Crane Carrier Truck Models

Crane Carrier Truck Models

A complete reference guide to every Crane Carrier Company (CCC) truck model — from the original Century cab-beside-engine through the Centurion, Centaur, Low Entry, and all CCC vocational chassis. Founded 1946. Now operating as Battle Motors. Production dates, specifications, and history for every Crane Carrier we buy.

Jump To Refuse / Low Entry

Crane Carrier Company (CCC) is one of the most specialized truck manufacturers in American history — a builder of custom severe-duty vocational chassis for refuse collection, concrete mixing, oil field, mining, logging, and specialty applications. Founded in 1946 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Robert Zeligson, CCC pioneered the cab-beside-engine (CBE) and half-cab truck configurations used throughout the waste management and vocational industries. In 2021, CCC was acquired by Battle Motors, which continues producing the Crane Carrier refuse chassis lineup alongside electric vehicle development. The company is now headquartered in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

We buy every Crane Carrier truck — Centurion, Century, Centaur, Low Entry, and all CCC chassis configurations. Any year, any condition, running or not, all 50 states.

In Production (Battle Motors)

CCC’s refuse collection chassis — the first trucks purpose-built specifically for waste management. The most common Crane Carrier in the used market. All purchased.

CCC Centurion

Class 7–8

First Purpose-Built Refuse Chassis

Engine Behind Cab

Dual Controls Available

The CCC Centurion was introduced in 1974 as the first truck chassis specifically designed for the waste management industry — a purpose-built refuse collection vehicle rather than a modified commercial truck. The Centurion features a rear-mounted engine (behind the cab) which improves driver visibility, reduces cab noise and heat, and allows for a lower cab floor height than conventional forward-engine designs. Available with dual controls — allowing the truck to be driven from either side — for side-loading refuse operations. The Centurion’s purpose-built refuse DNA set the standard for the modern refuse chassis and made CCC the dominant name in the waste management industry for decades. Still produced in evolved form under Battle Motors ownership.

CCC Low Entry Centurion (LET)

Class 7–8

18″ Cab Floor Height

Residential Refuse

Step-In Entry

The Low Entry Centurion (LET) was introduced approximately five years after the original Centurion — within five years of the Centurion’s 1974 launch — specifically designed for residential refuse collection where the driver must step in and out of the cab hundreds of times per route. The LET’s cab floor height of approximately 18 inches dramatically reduces driver fatigue and injury risk compared to conventional truck cabs. The low entry design became the industry standard for residential automated side load (ASL) refuse trucks throughout North America. The Low Entry Centurion and its successors are the most commonly found Crane Carrier chassis in the used refuse truck market. We purchase all LET configurations in any condition.

Battle Motors Low Entry & Low Narrow

Class 7–8

Diesel / CNG / Electric

Low Entry Tilt 2

Low Narrow Tilt

Following Battle Motors’ acquisition of Crane Carrier Company in April 2021, production continued under the Battle Motors name with the current lineup: Low Entry Tilt 2 (diesel and CNG), Low Narrow Tilt (diesel and electric), and Low Entry Tilt 2 Crew Cab. The “Tilt” designation refers to the tilting cab design for improved engine access. The Low Narrow Tilt is the narrowest configuration for tight urban refuse routes. Battle Motors has expanded the electric variant lineup — the Low Narrow Tilt and Low Entry Tilt 2 are both available in battery electric versions targeting California and other zero-emission mandate markets. We purchase all Battle Motors/CCC chassis in any condition.

Classic

CCC’s signature cab-beside-engine design — the truck configuration that gave the company its name and identity. All purchased.

1960s — 1990s

Century Series CBE

Class 7–8

Cab-Beside-Engine

Concrete Mixing

Crane / Mining / Logging

The Century Series was CCC’s core product throughout the 1960s and 1970s — a cab-beside-engine (CBE) design where the cab sits alongside the engine rather than above or in front of it. This half-cab configuration gave CCC its name — the design’s ability to carry the booms of cranes without the cab blocking the load space made it ideal for crane operations. The Century CBE was also widely used for concrete mixing (the Century II Unimixer is the most recognized model), logging, mining, and heavy construction. The engine is fully accessible from the side without cab tilting. Cummins, Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel, and other engines were available throughout the Century’s production run. Surviving Century trucks are historically significant vocational vehicles.

1960s — 1990s

Century II Unimixer

Front Discharge Concrete

CBE Configuration

Most Famous CCC Model

Cummins / Cat / Detroit

The Century II Unimixer is the most recognizable and celebrated Crane Carrier truck — a front discharge concrete mixer on the CBE (cab-beside-engine) platform that became the standard for ready-mix concrete delivery operations throughout North America. The cab-beside-engine design places the cab alongside the engine, creating an extremely compact front end that gives the driver exceptional forward visibility for concrete placement accuracy. The Unimixer competed directly with the Oshkosh S-Series in the front discharge concrete mixer segment. Surviving Century II Unimixers are commonly found in ready-mix operations and are actively collected by vintage truck enthusiasts. We purchase all Century II Unimixers in any condition.

Discontinued

CCC’s conventional two-seater vocational tractor introduced in the 1970s. All purchased.

Early 1970s — 1990s

CCC Centaur

Class 8

Conventional Two-Seater

Vocational Tractor

M920 Military Variant

The CCC Centaur was introduced in the early 1970s as CCC moved toward the conventional two-seater truck market — a departure from the company’s traditional half-cab CBE design. The Centaur is a versatile tractor-style chassis adaptable for two-seater configurations, used in logging, mining, and heavy construction applications. A military variant, the M920 tractor, was produced for the U.S. Army — demonstrating CCC’s capability beyond pure commercial vocational applications. The Centaur represents CCC’s broadening from pure CBE half-cabs into the wider severe-duty conventional tractor market during the 1970s and 1980s. We purchase all Centaur trucks in any condition.

Various

CCC’s broader range of custom vocational chassis beyond refuse and concrete. All purchased.

Various

Oil & Gas / Drill Rig Trucks

Oil Field

Water Well Drilling

Custom CBE Chassis

CCC has built custom chassis for oil and gas drilling operations since its earliest years — the CBE half-cab design proved ideal for carrying drill rig equipment where the low profile and open boom-carrying space of the half-cab was a significant advantage over conventional truck cabs. CCC also builds water well drilling trucks on its vocational chassis. The oil field and water drilling applications were part of CCC’s founding business alongside concrete and crane work. We purchase all CCC oil field and drilling trucks in any condition.

Various

Terminal Tractors & Aviation Fuelers

Terminal / Yard

Aviation Ground Support

Custom CCC Chassis

CCC’s vocational chassis expertise extends to terminal tractors and aviation fueling vehicles — custom configurations for port, intermodal, and airport ground support operations. The CBE and low-entry cab designs that CCC pioneered for refuse collection translate directly to terminal and aviation applications where driver visibility, compact dimensions, and frequent entry/exit are critical. CCC also built ship-to-shore tractor configurations for the U.S. Army — demonstrating the military application potential of its vocational chassis designs. We purchase all CCC terminal and aviation ground support vehicles in any condition.

Early 1990s — Mid 1990s

School Bus Chassis

Type D School Bus

Carpenter / Wayne Bodies

Limited Production

During the early to mid-1990s, CCC produced Type D school bus chassis that were used by Carpenter Body Company and Wayne Corporation for school bus body mounting. This was a departure from CCC’s core vocational truck focus and a relatively limited production run. Type D school buses on CCC chassis are uncommon — any surviving example is of historical interest. We purchase all CCC school bus chassis in any condition.

Crane Carrier Company (CCC) was founded in 1946 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Robert Zeligson — initially as a firm that remanufactured surplus World War II military vehicles for civilian crane-carrying use. The name “Crane Carrier” came directly from this founding purpose — the half-cab design allowed vehicles to carry the long booms of mobile cranes without cab interference. In 1953 CCC produced its first purpose-built original truck design, transitioning from remanufacturing to original manufacturing. Through the 1960s CCC developed the Century line of cab-beside-engine chassis for vocational markets including concrete mixing, logging, mining, and crane work.

CCC’s most significant contribution to the commercial truck industry was the development of the Centurion in 1974 — the first truck chassis purpose-built specifically for waste management refuse collection. Before the Centurion, refuse trucks were built on modified commercial truck chassis not designed for the stop-and-go cycle and frequent entry/exit demands of garbage collection. The Centurion and its Low Entry successor transformed the refuse collection industry and established CCC as the dominant chassis supplier for waste management operations throughout North America.

The cab-beside-engine (CBE) design that defines most CCC trucks provides three key advantages over conventional truck configurations: first, the engine is fully accessible from the side for maintenance without cab tilting; second, the cab placement beside rather than above the engine creates a dramatically lower cab floor height — as low as 18 inches on the Low Entry models; third, the absence of a conventional hood gives the driver exceptional forward visibility critical for precise concrete placement and refuse collection. These advantages made CCC trucks the choice for the most demanding vocational applications where a conventional truck simply couldn’t do the job as well.

1946

Crane Carrier Company founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Robert Zeligson — initially remanufacturing surplus WWII military vehicles for civilian crane-carrying use. Zeligson Trucks established as affiliated company.

1953

First purpose-built CCC truck introduced — transition from remanufacturing to original truck design and manufacture. The half-cab/CBE concept formalized.

1960s

Century Series introduced — standardized CBE chassis line targeting concrete mixing, logging, mining, and crane vocational markets. Century II Unimixer becomes the signature CCC product.

Early 1970s

Centaur introduced — CCC’s first conventional two-seater truck model, expanding beyond the pure CBE half-cab design into the broader vocational tractor market

1974

Centurion introduced — the first truck chassis ever purpose-built specifically for refuse collection. A landmark in commercial truck history. Engine mounted behind the cab for improved driver visibility and lower cab noise.

~1979

Low Entry Centurion introduced — 18-inch cab floor height for residential refuse collection. Dramatically reduces driver fatigue and injury on high-stop-count routes. Becomes the industry standard for residential ASL refuse trucks.

1980

Zeligson Trucks sold — affiliated company sold as CCC focuses exclusively on its own manufacturing operations

Early 1990s

Type D school bus chassis produced — CCC briefly enters the school bus chassis market, supplying Carpenter Body Company and Wayne Corporation

2008

Illinois Tool Works acquires CCC — CCC and parent CCI Corp. sold to ITW, a large diversified industrial manufacturer

2013

Hines Corporation acquires CCC — CCC merged with Kimble Manufacturing. Hines Specialty Vehicle Group formed in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

2014

Tulsa plant closed — all CCC manufacturing consolidated at the New Philadelphia, Ohio facility with Kimble

2019

Turnspire Capital Partners acquires CCC — relaunched as an independent company with two brands: Crane Carrier Company and Crane Carrier Company Engineered Chassis

April 2021

Battle Motors acquires Crane Carrier — electric vehicle developer Battle Motors takes ownership. Production continues in New Philadelphia. CCC legacy refuse chassis continue alongside new EV development.

2022

Facility expansion completed — Battle Motors nearly triples the New Philadelphia production footprint to support growing refuse chassis and EV demand

We Buy Crane Carrier Trucks Nationwide

We purchase Crane Carrier trucks in all 50 states. Click your state to learn more.

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