on the streets from job to job! That boom must stick out there a mile.
I think the boom is actually only about 25-30 feet so it isn't as bad as it looks but I've not actually measured it.
John used it on his farm to paint his buildings but found the hook was a long way from being a bucket. I bought it from him. It's still available and closer than you think Mongo. But would need to be hauled as the tires, brakes, etc are hardly roadworthy.
