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A 1991 video shows a Pacific P510 logging truck working in New Zealand’s Kaingaroa State Forest with a turbocharged 14.6-liter Caterpillar diesel in both the tractor and its lead trailer. The unusual setup reportedly produced about 900 horsepower combined; a person who says they worked alongside the Magee family says the truck is now being restored, while the trailer’s whereabouts are uncertain.
A resurfaced 1991 video documents a Pacific P510 logging truck in New Zealand with a turbocharged 14.6-liter Caterpillar diesel in its lead trailer as well as one in the truck itself. The unusual two-engine combination was built for heavy timber-hauling work in Kaingaroa State Forest, and the combined output was reported at about 900 horsepower.
The video, titled “Twin CAT Powered Pacific P510 – New Zealand 1991,” was posted by the YouTube channel Trucks on Video – CP Productions, which says it recovered the original footage. The Drive reported on the truck, citing the video and its description, which appears to draw on material from New Zealand Trucking magazine. The footage shows the rig at work, including scenes of logs being unloaded at a mill.
The Magee family commissioned the truck for its Marathon Trucking operation. The tractor used a turbocharged Caterpillar 3406B, while the lead trailer carried a turbocharged Caterpillar 3406A of the same 14.6-liter displacement. Each engine reportedly drove its own Allison automatic transmission. The trailer engine’s air intakes were moved above the truck’s subframe after dust became a problem, according to a person who commented on the video and said they had worked alongside the Magees.
The same commenter said the trailer’s bolsters were spring-loaded at the top to help loaders place logs, and that Mercedes-Benz differentials with hub-reduction planetary gearing were fitted after the original axles could not handle the weight. Those details come from a firsthand account posted beneath the video, rather than from an independently documented technical record in the available material.
Why the Trailer Had Its Own Engine
Adding a second engine addressed a practical limit: the truck’s hood could not accommodate another Caterpillar diesel, while the logging operation needed power for demanding routes and multiple trailers. In this configuration, the lead trailer was not simply carrying timber; it supplied additional propulsion through its own engine and transmission. The setup illustrates how operators adapted heavy equipment to local hauling conditions rather than relying solely on the tractor.
That arrangement also brought mechanical complications. Two engines and separate transmissions meant more systems to operate and maintain, while dust management and axle durability were reported as early challenges. The account that the truck could descend steep roads using its transmission retarders without touching the service brakes is a recollection from the video commenter, not a published performance test.
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Kaingaroa’s Logging Conditions
The rig worked in Kaingaroa State Forest, a large plantation forest in New Zealand’s North Island. The Drive’s report describes the area as having been developed for forestry in the 1920s and 1930s, with radiata pine and Douglas fir among the species planted. Its scale and commercial timber production help explain why heavy-duty logging vehicles were used there.
The powered-trailer idea was not entirely without precedent. The Drive notes that Freightliner tested a Power Dolly in the 1960s, using a Cummins V6 to assist multi-trailer combinations on steep climbs; that project did not progress beyond the prototype stage. More recent powered-trailer concepts generally use electric drive, but they are not direct equivalents to the P510’s diesel engine, transmission and driveline arrangement.
““Twin CAT Powered Pacific P510 – New Zealand 1991””
— Trucks on Video – CP Productions, in the video title
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The Trailer’s Fate Is Unknown
The source material does not establish whether the powered lead trailer still exists. The video commenter said they had been told it might have been scrapped, but presented that as unconfirmed information. The commenter also said the truck itself had been gifted to Lance Magee and was being restored; the timing, present condition and scope of that work are not independently confirmed in the report.
Other technical details, including the reported combined output of about 900 horsepower and the precise history of the axle changes, are based on the video description and the commenter’s account. No build records, measurements or independent engineering documentation are included in the source material.
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Restoration and Trailer Search
The next known development is the reported restoration of the Pacific P510. The commenter said Lance Magee contacted them to ask about the front trailer, suggesting its whereabouts remain unresolved. The available reporting does not identify a restoration timetable or say whether the trailer can be reunited with the truck. Further updates would depend on information from the Magee family, the video channel or people involved in locating and restoring the equipment.
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Key Questions
What made this Pacific P510 unusual?
It reportedly had a 14.6-liter Caterpillar diesel engine in the tractor and another in the lead trailer, with each engine connected to its own Allison automatic transmission.
How much power did the two engines produce?
The combined output was reported as about 900 horsepower. The available source material does not provide an independently verified test figure.
Where did the truck operate?
The 1991 footage shows the truck working in Kaingaroa State Forest in New Zealand, a major plantation forestry area.
Is the truck being restored?
A commenter who said they worked alongside the Magee family reported that Lance Magee had received the truck and was restoring it. The report does not independently confirm its current condition or restoration schedule.
Does the powered trailer still exist?
Its whereabouts are unclear. The commenter said they had heard it might have been scrapped, but could not confirm that account.
Source: rss
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