wallytoo

kezar.

they work well enough to stop a single block if it slips back, and that's why it's there (to stop a single block, because the ramp from the lake has a significant bump right before reaching the pavement). usually, the blocks freeze to the bed of the truck anyway, so it doesn't matter. in fact, on the second load, three blocks weren't needed, so i raised the dump - but none of the three moved from the bed. i had to climb the bed and give the one farthest in a little poke, and then all three slid out. the 251 has nowhere near enough HP to impart any kind of wheelie on this 14K-lbs gvw truck, especially with 8,125 lbs of ice on it. even with a load of over 4-tons, i still only needed 2nd low to climb the ramp (didn't use 1st low or high at all for the day).

after not having ice harvest day in 2024, we were back at it today. good clear 18" ice, blocks were 300 to 325 lbs each. pretty mild day, high 20s (after about 8" of snow overnight). filled the ice house, too, so a successful day. 25 blocks on this load. ended up getting a second load of 20 blocks to fill the ice house. (the first load was roughly 8,125 lbs of cargo...)

had to use the truck to move parts to/from my jobsite. cold this morning, so i took a short clip of it starting at -2*F. temp at daybreak was -5*F. no tender, no ether. starts like it always does. one pump, half choke. u-toob short of cold start hauled a few loads of cordwood from the jobsite a few weeks ago, too.

looks to have a two-speed rear axle, which is a good feature. if it does, it isn't an F rated truck; dodge dropped the FA version in '51. so this is either an HA or GA truck, and probably has the mid-frame brake booster. i have a '48 FA, with the 2-speed and the brake booster. both features are highly desirable and make these medium trucks useful on modern roads (not interstates). as bob pointed out, when the brakes are adjusted correctly on these trucks with the midland booster, they brake very well, even fully loaded. as a guess, i'd say you have a B-3-HA-152. could have a synchro 4-speed, and probably has the 25" 237 motor. the 2-speed rear should be an eaton 1350 (vacuum shift). truck has nice add-on front turn signals and mirrors.

big red looks great, bob! it is my favorite B-series truck, so many options and in such marvelous condition. i would not drive that in our new england winters, but i drive mine all year because it isn't so nice.

had a great time running a half-day with the pic-nic crew a couple of years ago in NH. one of these things is not like the others.... if there are any locals in the oneonta/cooperstown area that aren't doing the whole thing, i highly recommend at least dropping in for part of a day with the group. a lot of fun, and great to meet some forum members in person. i hope to do it again when it's in new england again.

i can't help with identifying your transmission, but new process transmissions were in dodge trucks in the 40s. the oem 4-speed in my '48 1.5-ton is an NP non-synchro.

if you are addressing the OP/thread starter, realize the thread is 7 years old, and the last activity, until yesterday, was 7 years ago.

had to slap on the chains to collect the last of the sap last weekend.. season is done... time for clean-up.

same.

good for the truck, and good for me, too. i always enjoy driving it, especially when hauling something.

maple season is a bit early for me this year, but that's our new weather. collected sap yesterday, and began boiling. should be drawing off syrup today. quick video of sap flow from one of the short lines, and pumping to the truck... sap flow & pumping

also, the canadian blocks were 25", not 23". so the length isn't going to be of much use in identifying the size.

it's all good! glad you got them done.