Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/712836
EquipmentWorld.com | August 2016 13 I t might not be the prettiest machine in his fleet, but Tomy Stenvall's 1968 Volvo DR860 articulated hauler is certainly his most prized. But the truck isn't just a novelty antique at Stenvall's Amswede Corporation in Chula Vista, California. Since the early 1990s, the DR860 has been used on a daily ba- sis as a water truck on jobsites that require dust control or soil mixing. And recently, the truck earned Stenvall (center, in photo above) a trip to his home country of Sweden as part of Volvo's 50th anniver- sary celebration of the articu- lated hauler. Volvo developed the first tractor connected to a trailer via an articulating hitch in 1966, with the introduction of the DR631, which has been since dubbed "Gravel Char- lie." This machine is credited with starting the articulated hauler category, a highly maneuverable machine that can haul tons of material over muddy, rutted rough terrain. For the yearlong 50th an- niversary celebration, Volvo CE wanted to find the oldest Volvo articulated hauler still in use on a North American job- site. Stenvall's '68 DR860 now officially holds that title. As such, he was flown to Volvo's Braås, Sweden, facility as part of this designation. As it turns out, both Sten- vall and the truck call Swe- den home. "I left Sweden in 1982 to escape the snow, and I wound up in Southern California where I started Amswede, which I named after my con- nection to America and Swe- den," says Stenvall. "I needed something that was more agile than a typical Gi-series water truck, but not as clumsy as a water wagon. So I looked overseas and ended up getting my hands on this DR860 from a tunneling company in Swe- den. I paid $7,000 and they shipped it over in a container. We reassembled it, lengthened the frame and put a water tank and ag pump on it. It's been with us ever since." reporter | staff report Briefs P arent company Doosan Infracore has taken steps to take compact machine maker Bobcat public on the Korean Exchange. Doosan, which owns 66.6 percent of all Doosan Bobcat shares, first announced its intent to take the company public in February. IronPlanet users now have access to Express, an instant financing option that contractors can choose either before or after making a bid or purchase. Express, an online lender that special- izes in financing equipment for small businesses, has similar financing partnerships with Ebay and Proxibid. John Deere's two largest dozers, the 850K and 1050K, have received a 2016 Red Dot design award, awarded by a global jury of independent design specialists. Terex is selling its German compact construc- tion business to Yanmar. The deal involves the company's compact and midi-sized excavators, wheeled excavators and compact wheel loaders. Upon completion of the sale, Terex's construction division will sell skid steers, compact track loaders, backhoes and some specialty material handlers. World's oldest working Volvo artic in California fleet For more on each of these stories go to equipmentworld.com.