Pacific trucks
Encyclopedia
Pacific Truck & Trailer Limited was a Vancouver
-based Canadian manufacturer of heavy truck
s famed for their durability. Pacific built both highway and off road
trucks, particularly for the logging industry, heavy hauler
s and fire trucks.
In 1947, three ex-Hayes Truck
employees set up their own truck building shop, Pacific Truck & Trailer, and built their first truck in Vancouver. In 1967 the Pacific operation expanded and moved their production facilities to North Vancouver. In 1970, the business was sold to International Harvester
. International managed worldwide sales, but left Pacific the design and manufacture of the products; however some of the Pacific models featured International cabins
.
In 1981, International Harvester sold Pacific Truck and Trailer to Inchcape Berhad (Singapore). In October 1991, the last Pacific truck was built and the manufacturing plant was closed and torn down, with only the parts department left in operation in Vancouver.
In addition to the Canadian and USA markets, Pacific was selling too in Australia
, New Zealand
and South East Asia. However its most impressive order was for four ultra-heavy road tractors to pull massive loads up to 370 tons for the South African Railways. These units were delivered in 1972, featured 600 hp Cummins
engines, and were known as the "largest on-highway trucks in the world". Sometimes they all worked coupled forming an extra-long road train
, including an extra-capacity lowloader trailer
to total 860 tons gross combination mass
.
The well-known World War II
M25 Tank Transporter
(also known as Dragon Wagon) truck, commonly referred to as Pacific was not a product of Pacific Truck and Trailer but of Pacific Car and Foundry.
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
-based Canadian manufacturer of heavy truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s famed for their durability. Pacific built both highway and off road
Off Road
Off Road may refer to:*Super Off Road, 1989 arcade game released by Leland Corporation*Off Road Challenge, 1998 console game released by Nintendo*Ford Racing: Off Road, 2008 video game published by Empire Interactive...
trucks, particularly for the logging industry, heavy hauler
Heavy hauler
A heavy hauler is a very large transporter for moving oversize loads which are toolarge to go on a highway without an escort and special permit.-Types of vehicles:...
s and fire trucks.
In 1947, three ex-Hayes Truck
Hayes Truck
Hayes Manufacturing Company Limited was a Vancouver-based Canadian manufacturer of heavy trucks famed for their durability and a revolving bunk system. Hayes built both highway and off road trucks, particularly for the logging industry....
employees set up their own truck building shop, Pacific Truck & Trailer, and built their first truck in Vancouver. In 1967 the Pacific operation expanded and moved their production facilities to North Vancouver. In 1970, the business was sold to International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
. International managed worldwide sales, but left Pacific the design and manufacture of the products; however some of the Pacific models featured International cabins
Cabin (truck)
The cab of a truck is an enclosed space in a truck where the driver is seated. The word originated as a short form of cabriolet, not cabin. Some may refer to the tractor unit of a semi-trailer truck as a cab, but this is not the subject of this article...
.
In 1981, International Harvester sold Pacific Truck and Trailer to Inchcape Berhad (Singapore). In October 1991, the last Pacific truck was built and the manufacturing plant was closed and torn down, with only the parts department left in operation in Vancouver.
In addition to the Canadian and USA markets, Pacific was selling too in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and South East Asia. However its most impressive order was for four ultra-heavy road tractors to pull massive loads up to 370 tons for the South African Railways. These units were delivered in 1972, featured 600 hp Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
engines, and were known as the "largest on-highway trucks in the world". Sometimes they all worked coupled forming an extra-long road train
Road train
A road train or roadtrain is a trucking concept used in remote areas of Argentina, Australia, Mexico, the United States and Canada to move freight efficiently. The term "road train" is most often used in Australia. In the U.S. and Canada the terms "triples," "turnpike doubles" and "Rocky Mountain...
, including an extra-capacity lowloader trailer
Lowboy (trailer)
A lowboy or dolly in Australia is a semi-trailer with two drops in deck height: one right after the gooseneck and one right before the wheels. This allows the deck to be extremely low compared with other trailers...
to total 860 tons gross combination mass
Gross combination mass
A Gross Combination Mass is the maximum allowable total mass of a fully loaded motor vehicle together with all of its trailers...
.
The well-known World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
M25 Tank Transporter
M25 Tank Transporter
The M25 Tank Transporter was a heavy tank transporter and tank recovery vehicle used in World War II and beyond by the US Army.Nicknamed the Dragon Wagon, the M25 was composed of a 6x6 armored tractor and 40-ton trailer ....
(also known as Dragon Wagon) truck, commonly referred to as Pacific was not a product of Pacific Truck and Trailer but of Pacific Car and Foundry.