The American Soda Machine Archive Manuals, history & restoration

Vintage machine reference

Ideal 55B

Ideal · Model archive

Original specifications and identification notes preserved from the Soda-Machines.com reference archive.

Vending Capacity
50 7oz-12oz Bottles
Precool Capacity
80-7oz Bottles; 60-12oz Bottles
Dimensions
42" high, 37" wide, 19 1/2" deep
Weight
204 lbs.
Production Dates
Late 1940's to the late 1950's
Price New
$345.00
Comments
The model 55B is probably the most common of Ideal's vendors. It's a "slider" type of cooler similar to the Glasco GBV-50 and like other "sliders", it could vend five flavors and different size bottles. Many coolers of this type were "embossed" with a variety of soda brands such as Pepsi, 7-Up, Royal Crown, Hires, Barqs and others. Ideal also manufactured these coolers without "embossed" lettering for generic usage. There's an access door on the right side of the cooler for loading sodas into the vending rack as well as the precool area.

Archive record 373. Specifications and historical notes were recovered from Soda-Machines.com. Measurements, capacities, dates, and original prices are presented as recorded in the source material.