The Kouri family sold Bemars to Maxon Industries of Huntington Park in 1972. Maxon had already purchased Western Body & Hoist two years earlier, and now owned two of the premiere names in California front loaders. Some consolidation occurred, and Western models were soon branded as Maxons. However, Bemars enjoyed a considerable brand-recognition, and was able to keep its identity well into the 1970s. Some of these models were badged as Bemars-Maxon for many years, such was the reputation of these trucks.
The half-pack model (shown above) had scarcely changed since the first models of the early 1960s, and would remain that way for several more years, as did the top-pack. The Bemars full-pack, while outwardly similar to the original, received the horizontal packing cylinder with sliding support, as was used on the old Western Body & Hoist Full-Pak. The cylinder protrusion into the packer blade was reduced greatly, making for a smaller "fist".
Thus, the story of Bemars is intertwined with that of Maxon for most of the 1970s. By 1980, the Bemars name had mostly disappeared, as the corporate identity had finally taken hold. However, a Bemars-styled half-pack (with Maxon badges) remained in the lineup through the 1980s, sold alongside the futuristic Legal One front loaders. The Kouri family went back in business when they founded the Able Body Company (ABC), based in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1970s. With the end of their non-compete agreement with Maxon, they once again returned to the Los Angeles market with their ABC product. Eventually, ABC moved to Texas and changed the name to Bridgeport Manufacturing, currently a subsidiary of E-Z Pack LLC.
Mid-70s Bemars-Maxon half pack was little changed from the original version
Simple and easy-to-maintain half-pack used two single-stage packing rams
Bemars-Maxon top-pack shed 1,500 pounds of dead weight compared to the half-pack
Video of a Bemars-Maxon top-pack in action from the inside:
(Our thanks to CRT contributor Bill Tetreault for the film)
The Bemars-Maxon full-pack went to the horizontal-ram "fist packer" blade formerly used on the Western Body & Hoist Full-Pak
Mid-1970s Bemars container hauling body on an IHC Cargostar, shown hauling a Bowles stationary packer (Dana Gregory)
(CLICK IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE)
1975 ad: Although a Maxon subsidiary for three years, Bemars still retained its brand identity through most of the 1970s.
REFERENCES
Vintage History Corner: A Family's 65-Year Legacy by Zachary Geroux
Waste Advantage Magazine, January 2016, pages 40-41
