Bill shared this article that includes several claims I hadn’t encountered. So, I figured I’d shared this to see what others thought:
- “A little known fact is that most United States wheeled vehicles were designed to stack with only limited modification”?
Was this an actual design goal or a nice to have? Maybe this assertion is true, but I have only see a few examples of stacked jeeps. I can’t imagine the front clip of the Jeep underneath could handle extended shipping in this manner (which, by extension, suggests to me that it was never really ‘designed’ to do this). - “The size of the jeep was dictated by the railroad cars that would carry it”?
Again, this design aspect is news to me. My understanding is that the design was a carryover from the Bantam design, which was a carryover from the Bantam vehicle size. The short wheelbase was excellent for a light weight design and maneuvarability.
- “The mass of the jeep was dictated by the ability to stack up to four high”?
Again, I am unfamiliar with this claim. - “Nearly every part of a jeep is catalog ordered…. The basic army Jeep was the same from start too finish”?
I guess the term “same” would need to be defined, as the basic WWII jeep went through mini alterations over its life. - “Post WW2 when there was a massive shortfall in available farm equipment, there was a period of around seven years when Jeeps were pressed into service as farm equipment.”?
ummm … they were designed, tested, and marketed as farm vehicles starting during war time.
Anyway, check out the article for other claims.
