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Discussion: Sterling Truck Registry?Reported This is a featured thread

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Posted Anonymously
Sterling Truck Registry?
Dec 7 2007, 5:46 PM EST | Post edited: Dec 7 2007, 5:46 PM EST
Now I'm trying to think of the person, I think he lived in MA who had a registry of Sterling owners, memory fails me if it was Sewall or Perkins. I think there is regularly Sterling material on Ebay, their novelty was the use of chain drive into postwar years. You don't often see them as plow trucks, usually they were used off road, logging, mining, construction, etc. and of course by the military. The only one I know of used for plowing was a military surplus truck used as a backwoods logger in the Central Adirondacks into the 1960's, a friend of mine spent almost a week changing the transmission in it as the replacement unit holes didn't match up. Looked all over and can't find that (c. 1990?) registry, but think the man's name was Perkins. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    

Posted Anonymously
1. RE: Sterling Truck Registry?
Dec 7 2007, 8:16 PM EST | Post edited: Dec 7 2007, 8:16 PM EST
The only Sterling guy I know is Seimons in Harrisburg, Pa. If your watching this site, let us know more about those Sterlings please! Do you find this valuable?    

BKrois
2. RE: Sterling Truck Registry?
Dec 9 2007, 5:56 PM EST | Post edited: Dec 9 2007, 5:56 PM EST
"Now I'm trying to think of the person, I think he lived in MA who had a
registry of Sterling owners, memory fails me if it was Sewall or
Perkins. "
Hello-

I believe you are thinking of Fred Perkins, he was from Mass. To my knowledge, unfortunately he recently passed away. Do you find this valuable?    

Posted Anonymously
3. RE: Sterling Truck Registry?
Dec 18 2007, 2:47 AM EST | Post edited: Dec 18 2007, 2:47 AM EST
Yes, that was it! Sorry to learn that news. Years ago I asked Perkins about the cabs, if they were indeed Highland, and he said he asked a "expert" who had worked for Sterling "who either wouldn't say or didn't know" which I always thought an interesting reply. I had one of those rosters and naturally can't lay my hands on it now. Sterling bought the "LaFrance-Republic" commercial division of American-LaFrance-Foamite in 1932, (except for the Linn Tractor, which ALF kept until selling it to liquidators after WW2). Do you find this valuable?    

Posted Anonymously
4. RE: Sterling Truck Registry?
Dec 18 2007, 2:48 AM EST | Post edited: Dec 18 2007, 2:48 AM EST
Orrville or Chicago were the cabs I meant, Do you find this valuable?    

Warren_Richardson
5. RE: Sterling Truck Registry?
Jan 1 2009, 8:45 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 1 2009, 8:45 PM EST
Fred Perkins from Weston, MA started a Sterling Registry in 1989 I think and kept it up through seven editions last done in 2005. I began working with Fred on this in 1990 and put the whole thing in a computer so that the information could be sorted in different ways. In 1996 Fred and I spent a trillion hours reviewing Dave Mauro's chassis records and entered all of that data into the roster which then swelled to over 185 pages. We also found 80 parts books in PA and entered that in. Eventually we had 650 known existing Sterlings, 1600 chassis records and a bunch of photographs entered. The book now includes a 5 page explanation in front of model numbers, A numbers, chassis order numbers etc., 10 pages of spec sheets, A list of current owners alphabetically with their trucks, a section which lists all known Sterling owners and their trucks alphabetically by owner, a final section which lists all of the trucks alpha-numerically by model & serial number. The book is now over 210 pages and is available for $18 / copy. This is STUFFED with Sterling information. Email me at wrichardson77@cox.net and you can get a copy. Basically my friend Charlie Johnson from New Hampshire has the books but I can get them to you. Charlie is part author as well - he digs out the owner information and I enter it into the computer. If you contact him he can get them to you as well. Since I haven't told him I'm writing this I'll leave my contact information on here for now, but I may direct emails to him since that would get you the book faster. I'm not sure how many are left - but I think there are a few of them. Tom Siemons was mentioned in this email string - he has been very helpful securing owner and truck information for the roster but hasn't been as directly involved (yet!) as Fred, Charlie or myself. Fred was a real died in the wool Sterling man and a great friend. I miss him a lot as do many in the truck community. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
Bshoesey
Bshoesey
6. RE: Sterling Truck Registry?
Jan 1 2009, 9:28 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 1 2009, 9:28 PM EST
Warren- thanks for the email and information. I put a copy of this on the Sterling page. Hopefully another enthusiast will find the info available thru your efforts and be better off for it. Bill Do you find this valuable?    
GreenMtnMan
GreenMtnMan
7. RE: Sterling Truck Registry?
Jan 3 2009, 10:10 AM EST | Post edited: Jan 3 2009, 10:10 AM EST
I didn't know a whole lot about Sterlings until I joined the ATHS. Mass. seems to have been a popular place for them. It was amazing at the national show in Marlboro, 1990?, how many Sterlings came out of the woodworks. Do you find this valuable?    
Bshoesey
Bshoesey
8. RE: Sterling Truck Registry?
Jan 3 2009, 11:26 AM EST | Post edited: Jan 3 2009, 11:26 AM EST
I was impressed by the number of Sterlings in the Kemp collection. I got a number of pics to add to the Sterling page. Bill Do you find this valuable?