The title says it. Back in August of 1978 the owner of this 1947 Tonner Marmon-Herrington authored the below article about living with his truck. I’ve tried to track down Mr. Keller but found a 1990s obit by this name and area of Texas where he lived. With no next of kin cited. This truck is one of only a very few for which a record exists. It stands to reason the truck survives somewhere, hopefully preserved. I’d love to make contact with the current owner. Stu

 

Stu, Wouldn't I love to tell you " Sure... It's down in my lower shed". But of course it aint.... What a great story (and price). You gotta figure this truck is somewhere out there. I think you need to go on a mission with a couple pictures from this article, being very careful not to arouse suspicion from other 'truck guys'.,Just snoop around. Ugly wheels and tires? Maybe that will keep the price low when you locate it.

 

Wouldn’t that be a story to tell. I hope it stayed in the west Texas area so maybe one of our members someday sees it. My fear, though, is that it was grabbed by a big MH collector we know out west never to be seen again.

Reminds me of the road trip I took back in 2017, and the “private yard” Josh Madsen found on Google Earth, and turned me on to, hiding in an abandoned quarry out west. I tracked it down, connected with the owner and paid him a visit. Sitting there all bent and abused was a 1947 half ton M-H. I offered the guy $500 for it, but he caught on pretty quickly. A few years later one of our members talked me into sharing the guy’s phone number and today that sad truck will be, or maybe already has been, combined with a fully restored 1947 living the good life back east.

Another guy I’ve gotten to know found a 1947 half ton MH in an abandoned Nevada mine, rescued it, and restored it.

And last, a lot of years ago I missed out on buying a 1952 F-2 M-H on eBay after stopping in Utah to see it. Those were the days before cell phone bidding. The seller told me her uncle had many years before found the truck abandoned out on the Salt Lake. I know who bought it.

So yes, somewhere this 1947 Tonner sits waiting to re-emerge. It’s the exact brother to my truck. Stu

 

I had seen the picture and article before, but hadn’t read it til now. That fellow seemed to really like the MH.

 

Yeah, it was just his truck. No trailer queen.

Described as having the optional shifter transfer case unlike the other two I’ve documented. My truck and the red brush fire truck have the full time AWD t/c, although mine will be upgraded to the shifter case also. If the MH pattern holds there were only 20+ Tonner conversions in 1947. The red brush fire truck has a 1946 1GY serial number with a 7 stamped over the 6 on its data plate, and axle #374. My truck is a 799Y V8 with axle #376, and the earliest 1948s I have archived have axles #397, #399, #404, and on up from there. Stu