Peterbilt 359 1980

Thursday 29 April 2021

The 359 Peterbilt truck, is one of THE most popular models of all big rig trucks, originally built for the discriminating owner operator who needed a truck that could stand up to the challenges of long haul trucking.

The 359 Pete was Peterbilt’s top of the line conventional highway truck. In it’s day, it was THE hottest rig to own.

Peterbilt has made some great trucks, but this model, truly helped to make the Peterbilt company what it is today.

At the time the 359 was first introduced to the market, if a trucker wanted a long hood rig, the choice was the Peterbilt 359 or the Kenworth W900A truck. The Pete 359’s had a large engine compartment. Almost any engine and transmission combination, could be spec’ed for an order. This was a huge advantage as they could be designed for logging, produce work and any kind of specialized trucking. 

At the time, the 3408 Cat engine was popular and it would fit under the hood of a 359….a popular choice. 

Virtually any tranny could be placed in the 359 model, even the Spicer 604, the transmission of choice at the time.

Another added perk to the aluminum composition, was that it didn’t suffer from corrosion, so the bodies of this model, would, and have lasted a long time. aluminum body also made for a light weight truck.

If a trucker was looking for the lightest unit possible, this truck could be ordered with an all aluminum cab and bunk, and even the frame could be ordered in aluminum.

It was ‘full size’, and didn’t weigh very much…. a factor that was especially important to truckers hauling extra heavy freight, like produce haulers.

Technical data:
- engine: V8
- capacity: 18000 cc
- horsepower: 425 HP
- gearbox: 15+1
- top speed: 100 km/h

Peterbilt 281 1955

Thursday 29 April 2021

The Peterbilt 281/351 is a line of tractor units built by Peterbilt that ran from 1954 until 1976. The 281 series had a single drive axle, the 351 two. It was very popular with truckers, with the 351 series outlasting the 281.

A "Needlenose" model 281 was featured in the made-for-TV movie Duel in 1971.

The Peterbilt 281 emerged from Peterbilt's assembly plant in Oakland, California in 1954.

It earned the nickname "Needlenose" from its narrow nose and butterfly hood, popular with truckers for ease of engine access and superior visibility. Like its companion series 351, it had only two small round headlights.

Remaining in production until 1976, the 281/351 was a durable and popular series. The basic design made way for different models, with tilt cab-over-engine models introduced in 1959.

The 1971 release of Duel, Steven Spielberg's first feature film, imprinted the 281's intimidating image on the public. The film involved a psychotic trucker in a rusty, old 281 chasing a terrified motorist down a lonely California desert highway. After considering four big rigs, Spielberg chose the 281 for its anthropomorphic appearance; feeling it suggested a face viewed from the front. Throughout the picture the truck's driver remains unseen, with the truck serving as proxy for the film's villain.

The original 74-minute TV movie used a tag axle 1955 Peterbilt 281. It was destroyed in the film's climactic crash scene. A 2nd 281, a 1960 with tag axle, was prepared as a backup, but went unused. It has been in and out of its Duel "make-up" since. The surviving truck also made a cameo in the beginning of the 2004 movie Torque.

When the film was expanded to 90 minutes for theatrical release, two additional 281/351 stunt rigs were purchased.

The first of these was a 1964 Peterbilt 351, virtually identical to the original, except for its air intake. It was used to film additional scenes, but was later destroyed in another production.

The final truck was a short-wheelbase 351 that never appeared in Duel, but was used in a 1978 episode of the CBS-TV series The Incredible Hulk. The episode, titled "Never Give a Trucker an Even Break", added stock footage from Duel to new scenes with the 351, making Spielberg furious. However, the usage was legal as the movie and the episode were both produced by Universal Studios, and the Duel contract said nothing about reusing the footage in other Universal productions.

The 281 seen in the movie had to be modified so it could hit speeds up to 90 miles per hour. The engine was a CAT 1674 twin-turbocharged engine (about 300 horsepower) with a 13-speed transmission. The 1960 281 had a Cummins NTC-350 and a Spicer 5-speed with a 3-speed auxiliary.

Technical data:
- engine: S6
- capacity: 14000 cc
- horsepower: 330 HP
- gearbox: 8+1
- top speed: 80 km/h