Meet The Neat Little Vehicles That Run A Cemetery

We’ve all seen hearses. But if you’re buried after death, the hearse might not actually be the last vehicle you ever ride in (or … on). No, the final few feet you move under the power of combustion would be on a funny little purpose-built groundskeeping machine that you won’t see anywhere outside of a cemetery.

Earlier this year, I got an email from Forest Lawn Funerals, Cremations, and Cemeteries. Pretty far outside the realm of who usually hits me up—but it made sense. The memorial park, which is in Glendale, California, hosts an annual cars-and-coffee where they shine up and showcase a fleet of beautiful classic hearses. The next one’s coming up this summer (August 10, 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.).

The park sent some pictures of its vehicles, and while the old hearses are certainly elegant, my curiosity was immediately piqued by the agricultural/industrial supporting machines in the background of the photos. I asked the park’s PR people if they could share more information on the dirt- and casket-moving machines maintained by the property, and I got a little download on them.

The machines from left to right are a dirt hauler, a casket loader, a custom flatbed, and a good ol’ John Deere lawnmower (that one you probably recognize). The vehicles all work together to, as the park’s team explained, ultimately help make the grieving process easier. Forest Lawn has multiples of each machine, as well as casket lowering devices, irrigation trucks, lathes, mills, fabrication machinery, and more.

Ricardo Rojas, Forest Lawn-Glendale’s Automotive, Mechanical & Transportation Supervisor, Glendale Maintenance, helped answer the questions you might have about these things.

What are they powered by? 

Dirt Hauler: 1987 Chevy 350 engine. 400 turbo automatic transmission. Rear differentials are a 1984 GMC top-kick, and front axles are from a 2019 Isuzu truck, extended to fit the width of the vehicle.

Casket Loader: Ford 2.5 powered by propane fuel, 435 heavy-duty Ford 5-speed, high-speed transmission that ties down an NP 205 transfer case and feeds onto a 1-ton GMC differential. Isuzu single front axle.

Custom Flatbed: 1987 P-van front axle. 1-ton GMC rear differential. 2.5 Ford engine, gasoline-powered. C4 automatic transmission. 

John Deere: 65 HP Kubota diesel engine. Hydrostatic transmission, 4-wheel drive. Wide-width mower with a 105-inch cutting deck.

Were they purpose-built for this cemetery? 

Yes, all the machines are purpose-built for the memorial park. 

What are their respective functions exactly? 

The dirt hauler moves a casket-sized amount of dirt to excavate burial sites. 

The casket loader moves caskets to burial plots. 

The flatbed works as a tent transporter and utility vehicle, facilitating services or other park needs. 

The John Deere lawnmower mows 250 acres of park, and the custom flatbed mentioned in the release. 

Were these bespoke/improvised inventions, or are they commercially available machines? 

They are all bespoke machines made from scratch. They were built back in the 1950s with military powertrains and have been refurbished and modernized since. (Except for the Deere, obviously.) The hearses are a 1950 Meteor-Cadillac “Statesman,” 1959 Cadillac “Park Row,” 1963 Cadillac “Crown Royale,” 1965 Cadillac “Silver Spirit,” and a 1967 Cadillac “Victoria.” They are, objectively, much prettier than the groundskeeping machines, but the whole fleet is needed to keep the cemetery running. You can take a peek at those here:

If you want to see this stuff in person, get yourself to Glendale this August.

Know about any other super-specific vehicles you’d like to learn more about? Drop me a note at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.