COUPLE-GEAR

Couple-Gear Freight Wheel Co.

Couple-Gear Electric Truck Co.

Grand Rapids, Michigan (1904-1922)

This is a Couple-Gear emblem (dates unknown)     mjs
Size: 127mm diameter

The Couple-Gear company specialized in heavy, slow-moving electric trucks powered by motors in the wheels. The first models were 3-ton and 5-ton capacity with four-wheel-drive and steering, and one motor to each wheel. Maximum speed was 6 mph. A gas-electric model was also made and in 1908 lighter models appeared.

Couple-Gear also made a large number of fire engines, both electric and gasoline. For 1914 a new range of all-wheel drive trucks and tractors was introduced. After the First World War, electric trucks and fire engines began to lose popularity and by 1922 it was all over for Couple-Gear.

Emblem

Early Couple-Gear vehicles, possibly from about 1906, displayed a large brass script attached to the radiator core, see original period photos shown below:

This is a Couple-Gear truck with a radiator script (1909)     dpl

This is a Couple-Gear fire apparatus truck with a radiator script (1913)   ms

The following photo of an early Couple-Gear truck appears to show a "Couple-Gear" nameplate attached to the radiator tank top in addition to a radiator script, although the photo is not clear enough to show the detail:

Couple-Gear truck with rad nameplate & script (date unknown) hemmings

Close-up showing nameplate & script 

I have not found any evidence of a radiator emblem other than the possible radiator top nameplate shown above but the "Couple-Gear" name was displayed on the hubcaps, see examples above at the top of this post and below. Original Couple-Gear hub emblems are rare.

The following photo shows a Couple-Gear truck with domed front hubcaps:

Couple-Gear truck with domed front hubcaps (date unknown) 
americanindustrialmining

The following is an example of a domed Couple-Gear hubcap:

This is a domed Couple-Gear hubcap (date unknown)    dkc
Size: 137mm diameter (across dome)