The picture shown below was kindly furnished to me by the Defence Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) in Huntsville, Alabama, (dated Oct 1997). Whilst searching for details of the last MUTTS in service with the Military, I came across a list of the remaining trucks awaiting disposal at the Defence Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS). Following up some of the trucks on that list, I made contact with the Disposal Office in Huntsville, and in answer to my request, the Contracting Officer there, Ms Jacobs, very kindly arranged to photograph the trucks and send them to me via E-Mail. They are reproduced below. As you can see, the trucks have been stripped of a few parts (one is fitted with a ROPS kit - RollOver Protection System) and these are among the last ones left in the US inventory..
Some bad
news.just in !!! See the photo below........this is how the vehicles shown
above ended up, courtesy of the DRMO, Huntsville, Ala.(see the pile on
the right of picture). What a waste !!! The photo was sent to me
by Kent Frost, who shed a few tears about this !!!
A BRIEF HISTORY
The M151 was designed by Ford Motor Co with guidance from the US Army's Ordnance Truck Automotive Command (OTAC) and development work began in 1951. Various types of experimental and pilot vehicles were developed and evaluated, including separate chassis/body combinations, aluminium vehicles, solid-axle versions etc. but the final version accepted by OTAC was an integral chassis/body (monocoque) unit, with all-round independent suspension, 24-volt waterproofed electrical system, two/four-wheel drive, with a four-speed, single transfer transmission. First gear and reverse were sufficiently low-geared to equate to the low-transfer equivalents found on the MB/GPW, M38 and M38A1 predecessors. The first contract was awarded to Ford and vehicles were issued to the Military in 1960 (Model M151).
In 1963/64, a revised version of the truck was designed, and was designated the M151A1. It featured a heavier-duty rear suspension, designed to cope with add-on weapons and extra loads, which had caused problems for the suspension of the basic M151. Delivery commenced in 1964 and continued up to 1969, with vehicles being built by both Ford and Willys (later Kaiser). The M151A1 was also adapted to carry the recoilless rifle (designated M151A1C) and an extended-bodied version was used as a front-line ambulance (designated M718).
The independent
rear suspension configuration of the M151 and -A1 models gave rise to an
oversteer condition and this, together with a lack of body "tilt" on cornering,
led to many accidents, where the vehicle abruptly went out of control and/or
rolled over when sudden steering movements were made. Despite training
courses, films, circulars and pamphlets, the vehicle gained a reputation
as being unstable, and efforts were made to "design out" the handling problems.
At one stage, a MUTT was modified by having a rigid rear axle fitted (as
per the wartime MB/GPW) but the experiment proved unsuccessful.
A redesign
of the rear suspension was ordered and eventually the independent "A"-frame
suspension was changed to a semi-trailing arm setup. This gave the handling
characteristics of a solid-axle vehicle, while maintaining the flexibility
of independent wheel suspension and retaining maximum parts interchangeability.
This revised truck was designated the M151A2. This new suspension featured
on all post-1969 versions of the vehicle, with the recoilless rifle version
being designated M825 and the ambulance version designated M718A1.
Several
new safety features were introduced, such as a deep-dish steering wheel,
a one-piece windscreen with electric wipers and windscreen washers, plus
bigger rear lights. Although handling characteristics were much improved,
there were still rollover accidents. Even the fitting of Rollover Protection
Kits (ROPS) to many trucks could not stave off the inevitable. The vehicle
ceased production in 1982, when the advent of the "HUMMER"-series ended
the MUTT era. Surprisingly, the M151A2 was still in US military service
as late as 1997, when the US Marine Corps were seen to be using one during
the unrest in Albania.
Suffice
it to say that the M151-series has achieved a longer run of service than
that of the MB/GPW, M38 and M38A1 series combined.
Because of the handling characteristics of the vehicle, the US Military decided in the late 1960's not to release any further vehicles to the public (although a few had, by this time, been disposed of at surplus sales) and all subsequent releases were designated for demilitarisation (by cutting, crushing or shredding) to preclude restoration as a usable vehicle. Despite the US Military's stance, other countries who had bought the M151-series disposed of their surplus vehicles without demilitarisation clauses. Most owners I have spoken to are well aware of the peculiarities of their vehicles' handling.
A trailer was designed for use with the M151-series, and was designated the M416. Essentially it was similar to the wartime MB-T / Bantam, and the Korean-War era M100 trailers, the notable differences being the shape of the mudguards (angular) and the wheels (same as the M151-series). In the early 1970's, an updated trailer, featuring hydraulic overrun brakes, was introduced and was designated the M416A1. These trailers, like the M151-series trucks, have been almost completely phased out of the US Military inventory.
M151-series trucks occasionally appear for sale in the U.K. and Europe but potential buyers should familiarise themselves with the chequered history of the M151-series before taking the plunge!
YOUR HELP NEEDED
The author of this page is compiling a list of Military contract numbers, together with Serial Number/Date of Issue details. I hope to be able to offer to enthusiasts an approximation of vehicle information, at a future date, so that enthusiasts, military modellers etc, using a photograph of truck number
If you
have any such information, I would very much appreciate your call!
But most
important.......ANY INFORMATION you have about the
M151-series will be most welcome and your name will be credited to any
information used either here or in the "M151 Newsletter".
NEWS AND VIEWS
A bi-monthly
newsletter, imaginatively titled "The M151 Newsletter" is published
by Ken and more details about the M151-series and / or the Newsletter
can
be obtained from the address or telephone number shown on the "HOME" page.
Back-issues
of the Newsletter have now been digitised and are currently available on
CD.
At long last....here's the updated
list of links featuring mutt-related information (Jan 2008).
If you know of any mutt-related
sites that are not listed, I will add them if you let me know:-
It's
worth a look at the MVT Homepage......
And
my good friend Colin has a MuttPage too, why not have a look......
And
visit the Oshawa (Canada) Military Museum......
And a terrific site for MV-ers is the Olive Drab Site......
Another
Mutt Page......constructed by my friend Hanno Spoelstra
Muttparts
have a website now.....why not have a look?.......
And here's an excellent Japanese Mutt Page from my friend Mori...........
Plus a new Mutt-dedicated site on Yahoo............
There's a great VietNam Living History site, too, at this link....
There's Scott's great M38A1 site, featuring a section on the Mutt...
Have a look at this super restoration of Al Filipeli's M151A1 by Justin...
Here's another great new site - Dave Brubaker's Flight Line M151A2 Pages
...
Here's another new site - Jordi's mutt page, from Tarragona in Spain ...
And Mil-Plus has a great website devoted to modifications and kits for
your mutt...
Here's a website for Chris Roussis, mutt restoration expert in Greece...........
Here's a great site (in German) run by Sascha Fabian..........
And another website in German - from Steffen Hansch..........
And Kemper Parts in Germany have a website (English version coming soon)......
And to add to the world-wide theme of mutts....here's the Pakistan Jeepclub
website....
Here's one (of two) Brazilian MV sites.............
And here's the second of the Brazilian clubs........
If
you need Technical Manuals for your Mutt, contact Dennis at Portrayal Press
And here's an Israeli jeep & mutt website...
