Leading Propane Company Ferrellgas

Owners Restore Vintage Kenworth Trucks
as Labor of Love and To Preserve Industry’s History
Owners Say Kenworth Trucks Stand Test
of Time Through Quality Manufacturing
KIRKLAND, Wash. – For Al Koenig, his first
look at a Kenworth truck at the age of 8 was love at
first sight.
“I can remember the first time I saw Kenworth
trucks as they passed my parents’ Minnesota farm,”
Koenig said.
The stories of Koenig and several other
Kenworth truck owners who collect and restore
vintage Kenworths have one common theme: a
strong fondness for trucks, particularly Kenworths.
Their passion for restoring them is sparked by an
interest in not only preserving the trucks
themselves, but also the 90-year history of
Kenworth’s impact on the industry.
1928 Kenworth Model VS107
Al Koenig, Rochester, Minn.
Koenig’s affection for Kenworth was part of
the reason why he bought and ran only Kenworth
trucks when he owned Midwest Specialized
Transportation of Rochester, Minn. He also bought
a 1928 Kenworth Model VS107 that a company
driver found during a chance stop near Sedro
Woolley, Wash., in 1976. Koenig said the
restoration work on that 1928 Kenworth took his
company’s master mechanic and professional
restoration shop about 5 years to complete.
After Koenig retired several years ago, the
Koenig family and his son, Chris, who stayed to
assure a smooth transition from family ownership,
sold the company exactly 40 years to the day Al
founded it. Chris now works for Rihm Kenworth,
while Al Koenig still proudly owns and
occasionally shows his 1928 Kenworth VS107. He
also owns the first Kenworth W900L that served as
Kenworth’s 75th anniversary tour truck and five
other antique Kenworths, some of which are still in
the process of being restored. Kurt Reed, who drove
the W900L as it hauled the 75th Anniversary
Kenworth museum trailer on a nationwide tour of
Kenworth dealerships in 1998, now serves as safety
director of Midwest Specialized Transportation.
Koenig said the Kenworth VS107, which is
named after Vernon Smith, Kenworth’s legendary
sales manager from 1922 to 1952, typifies the type
of truck Kenworth built in those early years. The
flatbed body was fabricated in Chicago and shipped
to Kenworth’s Mercer Street plant in Seattle for
final assembly of the truck with a gasoline-powered
Continental engine.
“We were so lucky to find an early Kenworth
in fairly decent shape with the original stock
engine,” Koenig said. “The technological
innovations Kenworth has introduced and
incorporated into their models over the years have
shaped the history of truck manufacturing and left
an indelible mark on the trucking industry itself. I
am proud of the fact that I currently own or have
owned many trucks representing nearly all of
Kenworth’s developments over the years.”
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Kenworth Truck Company News Release
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1931 Kenworth Model N
Dave Schroyer, Celina, Ohio
After the family started collecting vintage
trucks in the early 1980s, Schroyer bought a 1931
Kenworth equipped with a 590-cubic-inch HallScott engine from a long-time friend. After he had
the truck restored, it eventually became a permanent
exhibit in the family’s antique truck museum in
Celina, Ohio.
“I am so pleased our family has the 1931
Kenworth as part of our collection,” he said.
“Kenworth has a long history of manufacturing
excellence and it’s a great representation of the
company’s early history.”
1935 Kenworth Model 89
Gordon W. Cooper, Calgary, Alberta
Like Koenig, Dave Schroyer of Celina, Ohio,
developed an appreciation for trucks at an early age.
Schroyer began driving for his family’s company,
Schroyer Inc., an agricultural farm supplies hauler,
when he turned 16. He followed in the footsteps of
his father, who at the age of 19 bought two trucks
shortly after he graduated from high school, and
started the family business.
Photo courtesy of Hank Suderman
1931 Kenworth Logo
“Our family has owned a number of Kenworths
over the years and I have had the pleasure of driving
the Kenworth K100 cabover and the Kenworth
W900,” Schroyer said.
When Gordon “Gord” Cooper first saw the
1935 Kenworth 89 on display at the 1992 American
Truck Historical Society (ATHS) Antique Truck
Show in Vancouver, Wash., he immediately
recognized something special. The 3-ton single
drive axle flatbed truck still ran with its original 65hp gasoline-powered Hercules JXCM engine, a 4speed manual transmission, a 2-speed Brown-Lipe
auxiliary transmission and a Timken 2-speed rear
axle. But the wood frame cab and exterior of the
truck was in poor shape.
“It had been repainted an ugly utility orange
color, but I still fell in love with it,” Cooper said. He
bought the truck from Pat Stump of Yakima, Wash.,
who found it sitting abandoned in the corner of a
‘field near Yakima with a layer of Mount St. Helens
ash still covering its dashboard and much of its
interior. With help of his friends in the Pioneer
Chapter of the American Truck Historical Society,
Cooper finished the restoration, complete with a
rebuilt stakebed.
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Since then, Cooper has restored a number of
Kenworth trucks, including a 1957 Kenworth 923
conventional, which was featured in the Kenworth
Truck Company’s 75th Anniversary in 1998. The
Kenworth 923 also served as the bridal carriage in
three weddings, including his own wedding and the
wedding of his daughter. He’s currently restoring a
1926 Kenworth Model OL.
“I have been a die-hard Kenworth fan for most
of my life,” said Cooper, who owns and operates
O.C.E.A.N. Hauling and Hotshot Ltd., a light
oilfield hauling company based in Calgary, Alberta.
His company runs several Kenworths including a
2003 tri-drive Kenworth T800 with a 15-ton
hydraulic picker. “Kenworth trucks are so well built
and can handle the rough conditions in which we
operate. They also run more efficiently, which
allows me to pursue the hobbies I enjoy – collecting
and restoring vintage Kenworths.”
1957 Kenworth 925
Dan Thomas, Medford, Ore.
Dan Thomas, president of Medford, Ore.-based
F.D. Thomas Inc., also developed his love of trucks
at an early age.
“My Dad was a trucker, he hauled steel in
Pennsylvania, so I grew up around trucks,” he said.
“After I started my paint contracting business in
1979, I looked for ways for my company to have
trucks that I could drive. So, I began looking for
larger industrial jobs that required us to use trucks
to haul large equipment.”
As the company’s business grew, Thomas also
developed his passion – collecting and restoring
antique trucks including a 1957 Kenworth 925, with
an early version of Kenworth’s 4-bag air ride
suspension, a supercharged 275-hp Cummins
engine and a 5-speed Spicer transmission.
The power supply establishes the difference
between supercharged and turbocharged. In a
supercharged engine, a belt that connects directly to
the engine supplies the power to run the
compressor, similar to the way a water pump or
alternator works. A turbocharger gets its power
from the exhaust stream.
“I am very proud of this truck because it
features many of the developments that have greatly
enhanced trucking, such as a supercharged diesel
engine and the earliest example of Kenworth’s airride suspension I know of,” he added.
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1958 Kenworth KDC825C
Ray O’Hanesian, Bettendorf, Iowa
“Every Kenworth employee at that plant came
over to look at it,” he said. “The plant managers
took great pride in pointing out to employees that at
Kenworth, ‘we use nothing but quality materials
and quality workmanship in making a truck. That’s
why this truck is still going after millions of miles.’
I couldn’t agree more. I saw the employees put their
hearts into manufacturing Kenworth trucks. And I
know from personal experience Kenworth makes
the world’s finest.”
1972 Kenworth W900A
David Hull, Monroe, Ore.
Although Ray O’Hanesian no longer owns the
Kenworth KDC825C bullnose cabover that he
bought brand new for $25,000 from Kenworth’s
branch in Denver, Colo., he can still see it every
day. The retired Bettendorf, Iowa, truck operator
donated it to the nearby Iowa 80 Trucking Museum
in Walcott in 2010.
The truck, equipped with a 420-hp Cummins
NTC380 engine that O’Hanesian added in the
1980s, had more than 5.2 million miles on it when
he stopped counting in 1998. The truck was one of
the last bullnose models Kenworth manufactured at
its East Marginal Way Plant in Seattle. O’Hanesian
recalls visiting that plant in 1988 and bringing with
him the Kenworth bullnose cabover for a
homecoming.
Kenworth has deep roots in the logging
industry dating back to 1928 when it designed its
first logging truck model for R. Malone of
Ellensburg, Wash. It also has deep roots in the
family history of David Hull, a life-long resident
and logger from Bellfountain, Ore.
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David’s father, Homer, bought a 1958
Kenworth, nearly new with very low miles on it.
His brother, Kenny, and his son, Casey, both bought
three new Kenworths, while David himself bought
two new Kenworth trucks over the years. The
family has also restored and maintains a small
collection of eight vintage logging trucks, including
a 1972 Kenworth W900A that David bought from
the Oregon Department of Forestry in a sealed bid
surplus sale.
“The cab paint is still original and every
summer I buff the paint to keep it in as good of
condition as I can,” David said. “This truck is very
much a true timepiece right out of 1972, just like its
driver, me. Kenworth builds trucks that last, stand
up strong to rough conditions and literally last a life
time.”
1986 Kenworth K100
Pierre Aubin, Ste. Catherine, Quebec
Having been the owner of five Kenworth
K100s, equipped with Kenworth Aerodyne®
sleepers, throughout the '80s and '90s, Pierre Aubin
always remained fond of the Kenworth cabover
model.
“Over the last two years, I searched for one and
with the help of one of my drivers, Luc Lemieux, I
found the one I wanted,” Aubin said. “Luc found it
in Land-O-Lakes, Fla. The 1986 Kenworth K100
belonged to two brothers, Rick and Ron Judd, who
hauled horses to special fairs in the southern states.
After I flew to Tampa to take delivery of the
truck, Ron told me that there were other people who
wanted to buy it, but when he and his brother
learned more about my company, they were sure
their truck was going to go to a good family.”
Aubin drove it back to Montreal, where he had
it refurbished by Francois Thouin, the owner of a
local truck body repair shop.
“Francois’s body shop professionals – Alain,
Erick and Daniel, worked on that truck,” he said.
“They lengthened the frame from 192 inches to 224
inches; took out the 425-hp engine and 13-speed
transmission, then repainted and reinstalled them;
sandblasted and repainted the cab; and installed new
wiring and airlines, among other things. They came
up with a truck that looks and feels as good as a
brand new one.”
Aubin occasionally takes his refurbished 1986
Kenworth K100 out for short 1- or 2-day trips. The
trips allow him to stay grounded and to spend time
with a truck he’s always loved throughout his
career. The K100, along with the Kenworth W900,
were first introduced in 1963.
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Today, Aubin’s companies – L’Express du
Midi, Les Transports Audec and Les Transports
Delson operate an all-Kenworth fleet of 114 units, a
majority of them Kenworth W900L with 72-inch
and 86-inch AeroCab® sleepers equipped with 600hp Cummins engines to handle loads of up to
85,000 to 88,000 pounds in Canada. Aubin also
owns a fully restored 1956 bullnose Kenworth
cabover, equipped with a 335-hp Cummins engine
and a 5- by 3-speed manual transmission.
“Kenworth has always met our business needs
as well as our desire to drive the best looking trucks
in the industry,” Aubin said.
“Owners of antique trucks often see their
restoration work not only as a way to preserve the
trucks they love and a bit of trucking industry
history, but also to bring back a sense of nostalgia,”
said Bill Johnson, executive director of the
American Truck Historical Society. “They take
great pride in knowing their restoration work will
allow others to see first-hand the changes and
innovations in truck manufacturing introduced over
the years. As Kenworth concludes its 90th
anniversary, it’s important to recognize all those
dedicated individuals who work to preserve this
history.”