PIERCE-RACINE

Pierce Engine Co. (1904-1909)
Pierce Motor Co. (1909-1911)
Racine, Wisconsin

This is a Pierce-Racine emblem (date unknown)   mjs
Size: 34mm wide 18mm high (emblem)     MM: Unknown

Andrew J Pierce established the Pierce Engine Company in 1892 for the manufacture of marine engines and launches. He built his first car, a single-cylinder surrey, in 1895. His second car was a two-cylinder carriage built in 1899 and a third followed in 1902. In 1904 Pierce decided to go into production. 

The first Pierce-Racine was an 8 hp single-cylinder water-cooled runabout, of which 25 were made. A 16 hp two-cylinder model was added in 1905 and a wider range of models was available for 1906 when four-cylinder models were introduced and sales rose to 150 units. From 1907, Pierce-Racine concentrated on four-cylinder models delivering up to 45 hp.

In 1909, Pierce reorganized his company as the Pierce Motor Company and, in exchange for additional financing, Racine businessmen, who were also stockholders in the J I Case Threshing Machine Company, took a greater involvement in the running of the company. By August 1910, Pierce-Racine had been acquired by Case. The last Pierce-Racine automobiles were assembled in early 1911.

Emblems

The earliest Pierce-Racine cars did not carry an emblem but most likely did display the "Pierce-Racine" name on a maker's nameplate and serial plate attached to the body, probably at the rear or under the driver's seat.

The first four-cylinder Pierce-Racine cars using a conventional radiator appeared in 1906. The following shows the only known surviving Pierce-Racine, a restored Model D from 1907, displaying a reproduction "Pierce-Racine" script mounted on the radiator core. However, I can find no original period photos or illustrations showing any radiator script before 1910, so I cannot confirm whether the Pierce-Racine radiator script shown below is an authentic reproduction.

This is a Pierce-Racine Md D with rad script (1907)  stahlsauto

Close-up showing Pierce-Racine radiator script (1907)  conceptcarz

Original period photos of Pierce-Racine cars from 1910 show a much simpler "Pierce-Racine" script mounted on the radiator core, see example shown below:

This is a Pierce-Racine car with a radiator script (1910)  dpl

Close-up showing Pierce-Racine radiator script (1910)

The same radiator script is seen in the following original photo of a Pierce-Racine motor car taking part in the Munsey Historic Tour of 1910:

Pierce-Racine car taking part in Munsey Historic Tour (1910)  dpl

This Pierce-Racine radiator script may have been in use from about 1908 or possibly earlier but this cannot be confirmed. Original Pierce-Racine radiator scripts are very rare.

The small, so far unidentified, Pierce-Racine emblem shown above at the top of this post is very rare, see detail below:

This is a Pierce-Racine emblem (date unknown)   mjs
Size: 34mm wide 18mm high    MM: Unknown

PARKER

Parker Motor Truck Co. (1918-1924)
Parker Truck Co., Inc. (1924-c1933)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This is a Parker truck emblem (1918-1933)    mjs
Size: 254mm wide 51mm high

The Parker was an assembled conventional truck, initially made in 2-ton, 3-1/2-ton and 5-ton capacity sizes. The Parker truck, it was claimed, used passenger car track dimensions to allow the truck to follow the ruts of a country road. The Parker truck used solid rubber tires as standard but pneumatic tires were optional.

The Parker truck survived the postwar recession but, in 1924, a new ownership changed the company name to the Parker Truck Company. A 1-ton capacity model was introduced and the 5-ton capacity truck model was discontinued. After 1924, only 1-ton to 3-1/2-ton capacity trucks were offered, as the company gradually faded away. Parker trucks appear to have ceased production altogether by 1933.

Emblem

The following photo shows an early Parker 3-1/2-ton chassis with a heavy ribbed radiator, which carries a painted metal radiator emblem:

Parker 3-1/2-ton truck chassis with the radiator emblem (1919) mroz

Parker truck advertisements for 1920 show a heavy duty Parker truck model with a more steeply pointed ribbed radiator tank top with no emblem displayed but the advertisement does include a "Parker Trucks" logo, see example shown below:

Parker truck ad showing logo (1920)  ebay

Detail showing radiator & logo (1920)

It is likely that the Parker truck from 1920 did have a radiator emblem possibly cast in the radiator tank top as was common at that time, but I cannot confirm this.

The same 1920 radiator is apparent in the following blue print drawing of a Parker Model J-9 3-1/2-ton truck:

Parker Model J-9 3-1/2-ton truck drawing (c1920)   fandom

This Parker truck engineering drawing shows "Parker" nameplates mounted on the step plates to the driver's cab and a "Parker" hood side nameplate, which appears similar to the painted Parker nameplate shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Parker hood side nameplate is very rare.

This is a Parker nameplate (1918-1933)   mjs
Size: 254mm wide 51mm high

ALLIS-CHALMERS

Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. (1915-1918)

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This is an Allis-Chalmers nameplate (c1915-1918)      mjs
Size: 406mm wide 67mm high

Allis-Chalmers is a well known manufacturer of agricultural tractors but from 1915 to 1918 they also built some trucks. 

The Allis-Chalmers truck was a five-ton capacity half-track truck with artillery steel wheels on the front axle for steering. The truck was powered by a 68 hp four-cylinder engine and had a top speed of 10 mph.

The Allis-Chalmers truck was not successful and only a few were built, some of which were exported.

Nameplate

The Allis-Chalmers nameplate shown above was reported as having come from an Allis-Chalmers logging truck used in Canada. However, I cannot confirm that this is correct. If you have better details, please let me know in order to update this post. If this Allis-Chalmers nameplate is indeed from a logging truck it would be extremely rare.

RELIANCE (2)

Racine Motor Truck Co. (1917-1918)
Reliance Motor Truck Co. (1918-1922)
Appleton Motor Truck Co. (1922-c1927)
Appleton, Wisconsin

This shows the Reliance truck radiator emblem (1920)   ma

The Racine Motor Truck Company based in Appleton, Wisconsin began to build the Reliance truck in 1917. In 1918, the company was reorganized and became the Reliance Motor Truck Company. The Reliance was built in 1-1/2-ton and 2-1/2-ton capacity sizes, both powered by Buda four-cylinder engines and could be had with either three-speed or four-speed transmissions. 

There was a further reorganization in 1922, when the company became the Appleton Motor Truck Company. The company no doubt suffered the post First World War recession, as did other small truck manufacturing companies, and production after 1923 is uncertain, although some lists of truck makers included the Reliance up to 1927. 

Emblems

I can find no original period photos of Reliance trucks and there appear to be no surviving examples. 

However, there are illustrations of the Reliance truck in advertisements in the 1919-1920 period. These show the Reliance truck with a heavily ribbed radiator tank top, probably in cast iron, with a "Reliance" script that appears to be cast into the radiator tank top. Some advertisements also show the "Reliance" name displayed on a body side nameplate, see examples shown below:

Reliance truck advertisement (1920)  ma

Detail showing radiator emblem (1920)

Reliance truck advertisement (1919)  ma

Close up showing body side nameplate (1919)

The following detailed illustration from another 1920 Reliance advertisement clearly shows the Reliance radiator and emblem:

Detail showing Reliance radiator & emblem (1920)   ma

STOUGHTON

Stoughton Wagon Co. (1920-1928)
Stoughton, Wisconsin

This is a Stoughton truck emblem (c1920)    mjs
Size: 69mm diameter    MM: None

The Stoughton Wagon Works was founded in 1865 and incorporated in 1883, and became a major local manufacturer of farm wagons and later moved on to build truck bodies. 

Production of the Stoughton motor truck began in 1920 as a series of 1-ton, 1-1/2-ton and 2-ton capacity trucks assembled from stock parts using three-speed gearboxes and worm-drive. A 3-ton capacity model was added in 1922 and a 1-1/4-ton model appeared in 1925. The 1-1/2-ton truck became the Stoughton Model B using a Waukesha engine and the Stoughton Model BJ using a 31.5 hp Stoughton engine. In 1928 Stoughton produced a 4-ton capacity truck.

Stoughton also built three models of fire trucks, mostly rotary gear pumpers with 250, 350 and 500 gpm ratings. Stoughton made some short wheelbase four-cylinder pumpers specially for use by small-town fire departments. The Pirsch company built some fire apparatus using Stoughton truck chassis.

However, Stoughton could not compete with the larger truck companies and ceased production of motor trucks by the end of 1928. Stoughton continued in business as a builder of trailers.

Emblems

The following is an early Stoughton closed truck from 1920 showing a Stoughton logo on the side, although this is clearly for a publicity photo:

Stoughton truck displaying a Stoughton logo (1920) wisconsinhistory

This Stoughton logo is seen on the red, white and gold painted Stoughton truck radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post. The following appears to be a different color example of the same Stoughton emblem. These Stoughton radiator emblems are very rare.

This is a Stoughton radiator emblem (c1920)    lktec
Size: 69mm diameter   MM: None

The following is an early Stoughton heavy duty speed pumper, which has a "Heavy Duty Speed" radiator nameplate mounted below the radiator emblem. There is also a "Stoughton" hood side nameplate. I cannot confirm that the "Heavy Duty Speed" nameplate was originally mounted in this position on the radiator. Original Stoughton nameplates are very rare.

Stoughton heavy duty speed pumper (1920)   tom herman

Close-up showing radiator emblem & nameplates (1920)

The following original period Stoughton truck photo shows the "Stoughton" name cast into the radiator tank top and on the sides of the radiator. The "Stoughton" name also appears to be painted on the top sides of the hood.

This is a Stoughton truck (c1920)    tpw

Close-up showing radiator & hood nameplates (c1920)  tpw

The following photos show surviving Stoughton trucks with cast radiators with the "Stoughton" name cast into the radiator tank top:

Stoughton Model BJ dump truck (1926)    hatm

Stoughton truck with cast in radiator emblem (c1925)  alamy

The following photo shows a rear view of the Stoughton Model BJ dump truck shown earlier above with what appears to be a rear mounted nameplate:

Stoughton Model BJ dump truck with rear nameplate (1926) flickr

The following is a Stoughton nameplate, which may be from a Stoughton truck or from a later Stoughton trailer:

This is a Stoughton nameplate (date unknown)    mjs
Size: 358mm wide 75mm high

PIRSCH

Peter Pirsch & Sons Co. (1926-1987)
Kenosha, Wisconsin 

This is a Pirsch radiator emblem (1926-c1956)   mjs
Size: 103mm wide 49mm high   MM: Unknown

Peter Pirsch was the son of a Wisconsin wagon builder who patented a trussed extension ladder in 1899 and went on to make human- and horse-drawn ladder trucks. His first motorized ladder truck was on a Rambler chassis and this was followed by ladder trucks using chassis built by other companies. 

The first complete Pirsch fire engines appeared in 1926. These were 150 to 175 gpm pumpers, chemical trucks and hose trucks powered six-cylinder engines. In 1928, Pirsch built the first American pumper with a fully-enclosed cab. In 1938, the first long aluminium alloy closed lattice aerial ladder truck appeared and is still in use today.

Pirsch continued to develop new designs of conventional fire engines and custom-built specialist fire fighting vehicles on their own chassis and other chassis, such as General Motors, Ford and Mack. Few conventional fire engines were built after 1970 and production ceased in the early 1980's with the last Pirsch fire truck delivered in 1987.

Emblems

Early Pirsch advertisements, see example shown below, show the Pirsch logo, which was used as the radiator emblem.

Pirsch ad showing logo (1928) fire engineering

The first Pirsch fire engine radiator emblem was finished in blue and white enamel and continued in use until the mid 1950's, see examples shown below:

Pirsch radiator emblem (1926)   glazier

Pirsch radiator emblem (1928)    pinimg

This is the blue and white enamel Pirsch radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Pirsch radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a Pirsch radiator emblem (1926-c1956)   mjs
Size: 103mm wide 49mm high    MM: Unknown

There was a change in the Pirsch fire truck hood design about 1940 to a rounded hood and radiator shell, which required the Pirsch radiator emblem to be mounted on a thick, wedge-shaped metal backing plate on the nose of the hood above the radiator grille. In some models the Pirsch emblem was mounted on a cast chrome hood ornament, see examples shown below:

Pirsch ladder truck tractor with emblem mounted on the hood above the radiator (1940)   chief miller

Pirsch emblem on hood ornament casting (1945)  moroz

Pirsch hood emblem on wedge baking plate (1948)  barnfinds

Pirsch radiator and hood emblem (1951)    pinimg

In the mid to late 1950's, the enamel Pirsch hood emblem was replaced by a paint finished emblem, see example shown below:

Painted Pirsch hood emblem (1958)    flickr

This is the blue and white painted Pirsch hood emblem shown here. This Pirsch hood emblem is scarce.

This is a Pirsch hood emblem (c1956-c1965)    mjs
Size: 103mm wide 49mm high   MM: Unknown

These Pirsch emblems continued in use on conventional fire truck models until the Pirsch cab-over-engine models appeared in the mid-1960's

OSHKOSH

Wisconsin Duplex Auto Co.
Clintonville, Wisconsin (1917)
Oshkosh, Wisconsin (1917-1918)
Oshkosh Motor Truck Manufacturing Co. (1918-1930)
Oshkosh Motor Truck, Inc. (1930-1967)
Oshkosh Truck Corp. (1967-2006)
Oshkosh Corp. (2006-present)
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

This is an Oshkosh radiator emblem (1920's)    mjs
Size: 265mm wide 87mm high   MM: None

The Oshkosh began life as the Wisconsin Duplex Auto Company formed in Clintonville in 1917 to build four-wheel-drive trucks. Late in 1917 the company moved to Oshkosh and the first Oshkosh truck was built. This 1-ton capacity truck, known as "Old Betsy" is still operational today. The first production truck produced by Oshkosh in 1918 was a conventional 2-ton model with a 72hp four-cylinder engine. A 3-1/2-ton model was added in 1920 and a 5-ton model in 1922. In the early 1920's a major part of Oshkosh production was used for road construction and maintenance, including road-scrapers and snow-plows. In 1925 production of six-cylinder models up to 10-ton capacity began.

From 1933 Oshkosh production started to diversify into heavy duty trucks for specialized markets. During World War II the US government took nearly all Oshkosh truck production, particularly for airport snow-plows and wrecker trucks. In the 1950's a 35-ton mining truck was produced and high-speed airport snow-plows were built for the US Air Force. Other specialist models followed, including concrete mixers, heavy duty low-loaders and fire trucks.

Oshkosh has continued to grow and develop new models, particularly for heavy-duty and extreme-duty purposes, and, as Oshkosh Corporation, is today (as of 2024) one of the world's largest producers of heavy-duty vehicles for specialized uses with world-wide sales and manufacturing facilities in 11 countries.

Emblems

The first Oshkosh 1-ton truck had a conventional brass radiator and may have carried a painted brass radiator emblem, but I cannot confirm this, see photo shown below, which shows a large round body side Oshkosh nameplate, which may not be original. Later photos of "Old Betsy" after a new restoration include a radiator emblem to enhance the appearance of this old truck.

Oshkosh "Old Betsy" truck with body side nameplate (1917) wheelsage

The 2-ton production truck model introduced in 1918 and subsequent 3-1/2-ton and 5-ton heavy duty Oshkosh models had a cast iron radiator with a ribbed tank top, which carried an Oshkosh radiator emblem, see illustrations shown below:

Oshkosh 2-ton truck ad with rad emblem (1919) ebay

Oshkosh heavy duty radiator with emblem (1918-c1931)  tad burness

The Oshkosh radiator emblem remained much the same from about 1918 to about 1940 with some slight variations in the lettering style. An example of a black and white painted brass Oshkosh radiator emblem is  shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Oshkosh radiator emblem is rare.

This is an Oshkosh radiator emblem (1920's)   mjs
Size: 265mm wide 87mm high   MM: None

Original period photos of Oshkosh trucks from about 1924 show the large round Oshkosh body side nameplate mounted on the door to the driver's cab, see example shown below:

Oshkosh Model F truck showing body side nameplate (1924)  oldcarandtruckpictures

The same Oshkosh body side nameplate was used on some Oshkosh models up to at least 1936. This is the black painted Oshkosh body side nameplate shown below. This Oshkosh nameplate is scarce.

his is an Oshkosh body side nameplate (c1924-c1936)    mjs
Size: 265mm wide 238mm high   MM: None

There was a change in style in Oshkosh trucks in 1932 but still with a very similar radiator emblem, see example shown below:

Oshkosh Model F truck showing radiator emblem (1932) 
oldcarandtruckpictures

These trucks also displayed the "Oshkosh" name on the round body side nameplates shown earlier and also on hood side nameplates, see example shown below:

Oshkosh Model F dump truck showing body side & hood side nameplates (1932)    offroadvehicle

Some Oshkosh Model F trucks in the same time period displayed the "Oshkosh" name on large square shaped body side nameplates in place of the round nameplates shown earlier, see example below:

Oshkosh Model F truck showing hood side & body side nameplates (1932)   offroadvehicle

The following is an example of an Oshkosh hood side nameplate. This Oshkosh nameplate is scarce.

This is an Oshkosh nameplate (1930's)    mjs
Size: 302mm wide 50mm high   MM: None

A completely new Oshkosh radiator appeared in about 1940, see example shown below:

Oshkosh W Series truck with new rad emblem (1940-1942)
usautoindustryworldwartwo

This is the painted cast metal Oshkosh radiator emblem surmounted by the head of an Oshkosh warrior wearing a headdress as shown below. This Oshkosh radiator emblem is rare.

This is an Oshkosh radiator emblem (1940-1942)    lktec
Size: 450mm wide 150mm high   MM: Unknown

When production resumed in 1946, after the Second World War, the Oshkosh radiator emblem had changed. It had a base plate with the same Oshkosh warrior wearing a headdress cast into the top of the radiator shell and a separate "Oshkosh" nameplate screwed to the front, see examples shown below:

Surviving Oshkosh truck radiator emblem (1946) steelsoldiers

The surviving Oshkosh truck shown below carries the same radiator emblem and a hood side nameplate that matches the radiator emblem nameplate. This Oshkosh radiator emblem and hood side nameplate continued in use to about 1959.

Oshkosh truck showing radiator emblem (1950)  bangshift

  

Close up showing Oshkosh radiator emblem & hood side nameplate

This is the cast Oshkosh radiator emblem and separate emblem nameplate. This Oshkosh radiator emblem is rare.

This is an Oshkosh radiator emblem (1946-c1959)   moroz
Size: Unknown     MM: Unknown

The following is an example of the Oshkosh nameplate used both as a radiator emblem and hood side nameplate. This Oshkosh nameplate is rare.

This is an Oshkosh nameplate (1946-c1959)    mjs
Size: 303mm wide 50mm high   MM: None

The following painted brass Oshkosh emblem showing an Oshkosh warrior wearing a headdress is seen in many emblem collections but I am informed that this emblem is not an Oshkosh truck emblem. However, I have been unable to identify when and where it was used, If you can identify this Oshkosh emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.

This is an unknown Oshkosh emblem (date unknown)   mjs
Size: 92mm high 67mm wide    MM: None