• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Hood River County History Museum

The History Museum of Hood River County

Bringing the Rich History of Hood River County to Life

  • Donate
  • Become A Member
  • Visit
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Museum Shop
    • Contact Us
  • Experience
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Past Exhibitions
    • Events
    • Hidden History
    • Ice Cream Social
  • Discover
    • Historic Hood River Photo Blog
    • Research
    • Tours
    • Walking Tours
    • School Resources
  • Support
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
    • Collections Donations
  • Calendar
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home Historic Hood River Moving Fruit Bins

Historic Hood River

Continue Reading

« Oneonta Gorge
Trick or Treat »

Moving Fruit Bins

10-30-2019
Moving Fruit Bins

Continue Reading

‹
›

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.

Category: default
Tags: AGA, agriculture, equipment, orchard, tractor

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Charlott

    30th October 2019 @ 07:07 AM

    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.

  2. L.E.

    30th October 2019 @ 07:49 AM

    I wonder if this one went “beep, beep, beep,” when the operator put it into reverse.

  3. Judy

    30th October 2019 @ 11:47 AM

    Charlotte, what was a “Gerlinger?” (I am not sure of the spelling.)

  4. jkenn

    30th October 2019 @ 05:02 PM

    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.,

  5. Charlott

    31st October 2019 @ 07:10 AM

    Gerlinger Company is the one who made the straddle bugs as we called them.

  6. kenn

    31st October 2019 @ 09:28 AM

    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.

  7. Judy

    31st October 2019 @ 05:05 PM

    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.

  8. Jeffrey W Bryant

    3rd November 2019 @ 06:09 AM

    Gerlinger Straddle Carriers are still used to move some spent nuclear fuel casks between facilities at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center.

  9. Jack Sheppard

    7th November 2019 @ 06:56 PM

    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.

  10. Maija Yasui

    1st December 2019 @ 04:26 PM

    They are using the bin version at Diamond today. Watched it go by multiple times as the artists were working on the mural.

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Comments

  • Pat A on Rural Electrification
  • L.E. on Rural Electrification
  • Roger Sheldrake on Rural Electrification
  • JEC on Rural Electrification
  • Pat A on Rural Electrification
  • nels on Rural Electrification
  • Dale Nicol on Rural Electrification
  • David Evans on Line Crew
  • L.E. on Line Crew
  • ArthurB on Line Crew

Explore more

Donate Become A Member Volunteer

Footer

The History Museum of Hood River County

300 E Port Marina Dr
PO BOX 781
Hood River, OR 97031

541-386-6772

Keep In Touch

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · The History Museum of Hood River County · Log in

About

  • Mission & History
  • Staff
  • Board

Support

  • Membership
  • Donate
  • Volunteer

Sign Up For Our Newsletter