Duplex

[DailyDiesel]

Let's start a Duplex thread. Might be awhile before it takes off. 😆

1964 Duplex with a 230 Cummins, 5x4 OD, Rockwell top drive axles. Former Former Onondaga County DOT truck # 22.

 

[doubleclutchinweasel]

I can honest ly say I have never seen one of those in person!

[tjc transport]

same here. looks a lot like an international

[bulldogboy]

     Duplex built cabs and chassis for use by fire truck manufacturers that did not have their own chassis.

[tjc transport]

ok, the cabover duplex firetrucks. i have seen plenty of them. 

[h67st]

A pic from the web.

[doubleclutchinweasel]

9 minutes ago, h67st said:

A pic from the web.

I saw that one when I was trying to figure out who they were.  Pretty good looking ride, isn't it?

[kscarbel2]

Per ReelNostalgia, the Duplex Truck Company was a prominent builder and supplier of trucks to private companies as well as government agencies during the years between 1916 and 1955. In 1955, Warner and Swasey Company purchased the Duplex Truck Company, and the Duplex division closed in 1975.

According to Fire Wiki, Duplex was purchased by the Simon Group of the UK in 1986 and renamed Simon-Duplex Inc. This was around the same time that Simon also purchased LTI, creating Simon-LTI. Simon-Duplex LTI built complete pumper and aerial apparatus using the Olympian chassis. The Simon Group sold LTI to Aerial Innovations Inc. in 1998 and closed the Duplex operation the same year. A successor company that sprung from the remnants of the Duplex operation in Ohio continued on as Sabel Incorporated until 2003, when it was purchased by Kimble Custom Chassis, now a division of Crane Carrier Company.

.

 

[doubleclutchinweasel]

4 minutes ago, kscarbel2 said:

Per ReelNostalgia, the Duplex Truck Company was a prominent builder and supplier of trucks to private companies as well as government agencies during the years between 1916 and 1955. In 1955, Warner and Swasey Company purchased the Duplex Truck Company, and the Duplex division closed in 1975.

.

 

I had read that W&S bought them.  W&S was a great builder of heavy-duty metal turning machines for years.  Once upon a time, I saw a W&S forklift.  Always thought that was kinda interesting.  Now, I realize they were into a whole lot of different stuff...including trucks.  Nice pic, by the way.

[doubleclutchinweasel]

In fact, here is a pic off the interweb which shows the data plate off of a W&S forklift...and it says "Duplex Division" right on it.  Wonder if the forklifts came over with the Duplex trucks?

 

[doubleclutchinweasel]

Here is some Wikipedia info on W&S that mentions how the Duplex brand fit in.  Still says nothing about the forklifts.  Found one site that suggested the forklifts were based on a Ford tractor, but I don't know.

 

 

Construction equipment[edit]

 

A Gradall XL5100-III excavator, formerly a product of Warner & Swasey.

In 1946 Warner & Swasey Company acquired the patent rights to manufacture the Gradall telescopic boom excavator from the brothers Ray and Koop Ferwerda with their manufacturing company, the FWF Corporation, of Beachwood, Ohio. The Gradall, a type of hydraulic machinery, became a business of the new owner as the Gradall Division with operations in Cleveland. In the year 1946, the Gradall was the first production hydraulic excavator that was designed and manufactured in the United States. In July 1950, Gradall manufacturing operations were moved to New Philadelphia, Ohio, where it continues, in 2017, as Gradall Industries, Inc., a global manufacturer of telescopic boom excavators and industrial maintenance machinery. Gradall Industries, Inc. is a business unit of the Alamo Group of Seguin, Texas. ^[16]

The foundation of the Warner & Swasey Construction Equipment Division with five product lines was started in 1946 with the development of the first production hydraulic excavator; the GRADALL®. This machine was new technology for the industry and was highly versatile and productive for a variety of work. The DUPLEX TRUCK® Company of Lansing, Michigan, a heavy duty and specialized truck manufacturer was acquired in 1955 to supply truck chassis for the GRADALL and future Warner & Swasey backhoe excavator and crane products. In 1957 the Company sought a broader market penetration into the hydraulic excavator market. It acquired the Badger Machine Company of Winona, Minnesota, with its six HOPTO® hydraulic excavator models which complimented the Gradall models. The Company acquired in 1967, the Sargent Engineering Corporation of Fort Dodge, Iowa, a manufacturer of hydraulic cranes. Their six SARGENT HYDRA-TOWER® CRANE models enabled the company to move into another large segment of the construction industry using hydraulic machinery. That same year the Company partnered with a Canadian paper industry association in the manufacture of the ARBOMATIK® a line of hydraulic tree harvesting equipment. Through corporate diversity into hydraulic construction equipment, the growing popularity and productivity of this type of hydraulic machinery yielded strong business growth for the Warner & Swasey company of Cleveland, Ohio during the years of 1946 through 1977.

[Brocky]

In the mid 50's I vaguely remember our township, Town of Caroline, Brooktondale, Tompkins County NY, Having an early 50's Duplex single axle dump truck. No idea if it was 4X4???? At that time they were running Advance Design Chevy's with Coleman 4X4, then in 1956 the town added a F-800 Ford with Marmon Herrington 4X4. 

[other dog]

I've seen a Duplex in Macungie a couple of times, but can't get to a picture right now. I'm sure it's in my Flickr pictures though.

[other dog]

Here's the one from Macungie. A fine looking unit!

[mrsmackpaul]

This is a brand that I have never heard of before 

Some of them look quite stylish, others not so much

 

 

Paul

[mowerman]

Hell I never even heard of them I thought I was talking about the transmission..... bob