1973 Walter "Snow Fighting" Truck

[BBoomerBootCamp]

I hope this trucks history is found on a USAF base. I bought it today from a rancher about 60 miles north of me here in N.Az. He said all he new was it had been a County truck back in the early 90's. If some one can stir me in the right direction on tracking the SN# history down that could help allot. It has most all the goodies a 4x4 old school plow truck could hope for. It should look real nice sitting next to its big brother the Oshkosh WT2206

A couple pics of the Ol" girl

 

[ODdave]

Yea it looked sweet in the other thread, Lets get pics over to this one !!! Take a bunch more, that thing is awsome.

 

[rorybellows]

 

[BBoomerBootCamp]

Duh.......

 

[ODdave]

Whats the hydro cyl on the side? What engine?

 

[rorybellows]

that will be a fun resto project. is it running? whatya gonna do with it?

 

[BBoomerBootCamp]

It runs really well, brakes nice steers well, hydraulics work well, dumper tips, tires..... Oh well can't win them all, paint and body are present and in need of alittle tlc, know real rust (Az. truck) other than the surface issues, missing one driver side engine cover, anyone have a line on one let me know. Has 12,700 miles with the Frink plow set-up, the hydro on the side is for a Wing plow (missing) and its powered by a 260 hp Ford gasses. If I'd of had my choice from the dealership I'd of had them put the Cummins in it

 

[rorybellows]

im sure a swap wouldnt be that hard.

 

[harleyhouse]

That side hydraulic for the wing plow would make a great log splitter!
Cool truck,
There was a township truck like it for sale near ERIE Pa.
it needed too much work!

Keep the pictures coming!

 

[JimM37]

You should get on the Linn snow plow site there are a lot of Walter collectors there they should be able to give you some info on that beast.

 

[Nonotagain]

My 57 Walter had the Roline 884 cu in engine.
Back then gas was cheap, not so cheap today.

Mine was used at the local airport and pushed a runway plow. Motor had just been overhauled, then someone burnt the clutch out of it.

 

[JimM37]

Yeah I'm hep,
The old Oshkosh WT2206s were gassers at first too(Hall Scott) I don't know if it was 2 miles to the gallon or 2 gallons to the mile. Didn't matter....the government had no end to our dollars for gas back then just like they do now.

 

[BBoomerBootCamp]

Your scaring me Jim

 

[JimM37]

Not trying to scare you Bud... anything with 2 Holly 4 barrels is not gonna want to go by the gas station with out stopping there,whether its a 69 Road Runner or a WT2206.

 

[BBoomerBootCamp]

Yea I'm just doing my part to oil the machinery, keep big oil rolling, and catchin all the dirty looks from the hugger's here in town. All the while I'll have a grin on my face.
To answer your ? Jim, no under belly plow on the Walter, the Oshkosh Wt2206 has one!
I'll use it to grade my mile long driveway to my land, I've seen guys use the front plows to grade roads and the plows and I would imagine the front ends take the worst of it.

 

[JimM37]

I would advise not using the front snow plow to grade your road, the under body blade was designed just for that.
Find a dealer that stocks those blades and get a spare set because the gravel will wear them down at a pretty fair clip. You should have 2 gauges on the RS of the dash set them around 600-1200psi to start out and if you need more penetration roll the blade down further. you should be able to crown your road with the tilt levers as you need. Adjust penetration as needed with your blade tilt cylinders till you get the feel of it. Good luck.I have included a couple of pictures from the book I'm writing on the 2206' s I hope will help you.
Jim

 

[BBoomerBootCamp]

Thanks again Jim, your advice and knowledge are greatly appreciated. The Walter had been used to grade roads with the Frink plow, not to smart, all's well though, it looks like the truck did survive the duty. I am looking forward to spending some time trimming out my roads when the Oshkosh arrives. Should have some tips and tricks to report on in the near future.

 

[JimM37]

Your welcome,
Glad to be able to help,I'm not trying to sell the Walters short as they are formidable trucks with a rich and long history of service , especially in snow removal. They along with the FWDs and Oshkosh trucks were used at the northern
most bases during the cold war and into the later years. Walter and FWD fell by the wayside like many of the other great specialty truck companies over the years.
Oshkosh seems to have been the only one that survived and flourished and are now the top of the food chain.I got a soft spot for the 2206's though as you can tell.
Jim