volume 43 number 5 To Advertise Call (800) 462-8283 mAy 2016 RONALD WALTENSPIEL - HEALDSBURG, CA. FIDDLING WITH STERLING TRUCKS May 26-28 AmericAn Truck HisToricAl socieTy nATionAl convenTion & T ruck sHow Salem FairgroundS Salem , o regon 47 2 REPORTINGINFROM... 6 1 0 2 y A m RONALD r r e e k k C C u u WALTENSPIEL r r T T g g o o L L A dry fruit farmer by trade for 58 years, Waltenspiel has 20 Sterling trucks from the origi - nal company’s production ranging in years from 1917 to 1953 . He has restored ten of the trucks and has a full- time mechanic, Stephen Paul, working on the Sterling trucks. Two of those trucks are Sterling log trucks that have wooden reaches and plenty of stories from years of service. William Sternberg began a wagon company at the turn of the 20th century and eventually started putting engines in them. When WWI struck, he tried to sell his trucks to the French but they refused the German-named com - STERLING pany “Sternburg Trucks Company” so William changed the name to Ster - ling and sold his trucks to the British . The company sold to White Motor Company in the 1950s and production stopped shortly after . TRUCKS Ronald Waltenspiel keeps the trucks alive in Healdsburg, CA. INTHISISSUE 2. REPORTING IN FROM... LLog TTruCker Founded in 1975 by Finley Hays Published by 4. A BRIGHT HISTORY loggers world llc A COLLECTION OF STERLING TRUCKS by Brandon Hansen Phone (360) 262-3376 PuBliSHerS............................. kevin & nancy core 16. LOG A LOAD FOR KIDS ediTorS emeriTi.......... Finley Hays, mike crouse ediTor/WriTer.............................. brandon Hansen adVerTiSing............................................. kevin core 18. BLAST FROM THE PAST oFFiCe manager..................................... nancy core A LOOK AT OUR HERITAGE by Quinn J. Murk PosTmAsTer: send address changes to: loggers world llc , 20. ADVERTISERS INDEX P. o. box 1631, chehalis, wA 98532-8425 e-mail: [email protected] ON THE FRONT: This 1947 Sterling log WE’VE GOT WHAT YOU WANT truck is owned by Ronald Waltenspiel and subscriPTion rATe (in u.s.A.): was on display at the Redwood Region $25.00 per year; Two years for $50.00 loggerS World llC cannot and does not assume responsibility Logging Conference in Ukiah, California. for the contents of any adver tising in loggers World. The representa - The truck has a Page trailer and a wooden LIKE WHAT YOU SEE IN LOG TRUCKER? tions made by advertising is the responsibility of the adver tiser and not loggers World. loggers World does not knowingly accept adver - reach. If the reach broke, they always had Buy a Subscription so you don’t miss a single issue: tising that is false or misleading. The limit of loggers World liability plenty of wood to make a new one. in case of a mistake made in advertising copy by loggers World will be the charge of the actual space containing the error or less for that See “A Bright History” www.loggersworld.com particular advertisement starting on Page 4 3 4 6 3 Log TruCker mAy 2016 4 45 4 RONALD WALTENSPIEL’S STERLING TRUCK COLLECTION - HEALDSBURG, CA. 6 SITTING IN THE SHOP is a 1948 Sterling 1 0 truck with modern running gear that Ronald 2 “Nobody y Waltenspiel still uses around his dry farm in A Healdsburg, California. The truck has a 350 m Cummins engine and Late model KW rears. else was fiddling with r r e e them” k k C C u u r r T T g g o o L L ABRIGHT HISTORY Rare Sterling trucks find home on Ronald Waltenspiel’s farm story by brandon Hansen tore it all apart,” Waltenspiel Photos by kevin core said. “my wife came in and For Log Trucker asked if i knew where all the parts went. i said no.” The reason ronald Walten - But he persevered and even - spiel collects rare old Sterling tually got the truck all back to - Trucks is simple. gether. Waltenspiel learned a “nobody else was fiddling valuable lesson - however - of with them,” Waltenspiel, a dry taking photos of the truck as - fruit farmer by trade, said. sembled beforehand. The Healdburg, Ca resident Sterlings range from medium has a collection of 20 Sterling to heavy trucks and Walten - Trucks, with most of them being spiel’s collection ranges from stored in buildings he owns 1917 to 1953. around his farm. While he ad - “You can’t tear things apart mits that a few are out in the and then go down to the au - weather, they’re all slated to be toparts store to get a part,” Wal - restored. tenspiel said. “a half day can Sterling trucks are rare for a THERE’S PLENTY OF CHROME ON THIS 1928 Sterling. The radiator and just evaporate working on these variety of reasons. The company cap for this truck has a little more style to it than your normal work truck. things.” was sold to White motor Compa - Working is exactly was Wal - ny in 1953, and then the line tenspiel plans on doing. He said stretches back to the dawn of the trucks from germans, for obvi - was discontinued shortly after - that his wife ruth took a class 20th century when William ous reasons,” Waltenspiel said. ward. Sterling trucks were com - on aging and that in some indus - Sternberg began a wagon com - So Sternberg turned his atten - plex with a degree of personal tries, the average time of people pany. tion to the english - and turned craftsmanship that you don’t see passing away after retiring is a “Then they began putting mo - his company name to Sterling. from a modern-day assembly year and a half. tors in their wagons and went Waltenspiel found his first line - only about 12,000 trucks “if something doesn’t get you from there,” Waltenspiel said. old Sterling truck over a decade were made before the merger motivated to get out of the bed in 1916, Sternberg tried to ago in a truck magazine and de - with White. in the morning, you’re going to Waltenspiel has been collect - sell trucks to France during the cided to bring himself home a ing Sterlings for about 12 years first World War, but they project. (continued on Page 11) but the history of the company wouldn’t bite. “i said to myself i’d better fix “They said we don’t buy it so i brought it in my shop and See “Sterling” 5 5 BUILT DURING WORLD WAR 1, this 1917 Sterling truck is one of the first trucks to bear the name “Sterling” as company owner William 6 1 Sternberg had to change the name from his 0 2 German last name to sell them to the British. y A m r r e e k k C C u u r r T T g g o o L L INDUSTRIAL, LLC LOG TRAILERS CALL (208) 877-1714 "! ("! &-&+ (, 6 43 6 6 1 0 2 y A m r r e e k k C C u u r r T T g g o o L L ITS A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN THE BACK as Sterling trucks are This 1935 Sterling came from Washington state but known to have worm gear differentials that according to Walten - had previously hauled fruit in Californa. spiel allow the trucks to “climb up a cliff.” He is a bit reserved as to getting into them, though. “I would love to take one apart but I don’t dare to because I’d never get it back together,” he said. “It was expensive to build and maintain. The just couldn’t do it. I look at these trucks and you can tell somebody wrote down the Special Thanks to our friends plan on paper and used a lathe to build them.” Mel and David Ford Advanced Hydraulic Supply of Redwood Valley, California for =5'.4'/13,#.& helping us set up this exclusive 1-877-887-1730 • (503) 289-0354 look at this unique STERLING TRUCK COLLECTION owned by Ronald Waltenspiel I-5 Exit 263 Monday-Friday: 8:00-5:30 503-463-0500 !##( CATALOG! WWW.TRUCKCHROME.COM Come see us at the CHROME BUMPERS National Convention ruck Show ATHS T !#! (% In Store Specials & )"# Special Saturday Store Hours for the show! MOJO POLISH SALE PRICE $13.95 $ #% ! $% !'$ Come in #$ 940'1*/1$1#2*/.'2*23#.%' & #! for all your clean & 9-01/5'&'15*%' '-0'1#341'3/ : : polish needs! 9*(),'7*$*,*38 9*() '.2*,'; '73*,'<1#*&#8'1 Your Home • BUMPERS • STACKS • LED LIGHTS for Chrome! • CHROME • FLAPS • FENDERS 7 7YVNYLZZP]L*HZ\HS[`0UZ*V HɉSPH[LZ(SSJV]LYHNLZ\IQLJ[[VWVSPJ`[LYTZ 4 2 7 Log TruCker mAy 2016 8 41 8 6 1 0 2 y A m r r e e k k C C u u r r T T g g o o L L THE STERLING TRUCK COLLECTION has become a full-time job. “You can’t tear things apart and then go down to the autoparts store to get a part,” Ronald Waltenspiel (above) says, “A half day can just evaporate working on these things.” Waltenspiel has a full-time mechanic, Stephen Paul (right), who works on the trucks with plenty of gusto. “I’ve known him since he was two-foot tall,” Waltenspiel said. “He’s a hell of a mechanic.” Stop by and ask for the "LOGGER'S SPECIAL" for thisDD TRAEGERTRAEGER JUNIORJUNIOR PROPRO pellet grillDD We have Stihl & Husqvarna chainsaws, G. W. GANNON EQUIPMENT a full wire rope & rigging shop, ! (541) 928-5244 work clothes, calk boots, and much more.