The American Automobile Industry in World War Two
An American Auto Industry Heritage Tribute by David D Jackson

Overview      Lansing Michigan in World War Two   The U.S. Auto Industry at the Normandy Invasion, June 6, 1944    The U.S. Auto Industry and the B-29 Bomber   U.S. Auto Industry Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   The Complete listing of All Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   Sherman Tanks of the American Auto Industry   Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry    M26 Pershing Tanks of the American Auto Industry   M36 Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry   Serial Numbers for WWII Tanks built by the American Auto Industry   Surviving LCVP Landing Craft    WWII Landing Craft Hull Numbers   Airborne Extra-Light Jeep Photos  The American Auto Industry vs. the German V-1 in WWII   American Auto Industry-Built Anti-Aircraft Guns in WWII   VT Proximity Manufacturers of WWII   World War One Era Motor Vehicles   National Museum of Military Vehicles  
Revisions   Links

 Automobile and Body Manufacturers:  American Bantam Car Company   Briggs Manufacturing Company   Checker Car Company   Chrysler Corporation   Crosley Corporation   Ford Motor Car Company   General Motors Corporation   Graham-Paige Motors Corporation   Hudson
Motor Car Company   Murray Corporation of America   Nash-Kelvinator   Packard Motor Car Company      Studebaker    Willys-Overland Motors

General Motors Divisions:  AC Spark Plug   Aeroproducts   Allison   Brown-Lipe-Chapin   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Cleveland Diesel   Delco Appliance   Delco Products   Delco Radio   Delco-Remy   Detroit Diesel   Detroit Transmission   Electro-Motive   Fisher Body   Frigidaire   GM Proving Grounds   GM of Canada   GMC   GMI   Guide Lamp   Harrison Radiator   Hyatt Bearings   Inland   Moraine Products   New Departure   Oldsmobile   Packard Electric   Pontiac   Saginaw Malleable Iron   Saginaw Steering Gear   Southern California Division   Rochester Products   Ternstedt Manufacturing Division   United Motors Service   Vauxhall Motors

 Indiana Companies:  Bailey Products Corporation   Chrysler Kokomo Plant   Continental Steel Corporation  Converto Manufacturing    Cummins Engine Company   Diamond Chain and Manufacturing Company   Delta Electric Company   Durham Manufacturing Company   Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation   Haynes Stellite Company   Hercules Body Company   Horton Manufacturing Company   Howe Fire Apparatus   J.D. Adams Company   Kokomo Spring Company   Magnavox  
Muncie Gear Works   Pierce Governor Company   Portland Forge and Foundry   Reliance Manufacturing Company   Republic Aviation Corporation - Indiana Division   Ross Gear and Tool Company   S.F. Bowser & Co.   Sherrill Research Corporation   Tokheim Oil Tank and Pump Company   Warner Gear   Wayne Pump Company   Wayne Works

Commercial Truck and Fire Apparatus Manufacturers:  American LaFrance   Autocar  
Biederman Motors Corporation   Brockway Motor Company   Detroit General   Diamond T   Duplex Truck Company   Federal Motor Truck   Four Wheel Drive Auto Company(FWD)   International Harvester   John Bean   Mack Truck   Marmon-Herrington Company   Michigan Power Shovel Company   Oshkosh Motor Truck Corporation   Pacific Car and Foundry   "Quick-Way" Truck Shovel Company   Reo Motor Car Company  Seagrave Fire Apparatus   Sterling Motor Truck Company    Ward LaFrance Truck Corporation   White Motor Company

Aviation Companies:  Abrams Instrument Corporation   Hughes Aircraft Company   Kellett Aviation Corporation   Laister-Kauffman Aircraft Corporation   Naval Aircraft Factory   P-V Engineering Forum, Inc.    Rudolf Wurlitzer Company-DeKalb Division  Schweizer Aircraft Corporation   Sikorsky Division of United Aircraft Corporation   St. Louis Aircraft Corporation   Timm Aircraft Corporation

Other World War Two Manufacturers: 
Air King Products   Allis-Chalmers   American Car and Foundry   American Locomotive   American Stove Company   Annapolis Yacht Yard  
Andover Motors Company   B.F. Goodrich   Baker War Industries   Baldwin Locomotive Works   Blood Brothers Machine Company   Boyertown Auto Body Works   Briggs & Stratton   Caterpillar   Cheney Bigelow Wire Works   Centrifugal Fusing   Chris-Craft   Clark Equipment Company   Cleaver-Brooks Company   Cleveland Tractor Company   Continental Motors   Cushman Motor Works   Crocker-Wheeler   Dail Steel Products   Detroit Wax Paper Company   Detrola   Engineering & Research Corporation   Farrand Optical Company   Federal Telephone and Radio Corp.   Firestone Tire and Rubber Company   Fruehauf Trailer Company   Fuller Manufacturing   Galvin Manufacturing   Gemmer Manufacturing Company   General Railway Signal Company   Gibson Guitar   Gibson Refrigerator Company   Goodyear   Hall-Scott   Hanson Clutch and Machinery Company   Harley-Davidson   Harris-Seybold-Potter   Herreshoff Manufacturing Company   Higgins Industries    Highway Trailer   Hill Diesel Company   Holland Hitch Company   Homelite Company   Horace E. Dodge Boat and Plane Corporation   Huffman Manufacturing   Indian Motorcycle   Ingersoll Steel and Disk   John Deere   Johnson Automatics Manufacturing Company   Kimberly-Clark   Kohler Company   Kold-Hold Company   Landers, Frary & Clark  Lima Locomotive Works   Lundberg Screw Products   MacKenzie Muffler Company   Massey-Harris   Matthews Company   McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company   Metal Mouldings Corporation   Miller Printing Machinery Company   Morse Instrument Company   Motor Products Corporation   Motor Wheel Corporation   National Cash Resgister Company   Novo Engine Company   O'Keefe & Merritt Company   Olofsson Tool and Die Company   Oneida Ltd   Otis Elevator   Owens Yacht   Pressed Steel Car Company   Queen City Manufacturing Company   R.G. LeTourneau   R.L. Drake Company   St. Clair Rubber Company   Samson United Corporation   Shakespeare Company   Sight Feed Generator Company   Simplex Manufacturing Company   Steel Products Engineering Company   St. Louis Car Company   Twin Disc Company   Victor Adding Machine Company   Vilter Manufacturing Company   Wells-Gardner   W.L. Maxson Corporation   W.W. Boes Company   Westfield Manufacturing Company   York-Hoover Body Company   Youngstown Steel Door Company  
   

 J.D. Adams Manufacturing Company in World War Two
Indianapolis, IN
1885-1955
1955-1984 as the Adams Division of LeTourneau-Westinghouse

This page updated 8-21-2023.

In 1885 Joseph D. Adams started to manufacture his invention of the leaning pull-grader in Indianapolis, IN.  During the company's existence, it also produced motorized graders, elevating graders, sheepsfoot rollers, and scrapers.  The company introduced the No. 10 leaning wheel motor grader in 1928.  In 1935 J.D. Adams introduced a motor grader with a blade that could slide sideways for trimming road banks and shoulders.  The company became a division of LeTourneau-Westinghouse in 1955.


The J.D. Adams Manufacturing Company won the Army-Navy "E" Award three times during World War Two.


The first award was presented to the company on August 13, 1943.  Image added 1-24-2022.

A Local Connection to J.D. Adams:  It is funny how one can routinely drive by something not two miles from one's house and not realize the historical significance of the item until another event triggers the recognition.  In this case, it wasn't until I did this page on J.D. Adams in World War Two that I realized there might be a J.D. Adams horse-drawn leaning pull-grader in front of the nearby IUOE Local 103 Training Center in Chesterfield, IN.  A quick drive to the location one morning revealed that I had been driving by a vintage J.D. Adams pull-grader for many years.


Author's photo added 9-13-2020.


Note that there are two seats on the front of the grader.  I would think only one person was needed to control the horses or mules.  The cast iron seats probably made for a long and uncomfortable work day.  Author's photo added 9-13-2020.


Author's photo added 9-13-2020.


Author's photo added 9-13-2020.


Author's photo added 9-13-2020.


Author's photo added 9-13-2020.

J.D. Adams No. 12 Grader at the west-bound I-74 rest stop west of Danville, IL:  It was a picture perfect day on August 15, 2021, to take photos of this historical piece of equipment.  The U.S. Navy had at least one $59,000 contract for the No. 12 Grader issued in July 1942.  There may have been other contracts from both the Navy and Army which are not as clearly defined as the July 1942 contract. 


Author's photo added 8-17-2021.


Author's photo added 8-17-2021.


Author's photo added 8-17-2021.


Author's photo added 8-17-2021.


Author's photo added 8-17-2021.


Author's photo added 8-17-2021.

J.D. Adams No. 12 Grader at the east-bound I-74 Farmland, IL rest stop:  It was another picture perfect day on May 20, 2023, to take photos of another historical piece of equipment.  It turns out that Illinois has several J.D. Adams graders on display in its rest areas.  This one is not restored like the one above.


Author's photo added 5-28-2023.


Author's photo added 5-28-2023.


Author's photo added 5-28-2023.


Author's photo added 5-28-2023.

J.D. Adams No. 8 Grader at the west-bound I-74 Farmland, IL rest stop:  The other two J.D. Adams graders at the IL rest stops are No.12s.  It is good to see that the IL State Highway Department understands history and has these out for display.


Author's photo added 8-21-2023.


Author's photo added 8-21-2023.


Author's photo added 8-21-2023.


Author's photo added 8-21-2023.

J.D. Adams Model 22 in the Big Horn National Forest, Wyoming:  The following three photos were taken by V.C. Wald while standing on USFS  Road 159 (Willow Creek) in the Big Horn National Forest, Wyoming.  These photos show that J.D. Adams leaning wheel graders were purchased and used by the National Forest Service to service its roads within the national forests.  I thank V.C. Wald for contacting me and allowing me to use the photos on this website.


After many years of useful service, the Model 22 now sits abandoned in the forest.  Photo used by permission of V.C. Wald added 10-18-2022.


Photo used by permission of V.C. Wald added 10-18-2022.


The grader still has the painted letters on it showing it belongs to the United States Forest Service.  Photo used by permission of V.C. Wald added 10-18-2022.

J.D. Adams World War Two Products:  World War Two information on J.D. Adams is limited as to how many total pieces of road equipment it built for the military.  However, some information has been found in regard to equipment provided to U.S. Army aviation engineering units.  J.D. Adams provided 533 11-S leaning wheel pull-graders, 185 10-S sheepsfoot rollers, and 274 L slip scrapers.  This does not include the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Navy Construction Battalions, or the U.S. Treasury.

Table 1 below may have an error in it.  The contract issued November 1943 for "Gun Recoil Mfchs M5" seems exceptionally high compared to all of the other contracts the company received during the war.  These appear to be recoil mechanism or components for the M5 3-inch anti-tank gun.   Also, it is not part of the normal product line of the company and is 58.5% of the total dollar value of all contracts.  Normally, the contracting officers issued several contracts to a company, as is shown by the other contracts the company received.  According to Table 1, J.D. Adams produced more in dollar value for M5 recoil mechanisms than it did road equipment during World War Two.  I believe the clerk that transcribed the information into the database erred and added three zeros by mistake, and the value of the contract should have been $16,000.  Also, Rock Island Arsenal was the main producer of the recoil mechanisms for the M5 3-inch anti-tank gun.  J.D. Adams may have been contracted to make a subassembly for the Arsenal.

In the information below I have included values that represent the contract value of $16,000,000 followed by values in parenthesis that represent a contract value of $16,000.  I will let the reader decide which value he chooses to believe.

The company had 48 major war contracts from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Treasury totaling $27,317,000 ($11,3333,000).  The U.S. Navy had 17 contracts for $1,842,000 or 6.7% (16.25%) of the total.  The U.S. Treasury had three contracts for $178,000 or 0.65% (1.6%) of the total.  The U.S. Army had the remaining 18 contracts totaling $25,297,000 ($9,313,000) or 92.6% (82.2%) of the total. 

The important take away from Table 1 is that J.D. Adams was a very important supplier of road graders and other construction equipment for both the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy during World War Two.  Army engineers and Navy Seabees used J.D. Adams equipment all over the world to build roads and airfields. 

Table 1 - J.D. Adams Manufacturing Company's Major World War Two Contracts
The information below comes from the "Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contracts, June 1940 through September 1945."  This was published by the Civilian Production Administration, Industrial Statistics Division.  Table added 5-28-2022.
Product Contract Amount Contract Awarded Completion Date
Graders - Army $65,000 1-1942 3-1942
Road Machinery Parts - Treasury $66,000 2-1942 6-1942
Graders Road - Navy $62,000 3-1942 3-1942
Machinery Road - Treasury $54,000 3-1942 3-1942
Machinery Road - Treasury $58,000 3-1942 7-1942
Graders - Army $271,000 4-1942 5-1942
Graders - Army $89,000 4-1942 9-1942
Graders Road - Navy $64,000 5-1942 7-1942
Patrols Motor 12 - Army $59,000 7-1942 7-1942
Machinery Road - Navy $69,000 8-1942 10-1942
Machinery Road - Army $52,000 8-1942 10-1942
Machinery Road - Army $134,000 8-1942 10-1942
Machinery Road - Army $93,000 8-1942 1-1943
Graders - Road - Army $70,000 9-1942 11-1942
Machinery Road - Army $73,000 9-1942 12-1942
Machinery Road - Army $52,000 9-1942 11-1942
Machinery Road - Army $79,000 10-1942 12-1942
Machinery Road - Army $952,000 10-1942 6-1943
Machinery Road - Army $125,000 10-1942 4-1943
Machinery Road - Navy $192,000 11-1942 2-1943
Machinery Road - Army $101,000 1-1943 12-1943
Machinery Road - Navy $192,000 2-1943 4-1943
Machinery Road - Navy $148,000 2-1943 10-1943
Machinery Road - Army $228,000 2-1943 10-1943
Road Machinery Parts - Army $885,000 2-1943 12-1943
Machinery Road - Army $133,000 2-1943 4-1943
Graders Road Towed - Army $1,508,000 5-1943 6-1944
Motor Graders - Navy $84,000 5-1943 10-1943
Constrn Machry Parts - Navy $77,000 6-1943 11-1943
Machinery Road - Army $260,000 6-1943 6-1944
Graders - Army $545,000 6-1943 6-1944
Graders - Army $778,000 7-1943 9-1944
Road Machinery - Army $71,000 9-1943 6-1944
Road Graders - Army $188,000 9-1943 7-1944
Graders - Navy $178,000 9-1943 11-1944
Road Graders - Navy $61,000 10-1943 1-1944
Axle Assemblies - Navy $54,000 11-1943 4-1944
Gun Recoil Mfchs M5 - Army $16,000,000 ($16,000) 11-1943 12-1944
Road Graders - Army $83,000 1-1944 9-1944
Motor Graders - Navy $121,000 1-1944 2-1944
Road Graders - Navy $61,000 1-1944 5-1945
Road Graders - Army $429,000 4-1944 1-1945
Road Machinery Parts - Army $263,000 8-1944 6-1945
Road Graders - Army $414,000 9-1944 12-1945
Road Graders - Navy $120,000 10-1944 6-1945
Graders - Navy $113,000 12-1944 8-1945
Road Graders - Navy $132,000 1-1945 5-1946
Road Graders - Army $442,000 3-1945 7-1946
Road Graders - Army $332,000 3-1945 12-1945
Road Graders - Navy $116,000 6-1945 4-1946
Road Graders - Army $521,000 7-1945 12-1945
Total $27,317,000 ($11,333,000)    


This is one of 2,500 M5 3-inch anti-tank guns that were built between 1942-1944.  Author's photo added 5-28-2022.


Author's photo added 5-28-2022.


The several M5s that I have found have recoil mechanisms built by the Rock Island Arsenal.  J.D. Adams appears to have been a subcontractor for components for the device.  However, I will keep looking to hopefully find a J.D. Adams recoil mechanism for the weapon.  Author's photo added 5-28-2022.


This J.D. Adams Model 11S was manufactured on 11-18-1942 with serial number 1822.  It is on outside display at the Heartland Military Museum in Lexington, NE.  Author's photo added 8-21-2023. 


Author's photo added 8-21-2023.


Author's photo added 8-21-2023.


Author's photo added 8-21-2023.

The photos below show one typical product the company made that helped win World War Two.  It produced a number of 124-3 pull-graders as shown below.  The serial number on the 124-3 is 2288 indicating J.D. Adams built at least that many.  The 1942 pull-grader shown below is owned by the Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association and was on display in the construction equipment area of the 2020 Antique Gas Engine and Tractor Show at the Portland, IN fairgrounds.  All photos by the author.


The original J.D. Adams leaning wheel pull-grader was pulled by horses.  This one for the Corps of Engineers was designed to be pulled by a crawler tractor or truck.


This historic vehicle was manufactured by the J.D. Adams Manufacturing Company on 10-13-1942 and is serial number 2288.  It is a model 124-3.


A month later, the J.D. Adams pull-grader was on display at the 2019 Portland MVPA Military Show.  This time it was connected to an International Harvester TD-18 crawler tractor.  This display shows how the pull-grader was operated during World War Two.  Caterpillar or Allis-Chalmers tractors were also used to pull the grader.  Author's photo added 12-10-2020.


Author's photo added 12-10-2020.


This 1951 J.D. Adams Model 124-5 grader is on display at the museum complex at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.  It is attached to a Caterpillar D7.  Author's photo added 6-26-2023.


One of the obvious differences between the Model 124-3 and the Model 124-S is that the 124-S has rubber tires.  The Model 124-3 has steel wheels without tires.  Author's photo added 6-26-2023.


The data plate shows that the Army Corps of Engineers accepted this Model 124-5 on June 26, 1951.  This is serial number 4572.  Assuming the Model 124 series uses the same serial number system, this would imply that 2284 were built between the time serial number 2288, shown above in Portland, IN, was built on October 13, 1942, and serial number 4572 on June 26, 1951.  On the left side of the data plate is the J.D. Adams stamp.  On the right side of the data plate is the U.S. Navy inspector's stamp.  This is rather interesting as this is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' data plate.  Author's photo added 6-26-2023.

J.D. Adams Graders at the National Construction Equipment Association's 2022 National Convention:  The following three pieces of J.D. Adams equipment were taken at the National Construction Equipment Association's 2022 National Convention on September 23, 2022.  The Convention was held at the Association's Historical Construction Equipment Museum northwest of Bowling Green, OH.  This was the first time I was able to attend this convention, which had a large collection of equipment to photograph.  The weather was warm and clear, and the early fall sunlight really brought out the orange and yellow hues in the 1937 Model road grader.


I have been looking for a J.D. Adams motorized road grader ever since I began researching this Indianapolis, IN company in 2020.  It took two years, but I finally found this immaculately restored 1937 Model 301 at the event.  Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


This is part of the Historical Construction Equipment Museum's collection and was donated to the Museum in 2015.  Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


The grader is serial number 329.  Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


This is a 1920 Road Patrol.  This was brought to the convention by a private owner from Liberty Center, OH.  Author's photo added 10-18-2022


Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


Author's photo added 10-18-2022


This unrestored J.D. Adams Square D Model 2C was donated to the Museum in 2018.  Author's photo added 10-18-2022.


Author's photo added 10-18-2022.

The J.D. Adams Plant:  The company was located at 217 South Belmont Avenue on the near west side of Indianapolis.  The factory is still there but has new occupants.  The plant covered ten acres and employed 800 persons during World War Two.


This Sanborn map shows the J.D. Adams factory in 1950.  Image added 1-24-2022.


This current Google map shows the 1950 plant is still all there.  Image added 1-24-2022.

Post-World War Two Products:  J.D. Adams supplied many motorized graders for the military after the war.  The main reason that the LeTourneau-Westinghouse Company purchased J.D. Adams was it needed a good grader to complement and fill out its product line of earth moving equipment.   One unusual vehicle J.D. Adams built after the war was the Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo 5 Ton, more commonly known as the LARC-V.  This vehicle was designed by Borg-Warner in Kalamazoo, MI.  However, in 1960 LeTourneau-Westinghouse won the contract to build the first 233 LARC-Vs.  These were serial numbers 9 through 241. 


This LARC-V is on display at the South Carolina Military Museum in Columbia, SC.  Author's photo added 12-10-2020.


Author's photo added 12-10-2020.

 

 

 

Email us at:  Webmaster