JANUARY 2009 OLD TIME TRUCKS
WARHORSE TURNED WORKHORSE
By John & Shirley Sponholtz
After WWII, GI’s returning home wrote to Dodge and asked, “Where can we get a truck like the ones we used in the war?” Dodge responded by building the Power Wagon. The civilian Power Wagon was first introduced in 1945 as the model WDX and was based on a 3/4 ton truck used by the United States Army and the Marine Corps. It was used extensively for transporting troops and supplies. The original truck featured a 94 horsepower engine and a four-speed transmission. The transmission had a choice of two low gears – a 5.83 for heavy-duty pulling or a 4.89 for the road. The truck also had a rear power take-off system that allowed the operator to remove the rear wheels and attach a belt-drive to power implements, such as a chain saw. The Power Wagon had a civilian cab, an eight-foot cargo box, a 126-inch wheelbase and a 230 cubic-inch L-Head engine. The old truck pictured here is a 1951 Power Wagon model B-3-PW. It is a one-ton model with the original L-Head engine and dark green paint that was distinctive to the Power Wagon. This particular truck was originally used in South Dakota to erect windmills. Clint Dixon of Reynolds, IL is the third owner of this truck, which is still used for work. The truck has a mechanical engine governor, a rear PTO fail shaft, a front winch and a rear three-point hitch manufactured by Monroe. The Power Wagon was produced until 1968 in the United States and until 1978 for export. The Power Wagon nameplate was used on various models until 1981 when it was replaced with the Dodge Ram. Four-wheel-drive models of the Ram truck were sold under the “Power Ram” nameplate through 1993.