The Saurer M8, also called the Saurer M8 M, was an eight-wheel-drive off-road truck made by Adolph Saurer AG in Arbon, Switzerland, from 1940. It was almost identical to the six-wheeled Saurer M6, and 79 examples were built including the prototype.
Saurer M8 at a glance
| Maker | Adolph Saurer AG, Arbon, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Model | Saurer M8 M |
| Production | from 1940 |
| Layout | 8×8 off-road truck |
| Payload | 3.5 tonnes |
| Built | 79, including the prototype |
| Sibling model | Saurer M6, 6×6, 2.5-tonne payload |
| M6 army order | 338 trucks in 1940, plus 16 radio trucks |
| M6 replaced | by the Saurer 2DM in 1978 |
| Preserved M8 | Saurer Museum, Arbon |
The Saurer M8 has no article of its own; it is described in the English and German Wikipedia articles on the closely related Saurer M6. The page is based on those two versions of the same article, so the material is thin and the text is short.
History of the Saurer M8
Background: the Saurer M6
The M8 grew out of the Saurer M6, a 6×6 truck that Adolph Saurer AG began building in 1940 with a payload of 2.5 tonnes. The Swiss Army took 338 of them from 1940, mainly as artillery tractors for the 10.5 cm gun, and a further 16 were supplied with a fixed body as radio trucks. Many components of the M6 were also used in the Saurer MH4.
The eight-wheeled M8 M
The Saurer M8 M was almost identical to the M6 but had an 8×8 layout and a payload of 3.5 tonnes. Including the prototype, 79 M8 trucks were built. Sharing so much with the six-wheeled model kept the design familiar to drivers and mechanics, while the extra axle and the higher payload suited heavier loads over soft ground.
Service and survivors
The M6 remained in Swiss military service until 1978, when it was replaced by the Saurer 2DM; some of the withdrawn trucks were then used by the civil defence. Fewer M8s survive. A very well preserved example is kept in the Saurer Museum in Arbon, while M6 vehicles can be seen in the Flieger-Flab-Museum at Dübendorf, the Zuger Depot Technikgeschichte and the Schweizerisches Militärmuseum Full.
Design and features
- Eight driven wheels: an 8×8 chassis for heavy loads over poor ground.
- Commonality with the M6: the M8 was almost identical to the six-wheeled truck, which simplified maintenance.
- 3.5-tonne payload: one tonne more than the M6 could carry.
- Museum survivor: a well preserved M8 M is held by the Saurer Museum in Arbon.
Saurer M8 versions
- Prototype: the first M8, counted within the total of 79 vehicles.
- M8 M production truck: the standard 8×8 vehicle with a 3.5-tonne payload.
- Saurer M6 (6×6): the smaller sibling with a 2.5-tonne payload, of which 338 plus 16 radio trucks were built.
The M8 is part of the Saurer collection, which covers the company’s trucks and buses from Arbon.
Video: Saurer D330N 6×4 mit Saurer M8
Video by Christoph Wolleb on YouTube.
Sources
- Saurer M6, English Wikipedia: production, M8 M, preserved examples
- Saurer M6, German Wikipedia: payloads, M8 M production, museum example, 2DM replacement