BillHickey wrote:I was born in '57,and I'm just stating my honest opinion. After WW-2,America was building new homes,Inter-states,and the construction industry was booming. The demand called for more reliable trucks and equipment,to get the jobs done. All (truck) manufacturers were called upon,to build more durable and dependable equipment. Larger engines,transmissions with wider ranges,and 2-speed rear ends helped move loads more quickly,while reducing wear on the drivetrain. More trucks were equipped with Diesel engines,and air,or air-over-hydraulic brakes. Multi-ply bias tires were designed to last longer,with increased load capacity. More wear points (such as "U"-joints,were made with grease fittings,prolonging the "life" of the parts.
Most of the trucks had all that stuff pre-war. 2 spd rears were common before 1940, as were grease points and multiple speed transmissions. Up until 1970 or close to it the heavyer trucks relied on main and aux transmissions that were separate from eachother. With leight laws governing the overall leinth some trucks opted for a 5 speed main and 3 speed rears as it was the shortest combo avaviable. Air brakes were available pre war.
As far as big engines, IHC offered the 10l Conti and before that, the Hall Scott OHC gassers, in there biggest trucks.
The biggest difference between pre and post war was the infrastructure, in the 20's thru the early 40's we didn't have the roads capable of handleing heavy loads, so the biggest trucks were "off road" types and very few survive today. Look at the trucks used to build the Hoover dam.
Diesels didn't become the "common engine" until the 60's, and I know one outfit that was still running gas tractors in the 90's (LaPort Transport).
It was the German Autobahn, and its military advantage, that moved us from the past, and bigger trucks with bigger payloads could be moved by road, after we copied it.