Normally called Two-Ton Trucks, COE's were rated up to 25,000 lb GVW & run the tried & true
216 cid or 235 cid Stovebolt Chevrolet six cylinder engine. Most came with a 4 speed transmission
& some came with the extra cost option of a 2 speed rear axle.
Advantages of the COE design was greater cargo area for a given wheelbase, more maneuverable,
& the high cab also gave drivers excellent visibility, a real plus in threading a truck city
traffic. Also you could get a shorter truck if you used the same size bed as on regular
truck or with a fifth wheel.
Some of the following pics came from the owners of the trucks, & some are photos taken by myself.
Also there are photos from Hank Suderman & the Collection of
Ken Goudy.
See the links page for their web pages, or click on their name to e-mail them.
John Coady found this 1947 Chevrolet COE truck in a barn, where it had been sitting from 1974.
He saved it from being scraped. There is a new Dam where the ranch was & it is 250 feet under
water now. The head had been removed & lost so there the truck sat. The best part about this
truck is that he has the history on it to new. Under all those cobwebs & slime was absolutely
no rust. The tires are new & most of the lights work. It even has glass marble reflectors in red,
white, & amber. He had the truck blasted with baking soda to bare metal, which does not warp metal.
Then he sealed & painted the truck. John then repaired & oiled the wood bed. He need to
get it running & repair the brakes.
Conrad Vogel of Sandpoint Idaho Now has Two of these COE Trucks. A 1948 Chevrolet 5700 "Loadmaster"
RS 2-ton COE (16,000 lb GVW). It was bought new by his great grandfather Oliver Ruen in 1948.
It was used on Ruen Farms (potato farm) in Clark Fork Idaho Hauling potatoes, cattle, grain, hay,
rocks, ore & anything else they decided to throw on it. His brother & Conrad recently got the
truck with the intention of restoring it for the 4th of July Clark Fork Parade duty. It's pretty
much all original except for the right fender (undoubtedly dented in by a relative years ago) &
he even found an old log book in the glove box from the mid fifties of cattle hauling records to
Spokane signed by his great-grandfather. One of these days it'll turn quite a few heads puttin'
around the home place. The next Truck he got is a 1953 GMC he found in July 2002,
it looks to have been an old moving truck.
Rick Sold this green GMC COE in less than 24 hours after it was listed, it's a 1948 & is all
original. Thes trucks sell fast so if you see one let the Old COE Trucks list know about it.
To join that list see the Main Old COE Trucks Page, there is a link below.
This is a 1950 5100 Chevrolet, It is in running condition, It has a 235 6 cylinder, 4 speed
transmission, 2 speed read axle. No rust, clean, all red, 85,000 original miles, good stock
bed, hydraulic tilt, completely redone fuel line, orig. carb, just cleaned. It has been
stored in a shed most of its life. This truck is in Montana.
Gary Perry just picked up this 1950 Chevrolet COE dump. It's the short wheelbase model he's been
wanting. It's fairly rough, yet most are. Gary plans on removing the bed & using lift &
base frame to make a flatbed dump.
Here are some random Pics of Old COEs. a 1951, 1952 & 1953
1953 GMC F970 Water Truck, owned by David Hull. Pictures taken by Hank Suderman.
Here are Two Old GMC COE Bookmobiles, these would be fun to restore.
This 1954 Chevrolet sold at a farm auction in Deweyville Utah, it was in use before being sold.
The 1954 had the one piece windshield. Photos by Rick Emlet.
This Black Chevrolet COE was seen for sale on eBay. The blue one sadly is going to
be mounted on a one ton chassis ;(
1954 Chevrolet COE.
They also made great tow trucks. I seen this one in Ogden Utah & made an offer to buy it
from the then owner. He would not sell it. As you can see it was on the back of another
tow truck. It had a sign on the drivers door the said, "Hooker Auto Logan Utah".
The other one is a 1954 Chevrolet I seen in Ririe. The 1952 tow truck is owned by Bills Towing
in Canyonville, Oregon. It is a regular in the 4th of July parade in Myrtle Creek, Oregon.
This 1954 was for sale on the internet, but I have been told it was sold.
[1939-1947 COE] [1947-1954 COE] ["Cannon Balls"] [1954-1959 LCF] [1960-1966 LCF]
