Help Identifying Old Truck

[GG Allin]

I drove a truck all through the nineties and once in a while I would see a very old truck in the road with a single seat in the center position and no room in there for a passenger. If memory serves me it was an International Harvester probably from the fifties or sixties. I've scoured the internet and can't come up with anything. It would have looked like this only with a windshield half as wide.

[Joe Bob]

IH and other truck companies made custom cabs to customer specs. I've seen what you have described.

My opinion is that is discouraged riders....on the plus side, no Stupidvisors.

[Zeke]

I know the truck you describe. Locally, a steel distributor used them as they could carry long lengths on a shorter chassis. The steel would go past the cab on both sides.

I can't find a pic either.

[Zeke]

Narrower than this, right?

[GG Allin]

Yeah, that's not it. Kind of like this one, but this is too new.

[tcar]

There was a lumber company in Albuquerque years ago that had several of them. They were not trailer trucks, the 'bed' was on the same frame.

The cab was on the L side, not the center, but was only one seat wide. No R door at all.

Obviously a trailer doesn't work... no R turns.

They could have wood beams go past the cab. Red flags on both ends.

If I recall correctly, they were REO's. (REO= Ransom E. Olds... also started the now defunct auto company).

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by tcar

There was a lumber company in Albuquerque years ago that had several of them. They were not trailer trucks, the 'bed' was on the same frame.

The cab was on the L side, not the center, but was only one seat wide. No R door at all.

Obviously a trailer doesn't work... no R turns.

They could have wood beams go past the cab. Red flags on both ends.

If I recall correctly, they were REO's. (REO= Ransom E. Olds... also started the now defunct auto company).

The truck I'm thinking of had the seat in the center. Not offset in either direction. And I'm 99% certain it was an International.

[DARISC]

With centered seat, how would getting in and out work? Looong extension side mirror mount - or two.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by mbrouder

The truck I'm thinking of had the seat in the center. Not offset in either direction. And I'm 99% certain it was an International.

I know the truck. The ones I saw were being used by the Earl M. Jorgensen Company as late as the '70s.

[DUK]

I remember seeing one in a trucking company lot. I believe it was just for moving trailers in the lot. But did see it a couple of times on the road.

[nota]

the older ones were more rounded and not cab overs they had a hood
not semi's just a truck no trailer

used to haul long items like a pre-built wood roof truss

[Nine17]

I've seen these IH center-control cabs as flatbeds on farms or as "tug" tractors for moving semi-trailers:

[James Brown]

There is one around here owned by a metal dealer, used for long stuff like beams. Looks odd but works. Ill try to get a pic of it. They don't use it any more. Woh, that's the one (above pic).

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by Nine17

I've seen these IH center-control cabs as flatbeds on farms or as "tug" tractors for moving semi-trailers:

I do believe that is the truck.

[Nine17]

Originally Posted by mbrouder

I do believe that is the truck.

Try a Google Image Search for "International Center Cab"; this one's for sale by a steel hauler in Sacramento for $2400...

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Nine17

I've seen these IH center-control cabs as flatbeds on farms or as "tug" tractors for moving semi-trailers:

That looks like a Tonka Toy .

Excellent design of you think about it.
Center seating... Left or Right hand drive countries. Doesn't matter.
Like the McClaren F1!

[SCcaretaker]

Don't know about the International tractors, but the KW's were used in the 50's and had the nickname "ditchdigger" due to incidents occuring when drivers were trying to figure out where the right side was relative to the road. A lot of long haul operators used these with a sleeper which was a perfect oven in warm weather. Non sleeper units are also used for moving trailers around the lots, even today....

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by mbrouder

The truck I'm thinking of had the seat in the center. Not offset in either direction. And I'm 99% certain it was an International.

I remember seeing those when I worked at the Ship Yards, the yes, the white truck matches what I remember..

[GG Allin]

This is most likely the same truck I used to see. Someone posted it on Facebook. It's sitting idle somewhere in the Chicagoland area now.

[wdfifteen]

Trucks with the narrow cab in the center were straight trucks for hauling long objects. The tractors with the cab offeset to the side were yard dogs used to move trailers around a freight yard. They had a hydraulic 5th wheel so the driver didn't have to get out and raise the landing gear.