 Logo in 1943 | |
| Founded | 1915 in Canton, Ohio, United States (106 years ago) |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1999 (22 years ago) |
| Products | Gasoline and Diesel Engines |
Hercules Engine Corporation was an American engine manufacturer located in Canton, Ohio.
| Logo in 1943 | |
| Founded | 1915 in Canton, Ohio, United States (106 years ago) |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1999 (22 years ago) |
| Products | Gasoline and Diesel Engines |
Hercules Engine Corporation was an American engine manufacturer located in Canton, Ohio.
The company was founded in 1915, known at first as Hercules Motor Manufacturing Company, to build industrial engines, especially for trucks. [1] [2] The company reincorporated and reorganized in 1923, emerging as Hercules Motors Corporation. Hercules expanded greatly in the interwar period, developing gas and diesel engines, serving the needs for truck, tractor and a plethora of equipment operators.
During World War II the company produced about 750,000 gasoline and diesel engines for Allied military vehicles, ships, and various equipment. [3] But Hercules could not respond effectively to changes in the post-WWII engine market, so WWII remained its high water mark in terms of output, earnings and profits.
In 1961 Cleveland-based Hupp Corp. purchased Hercules but failed to grow it substantially. But it did turn the focus to building engines for military applications as a means to keep the doors open. White Truck Corp., also based in Cleveland, purchased Hupp in 1967. White Truck was a huge and growing firm at the time (about $1 billion in sales) and it laid out ambitious plans for Hercules expansion, beginning product development and construction of a new plant in Canton. Hercules became known as White Engine at this point. This new trajectory for Hercules was short lived, however, with a rapid decline in White's fortunes, leaving Hercules little changed. White sold Hercules to Wedtech in 1986, which held the engine maker only briefly, before selling to a group of investors the next year. Significant here with the new owners was the recovery of its old name – Hercules. Kept afloat by securing a string of contracts for military trucks at home and abroad, plus a limited number of engine sales to equipment makers (such as lift trucks), Hercules Engine limped along, posting uneven financial numbers. By the 1990s its cash flow was precarious and military contracts dried up, leading to speculation for years that the company would fold. At the time of its closure in 1999, [4] the company occupied a 26-acre site at 101 Eleventh St. SE in Canton, with over 600,000 square feet of industrial space. [5]
| Model | Displacement | Fuel | Power | Torque | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFXE | 855 cu in (14.0 L) | Diesel | 201 hp (150 kW) | 685 lbf⋅ft (929 N⋅m) | Diamond T 980/981 [6] |
| HXC | 855 cu in (14.0 L) | Gasoline | 202 hp (151 kW) | 642 lbf⋅ft (870 N⋅m) | 6-ton 6x6 truck [7] |
| JXD | 320 cu in (5.2 L) | Gasoline | 86 hp (64 kW) | 200 lbf⋅ft (271 N⋅m) | Studebaker US6 [8] M8 Greyhound |
| L142 | 142 cu in (2.3 L) | Gasoline | 71 hp (53 kW) | 128 lbf⋅ft (174 N⋅m) | M151 series [9] |
| LDT-465 | 478 cu in (7.8 L) | Multifuel | 130 hp (97 kW) | 305 lbf⋅ft (414 N⋅m) | M35 series [10] |
| RXC | 529 cu in (8.7 L) | Gasoline | 112 hp (84 kW) | 368 lbf⋅ft (499 N⋅m) | Autocar U8144T 5- to 6-ton 4x4 truck [11] |
The Studebaker US6 (G630) was a series of 2+1⁄2-ton 6×6 and 5-ton 6×4 trucks manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation and REO Motor Car Company during World War II. The basic cargo version was designed to transport a 2+1⁄2-short-ton cargo load over any type of terrain in any weather. Most of these were exported to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease by the USA during World War II, since the competing GMC 6×6 CCKW design proved to be more suitable for Western Front conditions.
The M939 is a 5-ton 6×6 U.S. military heavy truck. The basic cargo versions were designed to transport a 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) cargo load over all terrain in all weather. Designed in the late 1970s to replace the M39 and M809 series of trucks, it has been in service ever since. The M939 evolved into its own family of cargo trucks, dump trucks, semi-tractors, vans, wreckers, and bare chassis/cabs for specialty bodies. 44,590 in all were produced.
The M19 Tank Transporter was a heavy tank transporter system used in World War II and into the 1950s. It consisted of a 12-ton 6×4 M20 Diamond T Model 980 truck and companion 12-wheel M9 trailer.
The Diamond T Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer. They produced commercial and military trucks.
The M35 2½-ton cargo truck is a long-lived 2½-ton 6×6 cargo truck initially used by the United States Army and subsequently utilized by many nations around the world. Over time it evolved into a family of specialized vehicles. It inherited the nickname "Deuce and a Half" from an older 2½-ton truck, the World War II GMC CCKW.
The M39 series 5-ton 6×6 truck (G744) was a family of heavy tactical trucks built for the United States Armed Forces. The basic cargo version was designed to transport a 5-ton (4,500 kg), 14 ft (4.3 m) long load over all terrain in all weather. In on-road service the load weight was doubled.
Buda Engine was founded in 1881 by George Chalender in Buda, Illinois, to make equipment for railways. Later based in Harvey, Illinois, Buda from 1910 manufactured engines for industrial, truck, and marine applications. Early Buda engines were gasoline fueled. Later, diesel engines were introduced, utilizing proprietary Lanova cylinder head designs, injection pumps and nozzles. These were known as Buda-Lanova diesel engines. Buda Engine Company was acquired by Allis-Chalmers in 1953. The Buda-Lanova models were re-christened "Allis-Chalmers diesel".
Ben Hur trailer was the nickname of the World War II U.S. Army Trailer, 1-ton payload, 2-wheel, cargo, and the Trailer, 1-ton payload, 2-wheel, water tank, 250 gallon. Specialized variants were also manufactured.
The M425 and M426 Tractor trucks (G671) were 5 ton (4,536kg) load rated 4x2 semi-tractors that were used from 1944 on by the US Army. They are famous for the use on the Red Ball Express from Normandy to the front, but were also used in the China Burma India Theater. After the war they were used in Europe, including during the Berlin Crisis, and in the Korean War.
The Mack M123 (G792) was a 10-ton 6x6 semi-tractor introduced in 1955. The Mack M125 was a heavy cargo truck version of the M123. The M123 was used to tow tank transporter trailers while the M125 towed field artillery pieces.
The Autocar Model U8144T, officially "5- to 6-Ton, 4×4, Ponton Tractor Truck", was the largest, and most heavy-duty, of a family of heavy four-wheel drive trucks developed for, and deployed primarily with, the United States Army in World War II. They were of a "cab over engine" design, and produced by the Autocar Company from 1941 to 1945 with 2,711 being built.
Mack Trucks has been selling heavy duty trucks and buses to the United States military since 1911. Virtually every model has been used. The majority have been commercial models designed and built by Mack with their own components, but they have also designed and built military specification tactical trucks. The military vehicles are rated by payload measured in tons.
The M809 Series 5-ton 6x6 truck (G908) was a family of heavy tactical trucks built for the United States Armed Forces. The basic cargo version was designed to transport a 5-ton (4,500 kg), 14 ft (4.3 m) long load over all terrain in all weather. In on-road service the load weight was doubled. Built by AM General, they evolved into the M939 Series.
The 6-ton 6×6 truck was a family of heavy tactical trucks built for the United States Army during World War II. The basic cargo version was designed to transport a 6- short ton (5,400 kg) cargo load over all terrain in all weather. The chassis were built by Brockway Motor Company, The Corbitt Company, The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company (FWD), Ward LaFrance Truck Corporation, and White Motor Company. They were replaced by the M54 5-ton 6x6 trucks in the 1950s.
The 2+1⁄2-ton, 6×6 truck was a standard class of medium duty trucks, designed at the beginning of World War II for the US Armed Forces, in service for over half a century, from 1940 into the 1990s. Also frequently known as the deuce and a half, or just deuce, this nickname was popularized post WWII, most likely in the Vietnam war era. The basic cargo versions were designed to transport a cargo load of nominally 2+1⁄2 short tons over all terrain, in all weather. The 2+1⁄2-ton trucks were used ubiquitously in World War II, and continued to be the U.S. standard medium duty truck class after the war, including wide usage in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as the first Gulf War.
The Kenworth 10-ton 6x6 heavy wrecking truck (G116) was the standard heavy wrecker of the US Army during World War II. It was replaced in the 1950s by 5-ton wreckers.
The Diamond T 4-ton 6×6 truck was a heavy tactical truck built for the United States Army during World War II. Its G-number was G-509. Cargo models were designed to transport a 4-ton (3,600 kg) load over all terrain in all weather. There were also wrecker, dump, and other models. They were replaced by the M39 series 5-ton 6×6 trucks in the 1950s.
The Hercules DFXE was an American diesel truck engine produced by the Hercules Engine Company.