The will to survive

Aaron Morgan's Journey - From 'Ol Yeller' to Modern Mastery

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In 2002, 20-year-old Aaron Morgan and his wife, Jennifer, started Industrial Iron Works, a mobile welding, machining, and repair business based in Okanogan, Washington.

For 16 years they ranged from Washington State to Nevada, earning a reputation for high-quality on-site welding and machining. They worked from their inter- net-famous ’85 Kenworth service truck, “Ol’ Yeller.”

“We started with absolutely nothing,” he said. “But we worked our butts off and eventually got the tools and truck and the business built up to where we wanted to be with our life.”

Four years ago, Jennifer was tragically taken in a motorcycle collision. After some serious soul-searching, Morgan decided to forge ahead with the long-range plans they had already laid out.

“I dug in, worked harder, and did the best work possible for my customers,” he explained. “I kept building the business and reached a point where I needed a new truck. The old truck was great, but I knew I could design a new truck that would help me be more efficient.”

The result is a 2022 extended-hood Peterbilt 389 with a 36-inch flat-top sleeper, on display at the CONEX- PO-CON/AGG 2023 show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 14–18, 2023. 

The rig is powered by a 565-hp Cummins ISX engine driving an Eaton 18-speed manual transmission that spins a tandem-axle double-locker rear end running 3:73 gears. A doubled frame—extra frame rails within the main frame rails— provides increased rigidity along with extra support to the four hydraulic stabilizers for a 14,000-pound Cobra crane.

Morgan chose a NeWay air ride suspension system.

“The smoother ride is nice in the cab,” he stated, “but the NeWay suspension also helps with traction in snow and mud much better than other air ride suspensions. Having the air ride on my old truck also convinced me that the smoother ride extends the life of a service body by cushioning all the bumps.”

Morgan worked with Brutus Truck Bodies in Penticton, British Columbia, to custom design his new service body.

“I had Ol’ Yeller and its Brutus body for 11 years,” he recalled. “It was a great body, but I figured out ways to make a body that was better for the way I like to work. Brutus built this new body exactly the way I want it.”

The 19-foot-long, steel-frame body has aluminum-doored compartments with a 36-inch workbench at the rear. A Lincoln Electric Air Vantage 600 SD Hydraulic welder/generator sits in a compartment on a roll-out tray directly behind the truck’s cab, accessible by full-length doors on each side, with an electrically-actuated door on top that opens for ventilation during use.

“The Air Vantage has its own hydraulic pump that powers the crane and all the truck’s hydraulics,” said Morgan. “The chassis also has a PTO-drive hydraulic pump, so I’ve got two hydraulic systems. I’ve got a diverter valve so I can choose which system I use. If I pull onto a site and just need to do a quick pick with the crane, I can use the truck’s PTO. But if I’m set up in a spot for a long time, it’s great to be able to use the Lincoln to run the crane and hydraulics and leave the truck engine off.”

The body’s side compartments are 90 inches high, accessed via four gas-operated steps that extend/retract from the bottom edge of the body. A Brutus drawer pack fills one driver’s side compartment. Smaller drawer packs ride in the cabinets over the rear axles. The rear driver’s-side cabinet holds six Magnum Reels hose and cord reels: two welding cable reels, an inert gas hose reel, a propane gas hose reel, an oxy/ acetylene reel, and a 110-volt extension cord reel, all mounted on a slide-out tray. The right rear compartment houses another slide-out set of Magnum reels: a 3/8- inch air hose reel, a ½-inch air hose reel, a 240-volt single-phase extension cord reel, a 240-volt 3-phase extension cord reel, and a reel dedicated to a Lincoln Electric ArcLink wire feed welder.

While the truck was designed to optimize Morgan’s on-site efficiency, he’s especially fond of two special options.

One is his motto, “The Will to Survive,” hand-lettered on the truck. The other is an engraved plate on the Peterbilt’s glovebox that says, “Custom Built for Aaron Morgan and Industrial Iron Works.”

“It’s a symbol of all the long hours I’ve put in, all the extra effort I offer my customers,” he related. “I’ve overcome a lot of obstacles, but hard work does pay off. I’m truly leading a blessed life.”

This article originally appeared in the February/March 2023 issue of Service Truck Magazine.