Ideal 55 Slider Machine Information

About the Ideal 55 Slider 

The Ideal 55 Slider was first introduced in the late 1940s and produced for almost 15 years – it’s one of the most common slider coolers ever produced. However, Ideal produced these machines for several brands throughout the years, including Pepsi, 7-Up, Royal Crown, and more. Still, they almost didn’t produce sliders for Coca-Cola, except for a very short production run of Coca-Cola embossed machines made in the late 1950s – they are the most difficult to find.

You can buy parts for the Ideal 55 Here

Features

• The Ideal 55 Slider is a chest-type vending machine produced from the late 1940s until the early 1960s, which makes them very common. They’re also very similar in appearance and operation to the Glasco GBV50 slider, though the Ideal 55 is slightly bigger.
• It had a very simple chest design on the outside, while on the inside it was mechanically complex. The Slider got its name because the bottles were held by the neck using 5 perpendicular sliding rails, each with the capacity to hold 10 bottles. Thus, the machine has the capacity to vend 50 bottles, while having extra storage space to pre-cool 80 more bottles.
• To use it you had to open it and slide the bottles toward the release system after inserting a coin which would then allow you to retrieve the bottle.
• On the outside, it had a chromed top lid with a chrome handle. On the front, it had the logo of the brand the machine was made for – as we said, it was made for several drink brands throughout the years. It also had a bottle opener and catcher on the front left side usually painted black. Some versions included the Ideal logo in the top right corner, some didn’t.
• They used a reliable Tecumseh cooling system.

Specs:

• Vends: 50 6 and 8-oz bottles, but it can also vend 12-oz bottles.

• Pre-cools: 80 bottles through the side loading door.

• Size: 42” tall, 37” wide, 19 ½” deep (without the coin mechanism).

• Weight: 204lbs.

• Refrigeration Specs: Tecumseh Cooling System. 

• Serial Number Information:  A manufacture date can be established by cross-referencing the date of the cooling system installed in the machine and the date stamped in the external cabinet.
  
  

The Ideal is a very common machine, with a very unique vending system. It’s not the most sought-after by collectors unless it’s the embossed model made for Coca-Cola, but surely, it has some appeal to it.