We’ve featured some dump trucks recently on Barn Finds, and when I saw this great compact model here on eBay I figured it was time to highlight another one! It’s located in Hewitt, New Jersey and is showing some wear, but still looks to be in serviceable shape. I don’t think I have ever seen whitewalls on a dump truck before! That ought to be enough to cheer you up if you’re down in the dumps today!
Unfortunately, as you can see the Structo is missing all it’s glass and most, if not all of its interior components. There’s also a serious alignment issue between the bed and the chassis. I’m also concerned about the headlight lenses, they look somewhat clouded over. You can also see some rust as well.
The seller was kind enough to include pictures of the dump mechanism, which is still functional. On this early model it’s a purely mechanical system, although I hear more modern versions are either hydraulic or electro-hydraulic.
While the inner part of the bed seems to only have surface rust, there is evidence of a collision on the right hand side, which may well explain the alignment issues in the earlier picture. It will take careful bodywork with tools no more complex than a hammer and a pair of pliers to fix this issue.
While the original badging is largely intact, it’s definitely not in concours condition. Would you keep the truck in it’s current cosmetic condition, or would you restore it? Let us know, and enjoy April Fool’s Day!
As a kid growing up in the 60s, always liked Structo over Tonka because Structo looked much more like the real thing, and cost less than Tonka
You could fix the bed by holding the truck with your knees and twisting the bed by hand keep the white walls and enjoy it like we are 10 not to worry about the resell lol !! love it
Might be difficult to source a windshield?
Nope! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Structo-windshield-STP-009-60s-standard-truck-Parts-/111947871224
Jamie , good job ,now that’s funny!! Just goes to show you can find just about anything on ebay lol.
I had an Ertl International COE dump it was hydraulic
i would remove the dump bed and install a pickup box. which is what i did ” back in the day ” when i had these and tonkas. great find.
Here’s my collection. Three of them are still in their original boxes. You’ll note one rollback and one tow truck. Even then my mind was on hauling old cars and trucks home.
I was always a Tonka guy. Dump trucks aren’t supposed to have white wall tires.
When cleaning out my parents house, I found my old Tonka trucks, a fire engine, a car carrier ( no cars, I believe they originally were Falcons) and a “Texaco” tanker. I was flabbergasted when a collector gave me $150 dollars for them. I’m pretty sure I had a dump truck like this. I remember pinching my fingers in the dump. This toy would probably never make it today,,,,without warning labels, of course.
Another memorable old toy from the good old days.