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Eaton Reo/Aerocar Rig
This ultra-streamline Reo tractor was specially built to tow a Curtiss
Aerocar, on of the earliest production fifth-wheel trailers. Custom built
for Dr. Hubert Eaton of the Forest Lawn Memorial Parks, its innovative
cab-forward aluminum and leatherette body was constructed by Standard
Carriage Works of Low Angeles, a coachbuilder that specialized in bodies for
trucks and other commercial vehicles. It featured a large storage area,
sleeping quarters for the driver, and a separate four-cylinder engine for
auxilliary power. A Williams air-brake an dual rear-wheels accommodate the
permanently attached 10,000 pound trailer. First equipped with a flat-12
White truck engine, the Reo tractor was fitted with a 300-horsepower Cummins
6-cylinder diesel in 1953 when the original engine wore out after more than
250,000 miles of use. The luxurious and expensive Aerocar trailer was
built by Curtiss of Coral Gables, Florida, a firm also known for motorcycles
and pioneering aircraft. Nicknamed "Vagabond" by Dr. Eaton, it was outfitted
for hunting excursions and to transport company executives on trips to
inspect various real-estate holdings. Special features include a
self-contained restroom and kitchen, comfortable seating for eight, cup
holders, and an observation deck equipped with a speedometer, compass, and
intercom for communication with the driver. Though currently set up for day
travel, the interior can be modified to sleep up to six passengers. The
dramatically styled rig was in regular use until retired by Forest Lawn
Memorial Parks in 1991 - Peterson Automotive Museum xxxxx
Standard Carriage Works built an attractive Packard
woody wagon on a 1941 Packard 160 chassis. It was unusual in that it was
built like a British shooting brake and featured standard metal covered front doors. The wood
paneling started at the B-pillar and swept down to the bottom of the vehicle
by the time it reached the rear doors. The framework was metal, with wooden
panels and trim fitted over the steel structure. Originally built for 1930s
and 40s opera star John Charles Thomas, it still exists and is
owned by William E. Harris
Regular production 1941 Packard wagons were built by Hercules
of Evansville, Indiana.
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Suman-Hrebley lists a Standard Mfg. Co. in Long Beach during the 1920s,
it may or may not be the same firm.
A Standard Manufacturing Co. made coin-operated arcade games and vending
machines in the early 1930s, it could be the Long Beach firm.
Another Standard Manufacturing Company built lawn mowers in Lebanon,
Indiana
Rotary lawn mowers were used in certain parts of the country by golf
courses, park departments, cemeteries, and other public institutions by the
1930s. Their popularity increased during the 1940s because this type of
mower had the ability to handle weeds and tall grass. Also, because of their
simplified design, these mowers could be manufactured at a much lower cost.
By 1947 there were 66 manufacturers of rotary lawn mowers, almost twice as
many as ten years earlier. Jacobsen entered the rotary mower market in 1948
when they purchased the Standard Manufacturing Company of Lebanon, IN who
had been a pioneer in the rotary mower market.
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