The Story of ‘Bruiser’ the Brockway

In-depth

26 Jun

Words and Photos BY Ed Eminson

In-Depth

My love affair with Brockway started back in the 1990’s when I purchased an old model with a capacity of two to three tons and a 16C Continental motor. I then found another which was about a seven tonner with a 6 cylinder Wisconsin motor, a four speed Brown Lipe gearbox but with a White diff.

The models were unknown but the two trucks had a similar appearance and I estimated that they were made around the 1930’s. Information on Brockway was limited to a paragraph or two in a truck encyclopaedia which indicated that Mack bought them in 1956.

A call to Mack trucks and all would be revealed. And pigs might fly! There was no interest forthcoming so I thought I should try the internet. I typed in Brockway and a whole new world opened up to me. It was the year 2000 and advertised was a Brockway Truck show to be held in Cortland NY. USA.

In August of that year I boarded a plane and headed off to America to find out all about Brockway’s. Cortland is a beautiful city of 20 thousand people and they were totally intrigued why some one would travel half way around the world to see their very first truck show.

My first stop was a gift shop where a beautiful Husky dog emblem was being displayed in the front window. I walked in and when I said G’day to the lady she, to my amazement, immediately knew who I was. My wife Amanda, had, without my knowledge been emailing the Brockway Show committee informing them of my intending visit. The news had reached the shopkeepers and they were on the lookout for a slow talking Aussie to walk by. Within minutes I had made many, many friends with the list is still growing today. I have been travelling back to Cortland each year since 2000 to see their wonderful show and share Brockway memories.

I learnt quite a lot on that first trip. ‘Cortlanders’ are the most generous people that I have met and their hospitality is second to none. They are also passionate about their Brockways and are more than willing to share that passion with anyone that shows an interest.

Bruiser at to 2000 Brockway show, Cortland NY

At this Inaugural Brockway truck show, one stood out amongst the 100 others on display. It was a bright orange 1975 F761TL and was powered by a 475hp 8V92 Detroit. This truck looked absolutely majestic and really displayed the reason why the truck magazine, Overdrive, called Brockway trucks ‘The Most Rugged Truck in the World’.

For the next seven years I travelled back to Cortland to see the famous ‘Huskies’ line up each August, but little did I realise that when I visited Cortland for the 2007 show that I would be informed the 761 was for sale. Not for a moment did I think that I had any chance of buying it.

I thought would be beyond my budget but was surprised to find it was very reasonable - and also possibly affordable. There was also the shipping of which I had no experience. One thing that was on my side at that time was the exchange rate. The Aussie dollar was flying high.

Oh yes. Of course I had forgotten the most important part of this deal and without it the Brockway would stay in the States.

As any man knows, the first thing you have to do when considering a deal of this size is to convince your wife that it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I thought that I should use my charm and throw in a bit of B.S and she would melt in my arms.

At precisely 3.00am Aussie time I rang my beautiful red-haired lady, who I knew would be deep in sleep and began my carefully prepared speech. First I asked her what her favourite colour was. To a woman that has worn bright orange hair almost all of her life, the answer was a predictable one.

‘Orange,’ she snapped. ‘Have you been drinking and do you know what time it is?’

So far so good. Then I announced that I had bought her a present. It was a bright orange Brockway that had an 8V92TA motor. From there I was cut off as she snapped back, ‘Well that’s wonderful, but it is 3.00am in the morning and all I want to do is go back to sleep. Whatever it is it sounds OK. Good night!’

Wow! I did it. The next day the deal was done and I became the proud owner of a F761TL Brockway. All I had to do was to get it back to Aussie land. To put it in a container was a huge challenge so I opted for drive-on drive-off shipping. This would save me a lot of time and money dismantling the truck and packing it in a container.

In December ‘07 the Brockway was driven aboard a lowboy and transported to the Baltimore wharf. A couple of days after Christmas the ship headed for Australia. It was estimated that the journey would take about 4 weeks to complete. Port Kembla was the destination and arrival was on time.

Things had gone too smoothly and little did I know that hell was about to attack me. First the shipping deal that I thought was too good to be true became just that and costs spiralled. I only had to send my entire bank account and more to cover it!

At least it would only be a couple of days before I could drive it home. “Not likely! Try a couple of weeks before it is cleared.”

Quarantine is where the steam cleaner aims at the truck, while the vacuum cleaner is aimed at the wallet.

I went kind of dizzy when I took the next call. A voice kept saying that the truck was going into quarantine and there would be more charges added.

It was a couple of months before the nightmare ended but every now and again I am casually, if not brutally reminded of the wonderful deal I pulled off by buying this special truck. I named him ‘Bruiser’ for obvious reasons, but every time I drive him I think I would do it all again if I had the chance. But not in this lifetime!

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Specifications

YEAR: 1975

MODEL: F761TL

ENGINE: 8V92TA 475 HP

TRANSMISSION: RTO12515

DIFFERENTIAL: SQHD

SUSPENSION: HENDRICKSON RT380

The Brockway cab is a modification of that used in the ‘R’ model Macks. It has an adjustable steering wheel and a brake pedal that hangs down from the firewall - not a foot valve bolted in the floor like a Mack. The bonnet is the butterfly type where each side lifts up. Inside, the cab is all Brockway. One of the features the designers added was the swing-out front guards. By undoing just one bolt at the rear of the guards they will swing out to the front to allow easy access to the motor.

The swing out guard design for easy motor access

Brockway were a hand built truck and made to a customer’s requirement. There was the choice of Caterpillar, Cummins or Detroit engines with Spicer or Fuller transmissions and Rockwell or Eaton diffs. They were a big truck for their day and were a popular choice for off- highway use as well as snowploughing and interstate hauling.

Brockway Trucks were first manufactured in 1912 and continued on serving the transport industry until mid 1977 when Mack trucks closed down operations. There are many Brockways operating today in the States and their owners still carry the passion that made Brockway Trucks a formidable competitor in the tough transport industry. Brockways in Australia also had a big slice of the truck market in the 20’s, 30’s and early 40’s.

Even a tough husky gets a bit chilly at minus 20 degrees

On the front of the radiator stands the Brockway emblem that typifies the toughness and resilience of a truck that is known to be the ‘Most Rugged Truck in the World’. The gold Husky dog leads the way with his head lowered doing what he loves doing best - rounding up and leaving dust on the Bulldogs!