Hamstersss Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 Ok folks, my dear mother decided to buy an old WWII truck, a big four-wheel drive monster that has been described as a '1-ton' Dodge Weapons Carrier or Ammo Carrier. I'm no grog but all my research says there's only a 3/4-ton and then a 1&3/4 ton with 6-wheels. This one only has 4 wheels, so I don't think it's that. A couple or three questions for the groggiest grogs of grogland: 1. Is there a 1-ton? 2. What's the policy on restoring these things? It runs and it's got historical plates but what's the tranny like (No, not that kind of tranny, Bauhaus) and the engine? Any kits for these? 3. Why isn't this vehicle modeled in CM? Frankly I think the absence of the Dodge 1-ton weapons carrier renders CM ineffectual in properly simulating the WWII tactical combat environment. BTS please fix or do somefink. I don't know why she bought it, she's my mother, did you expect her to buy a frickin' Ford Explorer? No I haven't seen it, nor have I driven it, but they tell me it runs. No, still no CM playing over here. Hey, how would I know where to get a good steak in downtown St. Louis? Who told you that? What, that son of a-! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanns Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 Elijah, Are you sure it's not a 3/4 ton Dodge WC-5x series truck? Single axle, about 2/3 the size of a 2 1/2 ton truck. Someone at Ft. Benning while I was there had one in mint restored condition. Canvas soft top, seats, split rim tires with the correct rubber on them. One of my dad's friends had one of the ambulance varients that he used for deer hunting. Cool vehicles especially if they've been nicely restored. Also dug up some stuff on google. Looks like there are a lot of groups into doing vintage resto's on them, might want to do some digging. FWIW, Hanns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuka Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 Hey there you scumbag! Don't think your'e wiggling out of our game that easily, I've still got our last turn from, like 3 ice ages ago and theres NO way you are getting off the hook. If it takes another millenia or two, you are still gonna get whacked. Harummph! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstersss Posted December 12, 2001 Author Share Posted December 12, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Hanns: Are you sure it's not a 3/4 ton Dodge WC-5x series truck? <hr></blockquote> I think it is a 3/4, hence the reason why I asked if anyone had ever heard of a 1-ton. <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Hanns: Looks like there are a lot of groups into doing vintage resto's on them, might want to do some digging. FWIW, Hanns <hr></blockquote> Yes, that was the sole extent of my research. However, they swear up and down that it's a 1-ton and not a three-quarter ton. Either way, CM is still woefully unrealistic by not including it. Tsk tsk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapdragon Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 There are a couple of 1-ton trucks in service during WW2, fairly rare in each case, and in one case with increased spring strength actually 1.5 tons. The first is the Chevrolet 1533, never standardized, but used as substitute as a weapons carrier. Then a Dodge 1 ton weapons carrier built only in 1940 and developed into the more famous weapons carriers of WW2, it was based on a commercial pickup. Each of these vehicles were very very rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstersss Posted December 12, 2001 Author Share Posted December 12, 2001 Hey slap,pickuptruck.com (The source for your picture) reports the vehicle pictured to be a half-ton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapdragon Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Elijah Meeks: Hey slap,pickuptruck.com (The source for your picture) reports the vehicle pictured to be a half-ton.<hr></blockquote> No, 1 ton pickup in my book on Logistics, but I could have gotten the wrong picture from their site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapdragon Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 Meeks, that pickup is "based" on a 1-ton farm pickup. There is no word on if it was still rated as a 1-ton pickup when it was modified for Army use, so if the web site says it is a half-ton truck, then the Logistics book I have on the Dodge is not likely a good source to refute it. Sorry about the mistake. Also, the truck above in the book is rated at 1.5 tons for military service. It is probably too big to be Mom's new truck. [ 12-11-2001: Message edited by: Slapdragon ]</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunnergoz Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 Army trucks were rated in off-road load carrying capacity, hence they compare to about 1/2 the rated capacity of civilian equivalents that are on hard road only. There was a Dodge 1 1/4 ton truck, a 3-axle 6x6 variant of the 3/4 ton weapons carrier. Could this be what you speak of? Also, there was a Chevy or GMC 1 1/2 ton truck, basically a 2 1/2 ton with a single rear axle. This is also fairly rare today. Either way, good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapdragon Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by gunnergoz: Army trucks were rated in off-road load carrying capacity, hence they compare to about 1/2 the rated capacity of civilian equivalents that are on hard road only. There was a Dodge 1 1/4 ton truck, a 3-axle 6x6 variant of the 3/4 ton weapons carrier. Could this be what you speak of? Also, there was a Chevy or GMC 1 1/2 ton truck, basically a 2 1/2 ton with a single rear axle. This is also fairly rare today. Either way, good luck.<hr></blockquote> Thank you, this has been screwing me up now for an hour, trying to rationalize why ratings where so screwy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Elijah Meeks: 2. What's the policy on restoring these things? <hr></blockquote> What do you mean by "policy"? There is no law against restoring military vehicles in the US (or Canada). Historical plates are an option used to keep insurance costs down, I think. Doing so, however, limits you to driving to and from antique car shows, etc., or at least that is how it works in Alberta. There is no requirement to retain them, as far as I know, if the vehicle is to be driven for more than just shows. I keep standard plates on my 1949 Willy's jeep. Bear in mind that there is always something to fix on old vehicles like that. Mom sounds brave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstersss Posted December 12, 2001 Author Share Posted December 12, 2001 Probably 3/4 ton given the date (41 or 42) and the fact that it's definitely army and not civvie. Thanks for the help, guys. And slap, that sure looks bigger than a 1/2 ton to me, too, so maybe DaimlerChrysler's wrong about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapdragon Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Elijah Meeks: Probably 3/4 ton given the date (41 or 42) and the fact that it's definitely army and not civvie. Thanks for the help, guys. And slap, that sure looks bigger than a 1/2 ton to me, too, so maybe DaimlerChrysler's wrong about it.<hr></blockquote> It is part of what is confusing me, since it is listed as, "Weapons Carrier, 1 ton, " in my paper source. Other pictures of the unit look pretty big to be just twice what a jeep can carry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgars Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 Hello! Talking about trucks, i've seen this vehicle up close. Maybe it is the same you are talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapdragon Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by ciks: Hello! Talking about trucks, i've seen this vehicle up close. Maybe it is the same you are talking about.<hr></blockquote> That is a Dodge Weapons carrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 Is that a Jeep, Beep Or Peep? I understood that in WW II the Peep was the 1/4 ton car commonly referred to as Jeep today. A Jeep, was a 1/2 ton truck - shown in the last photo, and a Beep was a 3/4 ton truck... So in the photos, which is Beep and which is Jeep? Willy's Overland launched a big campaign in WW II to get the word Jeep applied to their 1/4 ton vehicle, and the name stuck. But according to some histories and personal accounts, some units used the word "peep" right through to 1945 to refer to what we now call a jeep. [ 12-12-2001: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapdragon Posted December 12, 2001 Share Posted December 12, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Michael Dorosh: Is that a Jeep, Beep Or Peep? I understood that in WW II the Peep was the 1/4 ton car commonly referred to as Jeep today. A Jeep, was a 1/2 ton truck - shown in the last photo, and a Beep was a 3/4 ton truck... So in the photos, which is Beep and which is Jeep? Willy's Overland launched a big campaign in WW II to get the word Jeep applied to their 1/4 ton vehicle, and the name stuck. But according to some histories and personal accounts, some units used the word "peep" right through to 1945 to refer to what we now call a jeep. [ 12-12-2001: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]<hr></blockquote> I think the weapons carriers are distinct from the Willey's series of vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted December 13, 2001 Share Posted December 13, 2001 Well, duh, Slapdragon. I realize that - but do you know which was called what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunnergoz Posted December 13, 2001 Share Posted December 13, 2001 "Beep" was the Dodge 3/4 ton weapons carrier; some think it came out of "big jeep." "Jeep" was the 1/4 ton that we all know and love, the diminutive 4x4 that lived on post war as the French Hotchkiss. "Peep" was an alternate name for Jeep, origins not clear at all but it was used in WWII lingo. "Seep" was a name for the amphibious 1/4 ton Ford built GPA, a jeep derivative. The round-hood vehicle in previous photos is a 1/2 ton Dodge. It used a lighter chassis and frame than the later 3/4 ton weapons carrier shown sideways in the barn or whatever location that is. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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