There are a couple of there now for Walter Snowfighters, which I confess hanging out on but then I get distracted by other groups and persons on facebook while over there. The good thing about it is unlimited photo space for people like me who aren't good on resizing things. Anyways, my project for 2014, now that all Linns and parts seem to be either junked or accounted for and collected, is to 1. find ANY remaining early reversing Walter or offset Walter-Frink v-plows left and make sure it doesn't get scrapped. and 2. Identify all remaining old Walter snowfighters, list those for sale/endangered of being scrapped. Everything I knew about or documented over ten years ago seems to have been junked during peak scrap prices in 2008. I don't need to own one, at this point my back is more into Crosley and garden tractor size projects. Anyways, if Bill hasn't already added the model/serial number data explanation for Walter I will add what I understand of it here for benefit of anyone finding one or needing explanation etc.

   Consultant on all things Linn tractor/Trailer/Van made in Morris or Oneonta, NY, and can email data, analyze photos, parts recognition etc. And general fan of old snowplow and logging equipment.

Walter Trucks are not my specialty, this is info gleaned from other sources and far more knowledgeable persons that I'm sharing here to ease in identification and sharing whereabouts of endangered trucks, or finding parts or just identifying photographs etc. (and I can't guarrantee 100% accuracy, but trying):
WALTER MODEL- First letter is cab type:  
F = First cab used, set back and 72" wide.
A = Cab advanced forward 18" and is 90" wide
N = New cab that is 94" wide
C = Standard cab with Allison transmission?
Second letter is Engine type:
C = Cummins Diesel (NH-220, NHRS-6-B etc.)
D = Detroit Diesel
F = Ford
E, G, W, Z = Waukesha (140-GZ, 145 GKB, WAKC etc.)
X = Hercules HXE (935, Walter uses downdraft where Linn used updraft carb/manifold)
Third letter is Chassis/Axle type:
M = 28,000 GVW
K = 32,000
B = 36,000
R = 42,000
U = 54,000
G = 4:1 ratio for crash trucks, etc.?
Fourth letter is for wheelbase:
A = under 126"
D = Dumper 126"
S = Standard 138"
L  = Long, anything over 138" (150, 162 or 174) - Note underbody scrapers required long wheelbase costing $100 extra on the 1950 price list.

Also note the first two digits of serial number is year of production (ex a 35558 serial number = built in 1935). If truck has Frink equip[ment mounted you can sometimes determine the age by Frink letter code (listed elsewhere).


   Consultant on all things Linn tractor/Trailer/Van made in Morris or Oneonta, NY, and can email data, analyze photos, parts recognition etc. And general fan of old snowplow and logging equipment.

Great information Rene. I knew how to get the year and cab type but that was all.


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I Can Break Anything

I think the model number info is correct for the later models, but not for the early stuff.  I'm not sure when it changed, maybe in the 50's or 60's?

For example, my 1938 FCKD has the standard 72" cab, but it has a Waukesha 6-SRK gas engine, 28000# GVW, and the 126" wheelbase.

My guess is the cab and wheelbase letter designations were kept, but as the years went on and engines changed so did their letters and corresponding GVWs.

I have a few early manuals and will post the info when I can dig them up.

The model info is fairly correct, but I  have a few more models to add. More important are some technical details regarding models using and stickshift transmission versus models using an automatic transmission that the model code does not mention.

 On trucks using a manual transmission, the input shaft is the top shaft of the transmission, the center differential is in the output shaft which is the bottom shaft, and front bevel drive is right behind the flywheel in all one combined unit, and the rear bevel drive has a long torque tube that is parallel to the truck frame. The shaft connecting the two is parallel and does not have any u-joints. With this setup, the the main driveshaft rotates the opposite direction of the engine.

On models using an automatic transmission, the same bevel drive and housing that is used in the rear of the stickshift models are used in the front and in the rear. The automatic bevel drives use shorter torque tubes and different flanges connecting the bevel drive housing to the mount so that the torque tubes are somewhat angled to the truck frame, pointing up toward the transfer case. The shafts connecting the torque tubes to the transfer case have a either c-v joint or a standard u-joint at the transfer case depending on the model.

An automatic midsize B-model uses a smaller and fairly compact 2-shaft transfer case that fits right under the wing box, with the driveshafts to the front and rear also rotating the opposite direction of the engine. A modified floor pan and firewall allows the standard 72" wide cab and fenders to fit together together the same as a manual transmission model with fuel tank right between the cab and wing box.

A big automatic U-model, larger and heavier 3-shaft transfer case is used, with the front and rear driveshafts rotating the same direction as the engine. The A-style cab is used, also with a modified floor pan and firewall, but it is set back like the standard F-style cab. The huge transmission and transfer case make the cab sit a foot higher than even the largest stickshift model, and the fuel tank sits a foot off the cab mounts. The transfer case is so big, it requires a foot of space between the fuel tank and wing box to accommodate it.

The bevel drive housings are open on both sides and the side flanges are symmetrical so that the bevel drive can go in from either side depending on which transfer case or transmission is used.

Here is a link to a Walter manual (https://plus.google.com/photos/+LarryMarmet/albums/5489003114983166961) explaining some of this. Hope this makes sense.

For the models, C is actually standard cab Allison semi-automatic transmission, while E is standard cab Allison fully automatic transmission, and Q is 90 inch wide cab set back with Allison fully automatic transmission, and V is half cab used on airport models only. For engines, D is 8V71 Detroit, K is 6V71 Detroit, and P is 6V53 Detroit. Also V is GMC gas engine, usually a V-12, but occasionally a 637 V8, and H is the larger Hercules. The GVWs were not always consistent so everything else is pretty accurate.