Diamond Reo

Billy NY · Feb 7, 2019

Seems there's a sale several Diamond Reo trucks, click below. Can't say I ever drove one of these or a Brockway, though a friend in the excavating business had a Brockway tractor, lowbed trailer for equipment, just sold out, retired, ran it all these years, well kept too. Drove plenty of Mack, Autocar, International, Ford, White/Freightliner and GMC. Drove a 1961 B-61 tandem dump w/ 54 rears, Thermodyne engine with Quadraplex transmission, manual steering. I still like the way those look, sharp. Drove both a '68 and '72 Autocar tractor for the same outfit, both of those were sharp, hauled D8's, 627 scraper size equipment. These trucks were nothing but steel for the most part, hard to imagine compared modern trucks.
Diamond Reo

Bob Bancroft · Feb 8, 2019

Tioga county NY. On the PA line.

sms · Feb 8, 2019

They had a lot of those trucks. Used to drive by on the highway and see them all lined up.

Grandpa's Fords · Feb 8, 2019

Lopke Quarries Apalachin, NY. I have seen these trucks almost everyday of my life. God knows how many hours or miles some of them have. Most of them have been resurrected several times. IIRC there were 60-70 of them starting from the late 60's. I'm not sure but I don't believe Frank Lopke ever bought a new truck or piece of equipment but has had a very successful quarrying business as long as one can remember with at last count 12-14 quarries S. Tier NY and N. Tier Pa.
Employed a lot of people over the years. I've known many of them and Frank too. I never worked for him but most of them respect him greatly and has had a good reputation.
Last summer one of his newer trucks late 80's Mack broke a u-joint on the rear drive in front of our property. They were able to back it in our road and asked if we needed some gravel. Of course I said yes. He dumped the load and they came and got it on their 5th wheel hook truck. I saw that same truck the next day go by about 5 times. I told them they can break down here anytime.
You just can't miss that God awful green definitely recognizable.

Part Time Pete · Feb 8, 2019

My brother lives in Owego, so I go by them a couple times a year. He had to have 50 of those trucks.

Grandpa's Fords · Feb 8, 2019

Lopke Quarries Apalachin, NY. I have seen these trucks almost everyday of my life. God knows how many hours or miles some of them have. Most of them have been resurrected several times. IIRC there were 60-70 of them starting from the late 60's. I'm not sure but I don't believe Frank Lopke ever bought a new truck or piece of equipment but has had a very successful quarrying business as long as one can remember with at last count 12-14 quarries S. Tier NY and N. Tier Pa.
Employed a lot of people over the years. I've known many of them and Frank too. I never worked for him but most of them respect him greatly and has had a good reputation.
Last summer one of his newer trucks late 80's Mack broke a u-joint on the rear drive in front of our property. They were able to back it in our road and asked if we needed some gravel. Of course I said yes. He dumped the load and they came and got it on their 5th wheel hook truck. I saw that same truck the next day go by about 5 times. I told them they can break down here anytime.
You just can't miss that God awful green definitely recognizable.

Butch(OH) · Feb 8, 2019

Is Frank still around? I was in the same buisiness and bid agaist him for many years for custom crushing
work. Only time we got a bit crossways was when I took a job in his backyard, LOL. I agree that I never
saw anything close to new on his operations. They were a good honest competitor, one of the good guys.

larry@stinescorner · Feb 8, 2019

Old has one in Missouri!

Grandpa's Fords · Feb 8, 2019

(quoted from post at 09:11:04 02/08/19) Is Frank still around? I was in the same buisiness and bid agaist him for many years for custom crushing
work. Only time we got a bit crossways was when I took a job in his backyard, LOL. I agree that I never
saw anything close to new on his operations. They were a good honest competitor, one of the good guys.

I saw him at a grocery store in Vestal about a year ago. He looked pretty good he has to be 80 +/- . His kids and a few long term employees are running the show but I believe he still stays close to the operations. They are bigger and badder than ever.

ericlb · Feb 8, 2019

by those front ends these were the last of the line, diamond reo's used to have fancier grills, they still have the "driver cabs" designed by autocar in the 1950's and they were light years ahead of anything else back then, they were used on autocar, white, diamond reo, and western star trucks,and others western star used them into the mid 90's with upgrades, i drove a western star heavy haul truck with one,in the mid 2000's, and it was nice and well appointed, much earlier i drove a 1969 white 4000 with one, lol not much in that one, if it didnt have to do with the truck running, it wasnt in there,

John T · Feb 8, 2019

I always liked the older Diamond T and REO trucks but the Diamond Reo merger I didn't like as much grrrrrrrrrrrr lol

John T

ericlb · Feb 8, 2019

i agree until the merger nothing beat a diamond T for fancy and nice

Grandpa's Fords · Feb 8, 2019

(quoted from post at 09:56:36 02/08/19) by those front ends these were the last of the line, diamond reo's used to have fancier grills, they still have the "driver cabs" designed by autocar in the 1950's and they were light years ahead of anything else back then, they were used on autocar, white, diamond reo, and western star trucks,and others western star used them into the mid 90's with upgrades, i drove a western star heavy haul truck with one,in the mid 2000's, and it was nice and well appointed, much earlier i drove a 1969 white 4000 with one, lol not much in that one, if it didnt have to do with the truck running, it wasnt in there,

I have to chuckle every truck you mentioned has been in this guys fleet some of which are still operating daily. He has several older REO's, Autocars and WS. I know some of these trucks have been slowly phased out for newer replacements. Some of the 60's truck were there until just recently.

dpendzic · Feb 8, 2019

back in the 60's right after college I drove a reo tandem dump. my boss had 5 of them. They were a bit under powered and did not have a synchromeshed transmission, so they were square shifting and double clutching--all of us drivers preferred the older Ford 10 wheelers.

the tractor vet · Feb 8, 2019

Dove four Diamond Reo 's two with 6-71 and one with a 335 Cummmins and one with a 318 pulling coal buckets , not a bad truck just hated the way the clutch pedal was in them and how it pushed down thru the floor and the cold air that would come up thru that hole in the winter along with engine smell year round . For all around local work pulling a bucket ya could not beat a Mack , plum loved the 1970 R 700 i drove , nobody like to drive that truck but me as it did not have power steering . It was powered by a 318 Detroit with a 13 speed Road Ranger and flat out ya could get 72-75 out of her , BUT man that truck would drag a load of coal up out of them old strip mines with them Armstrong drive tires i ran if you could get her to move and get into second gear she was coming out on her own , no D9 hooked to the ft. no 988 or 992 pushing on the rear she was coming up and out of that pit on her own with 35-45 ton in the wagon . trailer i pulled was a tri axle City Welding trailer with a 32 x96x72 box and the lead axle on the trailer was and air lift and when you had that axle up you could dump 20 to 30000 lbs more on the drives .

Diamond Reo

Billy NY

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Bob Bancroft

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sms

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Grandpa's Fords

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Part Time Pete

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Grandpa's Fords

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Butch(OH)

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larry@stinescorner

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Grandpa's Fords

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ericlb

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John T

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ericlb

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Grandpa's Fords

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dpendzic

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the tractor vet

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