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The Kearns Motor Buggy Company was an American automobile manufacturer in Beavertown (Pennsylvania). From 1909 to 1916 there were passenger cars and commercial vehicles built from 1909 to 1920. From 1920 to 1928, was as Kearns - Dughie Motor Company based in Danville (Pennsylvania), where chassis for fire engines and complete trucks were manufactured.

Maxwell Kearns had 1909 Eureka Motor Buggy Company taken over and reorganized as Kearns Motor Buggy Company. The company name was changed in 1911 to Kearns Motor Truck Company. At the same time, with a production relocated to Danville (Pennsylvania) in 1920 there was a further renaming in Kearns - Dughie Motor Company. The production of trucks and fire engines ended in 1928.

High Wheeler

The Eureka Motor Buggy Company had a less successful 1907-1909 Highwheeler each in a model with two- or three-cylinder engine produced, which, unusually was in this category, front under a hood and not housed under the seat. First, it was the smaller of the two, Eureka Model D 12/14 hp, continued to be built with virtually no adjustments and in the same premises. By early 1910, the Kearns motor vehicles Buggy Company were sold as Eureka, after which the brand name was changed to Kearns. From the Eureka Model D so was the Kearns Storm Queen Doctor 's Special; remained unchanged the valveless two-cylinder two -stroke engine of the brand Speed ​​-well with air cooling, the drive with friction gears and drive chain (s) and narrow but very large wooden spoke wheels with hard rubber tires. The price rose from U.S. $ 650 to U.S. $ 700

1910 published a series of models with two- or three- cylinder engines, which continued to buy from Speedwell. The latter contributed, according to sources, 15 to 20 hp by former calculation method. Later, the customer had the choice between air or water cooling.

Kearns Motor Truck Company

As of 1912, Kearns turned to the production of commercial vehicles and conventional passenger cars with four-cylinder four -stroke engines. 1913 a progressive wage system was introduced that involved the workers in the company. 1914/1915 Kearns made ​​a Cyclecar named Kearns Lulu, which was available as a roadster or speedster and a scaled down version of the Ford Model T was similar. Originally, it should appear as Kearns Kearns Kar and Electric; both were abandoned early.

1916 came out of the trio, a vehicle on which to customer with just four screws, three different structures - a roadster with two seats, a touring car with 4 seats or a van - could be fixed.

Cyclecars held in the United States only for a short period between about 1912 and 1916; most producers gave up before 1916. Kearns Lulu and trio were among the better offerings of its kind; they offered uncharacteristically even four-cylinder engines. Nevertheless, they could not prevail against the triumph of the Ford Model T: Lulu cost U.S. $ 450 in two versions, Ford put the prices for its two-seat Model T Runabout U.S. $ 525, - in model year 1913 down to U.S. $ 500 or below year and 1915 to U.S. $ 440, -. The five -seat touring was only marginally more expensive. When Ford the list price for the Runabout 1916 only U.S. $ 390, - and then even at U.S. $ 345, - lowered, Kearns was with the trio on the market. However, this cost depending on body U.S. $ 600-650, - respectively 750, - and thus did not provide more competition dar.

Production

The medium size enterprise maintained only a small car production, in the best year (1915 ) developed 215 cyclecars.

Commercial Vehicles

A first truck for a brewery was created in 1909. He had the air cooled Speedwell, three-cylinder engine, a friction, a drive with one chain per rear wheel and a steering wheel instead of the " shelving " steering lever. As of 1911, the production ran parallel to the cars and at least since 1912, the customer could also choose here between air and water cooling. Simultaneously, a reorganization of the company followed by the name Kearns Motor Truck Company. This division grew in importance. 1914 appeared a 1.5 -ton truck, the chassis of which was with U.S. $ 900 quite inexpensive. A larger truck with a chassis to U.S. $ 1,175 had a four cylinder engine with 20 hp, three-speed gearbox and Hotchkiss drive. It seems that some of these chassis were spanned as a passenger vehicle. From 1918 there was a slight half- ton truck with Lycoming and heavier trucks from 1 ½ tons with Hershell - Spillman engines.

As in 1916, sales of cyclecars in the U.S. broke the company relocated entirely to the manufacture of commercial vehicles and gave the car to build.

Kearns - Dughie Motor Company

At the same time, with a production relocated to Danville (Pennsylvania) in 1920 was reorganized as Kearns - Dughie Motor Company.

1925 was a collaboration with the Foamite - Childs Corporation, a then-known manufacturer of Feuerlöscheräten and fire departments. The production of trucks and fire engines ended in 1929 after Foamite - Childs acquired last year by American LaFrance and their fire department vehicle had been shut down.