M274 Mechanical Mule
The M274 Mechanical Mule (official designation: M274 Truck, Platform, Utility 1/2 Ton, 4X4 or M274 Carrier, Light Weapons, Infantry, 1/2 ton, 4x4 ) was a light, all-wheel drive, all-terrain truck of the United States Army and the US Army United States Marine Corps . The mule was in service from 1957 to the mid-1980s and could carry up to half a ton of cargo or four people.
history
In the early 1950s, the US Army was looking for a replacement for the 1/4 ton and 3/4 ton trucks from World War II . The requirements stipulated a dead weight of less than 340 kg with a load capacity of 450 kg, and the vehicle should also offer enough space for a driver and be air-loadable . Willys-Overland , the manufacturer of the famous Willys Jeep, then constructed a small all-wheel drive and -steered vehicle with a loading capacity of 385 kg, which, after slight changes and adapting the loading capacity to Army requirements, was first used by the US Army in 1957 as the M274 Service was provided.
From 1956 to 1960, Willys-Overland produced 2,452 copies of the original version with a four-cylinder petrol engine, and in 1962, production of the A1 model began, of which vehicles were built in 1905. Due to problems with the engine, a two-cylinder petrol engine was used in the A2 series, which was built by Bowen McLaughlin / York from 1964. By 1967, 3609 copies of the new version were built, and the older models were equipped with the new engine and designated as M274 A3 and A4. Baifield Industries began building the A5 series in 1965, and 2400 vehicles had rolled off the production line by 1969. The 874 vehicles built by Brunswick Corporation from 1968 to 1970 had only one steering axle. A total of 11,240 vehicles of all series were produced.
The Mechanical Mule became known primarily through its missions during the Vietnam War , where the vehicles were used by the Army and Marine Corps for transport purposes, but also as weapon platforms. They served as transporters for ammunition and fuel, evacuating the wounded from the front. As a basis for machine guns or light artillery , they were mainly used by the Marines during the Tet Offensive and the Battle of Huế .
The M274 remained in service with the US armed forces until the 1980s, but was then retired. The tasks of the vehicle are partly taken over by quad bikes , since 2000 the Army has been using an all -terrain transport vehicle, the M-Gator from John Deere , for various purposes.
technology
The three-meter-long, 1.18-meter-wide and almost 0.7-meter-high vehicle consisted of a ladder frame made of light metal, on which the two unsprung pendulum axles with low-pressure tires were suspended. The drive as well as the tank and gearbox are located below the loading area, which in the first five versions was made of a magnesium alloy, and in the A5 model it was made of aluminum. The ground clearance was 30 centimeters, the fording depth 45 centimeters.
The first two variants were powered by a four-cylinder petrol engine, and the later models by a two-cylinder engine. A two-way transfer case and a four-speed manual transmission transferred the power to all four wheels of the Mule , the top speed was just under 40 kilometers per hour. With the 30 liter fuel tank, the range on the road was 240 kilometers at a speed of around 8 kilometers per hour. With the exception of the A5 model, both axles were steerable, which gave the vehicle very high maneuverability and a turning circle of only around 6 meters. The vehicles of the later models, which were only steered on one axle, had a turning circle of around 12 meters.
The loading area was surrounded by a railing that allowed easy fastening and lashing of the transported loads. The driver's seat was the only body that could be dismantled and stowed under the loading area, and the steering wheel, which was located in the middle of the front loading sill together with the gearshift, could be adjusted to make room for the load. In the middle of the loading area was an adapter to which various mounts for weapons could be mounted. Among other things, M60 and M2 machine guns as well as M40 recoilless artillery and anti-tank guided missile TOW were used on the vehicles.
Technical specifications
- Type: all-terrain transport vehicle
- Manufacturer: Willys-Overland, Bowen McLaughlin / York, Baifield Industries, Brunswick Corp.
- Length: 3.0 m
- Width: 1.18 m
- Weight: 394 kg
- Load capacity: 453 kg
- Drive: four-cylinder petrol engine / two-cylinder petrol engine
- Top speed: 40 km / h
See also
Web links
- M274 at olive-drab.com (engl.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ M274 MECHANICAL MULE. In: US Army Transportation Museum. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008 ; accessed on March 7, 2018 .
- ^ Mule Specs. In: militarymules.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010 ; accessed on March 7, 2018 .
- ^ Federal & Military Sales. (Video) In: www.deere.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2009 ; accessed on May 4, 2009 .