The C500 is Kenworth’s heavy-duty conventional for the toughest work. Introduced in 1972 as a 6×6 severe-service truck, it has stayed in the range ever since, and in 2006 its chassis served as the basis of the K500, the largest cab-over the company has built.
Kenworth C500 at a glance
| Introduced | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Layout | 6×6 severe-service conventional |
| Status | listed among current North American models |
| Chassis also used by | K500 cab-over of 2006 |
| K500 | largest COE built by Kenworth; C500 chassis with a DAF XF cab |
| K500 production | 2006–2020, all examples sold for export |
| Australian relative | C508, a C-series model of the 2008 ‘08 Series’ |
| Maker | Kenworth, a PACCAR company |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on Kenworth; the C500 is described there in the company history and model lists, so this page covers only what that article states.
History of the Kenworth C500
Kenworth added two new product lines in 1972. One was the Hustler low-cab COE, developed jointly with Peterbilt and produced in Canada; the other was the C500, a 6×6 severe-service conventional. The same year the parent company, Pacific Car and Foundry, adopted the name it still uses, PACCAR.
The C500 was designed for work off the highway, where a conventional bonneted truck with all-wheel drive is more useful than a road tractor. It has remained in the North American range since then and appears in Kenworth’s list of current models as a line that has run from 1972 to the present.
In 2006 Kenworth used the C500 as the starting point for a very different truck. The K500 combined the chassis of the heavy-duty C500 with the cab of the DAF XF to make the largest cab-over the company had ever produced; all examples built between 2006 and 2020 were sold for export. In Australia the C-series continued alongside the bonneted T range, with the C508 listed among the models of the 2008 ‘08 Series’.
Design and features
- 6×6 severe-service chassis: built for off-highway and construction work rather than line haul.
- Conventional layout: a bonneted truck, unlike the K-series cab-overs.
- Long production: in the range from 1972 to the present day.
- Chassis donor: its frame was used for the K500 cab-over of 2006.
- Australian C series: the C508 belongs to the same heavy family.
Kenworth C500 versions
- C500 (1972–): the 6×6 severe-service conventional.
- K500 (2006–2020): C500 chassis with a DAF XF cab, export only.
- C508: the Australian C-series model of the 2008 range.
The C500 belongs to the same generation as the W900 and the K100, and its chassis went into the K500 cab-over. The lighter T800 covers vocational work with a sloped hood. More trucks are in the Kenworth collection.
Video: Kenworth C500 Big Bed w/ Cat C15
Video by TridriveorNoDrive on YouTube.
Sources
- Kenworth, English Wikipedia: C500 of 1972, current model list, K500 of 2006, ‘08 Series C508
.jpg){kind=link}