Truck was ordered from Manweiler Chevrolet in Hoisington, Kansas, by my Uncle Dale in late 1981 and was delivered in April 1982. We owned a cattle and farming operation in Northern Barton County at the time and the truck was immediately put into service as the brute of the farm being our only 1 ton with a big block. It had an electric bale spike in the bed and fed cattle and pulled trailers every day in the winter. When I was old enough to learn to drive, my uncle took me out in the pasture in this truck and I learned to drive 4 speed!

It continued to be the work horse until 2006 when a new 2500 was ordered from Manweiler’s. After the new truck arrived, ‘ol red sat more than it ran unless I was at the farm to help, then I got it out. My uncle unexpectedly died in 2007 and my other uncle took over the farm. In September 2016, it was decided to downsize the farm and the truck went to auction. I purchased the truck for $2800 and immediately began fixing it up. Mechanically it was in very good shape, but 34 years of farming was rough on it. With help from LMC, we restored the interior and exterior to like-new. We updated things to make them nicer but kept the overall look and theme of the red K30 that was a staple of our farm for 36 years! It’s working days are done, but my kids will also learn to drive the ‘ol red stick shift when the time comes!