Kaiser Jeep M715: the five-quarter-ton Jeep

The Kaiser Jeep M715 is a 1¼-ton, four-wheel-drive military light truck, sometimes called the “five-quarter” for its payload rating. It was based on the civilian Jeep Gladiator and was designed from 1965 to replace the Dodge M37. It was the first American “M”-series tactical vehicle built mainly from commercial components.

Kaiser Jeep M715 at a glance

History of the Kaiser Jeep M715

A commercial truck in uniform

Design and development of the M715 began in 1965 to replace the Dodge M37. Unlike the purpose-built M37, the new truck was a militarised version of the civilian Jeep Gladiator, and it was the first “M”-series tactical vehicle to use primarily commercial components. That made it the first of a line of militarised commercial off-the-shelf purchases. The family included the basic M715 cargo and troop carrier, the M724 bare cab and chassis usually fitted with a contact maintenance body, the M725 ambulance and the M726 telephone maintenance version, all 1¼-ton four-wheel-drive trucks.

Specification

The M715 was powered by the 230.5 cu in Tornado overhead-cam six of 132.5 hp, driving through a Warner T-98 four-speed gearbox and a New Process NP200 two-range transfer case with a 1.91:1 low range. Front axle was a Dana 60, the rear a full-floating Dana 70, both with a 5.87:1 ratio, and the electrical system was 24 volts from two 12-volt batteries in series. It was 209.75 in long without a winch and 220.75 in with one, 85 in wide and 75 in high at the cab, reducible to 59 in. Gross weight was 8,400 lb, with a payload of 2,500 lb off-road or 3,000 lb on the road, and the truck ran on 9.00×16 eight-ply tyres at up to 55 mph, with a 28 ft turning radius.

Service and reputation

Between 1967 and 1969, 30,500 to 33,000 trucks were built at Toledo. The M715 family served in the Vietnam War and on the Korean DMZ and European bases, but it was considered underpowered and fragile beside the purpose-built Dodge M37 it replaced. Its overhead-cam sixes were unreliable because of unfamiliarity with the design and poor maintenance, and the truck suffered from heavy oil consumption; any M715 with a front winch could be dangerous cross-country, because the winch drive shaft sometimes came free and jammed the steering. The 1968 trucks sent to Korea had badly welded frames that broke, and several hundred were repaired by a local company; by 1970 most of the 1968 Korean trucks were being cannibalised for parts. From 1976 the American military replaced the M715 with the Dodge M880, another militarised commercial truck.

Design and features

• Commercial basis: the first M-series tactical vehicle built mainly from off-the-shelf parts.
• Tornado six: an overhead-cam engine of 132.5 hp, powerful on paper but unreliable in service.
• 24-volt electrics: two 12-volt batteries in series for radio equipment.
• Four body types: cargo, cab and chassis, ambulance and telephone maintenance.
• Military legacy: Kia still builds the KM450 under licence, and Jeep has shown NuKizer 715 and Crew Chief 715 concepts.

Kaiser Jeep M715 versions

• M715: the basic cargo and troop carrier.
• M724: bare cab and chassis, usually with a maintenance body.
• M725: the ambulance.
• M726: the telephone maintenance truck.
• Kia KM450: a licensed derivative still built for South Korea.

The M715 is the military version of the J-series pickup and belongs to the SJ platform family; its maker is described in the article on Kaiser Jeep. More models are in the Jeep collection.

Video: Jeep M715 yanks Ford F250 work truck out of the mud

Video by hairyharry155 on YouTube.

Sources

• Kaiser Jeep M715, English Wikipedia: development, variants, specification, service record