Mercedes-Benz L3000

The Mercedes-Benz L3000 was a 4x2 3-tonne rear axle drive truck used by Nazi Germany in World War II, powered by a Daimler-Benz OM 65/4 74 hp 4-cylinder diesel engine. It was used alongside the Opel Blitz, and proved even more reliable in rough terrain; and was used in all fronts and extensively by the Afrika Korps.

It was manufactured in three versions, the L3000, the L3000A, and the L3000S, from 1938 to 1944. When production was discontinued, more than 27,700 L3000 type trucks had been built, making it the most produced Mercedes-Benz truck of World War II.

History

From 1896, Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft built not only passenger cars, but also light and heavy trucks with a payload of up to for the civilian and military sectors. The Reichswehr also used 3-ton trucks as a personnel carrier. Daimler-Benz in 1934 produced some off-road test vehicles under the name Mercedes-Benz LG 63, which went on to successful testing as a Mercedes-Benz LG 3000 in mass production and were delivered from 1936 to the Wehrmacht, Reichspost, Reichsbahn and business operations.

The L3000 was used in all major theaters of World War II where German forces were deployed, and was also used by civilian fire departments.

Variants

L3000 - civil version L3000A - military version with all-wheel drive L3000S - military version using some standardized parts

Technical data L 3000 ADimensions and Weight Length 6255 mm Width 2350 mm Height 2600 mm Wheelbase 3800 mm Front trackwidth 1633 mm Rear trackwidth 1650 mm Ground clearance 225 mm Fording capability 700 mm Turning diameter 15.2 m Mass 4020 kg Payload 3020 kg (2600 kg) Max. total mass 7040 kg (6620 kg) Further data Top speed 70 km/h Fuel consumption 20 L / 100 km (30 L / 100 km) Fuel tank 90 L Diesel fuel Lead acid battery 2 × 12 V, 90 Ah Drivetrain Clutch Single disc dry clutch Gearbox Fivespeed gearbox with additional intermediate gearbox Tyres7.50-20 offroad tyres Drive All-wheel-drive Engine Model OM 65/4 Type Straight four diesel with precombustion chamber injection Cooling system Water Valvetrain OHV Bore × Stroke 105 × 140 mm Capacity Compression ratio 20:1 Rated power at 2250 rpm Torque at rated power 234 N·m at 2250 rpm

() Figures in brackets: For driving offroad

In popular culture A replica of an L3000 based on the chassis of a GMC CCKW appears in the 1981 film Raiders Of The Lost Ark. It is involved in the film's most famous chase scene.

A modified Lo 2000 or L3000 truck carrying a detachment of SS Einsatzkommandos appears on the village arrival scene of the 1983 British Horror film The Keep, set in Romania in 1941.

Mercedes-Benz L3000

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