Viking Toys

Hoenes Engineering Service Inc of Cleveland Ohio produced a very small number of Viking branded toy dump trucks, reportedly around 1927. There are only a handful of these toys known to exist today and less than half of them are in original condition, the rest have been restored or altered. It has been speculated that Hoenes manufactured the Viking trucks as employee Christmas presents but there is no actual documentation of this. These dump trucks are 27” long and are of the same size and scale as Buddy L & Sturditoy trucks of this era. It’s interesting to note that there are similarities between the Hoenes Viking and Sturditoy dump trucks indicating there may have been some connection between the two companies. Or, that Sturditoy simply provided some of the components for the Hoenes Viking truck. The steel wheels, wheel retainers, headlight bar and dump bed are all very similar if not exactly like the Sturditoy. Even though the wheels are the same the tires are different. Viking toy truck tires were of a generic grooved tread design whereas the Sturditoy had more of a hex pattern tread and included their branding on the sidewall. The dump bed itself is similar but the lifting mechanism and tailgate latches are unique to Hoenes Viking. The frame, leaf springs, steering mechanism and rear axle on the Viking are all beefier than its Sturditoy counterpart. The cab is clearly Hoenes’ unique design as there are none other like it. The images below illustrate a truck in our collection as well as all the other Viking trucks that have surfaced to date. They are numbered in the date order in which they publicly surfaced. To date we have documented 13 examples of the Hoenes Viking truck. There are certainly others out there but just haven’t surfaced publicly. If you own a Viking truck and it is not documented here, we would appreciate hearing from you and would love to add it to our list. In addition, we would like to know more about Hoenes Engineering Service Inc. There is reference in a December 13th, 1929 Akron, OH newspaper of the Hoenes Company existing, but little else has been found. Knowing their history, what services they provided, how long they were in business and how the production of the dump trucks fit in would be great information to have.