The Jeep trailer was a small, 1⁄4 short ton (0.22 long tons ; 0.23 t ) payload rated, cargo trailer, designed in World War II, tailored to be towed by 1/4-ton jeeps. Versions of the quarter-ton jeep trailer remained in military use, by the U.S. or other countries, at least through to the 1990s.
When the jeep was developed, it needed a cargo trailer that would track behind the vehicle. The first trailer was called the "Trailer, 1/4-ton, 2-Wheel, Cargo, Amphibian". More than 150,000 jeep trailers were built by over ten different companies, during World War II alone. [1] American Bantam built some 75,000 of their T-3, and kept building jeep trailers after the war. [2] Willys-Overland also built more than 60,000 of their MBT units (Willys MB Trailers). Other manufacturers contributed only hundreds, or just a few thousand units. A special trailer was the Converto (Airborne) Dump Trailer, of which several thousand were built. [1]
Later versions of the trailer were the M100 trailer [3] for the Willys M38 jeep and the M416 trailer [4] for the M151 jeep.
After World War II, several companies went on to produce these trailers for the civilian market. The military trailers often were rated for 1/4 ton usage for the sake of amphibious operations, many trailer designs were in actuality built to handle 1/2 ton loads with ease. In the post-war civilian world, many trailers were marketed as able to handle 1/2 to 3/4 ton weight loads.
Notable companies were Bantam with the T3-C, Henry Spen with the Model S, as well as Converto, Knox, and David Bradley. While the trailers maintained utility and ruggedness, other features required by the military fell to the wayside for utility, cost, and simplicity such as tailgates, parking brakes and blackout lights. Bright colors were often favored on civilian trailers in respect to peace time markets.
Today these civilian Jeep trailers are highly sought after for camping, light duty utility, agriculture, and collections, as are the military ones. Jeep trailers also found favor with road departments, construction crews, fire departments, park departments, and many other civil services and local government in North America. Restoration data is often scant to non-existent on the civilian trailers, but military trailers often have full specifications that have been preserved and shared.
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from their previous owner American Motors Corporation (AMC).
The M416, the last of the military 1/4 ton Jeep trailers, can be distinguished from earlier 1/4 ton trailers by its squared fenders. There were two later versions, the M416A1 and the M416B1. The M416B1 used the smaller 6.00 X 16 tires on M422 wheels because it was designed to be towed by the USMC M422 'Mighty Mite' instead of the M151 that towed the M416's and M416A1's.
The Truck, Utility, ¼-Ton, 4×4, M151 or simply M151 was the successor to the Korean War M38 and M38A1 jeep Light Utility Vehicles. The M151 had an integrated body design which offered a little more space than prior jeeps, and featured all-around independent suspension with coil springs. It has since been replaced by the larger AM General HMMWV in most utility roles in frontline use. With some M151A2 units still in U.S. military service in 1999, the M151 series achieved a longer run of service than that of the World War II/Korean War-era MB/GPW, M38, and M38A1 series combined.
The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army Truck, 1⁄4‑ton, 4×4, Command Reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep, and sometimes referred to by its Standard Army vehicle supply nr. G-503, were highly successful American off-road capable, light military utility vehicles. Well over 600,000 were built to a single standardized design, for the United States and the Allied forces in World War II, from 1941 until 1945. This also made it the world's first mass-produced four-wheel drive car, built in six-figure numbers.
Jeep — with a capital J — is a trademarked automotive brand, currently owned by Chrysler, part of Stellantis.
The Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle (CUCV) is a vehicle program instituted to provide the United States military with light utility vehicles based on civilian trucks.
The AMC M422 'Mighty Mite', or G-843 by its supply catalogue designation, is an extra lightweight ¼-ton 4x4 tactical truck, designed for the United States Marine Corps, to be suitable for helicopter airlift and manhandling. It is also noted for its exceptionally short length, and resulting very tight turning circle, while still highway approved for a top speed of 55 mph (89 km/h), and capable of 65 mph (105 km/h) according to AMC.
The Willys MD, formally the M38A1 Truck, Utility: 1/4 ton, 4x4, or the G‑758 by its U.S. Army Standard Nomenclature supply catalog designation, was a four-wheel drive, military light utility vehicle, made by Willys and Willys Motors / Kaiser Jeep from 1952 to 1971. It was widely procured by the U.S. military from 1952 until 1957, after which U.S. purchases were reduced to the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marine version had minor differences from the units used by other branches.
Military light utility vehicle, or simply light utility vehicle (LUV), is a term used for the lightest weight class military vehicle category. A Jeep-like four-wheel drive vehicle for military use by definition lighter than other military trucks and vehicles, inherently compact and usually with light or no armour, with short body overhangs for nimble all-terrain mobility, and frequently around 4-passenger capacity.
Growler Manufacturing and Engineering, formerly American Growler, Inc., is an automotive manufacturing firm producing light tactical vehicles, originally based in Ocala, Florida, then in Robbins, North Carolina, and now in the HUBZone in Star, North Carolina. For over ten years, it has built a line of military light utility vehicles partly derived from drivetrains from M151 Jeeps. Versions range from $7,000 in price kit form, a $15,500 tactical dune buggy, and a $33,000 version sold to the Dominican Republic's military.
The GMC CCKW, also known as "Jimmy", or the G-508 by its Ordnance Supply Catalog nr, was a highly successful series of off-road capable, 21⁄2-ton, 6×6 trucks, built in large numbers to a standardized design for the U.S. Army, that saw heavy service, predominantly as cargo trucks, in both World War II and the Korean War. The original "Deuce and a Half", it formed the backbone of the famed Red Ball Express that kept Allied armies supplied as they pushed eastward after the Normandy invasion.
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 Dodge WC-54, Ambulance, 3⁄4-ton, 4 x 4,, was the main military ambulance variant of the prolific Dodge WC series of light 4×4 trucks, developed during World War II. Built from 1942 until 1945, they served as the U.S. Army's main dedicated ambulance, with many also serving in the Korean War, in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, some used as late as 1953; and others serving as late as the 1960s in the armies of some European countries.
The Dodge WC series is a prolific range of light 4WD and medium 6WD military utility trucks, produced by Chrysler under the Dodge and Fargo marques during World War II. Together with the 1⁄4-ton jeeps produced by Willys and Ford, the Dodge 1⁄2‑ton G-505 and 3⁄4‑ton G-502 trucks made up nearly all of the light 4WD trucks supplied to the U.S. military in WWII – with Dodge contributing some 337,500 4WD units.
The K-50 telephone repair trucks were used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, during and after World War II, for the installation and repair of hard telephone lines, primarily in territories liberated from Nazi Germany by the Allied forces.
The Willys MC, formally the 1⁄4-Ton, 4 x 4, Utility Truck M38, or the G‑740 by its U.S. Army Standard Nomenclature supply catalog designation, is a quarter-ton four-wheel drive military light utility vehicle made by Willys between 1949 and 1952. It replaced, and succeeded the World War II Willys MB and Ford GPW models, with a total production of some 50,000 units — less than one tenth the number of WWII models built. Unlike during WWII, Ford was no longer involved in the production.
US military soft-skinned vehicles of World War II | |
|---|---|
| 1⁄4–3⁄4 ton vehicles | |
| 11⁄2–4 ton trucks | |
| 5–10 ton trucks | |
| Tank transporters | |
| Amphibious vehicles | |
| Tracked tractors & carriers | |
| Motorcycles | |
| Trailers |
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