A special Kenworth T880 is undertaking an important mission this autumn: transporting the US Capitol Christmas Tree to more than 30 community celebrations before a final stop for set-up, decoration, and the tree-lighting ceremony in Washington DC.
As part of its tour efforts, the Kenworth T880’s distinctive decal design was unveiled in advance of the 2014 Capitol Christmas Tree-cutting ceremony October 29 near Cass Lake MN. The Kenworth design features a night shot of the US Capitol, brightly lit and colorfully arrayed Christmas tree, official seal of the 2014 Capitol Christmas Tree project, and logo of Wille Transport, a Kenworth customer based in Cohasset MN. During the tour, two Wille Transport drivers will pilot the Kenworth T880 and a T680 Advantage on a journey of nearly 2,000 miles.
The T880 is Kenworth’s flagship heavy haul vocational truck equipped with a 52-inch mid-roof sleeper, 500-hp Paccar MX-13 engine with 1,850 ft-lb of torque, and Eaton Fuller 13-speed transmission. The T880 will pull a trailer specially designed for the Capitol Christmas Tree—a nearly 80-foot-high white spruce from Minnesota’s Chippewa National Forest and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
Another 70 Christmas trees, donated by the Minnesota Tree Growers Association, will be transported by the T680 Advantage with 76-inch sleeper, Eaton Fuller Advantage 10-speed automated transmission, Diamond VIT interior Kenworth Idle Management System, and Kenworth’s new, factory-installed aerodynamic package. Those trees will be used to decorate the inside of the US Capitol and other federal sites throughout Washington. The T680 Advantage also will bring 10,000 ornaments created by children and others from Minnesota communities to adorn the Capitol Christmas Tree and the smaller trees.
The tour’s first stops are at the Itasca State Park and Bemidji in Minnesota on November 2. A complete tour schedule and additional information may be found at the 2014 US Capitol Christmas Tree website (www.capitolchristmastree.com).
