Historic Hood River
Cutler Fruit Grader
3-4-2015
Notes
Hood River’s experience with agriculture has on many occasions given rise to industry. Here is a Cutler fruit grader on its way to the train station from the factory near Odell.
The History Museum of Hood River County
Bringing the Rich History of Hood River County to Life
spinsur
How ’bout that chain drive!
L.E.
That truck looks absolutely archaic.
Under Patents: Fruit-grading apparatus.
"Patented Apr. 21, 1914.
Application filed April 16, 1913. Serial No. 761,441.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that we, FRANK W. CUTLER and ASA B. CUTLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Hood River, county of Hood River, State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Grading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.
This invention relates to fruit grading apparatus and particularly to a folding fruit binadapted for use in conjunction with any type of fruit grading or sizing machine. "
Lots more here describing how the apparatus worked.
https://www.google.com/patents/US1093836
L.E.
I’m making a guess that it is an Adams Brothers Truck????
Kenn
Chain drive such as this was still common when hard tires began to be replaced by pneumatics. This truck appears to have the latter in front and the former on the rear.
Longshot
I think that the old Myer and Frank delivery van that Mt Hood Meadows uses as a parking lot shuttle uses or at least once used a chain drive.
LMH
An article in Hood River Glacier dated August 30, 1917 reviewed the success of orchardist brothers, Frank and Asa Cutler, that manufactured an apple grading machine that was sold worldwide. The story included a reference that "on every working day for the past six weeks, one of the graders has been hoisted onto the waiting racks of a motor truck – Cutler Bros’ old pleasure automobile having been converted into this serviceable vehicle – and started on its seven mile journey to the O.W.R. & N.
freight station."
In January 1918 Frank and Asa moved the business to Portland for better transportation options and material availability.
ArthurB
What a great find, LMH. It’s always great when someone ties a photo to a contemporary account.
Kenn
In the late forties M&F still had a row of hard tire delivery trucks backed into the Alder street side of their building. No public entrance on that side but there was one on 5th, one on 6th and two on Morrison. A bit off from Hood River county but the subject of hard tires reminded of this.
Jeffrey Bryant
Hood River Glacier, 1927-04-21, page 7 has a story about the Cutler Brother’s company.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1927-04-21/ed-1/seq-7/