Home is Where the Truck Is.

In-depth

26 Nov

A 1975 S2 Kenworth rolls in and finds a spot under a sprawling Gum tree which offers some shade to the trailer. The vista of the Murray River is a mere 20 feet from the front door.

The Owner/Driver is Ronnie Graham - he with the almost permanent smile attached to his dial. Ronnie has owned the single drive rig since 1992. It originally belonged to Coutts Transport and was the second Kenworth that the company bought, their first being a bogey drive. The truck runs a Detroit Diesel 671 through a 10 speed Road Ranger.

**The sister truck to Ronnie’s, still in Coutt’s colours**

“I restored it in ‘93 and really it’s due again but, you know how it is. She’s still a pretty little truck. I extended the wheel base 44 inches. It was originally a little, tiny short bobtail. It softens the ride a little and I intend to put a bunk on it at some stage.”

Truth be told, Ronnie doesn’t really need the bunk because the trailer he is hauling is his home, incorporating a bedroom big enough to keep his partner happy, a living area, possibly not quite big enough to keep his partner happy and a garage/tool-shed big enough to keep his Suzuki Vitara and self-enforced handyman Ronnie well and truly happy.

Originally the truck had torsion bar suspension but Ron changed it to airbags for a softer and more fluid drive. “We were breaking plates in the kitchen.” The water tank, containing a thousand litres is placed above the turntable to keep some weight on the axle. Batteries are contained underneath the steps, the washing machine is a 2 ½ kg job which handles the needs of two people on the road and the fridge is big enough to keep the couple fed for a week or three before restocking.

**In another life, post Coutts, pre Ronnie**

The trailer is an old 1973 Fruehauf and was originally a removalist’s tool of trade. Ronnie dropped the roof down 29 inches to make life a little easier. Like most folk’s permanent houses, Ronnie’s home is a constantly evolving project. “There is always something to do or something that needs to be redone,” he says, pointing to the roof lining that has rippled and needs repair. “All good things will happen in time and time’s something I have a fair bit of these days.”

Apart from the air con, microwave and oven, everything is 12 volt, powered by solar panels backed up by a Honda 2kVA generator which happily powers those heavy duty items. “I just can’t run the microwave at the same time as the air-con. Otherwise the 2kVA is plenty.”

Ron started living in his mobile home around the time of the Alice Springs Hall of Fame event in 2015. Five years later he has no regrets. “The places that we’ve been and seen! If the truck can’t get to a particular spot we throw our swags in the Suzuki and sleep out under the awning.”

One would have thought that caravan parks would be out of the equation for a setup such as this but Ronnie disagrees. “I get into caravan parks that most people can’t get a car and caravan in. Most parks are happy to take us. The other happy campers are often amazed to see us pull in and we do get quite an audience. There are usually a few old retired truckies around, so pulling up in this is like attracting bees to a honeypot. There’s never a shortage of conversation or stories to swap.”

**The old girl attracts a lot of interest at caravan parks - the old girl being the truck!**

I asked Ron for a sample of where his travels have taken him. “Obviously this year’s been a dud, but a couple of years back – by way of example - we left Melbourne for Echuca to go to the ATHS Truck Show in early September. From there we went to Wagga where we stayed a couple of days then on to Grenfell where we had a look at an old Peterbilt collection. Then it was on to Bathurst where we unhooked the trailer and took the rig around the track for a bit of fun. After that we went to Clarendon for the Kenworth Classic, which is one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. Then it was to Sydney for a couple of weeks, down to Nowra and onto Ulladulla and Batemans Bay. From Batemans Bay we went up over the Clyde Mountains to Yass. The old girl knew she had to work on that stretch of road. We were down to 1st gear on a couple of corners.

“Last year as you know, Kermie, because you were there, we did Haulin’ the Hume. You meet some wonderful people, people from all walks of life. That’s what I love about it.

**On the way to Haulin’ the Hume in 2019**

“The trucks been a blessing. I do have to pull the motor out and put a new bell housing on it at some stage and I’d like to drop in a 13-speed to match the tall differential and give a bit more fuel saving, but otherwise she’s as reliable as a Toyota and a hell of a lot more fun!”

Ronnie is currently ensconced on the bank of the Murray River for the summer. “I’ve been coming here for quite a few years now. Terry brings his bus and ski boat up and we watch life go by on the river together with our little summer community. You can’t buy a backyard like this, mate!