The M35 is a 2½-ton 6×6 cargo truck that began in 1949 as a design by the REO Motor Car Company of Lansing, Michigan. It inherited the nickname ‘Deuce and a Half’ from the wartime GMC CCKW and grew into a whole family of military vehicles, from the single-wheel M34 to the M109 shop van. REO’s own ‘Gold Comet’ six was among the petrol engines used in the first trucks.
REO M35 at a glance
| Maker | Reo Motor Car Company (original design; later built by others) |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1949 (M34); M35 with dual rear wheels followed |
| Class | 2½-ton 6×6 medium truck |
| Payload | 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) off-road, 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) on road |
| Standard petrol engine | REO ‘Gold Comet’ or Continental OA331 straight-six |
| M35A1 engine | Continental LDS-427-2 turbo, 140 hp |
| M35A2 engine | LD/LDT 465 multifuel, 478 cu in (7.8 l), 134 bhp |
| Transmission | five-speed manual, two-speed transfer case |
| Tyres | 11.00×20 on the M34, 9.00×20 on the M35 |
| Top speed | 56 mph (90 km/h); cruising about 48 mph |
| Weight | 13,000–16,000 lb (5,900–7,300 kg) empty |
| A2 with winch | 277 in long, 96 in wide, 112 in high |
The M34, M35 and M109 are described on one English Wikipedia page about the M35 series; the record ‘Reo truck’ carried the same video as the M35 and is treated as a duplicate. Based on one source.
History of the REO M35
From M34 to M35
The M35 started as a 1949 REO design for a 2½-ton 6×6 off-road truck. That original M34 version had a single-wheel tandem and large 11.00×20 tyres, which needed a wheel well in the cargo bed. It was quickly superseded by the ten-wheel M35 with a dual-wheel tandem and smaller 9.00×20 tyres, which did not. The basic M35 cargo truck is rated to carry 5,000 lb off-road or 10,000 lb on roads, putting it in the medium-duty class for the military and the Department of Transportation.
A family of trucks
The M35 evolved into a family of specialised vehicles. Besides the cargo truck there were wreckers and tractors, and the M109 shop van, a box-bodied version used as a mobile workshop. Petrol-engined ‘deuces’ were built primarily by REO, but Studebaker also held a manufacturing contract from at least 1951 into the early 1960s, and Curtiss-Wright built dump trucks with the Continental petrol engine from at least 1958. The Standard M35 used the REO ‘Gold Comet’ or Continental OA331 six; most had a direct-fifth five-speed gearbox, though some had four speeds.
Multifuel and rebuilds
The A1 version received a Continental LDS-427-2 turbo engine of 140 hp with an overdrive fifth gear, but the engine was not reliable and suffered frequent head gasket failures. The first A2 trucks used the larger LD-465-1 naturally aspirated 478 cu in multifuel engine and kept the overdrive transmission; over the years they gained a 60-amp alternator, then a turbocharger, and the engine became the LDT-465-1c. The turbo was added more to clean up the black exhaust than to add power, which rose only from 130 to about 135 hp. Multifuel engines ran on diesel, kerosene, heating oil or, in an emergency, petrol. From 1994 until 2006 the M35A3 rebuild programme fitted a Caterpillar 3116 diesel and an Allison 1545 four-speed automatic; all A3s were rebuilt from earlier trucks, except some M109A3 shop vans, a few of which were upgraded further to A4 standard.
Design and features
- Dual-wheel tandem: the ten-wheel layout that replaced the M34’s single wheels and removed the need for a wheel well.
- Cargo bed: 8 by 12 feet, with a tailgate 16 inches high and side stake pockets 12 inches above the floor.
- Multifuel engine: the A2’s LDT 465 ran on diesel, kerosene or heating oil, and on petrol only in an emergency.
- Front winch: a PTO-driven Garwood winch of 10,000 lbf was a common fitting on the A2.
- Long service: rebuilt as the M35A3 with a Caterpillar diesel and automatic gearbox between 1994 and 2006.
REO M35 versions
- M34 (1949): the original REO design with a single-wheel tandem and 11.00×20 tyres.
- M35 / M35A1: the ten-wheel cargo truck; the A1 with the 140 hp Continental turbo engine.
- M35A2: the most common version, with the LD/LDT 465 multifuel engine.
- M109: the shop van built on the same chassis, used as a mobile workshop.
- M35A3 (1994–2006): rebuilt trucks with a Caterpillar 3116 diesel and Allison automatic.
The larger five-ton REO M52 tractor came from the parallel M39 series, and REO’s pre-war cars such as the Flying Cloud are described separately. More vehicles are in the REO collection.
Sources
- M35 series 2½-ton 6×6 cargo truck, English Wikipedia: design, specifications, engines, variants
