Posted by Dave Horvath [172.71.190.200] on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 07:59:16 :
My question for Joe is about the 1955 Dodge Special Equipment Group Manual listing the swivel mechanism as an option. The original post had a picture of that manual. That is what I am seeking. The Truckstell units were specifically designed for the Power Wagon by the Truckstell company in Cleveland, Ohio. The original Willock units were much heavier. The crossmembers in the Willock units are flat across the top. The crossmembers in the Truckstell units rise to a peak in the center. One of the pictures in the link you shared is actually a Truckstell unit. The Truckstell unit data plates say Truckstell in big letters and Willock in small letters below. The earliest Truckstell patent drawing I have seen is dated 1958 and shows a tapered tube which would have been more expensive to produce. A later patent drawing shows a straight tube. All of the units I have observed have the straight tube. The serial numbers and the model numbers on the Truckstell data plates are hard to read. I have heard at least 40-50 were made, some of which were for the Florida Division of Forestry for use in the Everglades. Those trucks had a custom bed and rear plow for making fire breaks. I am aware of at least 4 of those and mine is one. Dan Mininger made 10 copies of mine.
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