Ah, the classic Cushman Truckster – the perfect choice if you’re looking to open your own meter maid business or perhaps a golf course with a courtesy shuttle at every hole. More seriously, the Cushman Truckster is a fascinating piece of equipment that looks like it should be wholly useless but is actually a sought-after apparatus for a wide range of end-user groups, from grounds crews to local police departments. The seller of this batch of Cushmans here on eBay has somehow ended up with a whole assortment of them and doesn’t seem to know much about his three-wheeled friends other than some are complete and others were used for parts.
I actually tried in vain to sell an older Cushman off of the North Georgia property you’ve seen me share posts about here on Barn Finds (I will have an updated post coming soon!) The three-wheeled Cushman we have is older than these and far more agricultural in appearance. What I struggled with in terms of selling it was seeing average values go in one direction and potential buyers go the opposite way. There’s a market for these contraptions, yes, but I don’t think the average Cushman collector wants to pay much for one. More likely is that an existing municipal agency that runs a fleet of Cushmans will look at this listing and see a lifetime of spare parts at their disposal.
But even then, that takes a very specific type of buyer to want to own their own fleet of Cushmans. The seller doesn’t try to sell you on his knowledge of these things, and that’s good because I can tell you the Cushman enthusiast groups are not exactly forgiving if you don’t know every last detail. I have to give credit to these owners, because for such an obscure vehicle, they sure do know a lot about their favorite three-wheeled cart. The seller even goes so far as to ask for any advice that viewers with to impart, as I doubt he plans to become a Cushman expert over the next few weeks.
As I mentioned above, many of these Cushmans were used by local police departments. I believe – and I could be wrong – that the New York City police department still uses these little trucklets for motoring about the city where a full-sized cruiser would be an inconvenience. Of course, those big city agencies don’t need a fleet of Cushmans in tired and largely unknown condition, but a smaller town may find a bulk purchase to be a useful expenditure. What do you think – will this oddball assortment of Trucksters ever find a new home? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Lee Bailey for the find.
Just shows, nobody wants this stuff anymore.( 1 “watcher” in 24 hours,,,yeah, me) BTW, I apologize for any “testy” comments, my bicycle broke in two, sending me hurtling to the ground, yeah, I know, only me, nothing broke, amazingly, but pretty sore, at 67, I should be done falling off bicycles,,,
anyway, a guy has one of these in town, I tried to buy it, but not for sale. I think the square headlight came in the early 80’s, and older ones were OMC powered. With 12K miles, someone did more than a golf course, and for an in town trip, what more do you need? I know I need a new bike, if any, but I could see me running this to Walmart or Home Depot. I truly believe, our good old spoiled USA values( dually pickups going 6 blocks for a bag of dog food or a 2×4,, come on) are going to come to a screeching halt. And suddenly, we’ll all be driving Cushman Trucksters ( or equivalent) Don’t think so? Hmmmm,,,
It wasn’t until the late 80’s that the 2 cyl OMC 18 and 22 hp engines made way for the much more desirable 27hp engine. These are all Type 10’s, Trucksters. There was an agro open cab version Turfster and the much more rare Vanster with full body enclosure.
The hardest thing is getting any state to register them as legal road vehicles. Technically they are motorcycles, and that gets into all sorts of weird local law interpretation. Does it require the driver to have a motorcycle endorsement? Does it need a trike endorsement? Every state is weird about it.
I have three, two three wheelers and one dead four wheeler. One of the 3 wheelers I got lucky to get titled and registered, so it is worth a couple of grand just because of that.
They are silly and fun, but I have a kei truck now and that does all that the Cushman can and still run freeway speeds, so no more Cushmans for me.
All these trucksters or the family truckster from Chevy Chase? I would take these, fix them up and sell or if easy enough, rent them out .
I think that 50MPH speedometer is stretching it a little!
Well I was a cop in the South Bronx and drove these Cushman Scooter. I got into a car chase from 170 and Jerome heading northbound on Jerome Ave. The guy I was chasing tried to run me into an El pillar but these little scooters were great for maneuvering:). The chase went onto the Cross Bronx Expressway. The scooters top speed was 28 MPH. The perp got away.
PS: Chasing was prohibited so I couldn’t call it over:)
dont have the ones I like, 4 wheels on the ground. Which Canadian metro used them. More like a mini car thana gulf cart. Near 50 mph too I think…
don’t see the right model, the 4 wheels on the ground (was it a BC Canada city used them?). Made 50 mph over the ground I think.
But if a cushman collector the small bikes are the money getters. Look like mini Harley’s. Then there’s the 50s/60s scooters. Nuttin like a lambretta or the vespa. There look like a cowboy would ride it (if they did), American chunk(y).
When I was a kid in the early 60’s my Dad bought about 8 of a similar vehicle at auction from the local post office. They were all 3-wheelers.His all had a larger back cargo trunk. On Sundays I would ride in the back, roll the Sunday newspaper, and pass them up to him while he drove. That’s how this paperboy got his large Sunday papers delivered. He sold all but the one that he kept for about 3 years. Great little vehicle that actually drove with handle bars.
I have a 1987 Cushman Haulster aka Vanster. It has 3 wheels and is licensed in Texas as a motorcycle. I do have a title and it’s street legal. Since it’s over 25 years old, I have an antique tag on it to avoid inspection. It has the 22 hp OMC engine, top speed 39 mph. Every time I take it for a spin, I can see people taking video with their phones and I get stopped by people asking if it’s for sale. It has Vampire golf cart wheels on the rear. I’m presently repainting it.
dear sirs we are locking for one cushman turf trukster in excelent condition. do you have any available?
thanks in advance,and best regards.