Every Semi Truck Brand Owned By Paccar

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If you are a semi motortruck aficionado, chances are you person heard of Paccar. This colossus of nan commercialized trucking world is an unassuming elephantine for nan uninitiated, but it softly owns (or erstwhile owned) immoderate of nan astir recognizable motortruck brands. That includes marques for illustration Kenworth and Peterbilt, arsenic good arsenic DAF and Leyland, for those surviving crossed nan pond. Before we get to these brands, though, let's brushwood up connected nan history of Paccar, nan business giant.

The Paccar communicative is some agelong and colorful, pinch a batch of changing hands and renaming. It spans backmost much than a century, to 1905, erstwhile William Pigott Sr. founded nan Seattle Car Manufacturing Company. The institution initially made logging and railway instrumentality successful Seattle. Later, Pigott Sr.'s institution collaborated pinch nan Twohy brothers to toggle shape into nan Pacific Car and Foundry Company, and nan business was bought by nan American Car and Foundry Company successful 1924. It wasn't until 1945 that nan institution ventured into nan trucking business, erstwhile it bought retired Kenworth Motor Truck Company, which was besides based retired of Seattle.

It followed up pinch nan acquisition of Peterbilt Motor Company successful 1958, and it besides entered nan world of mining pinch nan buyout of Dart Truck Company. In 1972, nan institution changed its sanction to Paccar to accurately place its activity and products. In 1981, Paccar went world by taking power of Foden Trucks, based successful nan United Kingdom. It went connected to get DAF Trucks successful 1996 and Leyland Trucks successful 1998.

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Like Paccar, Kenworth has been astir for complete a century. Kenworth Truck Company was founded successful 1923 by Harry Kent and Edgar Worthington (whose names were mixed to create nan Kenworth brand). The shaper had humble beginnings, trading conscionable 80 trucks successful its 2nd twelvemonth of operation. However, by nan 3rd year, Kenworth started producing adjacent to 8 trucks a month. Soon, it shifted to a larger factory, which allowed nan institution to push capacity to 50 trucks a month. By 1952, it was producing 1,000 trucks per year. 

Kenworth made a sanction for itself pinch nan thief of respective firsts. It was nan first American motortruck shaper to connection a diesel motor arsenic modular fitment. It was a 100-horsepower, four-cylinder HA-4 Cummins diesel engine. The motortruck besides debuted vertical exhausts, an manufacture first and 1 that went connected to go a style signature for semi trucks successful general. Kenworth was besides nan first to connection an integrated sleeper cab successful its long-haul trucks. In 1936, nan Motor Carrier Act had galore states pushing for weight limits to protect their aged bridges and highways from dense vehicles. To antagonistic this, Kenworth introduced aluminum cabs and hubs, a move that saw nan remainder of nan manufacture travel suit.

Some of Kenworth's iconic trucks see nan 500-Series, besides called the Needle Nose, which was known for moving flawlessly successful reliable conditions and hauling much loads than nan competition. After Paccar acquired Kenworth, nan motortruck shaper came up pinch a caller 500-Series nicknamed nan Bull Nose, which featured a caller cab complete motor layout. Another cool motortruck was nan monstrous Model 853 tractor-trailer created for nan Arabian American Oil Company (known arsenic ARAMCO). Fun fact: Kenworth erstwhile made a pickup truck. 

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Peterbilt, too, has a humble, yet absorbing root story. Theodore Alfred Peterman was a plywood shaper and logger who wanted to fig retired a amended measurement to carrier his logs to nan lumber mill. For this, he bought military surplus trucks and modified them to service arsenic lumber trucks. In 1939, he bought nan Fageol Truck and Motor Company's Oakland section and later renamed it to Peterbilt. In fact, nan Peterbilt sanction has fascinating origins arsenic well, reportedly being inspired by a type of woody doorway built astatine Peterman's lumber factory. Some of his first trucks were chain-driven models that weren't suited for logging purposes but were awesome for regular hauling duties.

Like Kenworth, Peterbilt relied connected feedback, sending engineers to truckers to understand their needs. This feedback extended beyond nan motor to different parts of nan truck, for illustration cab visibility and comfort. Instead of volume, Peterbilt focused connected attraction to item and value and initially constricted motortruck accumulation to conscionable 100 units a year. Over nan years, nan trucks sewage innovative features specified arsenic aluminum cab and chassis construction, a much applicable cab complete motor design, and moreover an aluminum tilt hood, which shifted 90 degrees for easier entree to nan engine. Also, Peterbilt trucks are cool capable to beryllium connected a pinup calendar.

Some of Peterbilt's notable trucks are nan 1984 Model 349, which had features for illustration a self-steering assistance axle and rear motor powerfulness return off. In 2011, nan institution introduced nan Model 386, which utilized replacement fuels, and nan Model 587, which came pinch aerial disc brakes and impressed pinch its aerodynamics and substance efficiency.

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DAF Trucks has its roots acold from America, successful nan Netherlands. In 1928, Hub Van Doorne group up a mini shop successful Eindhoven that specialized successful welding and forging parts. By 1932, nan business diversified into manufacturing trailers, resulting successful nan institution changing its sanction to Van Doorne's Aanhangwagen Fabriek, which translates to Van Doorne's semi-trailer mill aliases DAF for short. It soon gained fame for its welded chassis, which were lighter and could grip higher payloads. In 1949, nan institution began producing trucks, which again led to its sanction changing to Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek. 

What DAF lacked successful size, it made up for successful innovation. DAF motortruck cabs featured rounded corners and a sloping beforehand grill for amended aerodynamics and superior thrust comfort. To further heighten driver comfort, DAF added suspended seats, bunk beds, and all-around windows for improved visibility. DAF besides introduced nan demount trailer, which was developed to easy load containers from trucks onto trains. Other innovative features included a semi-trailer coupling that automatically retracted nan support legs erstwhile attached to a tractor and nan plaything axle, which allowed nan axle load to support up to 9,600 kilograms (over 21,000 pounds).

However, DAF's existent invention came successful nan shape of engines. Early on, DAF utilized Hercules and Perkins state and diesel engines successful its trucks. However, successful 1957, DAF started manufacturing its ain engines. In 1959, DAF improved nan DD575, making it nan company's first turbocharged diesel engine. This was followed by nan preamble of an intercooler for nan turbo successful 1973. In 2005, DAF introduced nan Paccar MX engine, which went connected to beryllium utilized successful each DAF trucks and astir 40% of Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks.

Some of nan different motortruck makers that Paccar owns aliases antecedently owned, specified arsenic Leyland Trucks and nan Dart Truck Company, are either defunct aliases nary longer build trucks. The Leyland Truck Company traces its origins to a 1.5-ton steam-powered van. It was built successful 1896 by James Sumner and Henry Spurrier, who went connected to shape The Lancashire Steam Motor Company, which built steam vehicles for illustration buses, trucks, and moreover a message van. In 1904, nan institution introduced its first gas-powered truck, besides called The Pig. In 1907, it changed its company sanction to Leyland Motors Limited. Diesel engines were introduced successful nan 1930s. In 1987, Leyland merged pinch DAF earlier being acquired by Paccar successful 1998. Today, Leyland does not make its ain trucks but assembles trucks for DAF.

Like Leyland, Foden Trucks traces its origins to nan United Kingdom and dates backmost to 1856, erstwhile Edwin Foden apprenticed astatine Plant and Hancock, an cultivation manufacturing company. Soon, he became a partner successful nan institution and took complete erstwhile nan proprietor died, renaming nan institution to Edwin Foden & Sons. Foden started producing steam lorries astatine nan commencement of nan 20th period and, successful nan 1930s, switched to soul combustion engines. Paccar acquired Foden successful 1980 and retired nan marque successful 2006.

Dart Truck Company was started successful 1903 successful Anderson, Indiana, and specialized in highway trucks and heavy-duty mining machinery. Its declare to fame is nan Dart 75-TA, which group nan world grounds for its size and 75-ton rating. In 1958, Paccar acquired Dart and later sold it to Unit Rig and Equipment successful 1984, which was acquired by mining mobility elephantine Terex Corporation successful 1988.