RIKER TRUCK

Locomobile Co. (1916-1920)

Hares Motors Co. Ltd. (1920-1921)

Bridgeport, Connecticut

This is a Riker truck body side nameplate ( c1917-1920)     mjs
Size: 158mm wide 158mm high    MM: None

Locomobile trucks (see Locomobile) were renamed Riker in 1916 in honour of Andrew Riker who had been the original designer of the gasoline powered Locomobile cars and trucks (see Riker).

Riker trucks were four-cylinder vehicles built in 3-ton and 4-ton capacity sizes on a common wheelbase chassis. Riker trucks were expensive vehicles but were of high quality and were used by the US Army in 1916, when Riker trucks were fitted with railroad wheel flanges for rapid deployment from Columbus to El Paso to be used by the US Army against Pancho Villa in Mexico.

Locomobile and Riker trucks were also sent to Europe for use by the Allies in the First World War. 

The Locomobile Company suffered financial difficulties and went into receivership in 1919 but Riker trucks continued to be built in limited numbers by Hares Motors in 1920 and 1921. But continuing financial problems resulted in the Locomobile Company and the Riker Truck Division being sold in 1921 to William Crapo Durant, who immediately stopped production of Riker trucks.

Emblems

The Riker truck had the "RIKER" name cast into the ribbed radiator tank top, see Riker truck radiator illustration shown below:

Riker radiator showing cast in radiator emblem (c1916)  coachbilt 

Some original period photos of later Riker trucks appear to show a larger cast in "RIKER" radiator emblem, see example shown below:

Riker truck radiator showing cast in emblem (c1917)  forums aaca

The first Riker trucks also displayed the "Riker" name on rectangular nameplates mounted on the sides of the driver's box, see original 1916 Riker truck photo shown below:

Riker truck arriving at El Paso (1916)  library of congress

Close up showing body side "RIKER" nameplate (1916)

The following Riker Truck advertisement for the war effort shows the cast in "RIKER" name in the radiator tank top and also includes an octagonal Riker truck logo:

This is a Riker Truck ad showing a Riker logo (c1917)  tha 

The octagonal Riker logo also appears on Riker truck brochure covers in 1917 and 1918, see example shown below:

Riker truck brochure cover ebay

This Riker truck logo reflects the octagonal, painted brass Riker truck body side nameplates mounted on the sides of the driver's box, see original photo shown below:

Riker truck side view showing nameplate (c1917)   forums aaca

Close up showing body side nameplate

This is the Riker body side nameplate shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Riker nameplate was originally painted black and is very rare.

This is a Riker truck body side nameplate (c1917-1920)  mjs
Size: 158mm wide 158mm high    MM: None