Kaiser Jeep M715
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The G-890 Truck, -ton, 4×4, Kaiser Jeep M715, sometimes called the "Five quarter (ton)", for its ton payload rating, is an American light military truck, based on the civilian
Jeep Gladiator (SJ) The Jeep Gladiator, Jeep Pickup or J-series is a series of full-size pickup trucks based on the large Jeep SJ (Wagoneer) platform, which was built and sold under numerous marques from 1962 to 1988. The Jeep Gladiator/Pickup design is noteworth ...
. Design and development for the M715 began in 1965, intended to replace the
Dodge M37 The Dodge M37 -ton 4x4 truck (G741) was Dodge's follow-up to their successful WC Series from World War II. Introduced in 1951, it was used extensively by the United States armed forces during the Korean war. In the 1970s, they were replaced ...
. In a departure from its purpose-built predecessor, the M715 was the first U.S. tactical vehicle to use primarily commercial components; the first in a series of militarized '' commercial off-the-shelf'' (COTS) vehicle procurements.M-715 Kaiser 5/4 Jeep – Olive-Drab
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Variants

Aside from the basic M715 cargo/troop carrier, the M715 series included the M724 bare cab and chassis, usually combined with a contact maintenance utility tool body, M725 ambulance, and M726 telephone maintenance utility tool body variants, all -ton, 4×4. From 1967 to 1969, between 30,500 and 33,000 trucks were produced at the Toledo, Ohio, plant. The M-715 family saw service in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
, but was considered underpowered and fragile, compared to the purpose-built Dodge M37 tactical trucks it was intended to replace. From 1976 onwards, the U.S. military replaced the M715 series with the Dodge M880 series, again a -ton militarized COTS truck.
Kia Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
currently produces an M715-type vehicle named the KM450 for the South Korean Army on license from the U.S. government. India's Tata/Vectra is also entering an M715 type vehicle as a candidate for the Indian Army's LSV requirement. In 2010
Mopar Mopar is the parts, service, and customer care division of the former Chrysler Corporation, now owned by Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer Stellantis. It serves as a primary OEM accessory seller for Stellantis brands under the Mopar bran ...
developed the concept vehicle Jeep NuKizer 715. It was a tribute to the original M715. For the 2016 50th annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, FCA (Chrysler) showed the Jeep Crew Chief 715 concept truck, again a nod to the Kaiser 715.


Service record and issues

The M715 family saw service in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and European bases. The overhead-cam six-cylinder engines were not very reliable due to lack of knowledge on the overhead cam design and lack of maintenance. They had been dropped from civilian models by 1968. The M715 series also suffered from excessive oil consumption. The M715 vehicles that had front winches were dangerous in rough cross country use because the winch drive shaft would sometimes separate from the winch, the shaft would then foul the truck's steering, causing loss of control . The 1968 Models sent to Korea also had improperly welded frames causing the frame to break . This led to the vendor hiring a Korean company to repair several hundred trucks held in depot stocks. By 1970 most of the 1968 models in Korea were in cannibalization yards, being used as a source of parts, to keep the later model trucks running .


Specifications

* Length: without winch / with winch * Width: * Height: ** At bed (with cargo cover installed) ** At cab , Reducible to * Weights: ** Gross weight TM 9-2320-244-10 Technical & Operator's Manual - Truck, 1¼-Ton, 4x4, Cargo, M715 / Ambulance, M725
– Headquarters, Department of the Army, 1968
** Payload off-road / on-road ** Net weight without winch / with winch * Engine: Inline 6-cyl, 230.5ci overhead camshaft
Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
* Horsepower: * Transmission: Warner T-98 four-speed, synchronized manual * Transfer case: New Process NP200 two-range, 1.91:1 low range * Axles: ** front:
Dana 60 The Dana/Spicer Model 60 is an automotive axle manufactured by Dana Holding Corporation and used in OEM pickup and limited passenger car applications by Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford and Land Rover. There are front and rear versions of ...
** rear:
Dana 70 The Dana/Spicer Model 70 is an automotive axle manufactured by Dana Holding Corporation and has been used in OEM heavy duty applications by Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford. It can be identified by its straight axle tubes, 10 bolt asymmetrical cover, ...
full-floating ** ratio: 5.87:1 * Electrical system: 24 volt utilizing two 12 volt batteries in series * Brakes: Hydraulic, 4-wheeled drum * Fuel type: gas * Fuel capacity: * Top speed: * Turning radius: * Tires: 9.00 × 16 8-ply


See also

*
G-numbers This is the Group G series List of the United States military vehicles by (Ordnance) supply catalog designation, — ''one'' of the alpha-numeric "Standard Nomenclature Lists" (SNL) that were part of the overall List of the United States Army w ...
*
Weapons of the Vietnam War This article is about the weapons used in the Vietnam War, which involved the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) or North Vietnamese Army (NVA), National Liberation Front for South Vietnam (NLF) or Viet Cong (VC), and the armed forces of the China (P ...
*
Weapons of the Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War was a multi-sided military conflict that pitted a variety of local irregular militias, both Muslim and Christian, against each other between 1975 and 1990. A wide variety of weapons were used by the different armies and ...


References


External links


The M715Zone

www.steelsoldiers.com

M-715 Kaiser 5/4 Jeep – Olive-Drab

KIA KM450 video
{{Post-WWII US Soft Vehicles Military trucks of the United States Pickup trucks Military vehicles of the Cold War Military vehicles introduced in the 1960s