Gogerly’s ‘GOGO-mobile’. (Actually it’s an ACCO-Mobile)

In-depth

13 Apr

Nestled in the Dandenong Ranges (Vic) lies the picturesque town of Cockatoo, split in two by the world famous Puffing Billy railway line which wends its way to nearby Gembrook.

From that town, and wending his way to Campbellfield for his first Crawlin the Hume run was one – by his own admission, very excited - Brenton Gogerly. With a surname like Gogerly, a nickname of ‘Gogo-mobile’ seems fitting (you can have that for free, Brenton), but in Brenton’s case we’ll have to go with ACCO-mobile.

Because, after six years of ownership, his 1981 International ACCO 1830C was finally to a stage where Brenton felt it reliable enough to join in the fun-run that is Crawlin. Five speeds with a two speed diff and powered by the ubiquitous Perkins 354, the truck has been in his possession since 2016.

“When I returned from a two year stint in Canada, I joined the Vintage Machinery Club at Scoresby. When I joined I got into bigger machinery and bought my first tractor – a 3 tonne International. Problem was it wouldn’t fit on my trailer and was probably going to give my old LandCruiser an internal haemorrhage, so I had to buy a truck. Inter tractor, Inter truck. Simples.”

**If you have to haul an International tractor, you'd best put it on an International truck.**

“The fact is I always liked the ACCO’s as a kid. I found this one nearby at Yarra Junction. It had spent its latter life as a market gardens produce truck and the farmer was selling up. It cost me the princely sum of $2,700. The speedo wasn’t working properly but old mate farmer estimated 340 – 350,000km on the clock. They told me that for a Perkins, it was barely run in.

“Inside the glove box was the original order form from International when it got manufactured and ordered in February, and produced in March 1981. It was going to Werribee. On the original paintwork you could see the outline of that company’s name. From there I believe it went to the farm and then to me.

“It was deregistered in 2014 of 15 due to the tail lights on the tray being recessed too far underneath. Farmer ‘Brown’ couldn’t be bothered sorting it, so I got it for a great price and it became the hobby.

“I had to cut some rust out around the cab although it didn’t have a lot in comparison to some ACCO’s of the era. In the process we actually cut the gutters off completely. It’s probably the only ACCO in Australia without gutters.

“After that I had the cab completely re-sprayed. Then a fabricator friend of mine helped me redesign the tray which went onto it. I just wanted to make it a bit beefier with a couple more cross braces. I added International mudflaps and placed the LED taillights in a legal position.”

**Resprayed and de-guttered - the ACCO joins Crawlin the Hume**

“In late February this year I got to the point where I could reregister it, so it’s only been on the road for a month or two. I’ve taken a couple of my machines down to the club at Scoresby for their annual rally and I help out my girlfriend who has horses.”

“I’ve also had a couple of other friends inquire about moving timber and some other products. That’s why I decided to put it on full rego. With Club rego of course, you can’t carry things commercially, so I’m paying the $1,400 per annum. Doing it this way helps pay for runs like Crawlin. If it pays for itself and its upkeep I’ll be very happy. It’s been a long five years to get it on the road. Save a bit, spend a bit – and repeat. I’m sure I’m not alone in that regard.”

The ACCO has come in handy in more ways than one, with Brenton’s daily drive in the workshop. His Toyota LandCruiser Troopy is, by his own admission, ‘a little bit tired’. “Luckily I’ve been able to drive the ACCO to work. The guys there think I’m crazy because I drive a truck to work, to drive a truck at work, to then drive a truck home.”

Currently in the asphalt business driving a twin-steer Kenworth, Brenton misses the Interstate runs that he did previously and is lining up to work with B-double milk tankers which will see him back out on the open roads.

…..

Brenton’s original trade was as a small motor mechanic with Stihl, Husqvarna and others. Then came a two year stint in Canada as a maintenance man, working on farms and conducting horseback tours through The Rockies.

“I was based in Alberta. It’s a great place over there, but winters are something else! I got caught in a blizzard one night. In half an hour it dropped 2 foot of snow. I could just see the edge of my bonnet (an old F150) and nothing else. It was risky doing 30kph on this 100kph road, but if I stopped I knew I’d never get going again. It was fascinating learning how to drive in those conditions.”

On his return to Australia in 2015, Brenton took the leap into trucks and hasn’t looked back. From carting steel for Blue Scope, to plasterboard for Boral, to driving a garbage truck for JJ Richards (past this writer’s old front door in Hooterville as it happens), his experiences behind the wheel have been many and varied. Shandleys Transport in Dandenong gave him the opportunity to get into Walking Floor B-doubles, running sawdust and shavings interstate.

…..

Crawlin the Hume was Brenton’s first decent run in the ACCO, and to his relief it got him all the way to Albury without incident. He loved the trip, meeting the characters of the industry, tapping into their wealth of knowledge and poring over the various trucks on the run.

All too soon it was time to return home.

“Everything was going to plan. I was driving back down the Hume and jumped off at Seymour to head the back way home, when just around Trawool the engine sounded clunky and the oil light flickered on. We quickly pulled over and discovered that my oil had disappeared and gone somewhere else.”

Luckily for Brenton he had a mate at Yea – a Copper no less – and to the amusement of those who had stopped to offer moral support, a supply of oil was delivered by a police car. (That’s public service for you.) The 16.4 litre sump swallowed some 15 litres!

“In the end I made the decision to have it towed. There was a bit of a knocking noise and I didn’t want to risk the remaining 120km drive. So I rang around for a price. Heavy haulage wanted about $1,500. In for a penny, in for a pound, I rang the RACV – with whom I have Total Care and they came to the party.

“They organised a 12 ton tilt tray to come out, but that truck was being used so they sent a tri-axle float instead. I got the truck home for $90! The $220 you pay for Total Care is worth its weight in gold!”

**Gotta love RACV Total Care! $90 to get home (Vs $1,500)**

“A diesel mechanic mate of mine came over and we checked the oil pressure which is still good. We’ve checked the cylinders individually by cracking the injectors one at a time while it’s running. We suspect that I’ve done the compressor. We’re about to rip the compressor off and see what the truck sounds like. If it has no knock that means it’s all in the compressor which in turn means the engine is safe. I’ll keep you in the loop on that.

“Hopefully I’ll be back on the road soon. I’m having one of those weeks. My car had an electrical fire on the weekend as well so I need something to drive. The truck is the easiest one to fix right now.”

Hopefully Truckin with Kermie will be able to report on a happy ending for Brenton’s ACCO-Mobile in the near future.