(Updated 11/21/2025) I did a double take when I came across this picture on a website for local historical affairs. This is one of the trucks my dad drove frequently, back in the seventies. It must have been brand new here, as it still has a temporary license plate. Not to mention the pristine exhaust pipe.
We see the Scania L85 dry bulk truck at its home base, the feed mill, receiving a load of chicken feed from above. Speaking of chicken, the picture (on both doors) with the hen and chick was hand painted, so was all the lettering.
These conventional Scanias featured a cozy interior, with a bench seat for the passenger(s). The truck had a five-speed transmission and was powered by Scania’s naturally aspirated 7.8 liter inline-six diesel engine, delivering 163 horses. The turbocharged version of this power unit was good for 205 hp.
Just like the truck itself, the silos at the farms were filled from above. An example of such a silo can be seen in the picture, it’s behind the main building. The long pipe, resting on top of the truck’s bulk tank, was raised -naturally it could also swing sideways- and then the front end was placed into position, right through the silo’s opened hatch.
For the unloading process, the sliding hatches at the bottom of the bulk tank were pulled out and a set of screw conveyors was put to work. After a while, a rubber mallet was used to batter on the tank’s side panels, just to be sure that all the feed slid down to the lower screw conveyor. It was also a sort of soundcheck to confirm that the compartment was empty. All in all, quite the noisy job. Wearing ear protection? Well of course not!
At that time, this type of dry bulk haulers for delivering animal feed was already on its way out. They were replaced by trucks and semi-trailers with a round bulk tank and a pneumatic conveying system, while a hose connects the pipeline to the silo at the farm.
Something like this state-of-the-art big rig.
Sitting in the passenger seat of a big diesel truck, exploring the world (in my mind at least), that was my favorite out of school activity in the seventies. By a very wide margin. What a pleasant surprise to see one of them again, about 45 years later!
In the meantime, a completely new and much bigger feed mill was opened around 1990. It’s still operational, yet not in the Netherlands. Dad’s employers (two grandsons of the founder) moved the whole company to Bulgaria in the late nineties, the mill included.
I can’t tell how old this picture from Bulgaria is, but that Scania 3-series tractor from the nineties and the semi-trailer look mighty familiar…
Before Volvo came along, the Scania was the absolute King of the brazilian roads. All of them painted in Orange.
Really nice, love such old ads from other parts of the world!
In 1958, that L75 was the starting point for a series of conventionals that lasted till 1980, when the all-new Scania 2-series was introduced. Of course there were several updates (interior, powertrain components) along the way.
The last ones were the L81, L86 and L111 (4×2 chassis). These were never available with the V8 engine, introduced in 1969, when Scania-Vabis became Scania.
I didn’t realize you had that sort of childhood access to big trucks. It certainly explains your knowledge and enthusiasm for the subjects.
The red Tekno Scania 76 with one rear axle you could really lift was my favorite toy car. In its day the Scania Vabis was THE truck to have . For a kid that was a car nut these werd very impressive trucks.
Well, I basically grew up between all kinds of diesel machinery. Cars, vans, light trucks, heavy trucks, farm tractors, fork lifts, you name it.
The interest~fascination stayed.
Ive not actually seen a Scania that old or even know if any came here, its nicer inside than some of the trucks from the 50s I have ridden in or driven though and more actual horsepower, nice find.
The dashboard and interior of these conventionals were updated/refreshed in 1974. Prior to that year they had a classic, all-steel dash with an old-school steering wheel (you know what I mean).
Don’t know about NZ, but Scanias were offered in Australia in the (late?) seventies. I remember pictures of COE Scanias from that era with a set-forward front axle.
My Dad was in the feed and grain business and bought the first “bulk” truck to be used in our area. It was mounted on a 1963 GMC 2 ton chassis. It used the screw conveyors (augers) and revolutionized our work load. Up to that time, it was all scoop shovels and your sore back.
A 4×2 flatbed diesel truck (an Austin, followed by a DAF) with tall dropsides, a guy (the floor manager) dumping the burlap feed bags on an angle belt conveyor, and another guy (the truck driver) standing on the cargo bed to stack the bags.
Loading and unloading at the farms was all manual work, no forklifts, let alone truck-mounted forklifts. Weight per bag up to 80 kg (176 lbs). Those were the pre-bulk truck days at the very same mill.
Got a load of hog feed yesterday, same setup but on a tandem w/pony axle. Worked on my share of feed trucks over the years, from gas powered single axles with hydraulic brakes to 7bin tandems with tag and pony axles.
That first truck the cab and windshield look very International like
You mean like the cab DAF briefly used, Mike?
The Scania cab has a similar flat screen, but the doors were related to the more rounded LB (Bulldog) forward-control cab of the late ‘Fifties.
It’s always fascinated me how two tiny companies from the land of the ice & snow managed to conquer South America & Australasia, sort of like Diesel-powered Vikings.
I suppose it’s because Scania took a licence from Leyland for the combustion chamber design, there’s a kind of link to the Clownshoes from Lancashire. Bit like DAF…