Leach Project Trucks Owned by Paul at CWR, Canton, Michigan USA     When Paul first contacted CRT and said he was restoring an early Leach Packmaster, it seemed almost too good to be believed. After all, this body has been out of production for a half century. By the late 1960's, most of these early type Packmasters were effectively obsolete, and probably weren't even of much value for spare parts anymore.     Then, the photos shown here soon arrived by e-mail, showing a weathered but nearly complete early Packmaster. The narrow width tailgate assembly is unmistakable, as is the compound-curved front sheetmetal. This fine example, though currently residing on a battered 1962 Chevrolet, is still fully functional! Paul purchased this truck from the Leach family in 2002, and plans to install the packer on a new chassis. We can hardly wait! Above: Body shell with tailgate assembly now removed sits atop Chevrolet chassis Rear view shows section of body floor removed. Paul plans to replace the entire floor to make it as strong as possible. The tailgate assembly, removed and awaiting repair. The tailgate floor and one side wall will have to be replaced. Note the tailgate lift cylinders still attached, which normally are concealed with the storage body. Since the 1960's, external mounting of the cylinders has become near universal within the industry. Unless it moves, it's not a refuse truck: motive power will come by way of this beautiful Mack B61 conventional, with a freshly detailed six cylinder gasoline engine. Planned colors are black cab and white body, the original scheme used by CWR in their early days. SECOND GENERATION PACKMASTER     Paul's other project truck is this fantastic looking Packmaster mounted on a White 3000 chassis. This is a second generation Packmaster, of the type made between about 1955 and 1963 and featured a much wider hopper, as well as the ability to handle small containers. These were still dumped by hydraulic hoist, but the the storage bodies differed slightly and capacities of up to 25 yards were offered for the first time.     It appears to be in excellent condition, as if it were ready to go back on the job today. This combination of of truck and body perfectly epitomizes the typical refuse truck of the 1950's, though Paul plans to mount this packer on another classic of that decade, a B-61 Mack. Paul is also seeking an early model 2R Packmaster (hoist-dump type) to round out his classic Leach collection. Thanks for the great photos, Paul. We look forward to seeing more of these classic trucks in future. 11/18/04 Photos by Paul Denski Logos shown are the trademarks of respective manufacturers