via: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/wordless-outtake-mack-nr-logging-truck-misdelivery/
Translated from Dutch in Google Chrome. Go to linked article for pictures.
American Brabant Mack history
A beautiful Mack NR, a beautiful load of trees on a beautiful trailer, and a beautiful story. We came across it all at the Truckstar Festival.
In principle, of course, the past is behind us. But not at the Truckstar Festival, where we encounter the beautiful yellow Mack NR Lanova Diesel of a very enthusiastic Willy Gaffert from Veghel between the classics and the Americans.
Willy would like to tell you something about the truck and everything around it. In earlier years, the company – then still in the hands of Willy's father Theo – also had such a Mack. “The truck here is a restoration project,” says Willy. “But the great thing is that our driver Ties, who used to drive the original Mack, is here with us. We also named this Mack after him”, says Willy, who calls Ties to take a photo.
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Willy Gaffert (right) and driver Ties (left) after whom the truck is named: Tieske.
Load poplars
“At the age of seventeen, Ties was already driving the Mack,” continues Willy. “Initially as a co-driver, to load poplars in Brabant for the clog makers. Canadian poplars grow fast, the wood is very suitable for making clogs and it is now also widely used for the production of one-way pallets,” explains Willy, confirmed by Ties himself, who is a little less talkative with a nod and a big smile. looks like Willy.
“But Ties also regularly drove the truck to Luxembourg to load pine trees there,” says Willy. “Those were long journeys of twelve hours. To bring that history back to life, we bought this Mack NR some time ago and have been slowly refurbishing it. But it is a long-term project,” laughs Willy.
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The red FTF in the background pulls the tree trailer home after the festival.
Anyway, the Mack looks great, and runs smoothly with some nice old-fashioned blue smoke. “Did you know that this is the first diesel engine that Mack developed himself?” Will asks. “It is a six-cylinder in-line engine. It delivers 131 horsepower. At least, that's what he delivered when it was new. It works with Lanova low-pressure injection and has a five-speed gearbox with high and low yaw. But you can't really use his five-layer. It can reach a top speed of 62 to 63 kilometers per hour.”
So the truck wouldn't quite keep up with today's traffic, especially loaded with such a respectable load of logs. “Here at the festival, the Mack is under the tree trailer, but we drive that tree dolly back home with that red FTF, and the Mack is on a low loader belonging to one of the guys here,” explains Willy.
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The trailer dates from the sixties and was built in-house.
Tree trunk back on the trailer
"But stand still for a moment, then we hoist that log back onto the trailer, you can take a nice picture of it." That is certainly possible and we are happy to do that. But with the engine running at idle, the force with which the poplar trunk is winched upwards is not that great. Ties joins in, sends Willy into the cabin to give it a little throttle, and then operates the winch handle himself. As the log rounds the top of the two stanchions, it lands on top of the other logs with a thud and a small cloud of dust. The gentlemen then put a few chains around the cargo and the trees and the trailer are ready for the trip from Drenthe back to Brabant.
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Accompanied by cozy old-fashioned blue smoke, the trunk slowly rolls up the outside of the stanchions via the ingenious cable system.
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Ties comes from Dinther, near Veghel, and first worked in steel construction. However, he was soon hired by Willy's father Theo to start his car business.
A nice story, and with a bit of luck we will see Willy, Ties and Tieske again on the Mackdag on Sunday 12 October in Amsterdam . Incidentally, for those who may have doubts whether the Gaffert family business is keeping up with the times; click here to see which truck has recently been added to the fleet .
