1943 Ford truck

[truckdog62563]

Giving confirmation to your original understanding, my 1953 Motors Manual lists a M-H Model MM6-4 as a 1941/42 model having the 85 hp engine. Its 1939 listing for my above mentioned F5-4, F6-4, FF5, and FF6 agrees with my other M-H reference. Stu

[dicks41]

Thanks for moving the pictures from www.hotrodgarage.net I need to figure out that process. Lots of great feedback but not sure on the year yetwww.hotrodgarage.net

[dicks41]

Just a quick update---I sent the truck serial number and war Dept. Regulation number to Sno Go and they sent me back the build sheet on the Sno Go unit. Neat! The unit was shipped by Marmon-Harrington Ford to the U. S. War Department on June 9, 1943. Also indicates that it was mounted on the Ford with this serial number on April 23, 1943. It does not identify the truck as a 1943 but I am leaning towards that year to be its birth. One thing for sure is the Ford serial number of 544714 is no later that 1943. Dick

[42Ford M-H]

Not sure if you still check on this thread, I have the same truck as you. Left hand drive, right hand gauges. Serial number 537302. Snow go received my truck on 2-25-43.

Have you ever been able to find out why they were left hand drive and right hand gauges?

I have a few pics of mine in my profile.

At this point the cab and doors are in rough shape. I bought a 46 with a great body that I'm using for a donor.
I plan on restoring to factory as much as I can. Keeping the dump box. I'll prolly keep the gauges on the left hand side. Did you ever post pics of your truck?

[Anton Voycheck]

We are told that Ford more often than not always used up the pieces they had in inventory. Perhaps they only had these RH instrument panels on hand when doing the truck build. Plus, this was during the war, so wasting material was frowned upon. Maybe that figures in. Or maybe it was equipment initially sold for export and then retained for US use (and perhaps purpose built LH drive or modified to LH drive). Would love to hear the real story too. Reminds of the LH drive/RH instruments seen on a 1937 Ford Phaeton in the WWII movie "Swing Shift Maisy."

[rotorwrench]

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That truck may have started out with a right hand drive designation from either US or Canada. Marmon Herrington was putting together some pretty custom stuff for the war effort on both sides of the US/Canada border. It may have been getting difficult to get late model parts so they just used what ever was available at the time.

[Mart]

Sometimes vehicles like road sweepers are set up so the drivers sit near the kerb. maybe this vehicle was set up with rhd for such a purpose, then later repurposed and converted to left hand drive.

Who knows, it was built during very tumultuous times. Anything could have happened.

Mart.

Edit: Just realised I'd already replied in a similar vein the first time round.

[mercman from oz]

I spotted this 1942? Marmon Herrington Ford Snow Plough spotted in Tasmania a few years back. It was still Left Hand Drive. I don't know why it was in Tasmania, as while they do get snow, it is not very much, and you wouldn't need a vehicle like this there?

[rotorwrench]

When I first started in aviation at an FBO up in Kansas, I quickly found out I had to be a fireman too. One of our fire trucks was a WWII vintage International Harvester. I found out later that the same truck was there when the airport was a training base during that era. My Mother was the base commander's secretary in 1944 and several folks from my home town worked there during the war. They had to make due with a road grader to remove the winter snow. Some places I've lived have little or no snow in the winter but they still have the equipment to remove it. The equipment always looks like new since they never use it.

Marmon Herrington had plants in Indianapolis, Indiana and Windsor, Ontario.