Pacific Trucks

"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish) 09/24/2016 at 19:30 • Filed to: big trucks

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One of the several truck manufacturers that used to exist in or around Vancouver was Pacific Truck and Trailer. They built 2,308 trucks from when they opened in 1947, to the final special order P-12-W3 in 1995.

They were handbuilt, overbuilt, and were well loved by the logging industry, mines, and generally anyone who needed to haul stupidly heavy loads.

The biggest trucks they ever made were for the South African Railway, for hauling up to 370 ton loads

They also made whatever this insanity is

Hank Rabe has a lot of information and pictures about Pacific, and it’s well worth looking through if this sort of thing interests you.

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/hank_rabe_paci…

Here’s a video of the final Pacific built being test driven. These things were monsters. Well, are. They were built like tanks and I don’t doubt lots of them are still hauling.

Sidenote - The auto parts store I work for has two locations in North Van, and that truck was built in the building that is now shared by one of our stores, and an autobody shop. I don’t know if it’s the same building that previous trucks were built in, by 1995 they were technically only a parts supplier and may have moved locations when they stopped manufacturing. They only built this truck because it was specially requested and paid up front.

Anyways, this isn’t a brilliant writeup, I’ve just been spending my afternoon poking around local manufacturing history and thought I’d share.

Some more info and an insane amount of pictures here as well

http://www.pacifictruckclub.org/index.php

wafflesnfalafel > gmctavish needs more space 09/24/2016 at 19:36

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super cool - I hadn’t even heard of these and yet they were in my back yard....

gmctavish needs more space > wafflesnfalafel 09/24/2016 at 19:47

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There was also Hayes

Pacific was started by three ex-Hayes employees actually.

Challenger was briefly a thing, but they only made 14 trucks. I didn’t know about them until a couple weeks ago, I don’t even remember how I stumbled across them.

Earnest The Betrayer > gmctavish needs more space 09/24/2016 at 19:56

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There is still a working rig made by Pacific in or around the Nanaimo region. I see it all the time. Dual steering axles and an open engine bay. So much badassery.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > gmctavish needs more space 09/24/2016 at 19:56

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Someone make one of these for Spintires, STAT!

gmctavish needs more space > Earnest The Betrayer 09/24/2016 at 19:57

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That’s awesome, and reminds me of a picture I forgot to include

slipperysallylikespenguins > gmctavish needs more space 09/24/2016 at 19:59

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This is good OPPO, offbeat and informational.

Viggen > gmctavish needs more space 09/24/2016 at 20:11

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Those are some awesome trucks. Oppo needs more trucks!

Also, the front wheels the trucks in pictures five and six have are some of my favorites but I’ve never been able to find out their name.

Birddog > gmctavish needs more space 09/24/2016 at 20:12

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Great topic! I geek out over “Big Rigs”, Farm and Construction Equipment.

2300 trucks from 1947 to 1995? It’s hard to imagine them making enough money to stay alive with that volume.

Birddog > slipperysallylikespenguins 09/24/2016 at 20:13

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Right?! It’s perfect.

gmctavish needs more space > Viggen 09/24/2016 at 20:14

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I agree!

Yeah I like those wheels too, but unfortunately also don’t know their name. I feel like they’re an old split rim situation, I only see them on older stuff.

gmctavish needs more space > Birddog 09/24/2016 at 20:20

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Me too!

They were small, never more than 50 or so employees, and I imagine the trucks were very, very expensive. All custom built to order, everything hand built except for the engines, transmissions, and axles. If you look through that other page it outlines more of their production numbers, it sort of goes in bursts. It does seem odd, but they were owned by IH for a while and maybe that was what kept them going.

gmctavish needs more space > Birddog 09/24/2016 at 20:29

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Here’s one for sale. If this is how much they are now, I wonder what they went for new

http://www.supplypost.com/equipment/makes/pacific?&ps=1&p=6

Birddog > gmctavish needs more space 09/24/2016 at 20:36

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Yikes! $295,000!? Used? Something tells me these don’t follow typical depreciation rules. Like Jeeps.

gmctavish needs more space > Birddog 09/24/2016 at 20:46

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I just noticed that one says it’s been completely rebuilt. Other ones seem to go for 60k-80k

shop-teacher > gmctavish needs more space 09/25/2016 at 00:06

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Those are some cool freaking trucks! I’d never heard of them. That load on the truck in the top shot is in-freaking-sane.

Birddog > gmctavish needs more space 09/25/2016 at 00:06

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Even $60-80k is wild. It is a very specific machine though.

gmctavish needs more space > shop-teacher 09/25/2016 at 01:32

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Right? Those sites have a fair number of other pictures of crazy loads

shop-teacher > gmctavish needs more space 09/25/2016 at 08:53

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Awesome. I love the “ABNORMAAL” sign on the monstrous red one.

TMcT > gmctavish needs more space 03/04/2018 at 20:07

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Given their scale and the amount of custom work they did, it may be more appropriate to think of them like the local shipbuilders, rather than like the major truck manufacturers.