The Hanomag F-series was a range of medium-duty trucks built from 1967 to 1973 in Bremen. It replaced the heavier members of the Kurier, Garant and Markant family, was sold under the Hanomag-Henschel name after the 1969 merger, and disappeared when Daimler-Benz took over the company.
Hanomag F-series at a glance
| Maker | Hanomag, later Hanomag-Henschel |
|---|---|
| Production | 1967–1973 |
| Plant | Bremen-Sebaldsbrück |
| Class | medium-duty truck |
| Range | F45 to F76, later the F80 series |
| Gross weight | 4.5–7.5 tonnes (F45–F76) |
| Payload | up to 5 tonnes (F85/F86) |
| Engines | D-100 diesels, 65–115 PS |
| Designer | Louis Lucien Lepoix |
| Cab | steel forward control with a short sloping hood |
| Replaced by | Mercedes-Benz T2 |
History of the Hanomag F-series
Rheinstahl-Hanomag developed the F-series as an entirely new range to replace the heavier models of the Kurier/Garant/Markant family and to fill the gap between the old Tempo products and the heavier Hanomag trucks. It used a simple ladder frame. The designer was the Frenchman Louis Lucien Lepoix, who had also designed cabs for Magirus-Deutz and Büssing. The cab was cubic, with a short hood sloping down to the front; its clear, angular lines made the trucks look heavier and more modern than the rounded predecessor models.
The range ran from the 4.5-tonne F45 to the 7.5-tonne F76; in the type numbers the two digits give the approximate gross weight in units of 100 kg. Types ending in 5 received the smaller engine, usually a four-cylinder, those ending in 6 the larger, usually a six-cylinder. All engines came from the new D-100 diesel family, swirl-chamber units of 65 to 115 PS. The smallest F45 used a 2,835 cc four-cylinder D 141 L of 65 PS; the F66 and F76 had the 4,253 cc straight-six D 161 L of 100 PS at 3,400 rpm; the later F86 received the 4,713 cc D 162 L six of 115 PS. The F76 was also available as a tractor unit, and in 1969 an air-sprung F76 LL appeared. A heavier F80 series followed, with the F85 using the 100 PS engine and the F86 the 115 PS unit.
Most F-series trucks were platform trucks, platform tippers or box-body vehicles; the factory also offered tractor units, chassis for external bodies and light fire engines. The chassis had a leaf-sprung rear axle and no load-bearing body. In 1969 the merger of Hanomag and Henschel brought the Hanomag-Henschel name, and after Daimler-Benz took control in 1970 the range was gradually run down because Mercedes already had the T2 presented in 1967. Production ended without a successor in 1973, which also marked the end of commercial-vehicle production under the Hanomag name.
The Bremen plant, the former Borgward works, had begun building the smaller Harburger Transporter (F20–F35) alongside the F-series in 1969 and continued after the larger trucks were dropped; it later built the Mercedes-Benz Bremer Transporter. From 1970 panel van and minibus versions of the Mercedes T2 were also sold with Hanomag-Henschel F-series badging. The cab was used under licence by Steyr for its 590 and 690 trucks from 1969, with Steyr chassis and engines; the tools went to Austria after production in Bremen ended, and the licensing and tools later passed to Tata Motors, whose Tata 407 was built from 1986 to 2014.
Design and features
- Lepoix cab: a cubic steel cabin with a short, forward-sloping hood designed by Louis Lucien Lepoix.
- D-100 diesels: new swirl-chamber engines with four or six cylinders and 65 to 115 PS.
- Ladder frame: a simple chassis with a leaf-sprung rear axle and no load-bearing body.
- Type numbers: the two digits give the approximate gross weight in units of 100 kg.
- Wide body choice: platform, tipper, box body, tractor unit, chassis and light fire engine.
Hanomag F-series versions
- F45 (1967): the smallest, 4.5 tonnes gross weight and a 65 PS four-cylinder.
- F66 and F76: the six-cylinder models with the 100 PS 4,253 cc engine.
- F76 LL (1969): an air-sprung version of the F76.
- F80 series: a heavier range with the F85 and the 115 PS F86.
- Harburger F20–F35: the smaller transporter sold under the same F-series badge.
The F-series replaced the Kurier, Garant and Markant and continued the line begun by the L 28; it was sold under the Hanomag-Henschel name from 1969. More models are in the Hanomag collection.
Sources
- Hanomag F-series, English Wikipedia: range, engines, Steyr and Tata licence
- Hanomag F-Reihe, German Wikipedia: model history, design, end of production
