Cushman Motor Company was founded in 1901 to make small-displacement engines for farm and household equipment. Just a few years later, manufacturers were experimenting with scooters; in fact, the US Postal Service contracted with Autoped to put its mail carriers on wheels, rudimentary as they were. Legend has it that a youngster wandered into Cushman’s Lincoln, Nebraska factory in search of spare parts; he had installed a Cushman washing machine motor onto a scooter. Charles Ammon, who owned Cushman at the time, saw that making scooters could help his company sell more engines – and the Model 1-1 was born. From that point through to the 1960s, Cushman made a wide variety of configurations, including this Package Kar. The Package Kar was designed with the load carried in front of the driver, supported by two wheels, and the engine in the rear, sitting on a single wheel. Steering was either by handlebars (tiller), like this example, or a conventional steering wheel. Find this project on facebook Marketplace for $4500, marked down from $6000. It’s been for sale for several weeks, so interested buyers might be able to negotiate further. Pick it up from Boyceville, Wisconsin. NW Iowa Kevin sent along this tip – thanks!
The engine is a single-cylinder four-stroke sold under Cushman’s “Husky” brand. It will develop about 4 to 5 hp, once running; at the moment, it does turns over, but it hasn’t run in years. Looks like it still has its instruction sticker on the engine bay lid. The gearbox is a two-speed with reverse. The company touted its “knee action front wheels”, designed to absorb road shocks, and special coil springs in the rear. If you’re wondering what defines a scooter, versus a motorcycle, the best differentiator is the scooter’s step-through design, coupled with a platform for the rider’s feet.
The Package Kar was made from the early 1940s into the 1950s, when the Truckster took over. The Truckster put the load behind the driver on two wheels, with one up front. So enduring was this model that it was produced until 2002. You’ll see Trucksters on race tracks, golf courses, in maintenance yards and police departments, even peddling ice cream. Trucksters have been rodded and customized to the nth degree. Here’s a “woody” Truckster! Today, Cushman is still in business as a division of Textron, making four-wheeled utility vehicles.
This Package Kar comes with a bumper, open wooden bed, and graphics on the engine cover – its history probably includes commercial use of some sort. As is usual with oddballs of this type, value is in the eye of the beholder. I love this weird scooter, and I might even use it on the farm, but I’d need a steep discount to tackle this project. What do you think? Have you ever owned a Cushman?
Cushman Eagle was a scooter without step-through and did not have a platform for the rider’s feet.