Bemars Incorporated Montebello, California Founded by Ed Kouri, Bemars Inc. began building a broad range of front loaders in Montebello, California, just 25 miles southeast of the Bowles factory. Bemars offered buyers a choice of front loaders with full, partial or top-pack bodies. The photo above is reputed to be the first Bemars ever built, a 1962 half-pack front loader delivered to Obradovich Disposal in El Segundo. The truck above left is a bit of mystery; it appears to have a horizontal track halfway up the side of the hopper, though it could also be a strengthening rib. It was not uncommon to see many variations on the same theme from small truck body builders, who could easily build-to-suit for local customers. This could be a top-pack or half-pack The truck at right is an an early Bemars top-pack with horizontal cylinders mounted in the cab shield. The firm enjoyed a reputation for high quality construction, and the Bemars half-pack front loader, as typified by the above example, was extremely popular in California and several other western states. Twin, single-stage pack cylinders were angle mounted at the front. This style was built right through the 1970's, and many examples remain in service to this day. 4/6/08 © 2008 Eric Voytko All Rights Reserved Logos shown are the trademarks of respective manufacturers Photos from factory brochures/trade advertisements except as noted