Ford M656

The Ford M656 is an eight-wheel-drive, 5-ton amphibious cargo truck built by Ford for the US Army. The archive's text is a 2009 forum sale advert by the owner of a 1969 example fitted with a winch.

Design

The body is built entirely of aluminium and carries a 15 ft (4.6 m) dropside cargo bed with folding aluminium troop seats along the sides and front. Power comes from an LDS465-2 engine, a more powerful version of the LDS465-1, quoted at between 210 and 225 hp, through a six-speed Allison transmission. The eight-wheel-drive transfer case is shifted by air from the dashboard, the front two axles steer, and it has power steering, air brakes and four bilge pumps. The seller advised against swimming the truck, as the engine is then actually in the water.

On the road it cruised comfortably at 60 mph (about 97 km/h) on larger 395/85R20 tyres, and the owner reported carrying 15,000 lb (6.8 tonnes) in the bed without difficulty.

History

According to the seller, a mechanic involved in the army's trials said drivers much preferred the 8x8 to its six-wheel-drive rival and nicknamed it the "Mover", but the other design was chosen, for reasons of cost or politics. The M656 was later revived in three variants as a vehicle for the Pershing I missile system.