Trucks on Display
Below is a sampling of the many trucks on display in our Trucking Hall of Fame® Exhibit Hall. Check out our app for more information, photos, and an audio recording for each truck. Click here to download.
1931 Ford AA
Engine Type:
201 ci 4-cylinder
Transmission Type:
4-Speed Manual
Truck Information:
A “Tractor Trailer” consists of a truck or “Tractor” using a unique coupler called a “fifth wheel.” The Tractor Trailer design started being produced in 1899 by Alexander Winton in Cleveland, Ohio. The fifth wheel trailer design allows for most of the weight to be carried by the tractor by placing it over the drive Axle(s). This 1931 ford model AA was purchased by Smith Transfer shortly after the company was founded. In the 1950s, The truck and trailer were restored and put on display at the company headquarters in Staunton, Virgina. It Is equipped with a 201 cubic inch, model A four cylinder making 40 horsepower @2,200 RPMs and a four-speed transmission. The truck is equipped with an engine driven air compressor used for the trailer air brakes. Modern tractor-trailers typically have eighteen wheels, ten on the tractor and eight on the trailer. This truck only has fourteen due to the single rear axle of the truck. The trailer was made by Freuhauf Trailer Company and was ordered by the smith transfer company in 1956. The trailer is 25 feet long with a max load capacity of 12,000 pounds. While reminiscing about driving the truck, Jake Smith founder once stated that “The Brakes were practically nonexistent and its necessary and it was necessary to drive defensively. There was also little power. We would crawl up a hill and let’er go at the top of the hill to get enough momentum to make it up the next hill.” The rig was purchased by Elliott Donnelley in 1989 from the bankruptcy liquidation sale of American Freightways, the successor of Smith Transfer. Top Speed: 45 MPH
201 ci 4-cylinder
Transmission Type:
4-Speed Manual
Truck Information:
A “Tractor Trailer” consists of a truck or “Tractor” using a unique coupler called a “fifth wheel.” The Tractor Trailer design started being produced in 1899 by Alexander Winton in Cleveland, Ohio. The fifth wheel trailer design allows for most of the weight to be carried by the tractor by placing it over the drive Axle(s). This 1931 ford model AA was purchased by Smith Transfer shortly after the company was founded. In the 1950s, The truck and trailer were restored and put on display at the company headquarters in Staunton, Virgina. It Is equipped with a 201 cubic inch, model A four cylinder making 40 horsepower @2,200 RPMs and a four-speed transmission. The truck is equipped with an engine driven air compressor used for the trailer air brakes. Modern tractor-trailers typically have eighteen wheels, ten on the tractor and eight on the trailer. This truck only has fourteen due to the single rear axle of the truck. The trailer was made by Freuhauf Trailer Company and was ordered by the smith transfer company in 1956. The trailer is 25 feet long with a max load capacity of 12,000 pounds. While reminiscing about driving the truck, Jake Smith founder once stated that “The Brakes were practically nonexistent and its necessary and it was necessary to drive defensively. There was also little power. We would crawl up a hill and let’er go at the top of the hill to get enough momentum to make it up the next hill.” The rig was purchased by Elliott Donnelley in 1989 from the bankruptcy liquidation sale of American Freightways, the successor of Smith Transfer. Top Speed: 45 MPH
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