M915 Truck, Tractor, Line Haul 50,000 GVWR 6X4
The M915 Line-Haul Tractor (Truck, Tractor, 14-ton, 6x4) is used primarily in active and reserve component transportation units for the rapid, efficient transport of bulk supplies from ocean ports to division support areas within a theater of operation. It was type classified Std. A in 1979.
AM General produced M915-series variants M915 and M915A1, then Freightliner produced the M915A2 through M915A5, based upon Freightliner's commercial FLD120 tractors. Model differences include:
- M915, M915A1: Delivered 1978-1982 based on AM General tactical trucks.
- M915A2: Automatic brake system (ABS) equipped, delivered 1990.
- M915A3: Electronically controlled Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine, Allison World transmission, Freightliner's "TufTrac" off-road suspension, a/c, collision warning system, delivered 2000.
- M915A4: Retrofitted M915/M915A1 to include M915A3 design features.
To retrofit a target truck to the M915A4 standard, the original engine and rear axle bogies are salvaged and then installed in a new production "glider kit" cab and chassis assembly. The M915A4 costs only about 2/3 the cost of a new vehicle. The U.S. Army contracted with Freightliner to retrofit 1,857 M915s and an additional 2,200 M915A1s may be upgraded.
Used with trailers:
- M871 semitrailer (flatbed, 22.5 tons)
- M872 semitrailer (flatbed, 34 tons)
- M1062 semitrailer (7,500-gallon tanker)
The M915 had full nomenclature Truck, Tractor: 14-Ton, Line Haul, 6x4 50,000 GVW. It had a 2 1/2 inch kingpin (M915) and is transportable by highway, rail, marine, and air modes worldwide.
Table of Variants of the M915 Line Haul Tractor
| Model | NSN | Engine | Transmission | GVWR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M915 | 2320-01-028-4395 | Cummins Model NTC-400 400 bhp@2100rpm Big Cam I | Semi-automatic 16fwd, 2rev | 50,000 lbs |
| M915A1 | 2320-01-125-2640 | Big Cam II | Semi-automatic 16fwd, 2rev | 50,000 lbs |
| M915A2 | 2320-01-272-5029 | Detroit Diesel Series 60 430hp, 1450 lb-ft torque | Allison HD4560P 6 speed automatic | 52,000 lbs |
| M915A3 | 2320-01-432-4847 | Detroit Diesel S60 | Allison HD4560P | 52,000 lbs |
| M915A4 | 2520-01-458-1207 | M915 or M915A1 engine | Allison HD4560P | 52,000 lbs |
Maximum gross combined vehicle weight (GCVW) of the M915 when operating with the M872 semitrailer is 105,000 lbs.
Some documents indicate an M915A5 Line Haul Tractor variant was planned in 1999-2001, and some engineering was contracted. The vehicle does not appear to have been built.
M915A3 Truck, Tractor, Line Haul 52,000 GVWR 6X4. Photo courtesy Freightliner LLC.
M915 Truck, Tractor, Line Haul 50,000 GVWR 6X4.
M-915 Tractor with trailer load of medical supplies from the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center in Pirmasens, West Germany, 28 December 1989.
62nd Transportation Company M915 tractor with flat bed trailer, Ft. Bliss, TX, 12 February 1987.
US Navy Seabee engineering unit delivers a Caterpillar bulldozer on its trailer, towed by an M915A2 tractor, Camp Coyote training range, Kuwait, 20 Feb 2003.
M915A4 Glider Kit. Photo courtesy Freightliner LLC.
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