The Moreland Motor Truck Company of Burbank, California, was originally located in Los Angeles. The Moreland trucks were sold worldwide.
 | |
| Company type | Truck Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Founder | Watt L. Moreland |
| Defunct | 1940 |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California, US |
| Products | Trucks |
History
editThe Moreland Motor Truck Company started in Los Angeles in 1911. Moreland was an innovative company that produced 70% of its trucks on-site, they introduced the "Gasifier" in the early 1900s, which allowed gas engines to run on petroleum distillates, similar to kerosene. The trucks came wiht a one year warranty, much better than the standard 90 day warranty of most truck companies at the time. [1][2]
In 1917 Watt L. Moreland was planning to move his business to Alhambra, California. When Burbank city officials heard about this news they offered Moreland 25 acres (100,000 m2) of land free of cost, located on the corner of San Fernando Blvd. and Alameda Ave. The city of Burbank raised $25,000 to pay for the land, buildings were constructed and the truck company moved in, after which Moreland trucks carried the "Made in Burbank" label. The factory was still surrounded by acres of farms.[3]
Along with Kenworth, Kleiber, and Fageol, Moreland helped build the image of the "Western Truck". Early models consisted of 1 1/2, 3, 3 1/2, and 5 ton sizes, with larger models featuring chain drive and driver-over-engine cabs. Hercules and Continental engines were paired with Brown-Lipe-Chapin transmissions. The 6 ton model was the largest in production by 1924, and in that same year they created a 6-wheeler double-decker bus chassis with a 6-cylinder Continental engine, Westinghouse air brakes, Lockheed hydraulics, and a 60 passenger body. Due to the projected cost (and the assumed low sales volume), the bus was not produced, but the 6-wheeler concept continued on in 1925 with the TX6 truck. Powered by a Continental 14H engine, it featured an equalizing rocker bogie designed by Moreland which pivoted from the middle of semi-elliptic springs. The TX6 was 10-ton rated and sold for around $7,000, with a 6-ton version introduced later that year. The 6-wheeler vehicles led to increased sales both in the United States and from other countries in Central America and South America as well as the Philippines and Australia.[4]
Moreland also made trailers, commercial bodywork, smaller trucks such as the 4-wheeler Ace (3,800 lb, Continental engine) and the 4-ton Californian (Hercules engine). In 1929 the company had it's best production year with almost 1,000 trucks, buses, and trailers delivered but less than 40 per year were sold by the mid-30s. Fageol and Moreland entered into talks of a merger in 1931 but nothing ever became of this. Moreland started to focus more on trailers and body work, with later trucks all being custom built. After 1941 the company became a parts & service corporation.[4]
The Moreland buildings were used by the Vega Aircraft Corporation in World War II, the Weston Biscuit Company bought the plant in 1947, and in 1970 it was purchased by the Menasco Motors Company to build landing gear. The original Moreland Truck Company buildings were demolished around 1999.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ "Los Angeles Herald 5 February 1916 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu.
- ^ "Moreland trucks drove Burbank growth". Burbank Leader. February 4, 2004.
- ^ "The Moreland Truck Company". wesclark.com.
- ^ a b "Coachbult.com - Moreland". coachbuilt.com.
- ^ http://wesclark.com/burbank/moreland.html A History of Burbank (Burbank Unified School District, 1967)
- ^ "Moreland Motor Truck Company, Burbank, approximately 1920". digital-collections.csun.edu.