The Adams Road Grader is probably the most common of the Doepke construction toys. It was one of two Doepke toys built to 1:12 scale, along with the Bulldozer.
It was introduced in 1948 and was likely continued through 1956. This toy went through numerous minor manufacturing changes, but there appear to be four significant versions. Paint color was a major factor in distinguishing them.
Version #1 – 1948
One view of the first-version grader in its original brilliantorange paint.
Although all Doepke Road Graders looked great, the first version is a strong favorite among collectors.
For reasons unknown, only the 1948 graders had the “No.512” included as part of the seat decal.
Doepke was proud to include the “authorized by” decal to emphasize the product’s authentic representation.
Only the first version graders used the unpainted round-headed rivet to hold the blade circle.
Early graders had five different positions for the blade angle. Later versions had only three.
Very early graders used a 5-pointed lock washer instead of the 9-pointed version shown here to mount the rear wheel assembly.
The engine housing did not have an exhaust stack, unlike the real machine.
The location of the box content labels was not always consistent.
This first-year Adams Grader box is dated 1948.
Version #2 – 1949-50
Second-version toys were painted yellow and retained most of the first-version features.
A second view of the 1949-50 version shows how closely it still resembled the original design.
The second-version toys omitted the blade circle rivet.
The inner blade circle was now held in place by simple crimp-over tabs.
The only difference here is the absence of the “No.512” decal.
The second-version toys used the one-piece tie rod, as did the first version.
Here the content label is on the end of the box.
This second-version Fairfield box is dated 1950.