Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 92.djvu/90

 The Motor Truck of Democracy

It's old and yet it's startlingly new. Fifty experts sacrificed their pet hobbies and buried the hatchet of competition to produce it

By Joseph Brinker

���THE Motor Truck of Democracy, otherwise known as the standardized war truck of the United States Army, is the greatest achievement of America's motor- truck industry. And why? In the first place, it was conceived not by one man or one com- pany, but by fifty of the master motor-truck engineers, each work- ing with patriotic fer- vor on his share of a great task, each backed up by a company which had heretofore engaged in almost cut-throat competition. That these fifty experts representing competing firms have worked together harmoniously, picking out the good points of one design and often ruthlessly throwing aside pet hob- bies which had been followed for years before, but which did not meet the re- quirements of war, is an exhibition of self-repres- sion as magnificent as is the truck they designed. Long after the war the influence of these pat- riotic engineers will be felt. Not only the army but the business men of the country have profited by their co-operation. The commercial motor- truck will henceforth be differently built.

What is the chief merit of the new war truck? Why is it great? Chiefly because it is a standard- ized vehicle down to the last nut and bolt. That is why it is a better prod- uct than any truck used at the front today.

The average commer-

��cial motor truck is not rugged enough to stand the severe tests of war. Our army engineers found this out in our effort to catch Villa in the Mexican wilderness. Our trucks were good commercial products, but they broke down. That was but natu- ral. Some vi- tal part was just strong enough to give sufficient overload capacity over fair to middling roads and just weak enough to break and cause trouble under the excessive strains of war work when negotiating roadless country.

It is not strange that the average com- mercial truck should fail under severe war tests. It is primarily a business-man's money saver, for use only when it will

��Photo © by Harris and Ewing

President Wilson Accepts the Liberty Truck

Although it represents everything new in design it embodies only tried and proved ideas

���The War Chariot of the American Army

��KiiRRcd and massive in appearance, the truck lias worm final drive with a larKo Rear reduction between the ensinc and the rear wheels, so that cxci-ption.al power may be had at slow speeds. It is fitted with the con- ventional caravan-topped army body, and with spriiiK-supiwrted wrioden bumpers in front and at the rear to avoid daniaKe in convoy forinatious.

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