What I like most about these rigs is the purity. Talk about no frills!
I've always been interested in the origins of 4x4s and HMVs and how people's
perspective changed over the years. The first motor vehicles were more like
wagons with motors than automobiles. There were lots of great ideas, but
some failed merely because the buying public (including the military)
wouldn't buy them because they strayed too far from that comfortable "wagon
like" appearance.
One of the biggest impediments to the adoption of the motor vehicle in
Army use was the fact that the standard Army cargo conveyance, the escort
wagon, had a tendency to burn out wheel bearings when towed too far and too
fast by motor trucks. This is one reason the earliest trucks were so slow. I
have some great pics of Quads and FWDs towing long strings of escort wagons
across the desert of northern Mexico in 1916 during the Punitive Expedition
to bring Pancho Villa to justice.
The old rigs could be designed to go faster, or could do so if properly
adapted. Many of the WWI surplus FWD Model Bs that flooded the market were
later adapted to run at 30-35mph. Ditto for the Quads and I have even seen a
Militor with pneumatic tires tat looked like it was modified in the same
way. In fact, FWD stayed in business after WWI, while other truck companies
died, partly because they bought back many of their WWI era trucks, upgraded
and refurbished them,and offered them for sale as "like-new" bargain trucks.
You could also buy various kits for them, such as downdraft carb kits and
ignition modifications to upgrade power, axle ratio changes (axle and trans)
to improve road speed, full cabs, pneumatic tires and four-wheel brakes.
That's why old Model Bs were actually used quite extensively up to WWII
while many other old rigs were in scrapyards.
One of the most interesting early concepts I have run across was an idea
in 1905 for a military vehicle so much like a jeep that it's uncanny. Same
size and general layout, same basic purpose but a little short of
technology. It even projected the installation of a dynamo for a wireless
telegraph!
And then there are the Livingood Model T conversions. You've all seen
the stripped down Ford Model Ts the Army used and tested. If they had been
smart enough to adopt the Livingood four-wheel drive conversion (built
1914-1928 & some later, then again starting in 1986), the "jeep" (at least
the concept) would have existed in the 1920s instead of the 1940s.
Anyway, it was a fascinating period of history.
Jim Allen
----------
>From: David M Ursin <acmack@juno.com>
>To: <mil-veh@mil-veh.org> (Military Vehicles Mailing List)
>Subject: Re: [MV] WWI HMV Buffs?
>Date: Fri, Jan 18, 2002, 7:40 PM
>
> The ATHSs' chat room would be closest to an early iron web group.
> Admittedly it is primarily civvy but there are many MV owner members. It
> also does include all vintages but the ATHS certainly is the largest
> truck club with the largest number of early truck owners. I own half a
> dozen WWII 10 wheelers but also 3 or 4 1920s' era Macks. Thats the chain
> drive, solid wheeled, crank start variety. I have a manufacturers
> warranty plate that cautions the driver that exceeding the factory max
> speed of 12 mph will void the warranty!!!!
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Feb 06 2002 - 11:49:31 PST