When Gary Wilson started his pumping business in 2007, he began by having this deep blue 1985 Peterbilt 359 vacuum truck rebuilt by Engle Fabrication Inc. in Sauk Centre, Minn.
He bought the truck secondhand from a friend in northern Minnesota and had the tank replaced with a new 3,600-gallon stainless steel unit paired with a Jurop DL 140 pump. The truck is powered by a 300-hp Cummins engine and 13-speed Eaton-Fuller transmission. It also has a Jake Brake, variable speed governor for proper pump speed control and 18,000-pound front and 38,000-pound rear air-ride suspension. For convenience, the tank has 20-inch top and rear manways with a 4-inch intake valve and 6-inch dump valve, both with heated collars for year-round use in Alaska. Engle built and painted the tank, and added Rhino Linings coating above and below the hose trays. The pump is outfitted with safety pressure relief and vacuum relief valves, an oil-filled vacuum pressure gauge, suction filter and intake and exhaust silencers. Graphics were added by Bandi Signs, Anchorage. Wilson, friends and family did some of the painting and detailing.
