Trucks on Display
Below is a sampling of the many trucks on display in our Trucking Hall of Fame® Exhibit Hall. Check out our app for more information, photos, and an audio recording for each truck. Click here to download.
1923 International
Engine Type:
4-Cylinder
Transmission Type:
3-Speed
Truck Information:
This 1923 International is a Speed Six model that was purchased new and donated to us by the Ellerbrock family of Sac City, Iowa; their name is painted on the door. The family is still in the trucking business today. You can see that they had this truck for a long time – there are gas ration stickers and a license sticker from 1945 on the windshield. There is an electrical system on this truck; it has electric lights. The brakes are two-wheel and there are no windshield wipers. On the steering column of this truck is a spark-and-throttle control. You had to adjust the timing when the engine sped up. The spark has to come earlier when the engine RPM increases. Back then you had to adjust the timing by ear. The controls include a light switch and a choke, no other instruments. The gas tank is under the seat; you fill it from inside the cab. There's no crank to raise or lower the windows - it had to be done by hand. The cab is wood-framed with metal covering. There is a starter on the engine, but there is also a place for a starter crank. Batteries were somewhat undependable back then and not very strong, so you needed the option to hand crank. There are little gas primer cups on the engine to help you start in the wintertime. Gas could be added directly into the primer cups which would then directly go to the cylinders so the engine would fire easily. You can also release compression so it is easier to crank start by hand. This truck also has an updraft carburetor. In the winter when it's cold, gas does not vaporize or atomize well; that gives you a little advantage for getting started. You had to know what you were doing to drive a vehicle back then. It took a lot of extra skills that are no longer necessary. Top Speed: 35 MPH
4-Cylinder
Transmission Type:
3-Speed
Truck Information:
This 1923 International is a Speed Six model that was purchased new and donated to us by the Ellerbrock family of Sac City, Iowa; their name is painted on the door. The family is still in the trucking business today. You can see that they had this truck for a long time – there are gas ration stickers and a license sticker from 1945 on the windshield. There is an electrical system on this truck; it has electric lights. The brakes are two-wheel and there are no windshield wipers. On the steering column of this truck is a spark-and-throttle control. You had to adjust the timing when the engine sped up. The spark has to come earlier when the engine RPM increases. Back then you had to adjust the timing by ear. The controls include a light switch and a choke, no other instruments. The gas tank is under the seat; you fill it from inside the cab. There's no crank to raise or lower the windows - it had to be done by hand. The cab is wood-framed with metal covering. There is a starter on the engine, but there is also a place for a starter crank. Batteries were somewhat undependable back then and not very strong, so you needed the option to hand crank. There are little gas primer cups on the engine to help you start in the wintertime. Gas could be added directly into the primer cups which would then directly go to the cylinders so the engine would fire easily. You can also release compression so it is easier to crank start by hand. This truck also has an updraft carburetor. In the winter when it's cold, gas does not vaporize or atomize well; that gives you a little advantage for getting started. You had to know what you were doing to drive a vehicle back then. It took a lot of extra skills that are no longer necessary. Top Speed: 35 MPH
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