M35: the 2½-ton “Deuce and a Half” from Kaiser Jeep

The M35 is a long-lived 2½-ton 6×6 cargo truck first used by the United States Army and later by many countries around the world. It inherited the nickname “Deuce and a Half” from the wartime GMC CCKW, and over time it grew into a family of specialised vehicles.

M35 truck at a glance

based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the M35 series.

History of the M35 truck

From M34 to M35

The M35 started as a 1949 design by the REO Motor Car Company for a 2½-ton 6×6 off-road truck. That original six-wheel M34 had a single-wheel tandem; it was quickly superseded by the ten-wheel M35 with a dual-wheel tandem. The change mattered: the M34 used large 11:00×20 tyres that needed a wheel well in the cargo bed, while the M35 used smaller 9:00×20 tyres and needed none. The basic truck is rated to carry 5,000 lb off-road or 10,000 lb on roads.

Engines and versions

The Standard M35 had a REO Gold Comet or Continental OA331 inline six running on petrol, usually with a direct-fifth transmission, and the type was built mainly by REO, though Studebaker also had a contract from at least 1951 into the early 1960s and Curtiss-Wright built dump trucks. The A1 used a Continental LDS-427-2 turbo engine of 140 hp, whose frequent head-gasket failures made it unreliable. The A2, the most common version, received the 478 cu in LD-465-1 multifuel engine with the overdrive transmission of the A1; later trucks got the LD-465-1C with a 60-amp alternator instead of the 25-amp generator, and a turbocharger was added more to clean up the black exhaust than to raise power, taking output from 130 to 135 hp. The LDT-465-1D was the last multifuel, with better head sealing and cooling. Multifuel engines could run on diesel, kerosene, heating oil or petrol; petrol was for emergencies only, with at least a quart of clean motor oil per 15 US gallons to lubricate the injection pump.

The A3 rebuild

From 1994 to 2006 the M35A3 was introduced as part of an Extended Service Program. A3 vehicles usually received a Caterpillar 3116 diesel and an Allison 1545 four-speed automatic, with a redesigned front. No new manual-transmission A3s were built: all were upgraded from earlier trucks during the rebuild, with the exception of some M109A3 shop vans.

On the road

An M35A2 with a PTO-driven Garwood front winch is 112 inches tall, 96 inches wide and 277 inches long, and weighs 13,030 lb empty, or 13,530 lb with the winch. Top speed is 56 mph and normal cruising about 48 mph; fuel consumption is 11 mpg on the highway and 8 mpg in town, for a range of 400–500 miles. The cargo bed is 8 feet wide and 12 feet long, with 7.25 feet of flat floor between the stake pockets.

Design and features

• Multifuel engine: the A2’s 478 cu in six could run on diesel, kerosene, heating oil or petrol in an emergency.
• Dual-wheel tandem: ten wheels and smaller tyres than the M34, so no wheel wells in the cargo bed.
• Payload: 5,000 lb off-road or 10,000 lb on roads.
• Long service: a 1949 REO design that stayed in production and rebuild programmes for decades.
• Rebuilt A3: Caterpillar diesel, Allison automatic and a redesigned front from 1994.

M35 truck versions

• M34: the 1949 six-wheel original with single-wheel tandem.
• M35 Standard: petrol REO or Continental engine, mostly direct-fifth transmission.
• M35A1: Continental LDS-427-2 turbo of 140 hp.
• M35A2: 478 cu in multifuel engine and overdrive transmission, the most common version.
• M35A3: Caterpillar 3116 diesel and Allison automatic, rebuilt 1994–2006.

The M35 was the heavier companion of the Kaiser Jeep M715 in military service, and it was built in the Kaiser Jeep years. More vehicles are in the Kaiser collection.

Sources

• M35 series 2½-ton 6×6 cargo truck, English Wikipedia: origins, payload, engines, versions, dimensions, A3 rebuild