Truck Tonnage?
Why is a half ton truck called a half ton, or a ¾ ton truck called a ¾ ton? What does the tonnage refer to; is it how much the truck can carry or tow? I first learned to drive in the army at the ag...
Forum Discussion
When I was in the army we referred to some vehicles as ¼ ton, ¾ ton, 2 ½ ton, and 5 ton, and yes everything on the 5 ton was twice the size as things on the 2 ½ ton. The army had a jeep which they called an M-151, it was considered a ¼ ton and was the most widely used vehicle in the military; it was manufactured for 25-years, and replaced the M-38 that was used during WWII & the Korean War, and the M-151 was replaced by the military Humvee; which until recently I did not know stood for “High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle.” The M-151 easily flipped over on wet pavement but it surprised me to learn that it only had a 4-cylinder engine because it seemed a lot more powerful than that. Funny how some military vehicles, like the Humvee, were also produced for civilian use. I think the Humvee is referred to as 1 ¼ ton.
