History of Diamond T Trucks - Truck History Episode 27

hey guys today we are back with episode number 27 of truck history on this episode we will be diving deep into the history of diamond t trucks let's jump right in [Music] the diamond t motor car company opened up operations in chicago in 1905 with a man named charles arthur tilt who created the company from tilt's father's shoemaking factory featuring a big t for tilt and a distinguished diamond frame signifying a higher quality for the first few years following their debut diamond tee would primarily produce powerful four-cylinder touring cars housing up to 70 horsepower that was up until 1910 when a customer called wolf manufacturing requested the company's first diamond tea truck following the debut of their first diamond tea truck in 1911 the company continued to develop their trucks into the teens eventually ending the diamond t motor car company in favor of the newly named diamond t motor truck company and the rest is history by 1915 diamond t motor truck company was gaining recognition as a national truck manufacturer and in 1917 they expanded their operations into a huge 250 000 square foot factory on the south side of chicago with an over 100 000 foot long assembly line also during such tumultuous times with world war one in full effect civilian production slowed to a standstill as diamond t became one of the 15 manufacturers who began building nearly 1500 heavy-duty 3-5 ton class b liberty trucks for the war once the first world war was over the roaring 20s brought a bunch of changes and major mechanical improvements for the entire range of rigs as we saw the introduction of all new 2-5 ton trucks with pneumatic front tires from 1926 on diamond t trucks took on a completely redesigned and re-engineered look with more powerful motors steel spider wheels pneumatic tires electric lights freshly updated front suspension and cool chrome-plated radiator grilles with a sexy streamlined appearance by 1930 an integrated sleeper cab was introduced and following its debut diamond tea trucks took off as the cream of the crop truck producer making the competitor's models look bare and basic by comparison as captain of the company charles tilt once famously said a truck doesn't have to be homely but it can feel like home this statement rang true especially for long-haul truckers who welcomed the widened sleeping space with open arms and absolutely loved the more modern amenities like electric clocks jeweled cigarette lighters fancy streamlined fenders two-tone paint schemes and gorgeous grills all covered in chrome 1933 introduced one of diamond t's most interesting trucks to ever debut with the streamlined radically low center of gravity forward control rear engine airport refueling truck built for the texaco oil company called the torpedo teardrop which was eventually nicknamed the doodlebug this torpedo-shaped truck only stood a short 79 inches tall and featured curved double-plated glass windows which were designed for air resistance allowing the truck to serve as the star of the show in the 1934 chicago world fair with rave reviews as the great depression came to its close diamond t's truck sales improved significantly and new models with better load distribution and ride quality continued to move the company forward through the mid to late 30s featuring a freshly redesigned facelift it was this update that earned diamond t trucks the nickname cadillac of trucks mostly because of their grills which were very similar to the 1938 cadillac car grills also around this same time in 1940 with world war ii in the works diamond t alongside other truck manufacturing greats like white and autocar began developing prototypes for a 4 ton 6x6 tactical truck for the army ordnance corps called the model 967. after building nearly 1 000 of these military models by 1941 a new and improved model 968 was standardized and approved by the army ordnance better known by its g number g509 this basic cargo carrying model was a prime mover for the us military and over 30 000 of these trucks were built in total many other variations of the vehicle were also manufactured including the wrecker model 969 with the holmes twin boom design the pontoon model 970 another prime mover but with a larger body capable of carrying bridge pontoons and several other specialty models used by not only the us military but by canada and other countries as well in addition to the countless 6x6s created for the war diamond t would also supply around 12 000 half-track scout cars and around 6 000 diesel-powered 12-ton 6x4 tank transporter trucks diamond t's half tracks were mostly m3 and m3a1 type models while the 12-ton tank transporting trucks were mainly model 980 and model 981s the model 980 truck was also known as the m20 tractor which was designed to be matched with the 45 ton m9 trailer together creating the combined military model m19 heavy tank transporter once the second world war was over civilian truck production picked back up again and diamond t like many companies post-war would see skyrocketing sales due to their huge heavy duty presence throughout the duration of the war this soaring success saw some major changes for the company and despite leading diamond t for over 40 years in 1946 founder charles tilt retired from his position as company president and continued on as board chairman for the company until his death in 1956 1951 introduced the innovative new semi-wrap-around one-piece windshield with a rounded roof which was soon seen used on several other manufacturers models including international hendrickson oshkosh and fwd in 1958 the well-known and loved white motors company bought out the diamond tea truck brand only one year after obtaining the renowned rio trucks range of rigs in 1957. after operating for almost an entire decade as their own individual divisions fast forward to 1967 when the decision was made to merge the two companies creating an all-new division of the white motors corporation called diamond rio the merging of these two truck manufacturers saw multiple new models made this same year including the classic conventional c990 model the c050 cab over configuration and the cf-55 created for inner city service the freshly debuted diamond rio trucks division would continue to work under the white motors company nameplate that was until 1971 when frances capper of birmingham alabama bought the diamond rio brand from white and formed the independent company called diamond rio trucks incorporated also in 71 diamond rio trucks debuted their all-new c-116 apollo series of conventionals which were introduced with a wide range of engine options despite their reputation for rugged reliability and multiple new models making their debut throughout the early 70s the company was forced into bankruptcy on december 6 1974. luckily only one year later in 1975 previous diamond rio dealer lawyer osterlund and partner ray housel bought the rights to diamond rio trucks and continued their production under the newly named diamond vehicle solutions branding in their harrisburg pennsylvania plant mostly manufacturing the single model c-116 giant complete with the cummins ntc 290 diesel engine as standard power diamond vehicle solutions continue to pump up their production throughout the late 70s and early 80s by 1985 the pennsylvania plant was expanded in order to accommodate even more truck manufacturing and for the next 10 years the company continued to cruise at a steady pace osterlund eventually sold diamond vehicle solutions in 1993 but the company continued to manufacture more makes and models for the export market up into the late 90s as the early 2000s arrived diamond vehicle solutions saw the debut of their tea line of trucks described as a blend of vintage diamond tea heritage mixed with modern engineering unfortunately these t-line truck models were phased out of production in 2010 with parts manufacturing lasting long up until 2013. however this diamond in the rough realm of big rigs wasn't quite dead yet and two years later in may of 2015 diamond vehicle solutions started up once again this time as the t-line trucks and chassis company after opening up operations under their new t-line trucks and chassis name t-line announced its intention to resume regular production of class six seven and eight trucks and tractors although the original diamond t trucks debuted several decades ago their soaring success has left a lasting impact on the industry despite the renowned reputation of these rigs diamond tees and diamond rios still remain a rarity in the trucking realm both over the road and within the show truck circuit while these diamonds didn't quite make the cut as the biggest nor the baddest truck manufacturing brand they certainly did shine a very bright light in the hearts of die hard diamond tea and diamond rio truck fans that brings you up to date with the history of diamond t trucks before you leave make sure you like the video check out the other videos on our channel and subscribe we have finally reached our goal of 30k subscribers so thank you all so much for your support for the show next stop 50k if you have any questions comments concerns or anything else you'd like to talk to us about please be sure to tune in to our live podcast the chrome corner wednesdays at 12 p.m noon eastern standard time and discuss all things chrome with our host dave coleman if you'd like to stay up to date with the new projects we have coming please follow us at jack's chrome show on facebook twitter and instagram be sure to buy your big rig the best chrome for your home with some especially sweet spooky themed stainless sales on our website at jaxchromeshop.com thanks for watching we'll see you next week and remember folks if your rig don't shine you don't know jack [Music] you

Channel: Jack's Chrome Shop

Views: 145,612

Keywords: jack's chrome show, jack's chrome shop, chrome and steel radio, the chrome corner, jack and dave show, truck history, truck, trucks, trucker, trucking, trucking news, trucking podcast, trucking industry, trucking entertainment, diamond t, diamond t trucks, diamond reo, diamond reo trucks, REO trucks, apollo c-116, apollo, big rig, big rigs, diamond t motor car company, diamond t motor truck company, diamond vehicle solutions, loyal osterlund, liberty truck, wwii, g-509, t-line

Id: tI4vaOGqa-E

Length: 12min 45sec (765 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 09 2020