Yorkstar Motors Wollongong 1972.

To people just looking at them on the road I think a lot of Mercedes 1418 credit went to vehicles with bigger engines. Without reading the badge on the side, that shape vehicle was universally known as a 1418 to the non-Mercedes world.

I don't know what percentage of Mercedes had different engines in Australia back in the day but when I was running trucks in Iraq it seemed the old Mercedes trucks (comprising 3/4 of the fleet) had a bewildering array of model badges indicating power and weight but all looked the same from 20 yards away.

If you run down this Wiki list it is a miracle the dealers and workshops could keep up with the different engines in the 60-80 period.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mercedes-Benz_trucks

Twaz night before Saturday so that means it was Frauline Friday everyone

Yeah I know, your all as excited as a fat kid in lollie shop with a pocket full of change





Paul

Here you go Paul. I have been saving this for Friday to stick with your thread title.

Cricky Lang, they might be buxom and cheerful, but they couldn't pull a beer to save their life.

My thoughts too @V8Ian

All for show. Germans being Germans those beer mugs have the 1 litre mark on them and you will find the brown level is EXACTLY on the mark every time. Froth is just for effect.

Here is the stuff arriving at the beer hall.

Benz trucks fell in a big hole here when the V series came out......the motors were simply no good......in fact Ive evn seen a V series with a V8 Perkins in it....that really says something.....the V10 motors were often replaced by a 903 Cummins when they blew up........MAN used the same motors,but the motors wernt interchangeable.....a true stroke of genius.

Lang wrote:

To people just looking at them on the road I think a lot of Mercedes 1418 credit went to vehicles with bigger engines. Without reading the badge on the side, that shape vehicle was universally known as a 1418 to the non-Mercedes world.

I don't know what percentage of Mercedes had different engines in Australia back in the day but when I was running trucks in Iraq it seemed the old Mercedes trucks (comprising 3/4 of the fleet) had a bewildering array of model badges indicating power and weight but all looked the same from 20 yards away.

If you run down this Wiki list it is a miracle the dealers and workshops could keep up with the different engines in the 60-80 period.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mercedes-Benz_trucks

From my decidedly dodgy memory, there were two engine options on the (generic) 1418 (L series).
The actual 1418 was a fourteen tonne GVM, 180 hp, two axle chassis. The chassis was often modified to three axle, usually 6x2. I don't know if the mods were ex-factory, importer/dealer or after market. These modifications would increase the GVM.
The 1418's big brother was the 1924, 19 tonne GVM and 240 hp on three axles. See where the model numbers come from?
I've never seen smaller L series but believe there was a L911 available overseas. I estimate 85~90% of the L series in this country were 1418 in 4x2, 6x2 or 6x4 guise. They were a robust and economical gadget, setting up many owner drivers.

There is a 2626 in Xpanrman's Yorkstar Motors photos.. So at least one more model here.

Lang

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Heavy-duty trucks wearing the three-pointed star are once again a common sight on Australian roads.

The latest generation of big Mercedes-Benz trucks has been a sales hit since they arrived in late 2016, reminding many of just how popular the brand has been.

FIRST SIGHTINGS
Australians have had a long relationship with Mercedes-Benz trucks dating back to the early 1950s when trucks were assembled in Melbourne from CKD kits sent from Germany.

Local assembly of Mercedes-Benz trucks was carried out in four different locations over the years, including a line on the grounds of the current Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific head office in Mulgrave, Victoria.

The truck that would really put Mercedes-Benz on the map in Australia was the 1418 (see separate story on page x) that was introduced in 1965. There are several prominent Australian transport operators who built their businesses with the help of the tough and efficient LS 1418.

Even though production ceased in 1978, you can still find 1418s working hard to this day at some operations, often as a yard tug.

Mercedes-Benz moved to the ‘forward-control’ LPS 1418 in 1968. This is the first of the cab-over models that would come to dominate European roads and become the go-to truck for many operators in Australia. A newspaper ad from the time boasted of 205hp (153kW) from the OM346 direct-injection diesel and had a price of just $13,608 including tax. Sounds like a good deal!

Cab-over NG models would follow from 1975, joining the rugged bonneted 911; while the SK was introduced in 1989.

The SK became the first truck sold in Australia fitted with anti-skid brakes as standard. You can still see many of the NG and SK Mercedes-Benz trucks working away today.

Indeed, veteran truck driver Howard Dicker still gets behind the wheel of his 2233 SK Mercedes-Benz to haul material for his family’s company in Kingston, South Australia. It has done some 3.5 million km and Howard reckons its sits on the road beautifully.


There are several prominent Australian transport operators who built their businesses with the help of the tough and efficient LS 1418