Utah inventions: Precursor to the modern cement truck

Utah inventions: Precursor to the modern cement truck

(Sims Family Archives)


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Editor's Note: This article is part of the Utah Inventions series, which features a different inventor or invention with Utah ties each Wednesday. Tips for future articles can be sent to ncrofts@ksl.com. SALT LAKE CITY — You may have seen them on America's roads. One may have helped lay the foundation for your own home or office building.

It's the front-discharge, rear-engine cement truck. Invented by Royal William Sims and his sons, this truck both simplified and secured cement pouring.

Thanks to some information from Sims' descendants, his story can be shared with you today. Royal Sims was born in 1907 in Salt Lake City. During the summers of 1930 to 1941, Sims assisted his father at the Birdseye Marble Quarry near Thistle quarrying marble for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Royal William Sims (Photo: Provided by Rowell W. and Carolyn Sims)
Royal William Sims (Photo: Provided by Rowell W. and Carolyn Sims)

In fact, when he was just seven years old, he drove a team of horses carrying dynamite from North Salt Lake City to the quarry. Sims' father operated the quarry, which produced marble used in the columns at the Church Administration Building, as well as in the Federal Courthouse on Main Street.

During WWII, Sims bought a sand and gravel pit so builders could have access to materials. Then he started SouthEast Readymix, a company that carried concrete around the Salt Lake Valley.

Through all this, Sims began to think there had to be more productive ways to transport concrete than the trucks in use at that time. All the trucks' weight was in the back and drivers had to back up to pour the foundation; it was hard to know how far the truck could back up without causing damage. Sometimes, trucks would fall into the foundation. Even if the driver managed to get the truck in place, someone had to place the chute so the concrete could be poured properly.

To see what could be done, in the mid 1950s Sims and his sons Rowell and Robert set to work. Sims thought of turning the bowl around so the engine was in the back. Sims and sons began the process of building the truck themselves, custom building many of the parts. Rowell built a number of the parts, while Robert did much of the electrical work. Later another son, David, added his engineering and data skills to the project.

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While the project may have seemed like a Sims family effort, others outside the family helped as well — and they all felt like part of a unified family. The end product was called the Rite-Way Truck.

So, what exactly makes this truck so different from others? First, it works by going forward, which eliminated the need to back up blindly. Second, the truck and mixer are one body, so there are less parts.

Tom Berg, who drove one of these trucks himself, added a few more benefits to the list. He said he loves the easy control system, as well as the fact that the chute can be controlled from the cab itself. He also explained that the truck unloads the cement quickly, increasing productivity.

The truck may be known by different names now, but Sims' revolutionary design can still be seen all over America. After this breakthrough, Sims continued to invent and build for the rest of his life and he made sure to teach these innovative skills to his family.


Katrina Lynn Hawkins is a graduate of Brigham Young University, a Utah native, and a freelance writer. You can contact her at katrina.hawkins21@gmail.com.

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