binder document

Thursday :: 20 November 2008 :: 12:09 PM
35 days to Christmas!

My first pickup was a 1958 International A100 anniversary edition. That means it had the fleetside style bed with the beady lites in the rear. It was a fun truck; I don't know why I ever sold it. Maybe I was too young to understand I had a collector vehicle. That was in 1972 and 73.

During my military service, I drove truck. Seldom did I drive the military style 6x6; mostly was the commercial class six and seven vehicles. Just hated the Fords and Chevys, they looked like huge boxes and drove like dogs. But I loved driving the Internationals, they were comfortable, powerful and they shift smooth.

Last year (2006), I bought two more Binders, both on eBay. One was a 1956 with no rust through, motor running and good tranny - bought it for fixing up. The other was mostly completed and I bought it for fun. But before I could enjoy either of these, I fell off a roof and shattered my pelvis. Ouch!

So, the fixer was sold a few months ago and the beauty is still on the block because the doctors tell me I likely won't be driving a stick shift any more. Thank God it was my left hip and not my right. He is good to me.

You can read about all three of my old Binders here. You can read about my fall from the roof by going to http://IdahoContractor.net/ .

If you have an interesting story you would like to post, contact us. I am sure our thousands of reader will enjoy reading it.

My Purple Peterbilt

©by Dean Isaacson

You know, a truck is just a tool but every once in a while you come across a tool that just sticks to your heart -- you think it becomes a part of you. This was the case with my purple Peterbilt dump truck.

I looked around for a good used Peterbilt for about five or six months before we found this old 1988 at a dealer in Boise. My friend, Doug Sherman who owns North Idaho Truck Center found this truck and asked me if I was interested in it. Subject to certain criteria, I commissioned him to travel to Boise and pick it up. Here is the picture of it as we purchased it. It had been an over-the-road truck for a cattle company in Wyoming. It had only 360,000 original miles (that's low miles for all you four-wheelers (car owners) out there).

We took this truck and put a dump box on her. That is another story about a very unscrupulous businessman who is no longer in business. We spent over $2000.00 repairing his mistakes and fraud. Oh well. Nonetheless, we got her on the road and aside from the normal repairs and maintenance you'd expect in a used truck, she gave us real good service for about three years. She drove like a dream; 425 Cat powerhouse and 15 speed tranny, air leaf suspension and El Dorado seats on both sides. You don't find many dump trucks with air seats on the passenger side.

The purple Pete was useful for all kinds of work. Not only did we use it to move dirt as we dug ditches and excavated but we used it to move our equipment. We moved a shed for my sisters. One sister gave the shed to another when she moved and we transported the shed for her. Fortunately, our skid steer has forks. So we used that to load the shed on the trailer.

I'm going to miss this truck but I sold her to a real good owner. In a way, it's kind of ironic: We bought the truck, through a dealer, from a rancher in Wyoming and we sold her back to a contractor in Wyoming. She's probably glad to be home.

Yes, that's what you saw -- there is a flying pig ornament on the hood of that truck!

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