Dodge M37

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

Military truck of the United States

title: "Dodge M37" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["dodge-vehicles", "military-trucks-of-the-united-states", "pickup-trucks", "military-vehicles-introduced-in-the-1950s"] description: "Military truck of the United States" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_M37" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Military truck of the United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox weapon"]

Field	Value
name	Dodge M37
image	RAFBF 90th Birthday Air Show, East Kirkby - geograph.org.uk - 1440198.jpg
image_size	300px
caption	M37 cargo truck
origin	Warren Truck Assembly, Michigan, United States
type	-ton 4x4 truck
	is_vehicle
	service
wars	Korean War
Vietnam War
Laotian Civil War
Cambodian Civil War
Nicaraguan Revolution
Salvadoran Civil War
Guatemalan Civil War
manufacturer	Dodge
production_date	1951–1968
number	115,838 – across:
— M37: ~63,000 units (1951–1954)
— M37B1: 47,600 units (from 1958)
— M37CDN: 4,500 Canadian (1951–1955)
variants
spec_label	with winch
weight	5,917 lb (empty)
length	15 ft
width	6 ft
height	7 ft
	engine
engine_power	78 hp
transmission	4 speed X 2 range
suspension	Live beam axles on leaf springs
vehicle_range	225 mi
speed	55 mph
::

The Dodge M37 was a -ton 4x4 truck developed for service in the United States military as a successor to the widely used Dodge-built WC Series introduced during World War II. Put into service in 1951, it served in a variety of configurations in frontline duty in the Korean War and Vietnam War before being replaced by two commercial off the shelf (COTS) based -ton trucks: the Kaiser M715 (introduced in 1967 and supplied through 1969) and the Dodge M880/M890 series (in the 1970s).

It bore the designation (G741), and after its military phase-out was both put into domestic Federal government agency use and auctioned to civilians in the U.S., and adopted by foreign militaries.

History

Many of the components on the M37 are similar or identical to the Dodge-built World War II WC series vehicles, and many deficiencies of the WC series were corrected in the M37. Notably, a conventional pickup truck style bed replaced the platform on the World War II vehicle, simplifying production. There was significant drivetrain and powerplant commonality with the immediate postwar WDX series civilian Power Wagons, but no sheet metal was shared. Six WC-based prototype W37s were produced in early-to-mid 1950, with the first pre-production pilot vehicle rolling off the assembly line on 14 December 1950.

In total some 115,000 Dodge M37s were produced between 1951 and 1968. Manufacture of the M37 began in earnest in January 1951, with approximately 11,000 vehicles made by the end of that year. By mid-1954 63,000 of the vehicles had been produced. In 1958 a number of modifications to the design resulted in the new vehicles being designated as M37B1. From mid-1958 until the end of production 47,600 M37B1 vehicles were produced. Approximately 4,500 Canadian M37CDNs were also produced between 1951 and 1955. M37s continued in service worldwide in the Israeli and Greek militaries.

From 1968 onwards, the U.S. military replaced the M37 with the heavier-rated (or five-quarter) ton Kaiser Jeep manufactured M715 family of vehicles. Rather than purpose-built tactical vehicles, these "militarized" commercial off-the-shelf ('COTS') trucks were considered underpowered and fragile compared to the M37. After seeing service in the Vietnam War the M715 was replaced in 1976 by the similarly rated Dodge-built COTS M880 series.

In addition to those M37s that were sold or offered as military aid to allied foreign countries, many were transferred to civilian agencies or sold domestically at government auctions, becoming a not uncommon sight in government and private use in the 1970s and '80s; some are still seen today in rural areas.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/M37_at_typical_military_show.jpg" caption="1953 Dodge M37"] ::

Variants

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Dodge_G-741_Dodge_M42_pic1.JPG" caption="Overloon Museum"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/HAFm_7054.JPG" caption="Dodge R2 at the [[Hellenic Air Force Museum"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/ArmyDodgePowerWagon.jpg" caption="1952 Dodge M152"] ::

M42 command truck
M43 ambulance
M53 cab-chassis
**M56 ** tool truck, has a bumper-mounted winch
- MB2 Fire and Rescue Truck (M56 with Gichner body)
- R2 air field rescue truck (w/winch)
M152 modified enclosed utility truck, Canadian variant
M201 / V41 telephone maintenance vehicle
M283 Long Wheel Base (LWB) Cargo Truck
M506 truck, hydrogen peroxide servicer, PGM-11 Redstone
V126 truck – for AN/MPX-7 radar experimental:
XM142 experimental bomb service truck
XM152 experimental enclosed utility truck used in small numbers by the USAF
XM195 experimental lighter, compact version of M37
XM708 experimental dump truck used mostly by airborne units
XM711 experimental wrecker truck
Cashuat armoured APC modification of El Salvador

Specifications

Engine

The M37's flathead Chrysler Straight-6 engine was carried over from the World War II-era WC vehicle line, as was most of the drivetrain. Using an engine and drivetrain derived from a widely-produced 1930s era passenger vehicle was in line with a long-standing military procurement strategy that attempted to use commercially produced vehicle variants in military service.

Model: T245 Dodge
Type: "L" Head, 6 cylinder
Power: 78 bhp at 3200 rpm
Displacement: 230 cuin (Canadian version used the larger 250.6 cuin engine)
Bore: 3+1/4 in, Stroke: 4+5/8 in
Oil capacity: 6 U.S.qt
Radiator capacity: 25 U.S.qt
Carter carburetor Model ETW-1 downdraft ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Dodge_M37_B1_4x4_¾-ton_truck,_Military_Standard_Dimensions.jpg" caption="M37 B1 Standard specifications sheet (1968)."] ::

Driveline

Clutch

Borg & Beck Model 11828 10 in single plate dry disc (Borg & Beck 11 inch clutch on Canadian version.) Transmission
New Process Model 88950 (or NP420)(Acme Model T-98 on Canadian version)
4-speed, Synchro-Shift in 3rd and 4th gear Transfer Case
New Process 88845 (or NP200)
Ratio: High 1:1, low 1.96:1
Twin lever operation, one for 4×4 or 4×2 selection, one for hi or low range Drive Shaft
MFG Universal Products Axles
Dodge Full Floating (hypoid), ratio 5.83:1
Front Universal Drive New Process (Tracta joint)

Chassis

Fuel tank

24 U.S.gal tank (vented through engine air intake for fording purposes) Electrical
Ignition, starting, lights, 24 volts Brakes
Wagner hydraulic drum
Parking—external contracting band, 48 square inches (310 cm2) Steering
Gemmer Model B-60, worm and sector type Wheelbase
Cargo Model M37 and Command Model M42: 112 in
Ambulance Model M43 and Tele. Maint. Model V41: 126 in Weight
M37 without winch: 5687 lb, M37 with winch 5987 lb Tire Size
9.00 × 16 - 8 ply non-directional military Winch
Braden LU-4, PTO operated, 7500 lb capacity (250’ of 7/16" wire rope [75 m by 11 mm] – 10’ [3 m] chain with hook)

Aborted replacement competition

During the late 1960s a competition was initiated by the Army, which requested the leading U.S. automotive companies to submit proposals as a replacement for the M37. Several prototype vehicles passed through the preliminary examination, eventually leading the military to accept General Motors XM705 1-ton Truck and derivative XM737 Ambulance, which were supposed to replace the M37, instead of the militarized COTS M715 series of trucks. However, Congress cut funds for the program, and the XM705 never reached the assembly line.

Below table lists the comparative specifications of the vehicles involved. ::data[format=table] | Vehicle||XM705||M715||M37 | |---| | Engine | | Maximum horsepower | | Net brake horsepower | | Speed (miles per hour) on 3 percent slope with towed load in 4th gear | | Cruising range (miles) | | Weight distribution (percent) | | Rear | | Ground pressure (maximum) | | Ground clearance under axles (inches) | | Angle (degrees) of | | Without winch | | Departure | ::

Gallery

File:1953 Dodge M37 Display.jpg|1953 M37 and 1953 M101 trailer File:1953 M37 engine.jpg|1953 straight six File:1953 M37 front.jpg|1953 M37 File:1953 M37 interior.jpg|Interior of 1953 M37 File:Side view M37.JPG|M37 in front of a B-17G operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Notes

References

{{cite web | title = Dodge M37 History, Restoration, Documentation | url = http://dodgem37.com/ | last = Reinemann | first = Carl | access-date = 26 July 2007

References

(30 November 1973). "TM-9-2320-212-10 Operator's Manual for M37 series trucks". [[United States Department of the Army#Headquarters, Department of the Army.
creinemann. "1953 M37 Dodge Restoration".
"M-715 Kaiser 5/4 Jeep – Olive-Drab".
Accessed 20 October, 2021 http://www.vintagemilitarytrucks.com/XM705_M705_Chevrolet_4x4_Military-Trucks_Page.htm
[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.aa0014408116;view=1up;seq=154 Statement of Maj. Gen. Henry A. Miley, Jr., Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, United States Army], Department of Defense Appropriations for 1970, pt.3, pp. 146-148.
Reinemann, Carl http://m37.crwdesigns.com/ {{Webarchive. link. (15 July 2007)
Reinemann, Carl http://dodgem37.com/ {{Webarchive. link. (15 July 2007)

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::