The Volvo Laplander L3314 is a range of military vehicles produced by Volvo. In the early 1950s Volvo received an order to develop a new utility vehicle for the

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

. A pre-run series of 90 vehicles, named the L2304, was delivered between 1959 and 1961. It was powered by a Volvo B16 engine. Full scale deliveries of the somewhat improved L3314 began in 1963. The L3314 was powered by the 1.8L B18. The L33-series was offered with different body-variants such as hard-top, half-cab, soft-top, or special versions mounting anti-tank weapons. All vehicles are forward control (where the cab is located over the front axle), except the open L3304. The base version was the L3314SU softtop. Other versions were the L3314HT hardtop with mechanical winch, the L3304 anti-tank gun vehicle and the L3315 communications version, with a shielded 24V system. The L3314 was succeeded by the Volvo C303 in the late 1970s. An upgraded version of the L3314 was offered on the civilian market in 1977 as the C202. It was a hard-top with the more powerful B20 engine instead of the B18, but with less robust axles and no differential brake. The C202 was manufactured in Hungary as a cheaper alternative to the more expensive C303. Civilian versions of the L3314 series, as well as the C202, are often called the Volvo "Laplander".

Military use

Sweden

The L3314SU was adopted by the Swedish Army in 1959 as the ''Personlastterrängbil 903'' (Pltgb 903) and the L3314HT as the Pltgb 903B. The hard-top L3315 communications and command version was named the ''Radiopersonterrängbil 9033'' (Raptgb 9033). (The L3315 was soon nicknamed ''Valp'', meaning "puppy", from its clumsy looks.) The L3304 low profile open bodywork version was called the ''Pansarvärnspjästerrängbil 9031'' (Pvpjtgb 9031) and armed with a Pvpj 1110 90 mm recoil-less antitank gun. The Swedish Army also used a few half-cabs, designated the ''Pansarvärnsrobotterrängbil 9032'' (Pvrbtgb 9032) and fitted with a Bofors Bantam ATGM. There were some deliveries of a version for fire fighting, called the ''Brandterrängbil 921''. These could be connected to a trailer via a

power take-off A power take-off or power takeoff (PTO) is one of several methods for taking power from a power source, such as a running engine, and transmitting it to an application such as an attached implement or separate machine. Most commonly, it is a sp ...

at the rear of the vehicle. VolvoL3314N

Norway

The Norwegian Army adopted a version called the L3314N with a fold-down windscreen and 24 volt electrical system to comply with NATO regulations. About 2,000 vehicles were purchased and assembled at Raufoss in Norway. In Norway the L3314 is commonly known as "Felt", meaning "field", from its Norwegian military designation: ''Vogn, felt, 1/2 tonn, 4x4, Volvo, modell L3314N''.

Netherlands

The

Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...

bought a special version able to ford extra deep water (compared to the standard 0.5 metre limit).

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia took delivery of some 200 ''L3314N Öken'' (Desert), which was an adapted version of the Norwegian version, the L3314N. A curious fact is that these desert-bound vehicles retained the Norwegian ski-racks.

Civilian use

Both versions are employed by civilians for rescue services and private use. Many L3314s have been sold as military surplus and are used by off-road enthusiasts.

Technology

The Laplander used constant velocity joints, of the type invented by

Alfred H. Rzeppa Alfred Hans Rzeppa (January 23, 1885, Gliwice – January 1965) was an American engineer of Silesian descent working at Ford Motor Company who invented a version of constant-velocity joint Constant-velocity joints (also known as homokin ...

, in its front axle.

Data L3314

Engine

* Engine: B 18 A *

Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

: leaded petrol * Power: 65 hp (DIN) at 4500 rpm * Volume: 1778 cc *

Compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values. A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stati ...

: 8,5:1

Transmission

* Gearbox: Modified Volvo M 40 * Transfer case: ZF VG 50 *Front axle: Salisbury 4HS-001-85 *Rear axle: Salisbury 4HA-00-92 with POWR-LOK differential brake

Wheel

*Rim: 6,50"×16" *Tyre: 8,90"×16, modern designation 280/85R16"

Data C 202

Engine

* Engine: B 20 AVolvo C202 Instruktionsbok AB Volvo TP1473/1 (svenska).1500.3.77 R 1000. 11.81 *Configuration: inline 4-cylinder *

Carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...

: 1 SU HIF-6 *

: leaded petrol 93 octane * Power: 82 hp * Volume: 1978 cc *

: 8,7:1

Transmission

* Gearbox: Volvo M 45 * Transfer case: Volvo FD51 (part-time 4x4) *Front axle: Salisbury 4HS-001-294 B *Rear axle: Salisbury 4HA-001-293 B (without differential lock)

Other

*Tyre: 285/80 R16 *Top speed: *Weight: Hard top , Pickup , Total (both) *Dimensions: length , width , height

Production

The L3314 and the L3315 were manufactured at Volvo's Lundby plant in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. *L3314: 7737 Olsson, Christer; ''Volvo Lastbilarna under sextio år''. p. 119 *L3315: 1116 *L3304: 367 *C202: 3222

References

External links

Basic info about L3314. Archived.

Detailed technical data for military series.
{{ColdWarSwedishAFVs L-3314 Military trucks Vehicles introduced in 1959 1959 establishments in Sweden Cab over Off-road vehicles Military vehicles introduced in the 1950s