VINTAGE BUDDY L HYDRAULIC DUMP TRUCK....PRESSED STEEL...MACK TRUCK

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AWESOME BUDDY L PRESSED STEEL DUMP TRUCK HUGGER ORANGE MACK TRUC K EMBLEMS HYDRAULICS WORKING INDUSTRIAL FRONT BUMPER 1960'S ABOUT 16 BY 10 BY 7 "Buddy "L" toys were originally manufactured by the Moline Pressed Steel Company, started by Fred A. Lundahl in 1910. [2 ] The company originally manufactured automobile fenders and other stamped auto body parts for the automobile industry. [2 ] The company primarily supplied parts for the McCormack-Deering line of farm implements and the International Harvester Company for its trucks. [2 ] Moline Pressed Steel did not begin manufacturing toys until 1921. [2 ] Mr. Lundhal wanted to make something new, different, and durable for his son Arthur. [2 ] He designed and produced an all-steel miniature truck, reportedly a model of an International Harvester truck made from 18- and 20-gauge steel which had been discarded to the company's scrap pile. [2 ]Buddy L made such products as toy cars , dump trucks , delivery vans , fire engines , construction equipment ,[ 3] and trains .[ 4] Fred Lundahl used to manufacture for International Harvester trucks. [1 ] He started by making a toy dump truck out of steel scraps for his son Buddy. Soon after, he started selling Buddy L "toys for boys", made of pressed steel .[ 1] Many were large enough for a child to straddle, propelling himself with his feet. [ 1 ] Others were pull toys . A pioneer in the steel-toy field, Lundahl persuaded Marshall Field's and F. A. O. Schwarz to carry his line. He did very well until the Depression , then sold the company. [1 ]From 1976 to 1990, Buddy L was owned by Richard Keats , a well-known New York toy designer who went to work for Buddy L the day after he graduated from Brown University in 1948. [1 ]In 1990, Keats sold Buddy L to Empire Industries of Boca Raton, Florida, [1 ] a subsidiary of Empire of Carolina. [5 ]In the 1990s, Buddy-L made Splatter Up , a wet version of T-ball. [6 ]On 31 August 2000, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall for about 113,000 battery-powered children's riding vehicles, marketed as "Power Drivers" or "Buddy L", for repair. The vehicles' battery chargers can overheat, presenting fire and injury hazards to children. [7 ]In November 2000, Empire of Carolina and its wholly owned subsidiary, Empire Industries, Inc., filed for bankrupty and, in July 2001, Empire Industries was sold substantially to Alpha International , Inc, [8 ] also known as the Gearbox Pedal Car Company, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa [5 ] (renamed as Gearbox Toys and now owned by J. Lloyd International ). The history of toy automobiles began with the invention of the horseless carriage, and the love affair continues today. According to historians, getting boys "hooked" on toy cars is one way to ensure customers for the real thing down the road. One of the most successful lines of toy vehicles ever is Buddy L, introduced by Fred Lundahl and named for his son. The Moline Pressed Steel Company in Moline, Ill., began making the model vehicles in 1921 with the same heavy-gauge steel that they used in the manufacturing of parts for automobiles and trucks. The immediate and soaring popularity of these sturdy and durable toys resulted in Moline Steel shifting exclusively to the models within a few years. Buddy L produced a wide variety of vehicles, from trains and construction equipment to delivery and emergency vehicles to Ford cars and trucks. All had moving parts, some had removable cargo, and a few were very elaborate, including features such as working hydraulics. The early vehicles averaged from 20 to 26 inches and were sturdy enough for a child to ride. This indoor/outdoor utility insured Buddy L a place in toy vehicle history. Before Buddy L, most toy vehicles were made of cast iron or wood, but Buddy L's success with steel spawned competition. Companies such as Keystone, Kingsbury, Structo and Sturdy made heavy-gauge vehicles, while Acme, A.C. Gilbert, Girard and Kingsbury produced lighter-gauge versions.... read more

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