Historic Hood River
Moving Fruit Bins
10-30-2019
Notes
I’ve seen these bin carrying machines parked at packing houses but I’ve never seen one in use. I suspect they evolved from log carriers, or maybe it was the other way around. It’s wonderful to see such a perfect solution to a very specialized problem. The descendants of this machine are getting lots of use this time of year.
Charlott
They were called "Straddle Bugs"
I think they must have perfected them greatly over the years, as the ones now don’t seem to have as much to them as these did.
L.E.
I wonder if this one went "beep, beep, beep," when the operator put it into reverse.
Judy
Charlotte, what was a "Gerlinger?" (I am not sure of the spelling.)
jkenn
These straddle bugs are still used to move stacks of lumber,. As a kid we were in trouble for riding bicycles under them when they were in motion empty.,
Charlott
Gerlinger Company is the one who made the straddle bugs as we called them.
kenn
Gerlinger straddle trucks are still being used at Hull Oaks steam mill near Corvallis where they cut up to 85′ logs and I believe 6′ diameter. Well worth a tour or watch the videos.
Judy
As I recall, In the 70’s Diamond Fruit was using Gerlingers. The office had to keep track of what orchard they were located. At the time, I was working in the Transportation Dept. in an office that no longer exists on Industrial Street with Loren Laney, Herman Bagge & several fruit inspectors out in the orchards.
Jeffrey W Bryant
Gerlinger Straddle Carriers are still used to move some spent nuclear fuel casks between facilities at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center.
Jack Sheppard
Those are lug boxes stacked on forklift pallets, 36 to the pallet. This would have been about the time of the transition from lugs to tote bins, I would guess in the early 60’s.
DFG used Gerlingers; Ray Yasui had a smaller one that was built by Hyster.
Maija Yasui
They are using the bin version at Diamond today. Watched it go by multiple times as the artists were working on the mural.