4-wheel drive Maple Leaf truck

[Mike Kelly]

Spotted the 4x4 Maple Leaf. Was this a prototype?

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52802709/...ge/n2/mode/1up

[Lang]

GM had ready made running gear with the 1 1/2 ton Chev and the 4x4 GMC. It would have taken "5 minutes" to produce a Maple Leaf 4x4 using either of those as a base.

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Lang

GM had ready made running gear with the 1 1/2 ton Chev and the 4x4 GMC. It would have taken "5 minutes" to produce a Maple Leaf 4x4 using either of those as a base.

I wonder if any of these rare trucks were issued to the Australian forces, considering it was assembled by GMH . GMH are referring to it as a "tractor" meaning it was a artillery tractor ? I seem to recall a pic of one in the Vanderveen revised edition ww2 book, the edition with the Diamond T tank transporter on the cover. It's a GMH version of the Ford M-H in some ways. The vehicle is RHD. No quantity production as far as I know. And we don't know the time scale involved, maybe 1939 because it has 39 front sheet metal / headlights.

BTW I feel my post deserves a separate thread as the truck is so unusual and rare , not a ubiquitous 4X2 model.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Mike, I moved it back into a separate thread.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

The thread Canadian Chevrolet Maple Leaf 4x4 artillery tractors? has some info on what this most likely is:

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

I have not heard before of Maple Leaf trucks being supplied to the KNIL. I have looked through my references and found a vehicle which fits your description in Bart Vanderveen's The Observer's Fighting Vehicles Directory World War II (revised edition), p. 233:

"Truck, 30-cwt, 4x4, Gun Tractor (Maple Leaf)
6-cyl., 80 bhp, 4F1Rx2, wb 134 in. The Maple Leaf was a product of GM Products of Canada Ltd and could be described as a heavy-duty Chevrolet. This unit was produced for Australia, where it was fitted with GM-H cab and fixed-side body."

The picture (sorry, no scanner) shows a chassis/cowl (front end sheet metal plus windscreen) on large (20"?) tyres and a spare tyre fitted behind where the cab would be.
As noted by Vanderveen, "this unit was produced for Australia", but I cannot recall seeing pictures or references of these in Australian Army use. Did GM Holden deliver vehicles to the KNIL?

Now with the picture from Vanderveen side by side with the finished truck:

maple leaf bart.jpg nla.obj-52802709-4_mapleleaf4x4.jpg

[maple_leaf_eh]

I have nothing to add specific to the question. However, my grandfather operated a trucking company in Canada from 1932 to the 1960s. He seemed to like Internationals over other companies. Maybe the local dealer was easier to work with - dunno.

But, he bought frame and chassis truck. He had skilled woodworkers and fabricators in his employees who built every box, arch, tailboard and trailer body from local materials. No factory pieces in his line-up. For the company to delivery "incomplete" trucks (or tractors as it were), was therefore not unusual for the times.

[Konstantin Chernov]

Is this an experimental car? Joint creativity with Marmon-Herington or own development?

[Mike Kelly]

I have previously seen a pic of a number of these 4X4 Maple Leaf trucks lined up at a GM-H assembly plant , from memory it was at Fishermens Bend. The truck pictured has a GM-H manufactured cab fitted , the little rectangular cowl vent and the quarter vent door windows are typical.

Years ago somebody in Melbourne contacted me with a query about these 4X4 Maple Leaf trucks , can't recall if he was restoring one or after parts. There was a VMVC member who had one listed in the old membership list but that was many years ago, he was living near Eden in NSW.

[Konstantin Chernov]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

I have previously seen a pic of a number of these 4X4 Maple Leaf trucks lined up at a GM-H assembly plant , from memory it was at Fishermens Bend.

That is, it was not a single sample?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Konstantin Chernov

Is this an experimental car? Joint creativity with Marmon-Herington or own development?

Interesting picture, not seen it before.

I merged your thread with an earlier one on 4x4 Maple Leaf trucks. Also see What makes a truck a Maple Leaf?, this may contain some more info?

[Konstantin Chernov]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Interesting picture, not seen it before.

This image is interesting because the truck is equipped with a body for transporting troops.What is the wheelbase of this truck? Also 134"?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Konstantin Chernov

This image is interesting because the truck is equipped with a body for transporting troops.

What is the wheelbase of this truck? Also 134"?

It is not a body for transporting troops. A "Stores lorry" means a truck to transport stores, or stock or e.g. mechanical spares or wireless equipment spares.

Going by Mike's post, this is a Maple Leaf model 16-40/E8 truck with 157-3/4" wheelbase and "special stores lorry body"

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

I have the 1940 GMH NASCO parts book. The front cover of the book states "SPECIALLY COMPILED FOR THE AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES". The book is for sedans and trucks

1940 Maple Leaf was series 16 - diff ratio was 7.16 to 1
*snip*
1940 MAPLE LEAF
The Maple leaf model 16-40/E12 ... Chassis cab 157-3/4" wheelbase with special Office Lorry body
..............................16-40/E8 ...............................................wit h special stores lorry body
..............................16-40 /E6 ................................................wi th special breakdown vehicle body
The AWM have that pic incorrectly captioned, it's actually a Maple Leaf office lorry, not Chevrolet.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

This picture from a brochure - see the link in Mike Kelly's first posting - shows the same type of truck as in Konstantin’s photo.

It is labeled as an “office body unit”.

D229E18A-7107-439A-AEE4-930D539DB7CA.jpg