History of REO Trucks - Truck History Episode 28

hey guys today we are back with episode number 28 of truck history on this episode we will be following up our deep dive into the history of diamond tea trucks by reminiscing on the history of the renowned semi-related rio trucks let's get started folks our story starts off today in lansing michigan with a man by the name of ransom eli olds who after originally founding a company he called old's motor motorworks better known today as oldsmobile in 1897 went on to become the founder of the highly respected rio motor car company several years later in 1905. despite seeing such instant success in their infancy other competing automobile manufacturing companies like ford and general motors began crowding out rio's share of the market in the early 1900s because of this rio turned towards truck manufacturing instead and a little later on in 1908 they began building a few wagons with their automobile chassis these so-called model h trucks would inspire the company to debut their very own truck division in 1910 followed by the introduction of their first big rig truck the two-ton four-cylinder model j in late 1913. following up these few firsts in the fall of 1915 rio introduced their very first iconic rio speedwagon also known as the model f three-quarter ton truck the so-called speedwagon was given its nickname due to its lightweight quick delivery design the speedwagon soon became rio's signature model and were made in a wide variety of vehicle variants including various body types and tonnages also with world war one already in the works the speed wagon was able to serve our country at an even greater capacity with the addition of a three-ton version of the truck in 1917. once world war one was over in 1918 truck production began taking precedence over automobile manufacturing and within a decade following their debut rio speedwagons had sold more than 125 000 units speaking of which also in 1925 the speedwagon celebrated its 10th anniversary with a new 6-cylinder engine that delivered more power and better performance and eventually in 1929 rio would launch their famous gold crown 6-cylinder in-line engine despite the drawbacks and downfalls at this time during the great depression in 1933 rio released their extremely rare model b in built as a prime example of rio's commercial craftsmanship the model bn brought both beauty and brains to the company's line with luxurious wood body work fine line styling and last but not least 95 horsepower making it one of the fastest truck models of its day the next year in 1934 rio would enter into a business agreement with major truck manufacturer mack trucks under this partnership rio began building the lightweight mac junior truck at their factory in lansing this deal however did not last very long and by late 1936 rio had ceased all automotive production completely due to drastically declining car sales with car sales slowing down significantly the company started struggling to make ends meet leading to their eventual declaration of bankruptcy in december of 1938 thankfully by august of 1940 the company had come back from their battle with bankruptcy in a big way by means of a considerably large loan that allowed the company to continue operations making military truck models for the united states army alongside almost every other automotive manufacturer around at the time during world war ii rio trucks put a pause on production per usual in order to make a multitude of models for the united states military in total rio would build nearly 30 000 trucks and buses for world war ii ranging from lightweight one and a half ton trucks all the way up to massive heavy-duty 10-ton models also included in these wartime workhorses were several six by six trucks like the two and a half ton us-6 which despite being originally designed by studebaker were also produced in mass quantities by rio these tactical trucks were also known by their group g model number g630 which were strikingly similar to gmc's 6x6 cckw models sometimes also referred to as the rio eager beaver various versions of the vehicle were produced including cargo carrying trucks tankers dump trucks and many more most of which were sent overseas via export to the soviet union as part of the lend lease policy in addition to the almighty us-6 rio also manufactured the later two and a half ton model m35 also known by its g series number g742 these m35 models were made into a wide range of rigs with numerous different duties despite being introduced in the latter part of world war ii these trucks still saw all sorts of action while serving as gun trucks during the following war with vietnam if you'd like to learn more about these various trucks of war please visit our channel and check out our videos trucks of the vietnam war as well as trucks of world war ii after the war was over rio resumed civilian production starting in 1946 also in 1946 rio briefly began building and selling their own brand of lawn mowers a few years following the launch of these lawn mowers in 1948 rio was able to release their new conventional extra heavy duty models 30 and 31 built for the biggest hauling jobs of them all by the following fall of 1949 rio would bring forth another first this time with the gorgeous gold comet truck engine also around the same time the company began dabbling in various delivery platforms and longer wheelbase offerings while the star of the show speedwagon saw several new updates including rounded noses and the option of stake truck configurations also as the korean war conflict began in june of 1950 the company began building an order of over five thousand two and a half ton m-34 military trucks for the us government after the korean war was over in 1953 rio started producing the calamity jane civil defense truck which served as a heavy duty rescue rig from the civil defense programs put into place during the cold war era only one year after the introduction of these gi jains in 1954 rio would also release their one and only gold comet v8 engine built with up to 220 horsepower and coming in at only 39.5 inches long rio's gold comet engine was known as the most powerful v8 engine of its time later that same year in 1954 bone aluminum and brass company bought rio trucks after being bought by bone in 1956 rio introduced their ac series of compact cab over configured trucks also known as super v63s which were very short-lived with production lasting only up until 1959. shortly thereafter if you'll recall from our recent history of diamond tea trucks video in may of 1957 white motors company would obtain the renowned rio range of rigs and shortly then after they would also buy out the beloved diamond tea truck brand in 1958 despite sharing the same roof as diamond tea trucks at their combined facility in lansing michigan rio remained their own separate entity for several years throughout the greater part of the 1960s in fact in 1961 rio released a brand new line of cab overs powered by gold comet engines which were shortly followed by the exceedingly popular e-series conventionals that made their debut in 1962. moving forward together these two truck manufacturers continued to make models under their own respective name plates up until 1967 when the companies merged together to create the magnificent all-new diamond rio truck division of white motors under the new diamond rio name plate the combined company began creating countless conventional and cab over configurations including the amazing all-new c116 apollos the renowned c-119 raider conventionals and last but certainly not least the cult classic cab over configured royale rigs unfortunately the introduction of these innovative trucks was not enough to overcome the fierce financial struggles the company was suffering at the time due to the ongoing oil crisis and on december 6 1974 the company was finally forced to file for bankruptcy thankfully only one year after shutting down their truck operations in 1975 diamond rio trucks division was purchased by a prior dealer known as loyal osterlund who kept the company going by continuing to create diamond rio rigs under the newly named diamond vehicle solutions branding sadly despite their success all good things must eventually come to an end and after almost a decade in the mid 1990s diamond vehicle solutions sales dried up and was subsequently shut down completely by 1995 while many rugged reliable rio and diamond rio trucks still drive to this very day they remain a rarity to be seen out and about on today's roads despite their renowned reputation as fierce freight hauling rigs these trucks can seldom be seen even at truck shows within the circuit although these tried and true trucks are seemingly few and far between in today's world at one point in time rio trucks ran the roads as one of the most iconic rigs in the industry's history that brings you up to date with the history of rio 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 35k 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 12pm 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 jax chrome show on facebook twitter and instagram be sure to buy your big rig the best chrome for your home with some sweet spooky themed stainless sales including fifty dollars off all grills and visors on our website at jackschromeshop.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]

Channel: Jack's Chrome Shop

Views: 67,475

Keywords: jack's chrome show, jack's chrome shop, jack and dave show, chrome and steel radio, the chrome corner, truck history, big rig, big rigs, truck, trucks, trucker, trucking, history of REO, history of REO trucks, REO motor car company, REO motor truck company, REO, Ransom Eli Olds, Oldsmobile, Olds Motor Car Works, REO Speedwagon, Speedwagon, REO Flying Cloud, Diamond REO, Diamond REO Truck Division, White Motors Company, REO Apollo, Apollo C-116, REO Raider, REO Royale

Id: 2k7ncO--HIM

Length: 13min 4sec (784 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 23 2020