SCRAPPED! Old Caterpillar V8 Diesel Dump Truck - Will it Run & Work?

[@anml4676]

How good to see a Leader truck again, I drove them for several years. The industrial waste removal company I worked for eventually had 6 of them, 4 with compactor bodies (front lift), and 2 roll-on-roll-off types, all 8-wheel (twin steer) tippers, with 6 cylinder Cat engines and Allison auto transmissions (maybe the A8 series?). Beautiful trucks, well built, strong and reliable. Weight wasn't a concern like it is today,and these waste trucks sure got some heavy loads sometimes. It looks like this earlier model had an air throttle like the later ones, maybe a design feature to stop people revving the crap out of a cold engine? Apparently the fibreglass cabs were made in an ex-Mack mould. Sad that Leader Trucks went out of business. Thanks for the memories.

[@rogeredmeades1422]

Great old find Bruce, I had the pleasure of having two Caterpillar 1160's (the predecessor) in the fleet I maintained in the '70's. I remember going out to a leader broken down on the side of the road in W.A,with clutch issues & am pretty sure we had to fix it on the side of the road., crazy thing is I am still doing it now for Daimler Trucks Gold Coast. Keep these videos coming, thanks Bruce.

[@jcbro86]

I love old cab overs. I don’t know anything about Leader so thanks for showing it off.

[@johnpartridge7623]

Glad to see another old Truck saved & working, good job Bruce.

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

Hey Bruce, great video and well done to the scrappers for seeing its potential and not crushing it. Can I suggest one small thing, when creating your title add words that will get you a lot bigger audience. If you called it “Rare V8 Caterpillar powered truck saved from scrap in Australia” or something like that, the KZbin algorithm will suggest it to the Caterpillar fans around the world. That’s hundreds of thousands in the US alone and the Americans love seeing Australian stuff. Anyway, great channel that deserves a lot more subscribers. Cheers mate, Stu🇦🇺

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Stu, I’m certainly no expert on KZbin so your feedback is very welcomed and greatly appreciated, Bruce

[@gordonagent7037]

Great feedback Stu, the old bugger needs looking out for

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

@@bruceinaus Me either Bruce but I’m learning. You have a great channel and you deserve to have it grow. “Will it start” is another headline that seems to get a lot of attention. Cheers, Stu.

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

@@gordonagent7037 Nice one Gordon, obviously you two are mates👍👍👍

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks both of you for the support, Bruce

[@GMCGUY-]

That looks like so much fun Bruce 😄 WOW your a Kid at Heart lol Great Video I Absolutely LOVE ALL YOUR VIDEOS CANT WAIT FOR MORE.❤❤❤❤MUCH LOVE FROM THE STATES 🇺🇲

[@johnjordan4647]

Nice old Aussie truck. The bonneted version was a lot less common than the cab over version 👍Thanks for the video Bruce

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks John, to be honest I can’t remember seeing a bonneted leader in recent history but I have seen the very occasional cab over! Bruce

[@neillawson4493]

You do a great job of highlighting uniquely Australian contributions to the world of heavy equipment and their manufacturers! As an Australian it is good to see some of the history. My father in law had a Bedford cattle truck and I took a number of trips to his farm ini it. Thank you!

[@AllianceB95]

That's one heck of a truck !!!! Working 'good as new'

[@franklinrhodevelt6441]

The 3208 Caterpillar engine was the beginning of the end of true diesels. 100,000 mile engines for straight trucks. They called it a throw away block. No cylinder liners, 2 compression rings, no oil control rings.

[@Paul-z4q]

Great video. Some smaller operators used Leaders in the waste industry. Frontlift, Cable lift etc

[@madcat4563]

What a beautiful old truck.

[@peterduffy3871]

Great video Bruce. Love the Leaders, I’ve got a B series Challenger with an 8v92. All hand built and Australian content apart from the engine and power steering box. Glad to see that old girl saved from the scrap heap.

[@sdjnwhyNZ]

I don't own a diesel truck. But the layout of my light petrol truck is very similar to the heavy diesel ones. So I can still learn and apply a lot of maintenance principles from you. Thank you.

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

Grandfather once said "Leader is the Mack you have when you haven't the money for a real Mack". They looked like a Mack at a distance too (similar cab design), also noted the "Mack" drivers seat in the cab... Check out the rust in the tipper body right side, floor is about kaput! The Leaders I remember all had spider wheels, that must have been a very early model Bruce? You should nickname it "Smoking Joe". Great little loader the Cat 910, runs well. Really enjoyed that video too, thanks Bruce, well done.👌

[@bruceinaus]

Hello Dave, funny you should say that about these leaders, I believe Cyril Anderson was actually a Mack importer at the time of building these trucks but Mack didn’t have a medium class rigid truck back then so he made his own. This may be why they share some similarities id say. Yes shes not afraid to smoke, particularly under load up the hills. I’m not sure if it’s a combination of glazed bores from idling or worn oil rings or both. For a little motor it still feels pretty snappy but we are only in the low and middle set most of the time. The 910 is from the 80/s and it has been rebuilt. It is a good versatile machine for a small property like mine. Any bigger and it might struggle to fit through certain places. Thanks very much for the comments, Bruce

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

@@bruceinaus Thanks for that Bruce, I think there is a Mack connection somewhere.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

The Macks wear the drivers out from the outside in. I'm one of them.@@dieseldavetrains8988

[@ringo196]

I can see hints of a scammell also grp cab

[@lewiemcneely9143]

RIGHT! And maybe the newer 'C' models had any room. The old B's RD's, MB's and DM's weren't built for a big person.I was 6'2" when I started and am 5'11" now and my right foot points at a permanent 45 degree angle from trying to get on the old truck accelerator pedals. Yes, they're tough but the driver has to or HAD to be tough also. CHEERS!@@ringo196

[@ShaneTLong]

Thanks for the videos Bruce!

[@petery53]

Hello Bruce, I started my driving career in a new 1976 8x4 Leader tipper,I was working on a cereal farm 90 km;s east of Esperance in WA. It had a Cat 3208 with a 13 speed Eaton box. Before the farm purchased the truck it was sent to Japan for a trade show and the farm got it when it came back to Australia.I drove it for 2 years carting grain and fertiliser towing a tandem pig trailer with a grain bin on it. It was a great truck to drive.

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks for sharing Peter, sounds like it was very similar to this one just twin steer? Bruce

[@australiantruckspotting8883]

Great to see it going. the 910m looks like it's in great nick as well.

[@atlantaperimeter]

I wish you all the luck with youtube, love your videos, big fan. This man is a real mechanic, everyone should pay attention to his methods.

[@stuart8663]

Great Australian clean sky and bush scenes!

[@janice4101]

Bruce, Elwyn Horten at Bidwell had 2 Leaders about 4 years ago when I was drilling a water bore him he may still have them. Love your channel regards. Ron Stevens

[@bruceinaus]

Gday Ron, great to see another wide bay local, I’ll look into that, thanks Bruce

[@gmcjimmy3580]

That is one of the coolest old trucks I’ve ever seen, good deal to those who saved her.

[@bruceinaus]

It’s certainly unique, Bruce

[@_____7704]

Ol Brucey needs a Patreon where you don't "buy him a coffee" - you shout him a pint!

[@Golden-dog88]

Hey Bruce ❤ ya videos can see how much you truely care for the ol girls. Should call this 1 Chuga, she chugs along nicely

[@colinsimmons2913]

i used to drive a leader twin steer dual rear axel auto for Melbourne petroleum Esso days, out of Thomastown for years good old truck but single drive lazy axel it would get bogged on onion grass

[@StevenMilne-sm4fk]

That was nice of them to fix and keep her. Good job gents😎saw them around here in QLD, never knew they were made in Toowoomba. Gee ay? Those interior door handles look like 180B Datsun.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Drove several different brands of tandems with 3208's and they were fine engines. I liked the ones with the 13-under Fullers and next was the 9-speeds or 8-double lows. And I always called 1st 1st instead of lo anything. Always did me good. Thanks!

[@PeterShaw-lb9lt]

Always great videos bruce you explain things in a way that are easy understand plus you easy lay back presentation

[@Jagermonsta]

hey just stumbled upon the video, was interesting to learn about. i'll have to check out the other vids

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Beardy, I have a couple of other videos up, best regards, Bruce

[@matrix54190]

I love to watch your videos, Bruce from down-under👍👍 Have a nice day. Greetings from👋🥖🇫🇷 Peter

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you Peter, much appreciated, Bruce

[@mischef18]

Well for it being basically left for scrap it sure makes a good farm truck bro. Safe travels. Ken..

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Ken, yes it did very well across this paddock, Bruce

[@Stephen-ou4sy]

There was a company in New Farm Brisbane that used a few of those Leaders. The trucks were always immaculate. From memory the company was called Gowan and sons, I could be wrong about the name. Thanks for sharing

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks for that, I’ll have a look into them tonight, Bruce

[@Arturo277]

Que agradable tener su propio terreno y maquinaria y hacer lo propio en el, lo felicito señor bruce no todo el mundo tiene la oportunidad que ud

[@patd5146]

That's a sweet sounding and looking old bus, very nice.

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Pat, she does the job nicely here on the property, Bruce

[@petergracemeguide1280]

A national treasure as a kid I was told to look out for iconic trucks including the Leader

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Peter, unfortunately we no longer have the Australian made trucks like we used to, leader, rfw, acco, Bedford ect. Bruce

[@petergracemeguide1280]

@@bruceinaus I have a acco 6x6 and used to love the RFW privately owned water tanker fire truck" Charlston tanker" the number of times it saved the day . A true asset. Australian firebrigades need to design an Australian range of purpose built fire trucks. These Isuzu hunks of junk will get someone killed. Oh also looking after a c1600 4x4 ex CFS truck "ex meadows 34" for the Vietnam veterans. It has a Perkins retrofit d for the last 3 months of service before being replaced by a Hino. They were good too , another government dodgy deal to get rid of them too and go Isuzu junk.

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

Really nice old truck Bruce, it's a shame that many are scrapped since they still have lots of good parts which could be used to keep others running.

[@sprendergast351]

Hi Bruce, I think I remember these Leader trucks being assembled and fitted out in New Zealand at Wade Motors just off The Rapa straight in Hamilton.

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you, it seems surprising good offroad so I imagine they were probably sold and supplied over your way! Bruce

[@jimmyjazz9014]

Cool old truck, not quite so common here in NZ. Cat sounds nice

[@davidpartridge4685]

Good on ya Bruce...

[@PaulMeyer-v8t]

Howdyyawl from the land down under. Well Bruce, you picked a nice gem there. Still looks like a nice neat unit, needs a little love. Sounds solid still, breaks sound good still, it tips very well still for it's age. Motor needs an oil change & some fuel additive to clean up the carbon. It should still be able to go back on the road with some TLC. Nice pick😊

[@johannesbohnert6018]

A very good Truck. I love IT!!!

[@BL2197]

I just found your channel Bruce, really enjoying these videos and ive learned a bit too. Keep up the good work! Cheers

[@MitchelMacgregor]

That is my grandads old truck the moter had some thing wrong contact me if you want to know anything else about it or to get some parts for it

[@RustNRestoration]

Never seen one before, but I love them! Proper old school tipper, I had a K series Dodge back here in the UK with a Perkins V8, love the channel👍

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks very much rustnrestoration, much appreciated, Bruce

[@IchliebeHunde58]

Great video. Much enjoyed

[@Brad_The_Truckie]

It’s sad to her these old girls are getting scrapped for 4K, the engine would be worth more second hand. Great she’s saved and back to work

[@kerrygleeson4409]

Great video Bruce drove a Leader way back then

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Kerry, Bruce

[@randomoldbloke]

Have done a lot of work on leaders had a fleet to look after in the early 80s . The 3208 and 13 speed did not match very well the cat was to small to hold revs changing gear and they liked to crack the chassis around the steering box . Pity it is not the version with 13 on the tree they were a real pig to drive. Slip a 903 or a formula 290 in with a 15 speed and you have a winner

[@bruceinaus]

Evening Pete, thanks very much for the info. It’s hard to gauge driving it round the paddock and we can’t go up the road as it’s not registered. We will probably finish this job with it then we will send it back to the scrap yard to do it’s work there as a site truck but I will pass this info on to them. Bruce

[@christopherhampson265]

"Sounds like she's got a wobble in the bottom end !! " Running on Empty. ( Bloody good film eh !) Still pulling its weight ❤❤❤❤❤

[@MattL6.2]

I’m not sure I follow your logic. With the 13 you can split the gears which is ideal for a low horse engine like a 3208. Any straight trans like a 9,10 or 15 would have to much drop between shifts for the engine the handle it with out real power.

[@tubbytub2990]

Hi Bruce I drove a Leader in Aurukun for a builder. It had a 555 Cummins and 13 speed Road Ranger in it. It was an agi. Great videos.

[@bruceinaus]

Hello, they must have sent these leaders far and wide and they must have been fairly durable, thanks for the compliment, Bruce

[@arthurfreemonsr3795]

Yes Bruce I like your video keep up the good work 😊

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Arthur, much appreciated, Bruce

[@andrewking4885]

That's got a euro front axle or hubs. My father had a Leader prime mover with bunk and 3406A CAT. A good truck.

[@jesstill7833]

That seat looks like it wants to break your back,,your knees are near to your chest ,,,But it looks like a good old banger cheers ❤️🙏😀👍🦘🇦🇺

[@daddybob6096]

Very interesting review Bruce. Watching from Lower Hutt NZ. Bob.

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks for watching Bob, Bruce

[@mo-tb2sq]

Some people had issues with the 3208 but it worked quite hard in ten yarders and Aggies around town day in day out for lots of years worked on a lot of them in the day

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you, yes the loader has the 3204 which I believe is almost the same motor cut in half, dry liners ect and I have also heard complaints about that family of cat engines over the years. Bruce

[@pete-mate3524]

Awesome Bruce!! Love your work!!

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you Pete, Bruce

[@fredscheerle7592]

Great Bruce, Never new the History on Leader Truck's, So thanks for that, but it looks like that Old Cat Likes its OIl.

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Fred, yes I’d say so too, we gave it a bit of a top up before we started and putting the video together watching it, the smoke does seem worse than I thought driving it, particularly coming out of the gully areas loaded up the hills. Thanks for watching, Bruce

[@fredscheerle7592]

@@bruceinaus not sure, it could improve after running a while, but it might just run out too.

[@gordonagent7037]

Bruce, I never knew leader was an Aus built truck., I see one of the comments below mention a book about them, must try and get hold of it for a read. Another great video, good especially to see there are other people out there prepared to save old steel and bring it back to life.

[@bruceinaus]

Gday Gordon, yes I didn’t know about the book either so I will also try to get a copy. Yes the scrap yard should be commended for saving it and giving it a second life, Bruce

[@roberthughes2665]

I was caught off guard by your name of that type of truck. Here in USA....we call them "Dump" trucks. 😂. I learned something about Australia today. Kool. Thanks 👍

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Robert

[@Hexcaliblur83]

What a sweet old rig Bruce! 😁👍🇦🇺 Dumpers like that love a load on their back.. i drove a dumpsr like this fora shire in WA and would hop skip and jump all over the road without anything in the bucket.. once she had a load, she rode smooth and easy..

[@atlantaperimeter]

I just came across this creator and I have to be honest, this is inspiring. Recently I abandoned youtube as a creator due to exploitation of my media without monetization . I got over 2 million views in 3 months and youtube didnt even calculate my public watch hours. I became frustrated so I deleted my 468 videos from the platform. KZbin was not happy , and they contacted me. I told them im done with the platform.

[@gregj7916]

Interesting stuff, never heard of them, shame a lot of manufacturing ceased in Australia.

[@bruceinaus]

Agree with you Greg it is a shame, thanks for watching, Bruce

[@stevesplacedownunder]

Hi made great video. These are great trucks. My mate has a bunch of them including one near identical to this but a longer wheelbase. I’ve do a lot of work to it and also used it a lot. Well done mate and keep them coming

[@bruceinaus]

Morning Steve, thanks very much, a few more loads moved yesterday evening and everything is going pretty well with the old jiger! Bruce

[@markbehr88]

Nice truck.

[@shannonschneider8413]

Thats a rare old leader,not many came out with 10 stud rims,be interesting to find her history

[@sd5009]

Appears to have a quality driver seat, at least.

[@StevenMilne-sm4fk]

Ha yea, a MACK unit😎🥳

[@simonschulz415]

Yeah I used to drive one back in the day rough as guts hot noisy me personally I’d leave it at the scrap yard about the same level of misery as the fir700 8wheel Mack I drove for bells with 10 wheel dog even now i remember the joy of the power assist steering trying to back in to tip .

[@Golden-dog88]

thats cause you havnt got Bruces heart and love for these ol girls

[@petefranghis738]

damn great truck in it's day they just keep going. Shame that parts are hard to find,otherwise they would go for ever.

[@perrymclennan868]

I remember seeing one in Timaru s/ lslnd NZ IN THE EARLY 80s with a v8 cat

[@bruceinaus]

Hello Perry, yes another commenter said they had a depot putting them together over in NZ back in the day, thanks for watching, Bruce

[@user-fv7fc4os8w]

Hey Bruce, there's a book written about Leader Trucks by Rob Laurent , titled "The Australian Challenger", published by Blue Flyer Publishing.

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you, I’ll have a look at that, Bruce

[@johncunningham4820]

Quite a lot of " Daylight " showing through the front section of the Bucket , and yeah , the Old Girl needs a De-Glaze . Other than that a Perfect Farm Truck . Leaders were really quite good trucks .

[@bruceinaus]

Morning John, yes agree, a bit was spilling out the front when tipping and dropping the first few load in, as you’d know they always rust up the front where the dirt sits. And yep, needs a deglaze, this family apparently don’t like idling and it would be doing plenty of that as a yard truck. Gave it a good look over when greasing, otherwise surprisingly tidy, kingpins, shafts ect. Thanks for the comment, Bruce

[@annalouise280110]

Is that alwyn horton old truck????

[@andrewstuckey7736]

Thankyou good video 👍👍

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks very much Andrew, Bruce

[@andrewstuckey7736]

That ok Bruce you started a bit shy but got going in strde I live in W.A

[@MikeMcAuliffe-g2f]

Gee Bruce, why so tentative? Drive that beast!

[@saint-AU]

more say respect for the vehicle

[@MikeMcAuliffe-g2f]

@@saint-AU Would you not show respect by driving it?

[@saint-AU]

@@MikeMcAuliffe-g2f you cant not drive an old gem like this but thrashing it isnt the way to go 👍

[@PeterShaw-lb9lt]

I was talking to a guy that had leader it was still working full time it had a half a million miles on the speedo it still ran well and sounded good he had no intention of retiring it he said not when it still goes ok

[@bruceinaus]

Interesting Peter, I didn’t really look at the kms on this one but I’ll check when I get back in it next weekend, Bruce

[@GavincredibleAU2]

I hope you wre not too disappointed that someone already saved it!

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Gavin, the more that are saved the better in my opinion, regardless of who does it! Thanks for watching, Bruce

[@joelhardingham5728]

Looks like the one john Sheppard had I may be wrong

[@nickmetcalfe4536]

Why is the steering wheel so horizontal, looks hard to use

[@shaneellasdaicastrestorati3675]

Looks like a perfectly useable truck now, where are you located

[@bruceinaus]

Hi Shane, very usable, in wide bay, QLD, Bruce

[@shaneellasdaicastrestorati3675]

@@bruceinaus I thought it looked like sunny Queensland,

[@2blokes_4strokes]

This is an absolute bute bruce

[@Annon.yamous]

I love the old screaming jimmy 2 stroke Detroit music to me deaf ears

[@MattL6.2]

I must of missed the Detroit in the video. All I saw was a 3208. 🤷‍♂️

[@joelhardingham2119]

Like john Sheppard earth moving old leader

[@bruceinaus]

Quite possibly Joel, where was he based? Bruce

[@einfelder8262]

The old girl could benefit from a good dose of CEM engine flush. Clears all the gum from around the rings and the sludge form everywhere. I've used it in an old 2H Toyota fourby that from memory took 10l oil, and we got 14 litres of the worst looking muck you've ever seen out of it :) She ran much better after that, less smoke, noticeably more power - if you could ever use the word power when speaking of a 2H, haha.

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you, I’ll have a look into that, thanks for sharing, Bruce

[@bobw7066]

the truck is named after head bullock of a bullock team, LEADER.

[@bruceinaus]

Thank you, I didn’t know that, Bruce

[@johnmorrow7080]

An old mate went to see his old mate who lived in Darwin in the 80's the guys car needed a safety check we would call them a MOT test , the front grill was broken and needed replacing so the pair of them went to the local scrapyard my was wondering about when he say a open gate with a guy with a strimmer cutting down the long grass , he was spotted by the guy who started shouting at him to get back as the area had snakes in it , the lad he was over seeing was an engineer who went over in the 60's went to Darwin Uni and became a teacher .

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks John, Bruce

[@МихаилСтаростин-д8к]

Отлично!!!!

[@Frank-bh3cm]

How much was the truck rental? 😄

[@bruceinaus]

😂 thanks for watching Frank, Bruce

[@MegaDirtyberty]

Those snakes better look out, they will get buried.

[@bruceinaus]

That’s right! Hopefully they took off when they felt us driving around on top but I expect they are only going to get worse with a hot and dry summer predicted for us here in Qld! Bruce

[@Dannyvirk]

Back in the day when truckies were thin

[@bruceinaus]

Not heaps of room in the cab Danny but it’s sufficient for me (not that I’m thin). It’s not the easiest to get in and out of but better than a butter box acco, Bruce

[@josephiacuzio6361]

If she was over here in the States I would buy her from you

[@bruceinaus]

Thanks Joseph, Bruce