In the early 1950s National Brake Co. acquired Champion and
merged it with its Peacock brand of brake equipment. This
resulted in the 1953 introduction of the Champion-Peacock
model 285 brake wheel (19).
Superior Hand Brake Co.
Superior’s model V53 cast malleable iron brake wheel (20) was
in introduced in the very early 1930s. The highly-stylized 22-inch
wheel incorporated five spiral spokes with a scalloped rim that
had 15 small rectangular holes. A smaller inner ring midway to
the hub repeated the scallops of the outer rim. Subsequent ver-
sions of the V53 manufactured after the mid-‘40s did not have
the small holes in the rim.
19
20
21
19. Champion-Peacock
model 285 – from the early
1950s.
20. Superior model V53 –
1940s and ‘50s.
21. Universal model M1138
– from the late 1920s.
