Harley-Davidson Package Truck History
After Harley-Davidson abandoned the unusual Motorcycle Truck, the company found a smarter commercial answer: the Harley-Davidson Package Truck. Where the earlier Motorcycle Truck used a front-loading three-wheel layout, the Package Truck used a side-mounted cargo body on sidecar running gear. That simpler design made it easier to build, easier to sell, and far more adaptable for real businesses. It also represented Harley-Davidson's second major step in purpose-built commercial vehicles.
For local delivery companies, druggists, postal carriers, grocers, tradesmen, and small businesses, the Package Truck offered a compact commercial vehicle that was cheaper than an automobile but more useful than a solo motorcycle. It also gave businesses a large flat cargo body that could be lettered with advertising, turning the machine into both transportation and a rolling sign.
What Was the Harley-Davidson Package Truck?
The Package Truck was not the same machine as the earlier Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Truck. The Motorcycle Truck, sometimes called a Forecar, placed the cargo box in front of the rider between two front wheels. The Package Truck placed the cargo body beside a conventional motorcycle, using sidecar or parcelcar running gear.
This distinction matters because the two machines served similar commercial purposes but were mechanically very different. The Motorcycle Truck was a specialized front-loader. The Package Truck was a sidecar-derived delivery body that could be attached to a standard Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
That sidecar-based architecture was the key to its success. Harley could use familiar motorcycle parts, existing sidecar engineering, and a modular body that made sense for dealers and customers.
From Motorcycle Truck to Package Truck
After a short production run, Harley-Davidson moved away from the front-loading Motorcycle Truck and introduced the Package Truck concept for the 1915 model year. The change was practical. Instead of building an unusual three-wheeler with a special front cargo section, Harley could mount a delivery body to sidecar hardware.
For more on the earlier front-loading design, see the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Truck.
Why the Package Truck Worked
The Package Truck was basic in the best possible way. Harley-Davidson engineers used sidecar running gear and mounted a cargo container to it. That kept production cost down and gave the company a commercial vehicle that shared much of its engineering with motorcycles and sidecars already in the line.
Because the body was side-mounted, the motorcycle itself remained recognizable and serviceable. Owners could use the motorcycle commercially during the week, then remove the delivery body for personal use if desired. For small businesses, that flexibility was a major advantage. Similar utility logic later appeared in fire-service motorcycles and other working Harleys.
Early Price, Lettering, and Sales
When the Package Truck first became available, period accounts place the price around $70 to $72. Buyers could also order custom lettering for the cargo body, often cited at 10 cents per letter. This made sense for delivery businesses because the side of the box was prime advertising space.
A first-year sales figure of 98 package trucks is often repeated in secondary histories. Because the original factory ledger behind that number is not easy to verify in open sources, it is best treated as useful but not absolute. What is clear is that the Package Truck lasted far longer than the Motorcycle Truck and became the more successful commercial branch.
Package Truck, Parcelcar, and Commercial Sidecar Terminology
Harley-Davidson commercial-body terminology can be confusing. Period and later sources use terms such as Package Truck, parcelcar, commercial sidecar, and standard commercial sidecar. These names all point to the same basic family: a cargo or delivery body mounted beside a motorcycle on sidecar-style running gear.
Official and near-official records identify examples such as a 1915 Model 11-M Standard Commercial Sidecar attached to an 11-F motorcycle, and a 1916 Model J with Package Truck. Later factory literature and manual listings also use the parcelcar term, showing that the sidecar-derived commercial line continued beyond the earliest years.
Design and Construction
The Package Truck borrowed the sidecar idea but adapted it for commercial work. Instead of a passenger body, the side-mounted frame carried a box, van-style body, platform, or custom delivery container. In many cases the cargo body became the most visually distinctive part of the machine.
Because the Package Truck depended on the host motorcycle, there was no single universal engine or transmission specification that applies to every example. The motorcycle supplied the engine, gearbox, fork, controls, and electrical equipment. The package body and sidecar chassis supplied the cargo capacity.
Cargo Capacity and Business Use
Early package-truck literature emphasized low operating cost, quick delivery, and the advertising value of the body. Some period references describe 1/4-ton package-truck capacity, while later advertising also shows 1/2-ton commercial bodies. Because these bodies varied by year and application, capacity should be tied to the specific period literature or body style being discussed.
The Package Truck fit the needs of businesses that made frequent local deliveries: drug stores, grocers, bakeries, florists, ice cream vendors, and messenger services. It was especially useful where a full automobile was too expensive or unnecessary.
Harley commercial vehicles also appeared in postal work. For more on Harley-Davidson and mail delivery, see Harley Gets the Mail Delivered On Time.
Customization and Rolling Advertising
The Package Truck’s simple layout made customization easy. Owners often discarded or modified the stock cargo container in favor of a body built for their own trade. That is why period photos show so many different shapes: box bodies, van bodies, open platforms, advertising forms, and trade-specific delivery containers.
This flexibility is one of the reasons the Package Truck outlived the Motorcycle Truck. A baker, butcher, druggist, or grocer could adapt the body to suit the business. The motorcycle underneath remained part of Harley’s familiar sidecar world.
Model History and Timeline
Unlike the short-lived Motorcycle Truck, the Package Truck remained useful because it could evolve alongside Harley-Davidson motorcycles and sidecar hardware.
The accessible record supports a broad timeline. The Package Truck line begins in 1915, is clearly established by 1916, appears in factory and manual terminology under parcelcar and sidecar categories by the late 1910s and early 1920s, and remains present in factory/dealer references into the 1950s.
| Year / Period | What Is Documented |
|---|---|
| 1915 | Package Truck / commercial sidecar line appears after the Motorcycle Truck |
| 1916 | Model J with Package Truck documented in official museum records |
| 1919–1921 | Sidecars and parcelcars appear in factory manual and literature terminology |
| 1930s | Package Truck and commercial-body variants continue through Depression-era Harley literature |
| 1955 | Package truck still appears in dealer bulletin metadata |
| 1957 | Often cited as final year, but primary confirmation is harder to verify in open sources |
Known Body Builders and Commercial Bodies
The Package Truck belonged to Harley’s larger commercial sidecar world. Some bodies were factory-built, while others were produced by outside body builders. Seaman Body Company is one documented name associated with Harley sidecar bodies, and period references show a variety of commercial body styles.
That variety is part of what makes package trucks interesting today. Surviving photos may show factory bodies, dealer-supplied bodies, or custom trade bodies built for a specific business. In restoration work, that means the body can be just as important as the motorcycle.
Why It Lasted Longer Than the Motorcycle Truck
The Package Truck lasted because it was practical. The Motorcycle Truck was fascinating, but it was a specialized front-loader. The Package Truck was modular. Dealers could sell and service it using standard motorcycles, sidecar hardware, and commercial bodies.
That made it easier to manufacture, easier to repair, and easier for customers to justify. It also meant the owner was not locked into one unusual machine. The motorcycle could remain useful even if the delivery body was removed or changed.
Package Truck vs. Servi-Car
The Package Truck also helps explain the later Harley-Davidson Servi-Car. The Package Truck proved there was a market for small Harley commercial vehicles. The Servi-Car took that idea in a different direction by using a dedicated three-wheel rear cargo layout rather than a side-mounted parcel body. Transitional ideas such as the Cycle Tow also showed continuing demand for compact Harley-based utility machines.
For the next chapter in Harley’s commercial vehicle history, see the Harley-Davidson Servi-Car history.
Restoration and Collector Notes
For collectors today, Package Trucks are appealing because each surviving example can tell a different business story.
For collectors and restorers, the Package Truck presents a different challenge than the Motorcycle Truck. The motorcycle portion often follows known Harley models, but the commercial body, mounts, springs, floor structure, doors, lettering, and trade-specific hardware may be much harder to document or replace.
Because many were working vehicles, bodies were modified, damaged, replaced, or discarded. That makes complete and well-documented package trucks especially interesting today.
Period Photo Gallery
The following images show the wide variety of Package Truck bodies and uses. They are preserved here as part of the commercial Harley-Davidson record.
Final Thought
The Harley-Davidson Package Truck succeeded because it was simple, adaptable, and useful. It replaced the unusual Motorcycle Truck with a more practical sidecar-based commercial design, and together with the later Servi-Car it helped carry Harley-Davidson’s commercial vehicle story forward for decades. For collectors today, surviving Package Trucks preserve a forgotten side of Harley history built around deliveries, local business, and everyday work.
