MAN 630: the five-tonne truck the Bundeswehr called Emma

The MAN 630 is a five-tonne truck that MAN built from 1953 to 1972 in civilian and military forms. Its military L2 version became the standard lorry of the West German Bundeswehr, which took about 30,000 of them and knew the truck as ‘Emma’.

MAN 630 at a glance

Engine output is given as 130 PS (96 kW) in the English article and 100 kW in the German one; this page uses the English figure.

History of the MAN 630

The 630 was based on the MAN ML 4500, which MAN had built between 1940 and 1944. Production began in 1953 and continued until 1972. MAN made the truck in three main groups: the civilian L1 with rear-wheel drive, offered as a lorry and a tractor; the military L2, by far the most common version; and the civilian L3, sold in long-bonnet and forward-control body styles. The A suffix marked an off-road version with switchable front-wheel drive.

Military service

The Bundeswehr bought approximately 30,000 of the L2 and used it as its standard five-tonne truck alongside the similar Mercedes-Benz LG 315. Deliveries began in 1958, and most vehicles were plateau-and-canvas lorries or box-body trucks. Special bodies included a carrier platform for the Pershing 1A missile, tank transporters, high antenna masts, field kitchens, mobile water treatment plants and radar stations. The Bundeswehr retired most of the first generation in the 1980s and 1990s; many were sold to Africa through civilian dealers, others went to Turkey, and some stayed in private hands in Germany. Belgium and El Salvador also used the type.

Under the bonnet

The L2AE is a two-axle lorry with a ladder frame and leaf-sprung live axles. Its naturally aspirated MAN D 1246 straight-six has a 112 mm bore and 140 mm stroke, displaces 8.276 litres and produces 130 PS (96 kW) at 2000 rpm with 510 Nm at 1600 rpm. The multifuel M-system engine can run on petrol, kerosene, jet fuel, waste oil and ordinary diesel. Power goes through a dry single-disc clutch and a non-synchronised ZF 6–55 six-speed gearbox to a two-speed transfer box, giving twelve forward and two reverse gears. The L2AE reaches 66 km/h and uses about 25 litres per 100 km. Brakes are pneumatic dual-circuit drums with an exhaust brake, and the steering is hydraulically assisted worm-and-roller.

Design and features

• Multifuel engine: the D 1246 can burn diesel, petrol, kerosene, jet fuel or waste oil, which suited military supply chains.
• Off-road chassis: switchable front-wheel drive, a two-speed transfer box and a ladder frame gave the L2A and L2AE real off-road ability.
• Twelve gears: the six-speed ZF gearbox and transfer box provide twelve forward and two reverse ratios.
• Special bodies: the chassis carried missile platforms, field kitchens, radar units and workshops as well as ordinary cargo bodies.

MAN 630 versions

• L1 and L1A: civilian lorry and tractor; the L1A adds switchable front-wheel drive.
• L2A: military base model with switchable front-wheel drive and 12.00-20 twin rear tyres, as a lorry or tractor.
• L2AE: military model with larger 14.00-20 single rear tyres; lorry only.
• L3 and L3A: civilian lorry and tractor in long-bonnet or forward-control body styles.
• Special bodies: Pershing 1A carrier, field kitchen, mobile radar and antenna vehicles.

The 630 was an early post-war MAN and it was followed by the heavier MAN F series; modern MAN military trucks are covered in the MAN HX article. More MAN vehicles are in the MAN collection.

Sources

• MAN 630, English Wikipedia: history, versions, technical description
• MAN 630, German Wikipedia: Bundeswehr numbers, nicknames, users