What are the odds of loading next to two beautiful, still-working, classic Kenworths in the same week? Well, it recently happened to me. On Monday morning I was unloading next to a W900 Extended Hood, and then on Sunday night of that same week, I was loading next to a great old W900A. You don\u2019t see these old rigs out here very often anymore, so it was pretty rare to sit next to two of them in the same week. I wish they would have had that big Powerball Jackpot the week this happened to me!<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n
This article is sort of a kickoff to a series that I want to do about old trucks that are still out there hauling freight and getting the job done. This month I am featuring Kenworths simply because of how it happened that I got to see two in one week. Over time, I want to feature each manufacturer and some of their old trucks, that are still out there working, doing what they were built to do.<\/p>\n
Here is a little bit of history about the W900A Kenworth. It was introduced in 1972, retaining many of the features of its predecessors. It has double round headlights and a long, flat, fiberglass hood. Did you know that the \u201cW\u201d in KW stands for Worthington? And the stripes on the KW emblem are supposed to resemble tire tracks? The legendary manufacturing company was named by combining the last names of its two principle stockholders, Harry Kent and Edgar Worthington, in 1923.<\/p>\n
The W900A was built from 1967 to 1982, and then the W900B came out. The W900B featured double rectangular headlights, instead of the double rounds that were on the W900A. In 1976, Kenworth produced a limited amount of special edition W900 Bicentennial VIT (Very Important Trucker) rigs, which were very popular. In 1989, the W900L was first introduced as an available option for a special edition James Bond 007 truck, commemorating the W900\u2019s role in the \u201cLicense to Kill\u201d movie. The L model went on to become one of Kenworth\u2019s biggest sellers with owner operators. In 1999, there was a special Silver Anniversary edition W900.<\/p>\n
And who could forget a couple other very famous W900\u2019s \u2013 the \u201cMovin\u2019 On\u201d Kenworth and Snowman\u2019s dark brown and gold KW in the \u201cSmokey and the Bandit\u201d film. Sonny Pruitt and Will Chandler were drivers in the \u201cMovin\u2019 On\u201d television series, which ran from 1974 to 1976. Both Claude Akins and Frank Converse got their chauffeurs license prior to making the pilot. The line from Merle Haggard\u2019s theme song for the show still applies today \u2013 \u201cThe white line is the life line to a nation.\u201d The first truck used was a dark green 1973 W925, which was later changed to a 1974, to finish out the series.<\/p>\n
\u201cBreaker breaker Snowman, you got a copy?\u201d \u201cEast bound and down, loaded up and truckin, we gonna do what they say can\u2019t be done\u2026\u201d Who didn\u2019t love the \u201cSmokey and the Bandit\u201d film, which was the second highest grossing movie of 1977 (behind Star Wars). That coffee brown Kenworth with gold stripes and reefer trailer with an old west mural on the side, which Snowman (Jerry Reed) drove in that film, will forever be a part of Kenworth history. Even though you know how it goes and the way it will end, it\u2019s one of those movies that you love to watch from time to time, and, if you are old enough, you can remember the fun you had watching it when it was first released.<\/p>\n
There were three Kenworths used to film the famous movie: one was a 1973 (you can tell that from the gold KW emblem which signified Kenworth\u2019s 50th anniversary), and the other two were 74\u2019s (they had silver emblems). If you are picky, there are things that don\u2019t match and may not be perfect, but who cares \u2013 the film was fun and it is a trucking classic! Our friends over at DB Kustom Trucks in Antioch, IL recently built a great tribute to the \u201cSmokey and the Bandit\u201d KW (see photo).<\/p>\n
Well, enough about the famous old Kenworth\u2019s \u2013 let\u2019s talk about some old hard-workin\u2019 KWs and make them famous: Mike Connors from Suwannee, Florida and his 1980 W900 Extended Hood, and Glenn Lone from Augusta, Wisconsin and his 1974 W900A. Like my dear friend Bette always said, \u201cI can\u2019t make you rich, but I can make you famous.\u201d Such is the case, here, too!<\/p>\n
On a Monday morning, not long ago, while waiting for a dock assignment, I admired a beautiful old W900 parked next to me. I was extremely happy when he backed into the dock next to mine. Of course, I had to say \u201chello\u201d and then introduce myself, and tell Mike how great I thought his truck was. To my surprise, he told me, \u201cI know who you are\u201d \u2013 he reads 10-4 Magazine! Extra points for that, for sure.<\/p>\n
We had the opportunity to talk about old trucks, and I told him how much I appreciate the \u201cold iron\u201d and how happy it makes me to see a truck like his out there going up and down the road working. This was one time they got us unloaded too fast. But, lucky for me, he was headed the same way I was, so we got to run together for a few miles.<\/p>\n
When I asked if his KW had a set of sticks in her, he opened the door to reveal that indeed, she did. A \u201cTexas Ten Speed\u201d he called it with pride, which is a 6 x 4. Her frame has been stretched to 305 inches and a 500-hp 3406E Cat replaced the original Cummins power under her extended hood, while 3.55 rear ends completed the rig\u2019s current drive train package. She pulls a 2008 Utility 48-foot spread-axle trailer. There are approximately 2.5 million miles on this old girl. The original owner ran up and down the east coast.<\/p>\n
Back in 1978, when Mike was hauling cows, he parked at the Petro in El Paso, Texas. Standing up to look over the fence at a row of W900A Extended Hoods, he fell in love. Today, he drives his dream truck named \u201cBlackie\u201d \u2013 she was black when he bought her.<\/p>\n