HENDRICKSON

Hendrickson Motor Truck Co. 
Chicago, Illinois (1913-date unknown)
Lyons, Illinois (dates unknown)
Hendrickson Manufacturing Co. (date unknown-present)
Lyons, Illinois

This is a Hendrickson hood ornament emblem (c1938-1950) mjs
Size: 102mm wide 23mm high   MM: None

Magnus Hendrickson built his first truck in 1900 and was later chief engineer for Lauth-Juergens. In 1913 Hendrickson formed the Hendrickson Motor Truck Company based in Chicago. The first new Hendrickson trucks were cab over engine, chain driven trucks with solid tires. From the start Hendrickson trucks were specially built to suit the customer's requirements.

By 1920, the line-up included three models of 2-1/2-ton to 5-ton capacity still with solid rubber tires but using heavy-duty worm drive. In 1922, Hendrickson introduced a light 1-1/2-ton capacity model with pneumatic tires, which was offered as an option for all models except the 5-ton model. In 1926, Hendrickson designed a tandem suspension unit to distribute the load evenly to the rear axles and to significantly reduce the effects of uneven terrain. A major boost for the company came in 1933 when International Harvester signed an exclusive contract for the tandem suspension. This relationship lasted until 1948. Hendrickson also built fire engines and expanded the range of their trucks.

By the 1950's Henderson trucks became more and more custom-built for a wide variety of specialist purposes. By the early 1970's yearly production was about 300 units, all custom-engineered and hand-built. The company was sold to the Boler Company in 1978. Eventually, Hendrickson sold off its truck manufacturing business and has since then focused on suspension systems for which it enjoys a world-wide reputation.

Emblems

There are very few early period photos of Hendrickson vehicles and few surviving vehicles also. The early period Hendrickson truck photos do not show an emblem or a side nameplate. It is likely that the "Hendrickson" name was displayed on some kind of maker's nameplate but I have no details of such a nameplate.

The Hendrickson logo in the form of the "HENDRICKSON" name in capital letters, which appeared on the emblems and nameplates on all models after about 1925, may have been used soon after production began in 1913, but I cannot confirm this. If you have details of any Hendrickson emblems or nameplates in use before 1925, please let me know, in order to update this post.

The following original period photo shows a 1926 Hendrickson truck with a cast metal radiator emblem:

Hendrickson truck showing radiator emblem (1926)  flickr

This Hendrickson radiator emblem is more clearly seen on the following surviving example also from 1926. This restored Hendrickson truck also displays the "Hendrickson" name painted by stencil on the hood sides but there is no hood side stencil shown in the original 1926 photo.

Hendrickson 3-ton truck showing radiator emblem (1926)  natm

This is the painted cast metal Hendrickson radiator emblem shown below. This Hendrickson radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a Hendrickson radiator emblem (c1925-1928)  natm
Size: Unknown     MM: Unknown

By 1929, the Hendrickson truck had a different radiator emblem, either a cast metal emblem or cast into the radiator, but with the "HENDRICKSON" name in letters of uniform height, see original period photo shown below. If this is a separate cast metal emblem it too would be very rare.

Hendrickson truck with radiator emblem (1929)  flickr

Close up showing Hendrickson radiator emblem (1929)

The following Hendrickson truck from 1936 displays the "Hendrickson" name on hood side nameplates with rounded ends:

This is a Hendrickson truck with hood side nameplates (1936)      flickr

The following is a very similar painted, pressed metal Hendrickson hood side nameplate. Original Hendrickson hood side nameplates are rare.

This is a Hendrickson hood side nameplate (1930's-1940's)  lhtec
Size: 330mm wide 60mm high

From about 1938 to 1950, Hendrickson trucks carried a die cast hood ornament mounted above the radiator grille. The hood ornament acted as a mounting for a small Hendrickson nameplate emblem, see example shown below:

This is a Hendrickson truck showing a hood ornament emblem (1938)    flickr

This is the Hendrickson hood ornament emblem:

This is a Hendrickson hood ornament emblem (c1938-c1950)   ms

This is the painted Hendrickson hood ornament emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Hendrickson hood ornament emblem is rare.

This is a Hendrickson hood ornament emblem (c1938-1950)  mjs
Size: 102mm wide 23mm high   MM: None

The following painted Hendrickson hood side nameplate is believed to have been used after the Second World War:

This is a Hendrickson hood side nameplate (c1940's-1950's) lktec
Size: 330mm wide 57mm high