KOEHLER

H. J. Koehler Sporting Goods Co.
Bloomfield, New Jersey (1910-1912)
Newark, New Jersey (1913-1915)
H. J. Koehler Motor Corp. (1915-c1923)
Newark, New Jersey
Bloomfield, New Jersey

This is a Koehler truck radiator emblem (c1913)    brc

The H. J. Koehler Sporting Goods Company had sold automobiles in its stores since 1898. In 1910 Koehler began to manufacture its own motorcars and trucks. A 40hp four-cylinder touring car was introduced early in 1910 and was sold until 1912, after when the production of passenger cars ceased.

The passenger car chassis was also used to produce a delivery van in 1910. The first Koehler truck had a 1,600-lbs capacity and was powered by a two-cylinder water-cooled engine and only had a radiator in front of a vertical steering column.

In 1913 the company began to concentrate solely on truck manufacturing and used a 24hp four-cylinder engine for a 1-ton truck and a 12-passenger coach. A 1-1/4-ton model was also offered in 1918 by when the Koehler truck line ranged up to 5-ton capacity. Production facilities were located at Bloomfield and Newark. Koehler motor vehicle manufacturing faded out after the First World War. An attempt was made in 1919 to introduce a new look for the Koehler truck to improve sales but the Koehler quietly disappeared by about 1923.

Emblems

The Koehler passenger cars and delivery vans had a brass radiator and displayed the "Koehler" name on a brass script mounted on the radiator core, see original factory photo shown below:

Koehler delivery van with radiator script (c1910-1913)  dpl

The following is an example of a brass Koehler radiator script. Original Koehler radiator scripts are rare.

This is a Koehler radiator script (c1910-1913)  lktec
Size: 290mm wide 85mm high

The same factory photo of a Koehler delivery van, as shown above, but with the company name written on the side was used in advertisements for the Koehler Commercial Car into 1913, see example shown below:

Koehler Commercial Car ad (1913)  atj

Close up showing radiator & script (1913) 

The following photo shows an early, surviving Koehler Commercial Car of 1,600 lbs capacity dated 1911 with a heavy cast iron radiator and the "Koehler" name cast into the radiator tank top. 

This is a Koehler 1,600 lbs truck with the wrong radiator (1911)   brc

This is strange, because all Koehler advertisements before about 1914 show a brass radiator with a radiator script, as seen in the 1913 Koehler advertisement shown earlier above. It was not until later in 1913 that Koehler introduced their 1-ton truck. Koehler trucks of 1-ton and over were given the much heavier radiator with the cast iron ribbed radiator tank top and with the "Koehler" name cast into the radiator tank top, see example shown below:

This is a Koehler radiator with cast emblem (1913-1919)  moroz

This style of Koehler radiator is seen in Koehler truck advertisements from 1914, see example shown below:

Koehler truck ad with heavy radiator (1914) ebay 

It seems most likely that the 1911 dated 1,600 lbs capacity truck shown earlier above was restored at some stage and given a radiator made for a larger capacity Koehler truck, which was not available before 1913. This Koehler radiator with the cast-in emblem is shown above at the top of this post.

There was a new look for the Koehler truck in 1919 with a slightly oval-shaped radiator, which retained a cast in "Koehler" radiator emblem, as shown below:

This is a Koehler radiator with cast emblem (1919-c1923)  ms

This oval shaped radiator is seen in Koehler advertisements from 1919, see example shown below:

Koehler advertisement with new radiator (1919) ebay

Close up showing the front of the new truck (1919)

The following is a panted Koehler nameplate probably attached to the sides of the hood but I cannot confirm this. This Koehler nameplate is rare.

This is a Koehler nameplate (c 1919-1923 dates uncertain)  lktec
Size: 254mm wide 76mm high