Mercedes-Benz L 4500

This article deals with the L 4500 built from 1939 to 1945. For the truck of the same name built from 1953, see Mercedes-Benz L 312 .

Mercedes Benz
L 4500 S.
L 4500
Manufacturer:	Daimler-Benz (1939–1944) Saurer (1944–1945)
Sales designation:	L 4500
Production period:	1939-1945
Previous model:	none
Successor:	none
Technical specifications
Designs:	Hood handlebar with flatbed
Engines:	OM 67 (diesel, 7274 cm³)
Power:	82 kW
Length:	7860 mm
Width:	2350 mm
Height:	3345 mm
Wheelbase:	4600 mm
Turning circle:	ø 19.3 m
Payload:	4.685 t
Perm. Total weight:	10.4 t

The Mercedes-Benz L 4500 is a heavy truck from Mercedes-Benz that was built by Daimler-Benz at the Gaggenau plant from 1939 to 1944 and by Saurer from 1944 to 1945. The vehicle was built as a hood link with rear-wheel drive ( L 4500 S ) and four-wheel drive ( L 4500 A ). During the Second World War, the Wehrmacht used the L 4500 as an anti-aircraft gun, among other things with an armored cabin . In the course of the war, from 1943, due to a shortage of materials, the driver's cab was replaced by the standard Wehrmacht driver's cab and the curved fenders were replaced by simpler ones. The truck also served as the basis for the L 4500 R “Maultier” half-track vehicle .

Interior of the L 4500 S.

technology

L 4500 S in military version

The L 4500 is a two-axle truck in hood-link design with a U-profile ladder frame and a front and rear rigid axle. The axles are suspended from semi- springs. The front axle has single tires, while the rear axle has twin tires. The tires are air-filled and have a size of 10.5–20. The brake system acts hydraulically on all wheels and is supported by compressed air (brake servo). The handbrake only works on the rear wheels. It is steered with a type 721 Ross steering from ZF . The drive power is transmitted from the engine to a manual five-speed gearbox with a countershaft via a single-plate dry clutch . The power comes from the transmission to the rear wheels. The all-wheel drive type L 4500 A also has a front-wheel drive that can only be engaged with off-road gear.

The engine is a six-cylinder - rows - four-stroke - diesel engine with OHV valve control , indirect injection and water cooling . The crankshaft , which has seven bearings, drives a camshaft below via spur gears , which actuates a hanging inlet and outlet valve per cylinder. The fuel is delivered by an injection pump made by Bosch or Deckel .

L 4500 R mule

→ Main article : Mule (half-track vehicle)

During the Russian campaign in 1941 , it turned out that even vehicles with all-wheel drive could not cope with the adverse conditions. Vehicles with half-chain drives were then built and called mules , the most built mule was the Opel Blitz, but other chassis also served as the mule base, including that of the Mercedes-Benz L 4500. The chassis of the L 4500 R mule was modified, he received tracks of the PzKpfw II . The cab was already the Wehrmacht's standard wooden cab. As a result, the length increased to 7900 mm, the width to 2360 mm, and the height reduced to 3200 mm. The OM 67 engine remained unchanged with an output of 112 hp (82 kW). The low top speed of 36 km / h and the high fuel consumption of 70 l / 100 km on the road, which doubled off-road, turned out to be problematic. The L 4500 R Maultier was built from 1943 to 1944.

Technical data L 4500 A

L 4500 A
Dimensions and weights
length	7860 mm
width	2350 mm
height	3345 mm
wheelbase	4600 mm
Front track	1905 mm
Rear track	1714 mm
Ground clearance	340 mm
Wading ability	800 mm
Turning circle diameter	19.3 m
Empty weight	5717 kg
payload	4685 kg (4085 kg)
Max. Permissible total mass	10400 kg (9800 kg)
other data
Top speed	66 km / h (43 km / h)
Fuel consumption	28 l / 100 km (42 l / 100 km)
Capacity of the fuel tank	140 l diesel fuel
battery	2 × 12 V, 105 Ah
Power transmission
coupling	Single-disc dry clutch
transmission	Five-speed gearbox with countershaft
tires	10.5-20 off-road tires
Power transmission on	all wheels
engine
designation	OM 67/4
Engine type	In-line six-cylinder pre-chamber diesel engine
cooling	water
Valve train	OHV valve control
Bore × stroke	105 × 140 mm
Displacement	7274 cc
Compression ratio	20: 1
rated capacity	82 kW [112 PS] at 2250 min -1
Torque at nominal power	350 Nm at 2250 min -1

() Values ​​in brackets apply to off-road driving

literature

• Frank, Reinhard: Mercedes in the war - passenger cars, trucks, special bodies . Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, Dorheim. 1985. ISBN 3-7909-0244-6 .
• Ware, Pat: The Illustrated Guide to Military Vehicles: A complete reference guide to over 100 years of military vehicles . Anness Publishing - Hermes House. London. 2010. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-84681-585-0 .
• Jean-Denis GG Lepage: German Military Vehicles of World War II: An Illustrated Guide to Cars, Trucks, Half-Tracks, Motorcycles, Amphibious Vehicles and Others . McFarland, 2007. ISBN 9780786462520 . P. 107; P. 111 ff.
• Werner Oswald: Motor vehicles of the Reichswehr, Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr , Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 1970, p. 125

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Veterans hall: Mercedes L 4500
2. ↑ Vehicles of the Wehrmacht: Mercedes-Benz L 4500
3. ↑ Lepage: German Military Vehicles of World War II: An Illustrated Guide to Cars, Trucks, Half-Tracks, Motorcycles, Amphibious Vehicles and Others . P. 111 ff.