6348 Mildred Avenue, Edina, Minnesota 55439-1448
This is a story about a quarter-scale copy of a Mack Bulldog
truck. This truck is an original. It was built for our two kids,
during the winter of 1972-73. It was driven until about 1983, when
our kids were too big to drive it. Also, by now they were more
interested in driving tractors. It has been driven by many nieces
and nephews, and also neighborhood kids. The kids in the
neighborhood used to come over and ask if Mack could come out. They
loved to ride in it.
For many years, it was paraded in several local threshing shows
and parades. Many times over the years we heard kids ask their
parents if they could buy them one just like that one.
In the spring of 1998, Little Mack was taken into the workshop
and completely restored, with new chains and a newly rebuilt
engine. It was also repainted International Harvester Red, again!
It was driven again for the very first time on July 4, 1998, in the
Edina, Minnesota, parade by our three-year-old grandson, Joe Irey,
the son of the original driver.
Now a little about the construction of the truck. The Mack is
propelled by a 3 HP Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine. The
wheels are from a Jari sicklebar lawnmower. The transmission and
differential are from a garden tractor. Mack is also chain driven
like the real trucks of the 1920s. The frame is l? box steel, has
leaf springs on all four corners, and a drive train like the trucks
of the ’20s. The steering is a homemade rack and pinion. The
body is made of wood, the fenders are made of steel. Its weight is
288 pounds, and the top speed is 10 mph. Mack has personalized
license plates, ‘Mack,’ that we found on a vacation in
Arkansas.
The truck has been restored for our three grandchildren. The
little guy in the photos is our three-year-old grandson Joe Irey.
He loves to drive ‘his’ truck that Grandpa Dave built for
him. The photos were taken on August 28, 1998 at the LeSueur County
Pioneer Power Threshers Show. This was their 25th anniversary and
they featured vintage trucks and Packard cars.
