Truckmodeler
Active Member
Butler Brothers Logging of Sooke/Victoria B.C. built some unique trucks in the 60's and 70's. Claude and Wally Butler wanted to maximize load capacity and went with a cab-under-load design. The evolution of the design began in 1960 and culminated with the Mark 5 in 1974. I've been researching these trucks and its been both interesting and puzzling at times since little remains of either the trucks or their history. What I have gathered together are a few photos, some fading memories and some attempts to decipher where and when and how many of these rigs actually existed. My original intent was to gather information for building a model of the Mark 5. That model has yet to happen but in the process of finding details and plans of that truck I found that precious little was preserved of the others. Now it has become a bit of a personal quest to put the history of the Butler Brothers logging trucks down in some form of permanent record, a cradle to grave story of each of them. So, I will relay what I have learned to date and share some of the photos I have discovered. I am still researching and will be trying to get some first hand memories from those who worked around them but for now most of what I present is an outline of the history. If you have further information please add it. If you find errors in my accounts, please correct them. I am not a trucker or an equipment operator so some of my information or references to parts etc. will not be entirely accurate.
OK, here's the starting point: 1960. Claude Butler wanted something radically different from the logging trucks of the day. He and good friend Basil (Barney) Oldfield designed and built the first of four unique trucks. As best i can tell from photos, this truck (the first of 3 #70 trucks) used Mack axles and rear ends, and ran on dual 1200 tires on all wheels. It had a rigid log bunk frame with an articulated tandem axle power bogie under each end. This was effectively an articulated 8x8. The cab sat beside the engine, both of which hung out over the front power bogie. The engine was a Jimmy - not sure what size - and it drove a shaft back to a central gearbox midships under the rigid log bunk frame. This then distributed power to the front and rear power bogies. This was a small truck compared to the Mark 5 but was the beginning. Roll-out appears to have been in 1960-61 but little has come to light about this truck and what happened to it. My best guess at this point was that it ran until the #36 and second #70 came on line, both of which were substantially larger and approached the load capacity of 100 tons that Claude and Wally were shooting for.
I'll post some shots of the first truck as soon as i figure out how to do it.
More to follow,
Cheers.
OK, here's the starting point: 1960. Claude Butler wanted something radically different from the logging trucks of the day. He and good friend Basil (Barney) Oldfield designed and built the first of four unique trucks. As best i can tell from photos, this truck (the first of 3 #70 trucks) used Mack axles and rear ends, and ran on dual 1200 tires on all wheels. It had a rigid log bunk frame with an articulated tandem axle power bogie under each end. This was effectively an articulated 8x8. The cab sat beside the engine, both of which hung out over the front power bogie. The engine was a Jimmy - not sure what size - and it drove a shaft back to a central gearbox midships under the rigid log bunk frame. This then distributed power to the front and rear power bogies. This was a small truck compared to the Mark 5 but was the beginning. Roll-out appears to have been in 1960-61 but little has come to light about this truck and what happened to it. My best guess at this point was that it ran until the #36 and second #70 came on line, both of which were substantially larger and approached the load capacity of 100 tons that Claude and Wally were shooting for.
I'll post some shots of the first truck as soon as i figure out how to do it.
More to follow,
Cheers.