The Isuzu TX series truck was built from 1934 until the end of World War 2, then resumed production starting in 1946 until 1979 and was powered by a diesel engine. It was the company's first successful heavy duty truck used in various roles to include firetruck,

tank truck A tank truck, gas truck, fuel truck, or tanker truck (American English) or tanker (British English) is a motor vehicle designed to carry liquids or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles are similar to railroad tank cars, which are also des ...

, construction,

dump truck A dump truck, known also as a dumping truck, dump trailer, dumper trailer, dump lorry or dumper lorry or a dumper for short, is used for transporting materials (such as dirt, gravel, or demolition waste) for construction as well as coal. A t ...

, and cargo transport. It shared a chassis with the BX series bus, and evolved from the Isuzu Sumida bus that was produced starting in 1929. The TX series had several models based on engine size and payload requirements.

History

The Japanese Military placed domestic truck production as vital to the defense of the country, after witnessing an influx of American products from GMC and Ford after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. Heavy duty vehicles manufactured by GMC were being imported by Japanese automotive importer Yanase Ltd., and

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

had built a manufacturing plant at Koyasu,Yokohama in 1925, while GM opened Osaka Assembly in 1927. In 1918, the Japanese Government passed the Military Vehicle Assistance Act, and after noticing an influx of imported trucks, Japanese manufacturers placed a high priority on domestically produced trucks, after noticing that 95% of all vehicles in Japan had been imported or locally manufactured by foreign built factories by 1930. During World War I, both Ford and GM devoted a large amount of their manufacturing capacity towards truck production to the war effort, and the Japanese military took notice. The TX series was a development of earlier models, starting with the British built Wolseley CP 1.5-ton truck that used a 3.1-liter, 4-cylinder gasoline engine producing 26 hp in 1924 that was manufactured in Japan under license by a predecessor of Isuzu, called Ishikawa Automotive Works Co. Ltd. Previously the company had previously built the Wolseley A9 passenger sedan, the first car manufactured in Japan in 1922. During WWII the Sumida M.2593 which was a modified version of the

Wolseley Armoured Car This is a list of armour used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The present list also includes other military armoured vehicles in use at the time (armoured personnel carriers, Armored car (military), armoured cars, a ...

and the

Vickers Crossley Armoured Car The Vickers Crossley armoured car a/k/a the Model 25 Vickers Crossley Motors, Crossley armored car (military), armoured car, was a British-made military vehicle used by the British Army in India and exported to different countries, including J ...

that had been imported by the Imperial Japanese Navy for use in the invasion of China in 1931. These two vehicles were used as a basis for the later Sumida M.2593. In 1931, the Domestic Automobile Industry Establishment Investigation Committee was established and the three major manufacturers came together to contribute to a military sanctioned standard heavy duty truck. The

Ministry of Railways A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructur ...

under the direction of

Hideo Shima was a Japanese engineer and the driving force behind the building of the first bullet train (Shinkansen). Shima was born in Osaka in 1901, and educated at the Tokyo Imperial University, where he studied Mechanical Engineering. His father was p ...

designed the

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

, the exterior body and the interior driving position, Ishikawajima (Isuzu) designed the engine, DAT Automobile Manufacturing Inc. designed the transmission, and Tokyo Gas & Electrical Industry Co. Ltd. designed the axles and drive train. TGE-A

Similar efforts were also occurring at Tokyo Gas and Electric Industries, a predecessor of Hino with the Model TGE "A-Type" truck in 1917, and Nihon Diesel Industries, Ltd, a predecessor of

Nissan Diesel UD Trucks Corporation (UDトラックス株式会社, ''UD Torakkusu Kabushikigaisha'') is a Japanese company whose principal business is the manufacturing and sales of diesel trucks, buses, bus chassis and special-purpose vehicles. Its headquarte ...

had developed the LD1 truck in 1939, and there was also the

Toyota G1 The Toyota G1 was the first truck built by the company that became Toyota. It was long, could carry 1.5 tons, and was loosely based on similar class Ford and GM trucks. The G1 was succeeded by a line of similar Toyota trucks as technology progr ...

TX Series

The TX was offered in 1933 by Kyodo Domestic Automobile Co. , Ltd. from the combined efforts of Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. and Tokyo Gas Electric Engineering Co., Ltd. in two load bearing platforms and engines offered, the TX35 and the TX40. It was shared with the Sumida Bus BX35/40/45. The TX35 had a 1.5 ton payload and the TX40 had a 2.0 ton payload and off road capability. The engine was a flathead 6-cylinder 4.4L gasoline engine called the GA40. The transmission was a dry clutch with a 4 speed transmission. The dimensions were Overall length 6.64m / wheelbase 4m / overall width 2.19m / overall height 2.11m. The BX series bus was BX35 was 15-20 passengers, the BX40 was 20-30 and the BX45 was 25-35 passengers. In 1934, the first Japanese built military grade TU series was introduced with 3 axles and an overall length of 5.4m and a diesel engine installed, where it was known as the Type 97 along with the

Type 94 tankette The Type 94 tankette ( ja, 九四式軽装甲車, Kyūyon-shiki keisōkōsha, literally "94 type light armored car"; also known as TK, an abbreviation of ''Tokushu Keninsha'', literally "special tractor") was a tankette used by the Imperial Japane ...

. As production resumed after the war, it competed with the

Toyota FA The Toyota FA and BA were heavy duty trucks introduced in February 1954. They were facelifted versions of the earlier BX/FX trucks, retaining those trucks Type B and Type F six-cylinder petrol engines. The first letter in the model name indicates ...

, Mitsubishi Fuso, and the Nissan Diesel.

References

*国産トラックの歴史グランプリ出版 *モータービークル *カタログ *自動車事業40年三宮吾郎伝 1959年 *軍用自動車入門光人社 *国産車100年の軌跡三栄書房 1978年 *日本のトラック・バスいすゞ編 *カミオン特別編集いすゞ自動車のすべて芸文社

External links

*https://motioncars.inquirer.net/21523/the-british-truck-that-inspired-isuzu#:~:text=The%20Wolseley%20CP%2C%20a%201.5,that%20ply%20our%20roads%20today. *https://www.isuzu.co.jp/world/corporate/truck/builders01.html *https://www.carsguide.com.au/oversteer/isuzu-made-the-first-ever-japanese-car--59849 TX First car made by manufacturer {{truck-stub

History

TX Series

See also

References

External links