4-wheel drive Maple Leaf truck

[Mike Cecil]

I agree with you, Hanno, that the MH-AWD is mostly associated with conversions to Fords. The Australian Government was buying the kits from the MH company from 1939 onwards, and having them installed by Ford Australia, mostly for the LP 1 to 7 and No.10 artillery tractors in 4x4 and 6x6. I've extracted all the artillery tractors I can find listed in AWM126, and their are no Chev/Maple Leaf modified conventional trucks among them unless I missed a whole bunch. (Always possible, of course - I missed C-6301!). The Bart V book image shows a very similar cab to the Australian Ford-MH LP series artillery tractors, which doctrine required have the open cab for observation purposes, whereas the GMH image shows a closed cab.

Maybe during the early stages of mechanisation in the late 1930s, the Aust Army experimented with both Ford and Chev/Maple Leaf conversions to AWD, which would fit with the 'Two Engine' Mechanisation Policy of the late 1930s, but then concentrated on Ford. Conjecture of course, as I've not found anything to support that theory, but it makes sense if you are seeking vehicles from just those two suppliers.

Mike