On March 17, 1924, Mr. 0.J. Richards, who we believe at the time worked for the Department of Public Works of Port Huron, Michigan, placed an order for this 5 ton, 100 series Gotfredson.
The note read as follows: 1 Studebaker Street Flusher, 1200 gallon capacity, mounted on 5 ton Gotfredson Truck with fire-fighting attachments, sprinkling heads and basement pumping connections. It seems the town was going to make this truck a multi-purpose unit.
The cost of this magnificent piece of machinery was to be $8,100.00. Back In 1924, you could probably buy a couple of houses for that price. The delivery was to be taken (subject to approval of the city commission) by April l, 1924. The truck was ordered along with an Austin-Western grader, an International #1530 tractor and three Western-Studebaker dump wagons (2 yards). The total cost to Port Huron would be almost $11,000. Payment of these six units was due May 15, 1924.
Although specs say the standard wheelbase was 169 Inches, the DeBell truck shows 167 inches. The 5 ton Gotfredson is powered by a strong BTU, 4 cylinder Buda engine. The bore and stroke was a large 5 Inches by 6 1/2 inches producing 40 NACC horsepower. The engine serial # is 119742A while B/M = 2363C. The chassis serial # is 100-022.
It appears that the solid rubber tires have never been changed over the years. The rear tires are fourteen inches wide by 40 Inches In diameter.
There is a box shape behind the C cab and in front of the 1200 gallon tank. The box, with a crank showing out the lower center, houses an ETU Buda engine which operates the water pump and sprinkler system. The smaller 4 cylinder ETU engine has a bore and stroke of 4" x 5 1/2".
It stands outside a door marked "Gotfredson Trucks Corporation; Retail Sales Department". Address 3579 Gratiot Ave., Detroit.
We believe this is the same truck as above some 67 years later. Chassis number is100-022. Photos are taken at John DeBell's home. John rescued this truck from a scrap yard. It seems the truck had never ventured very far from Port Huron. The tank had long since disappeared when John found the truck in 1972. A lot of brush had grown around it and John cut away most of the Studebaker plumbing in order to transport the vehicle. The photo on the right shows the strength of the Gotfredson frame. The rear tires are solid rubber with a standard size of 40" x 14" (wide). The front tires are 36" x 6". The front axle is a Timken 1732B while the rear axle is a heavy duty Timken 6760. The gear set is a Brown-Lipe 60 and should have 7 forward gears. The decorative Gotfredson plaque still graces the rear frame.
Copyright © 1998 David Gotfredson
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