Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Gauges on delivery trucks/bulk storage tank?

Those of you with experience on the old gas/oil/heating oil delivery truck and bulk plants.....

I saw a Smith meter 2000gal gauge today that was about 8"-10" free-standing design in size, was something similar used on delivery trucks? I was thinking with 2000 gal it must have been a gauge off a bulk tank rather than a tanker.

The dial read 2000 in 50gal increments on the inside and 50 gal in 1/2gal increments on the outer edge and had a two hand system like on a clock.

Wish I could have gotten a picture to give you a better idea.

Don't ring a bell with me. Gashauler on here can probably enlighten us.

That size meter could have been used on a pipe line.

If you have a picture, and I had the time, I might be able to ID it.

Jack Sim

I saw it in passing at a market yesterday and didn't whip out the phone to get a picture, wish I had.

The gauge was set into a low-profile curved body with about a 2" neck that had a boss with 2 bolt holes where it attached to I'm guessing a spinning butterfly valve to cause the gauge's stem to move. I could actually rotate the stem and see the arms move. It had a lever on the back that I'm guessing was supposed to reset the counter to zero for each delivery because on the dial it said "Reset to zero between deliveries" or something like that. That's actually what kind of got me thinking it was on a delivery truck because of the delivery wording. I have seen similar wording on gas delivery trucks with the later box style gallon counters.

Guy brought the gauge out again today and I had to buy it.

Here's pics of it, maybe someone will have seen it.

I sold 1 2-3yrs ago. Was told it was used on local delivery trucks.

I wonder if I can find a picture of one on a truck. What do you think 40's vintage?

Google search, won't know till ya try.

I did find this earlier style on a truck.

1941 Ford gas truck

BTW, thanks Dick for letting me know another actually existed.

This one looks very similiar & the license plate is about a 1936. The Sergeant company is still in business.

Dave

First there was Neptune, they made a ton of meters, even some that went in gas pumps.
Neptune acquired Sharmeter. Then Neptune was acquired by Erie, then Smith acquired Erie.

Here is a company history page from my website:

http://petrolianacollectibles.com/company_histories.htm

Jack Sim

The faceplate on this gauge says Smith Meter Co. Which from my research was founded about 1929. The style of clockface was apparently replaced on trucks sometime between 1947-1951 as most images I could find of vintage trucks from this period were starting to use the more familiar calculator counters.

A.O. Smith has been in business for 140 years. Just about everything they made was based on one thing "steel."
The were, and probably still are the largest maker of truck frames. Also, drive out in wheat country, look up at those dark blue silos, you will see the name A. O. Smith.
One of the bars that I shoot darts in has a water heater under the bar, again A. O. Smith.

Probably one of the reasons they bought Erie was that gas pumps were made out of steel.

Still very much in business today: http://www.aosmith.com/

Jack Sim

What were you Shooting under the Bar?