Return

M274 MECHANICAL MULE

Refueling while on the road in Vietnam.

   The M274 Mechanical Mule was developed to replace both the 1/4-ton and 3/4-ton 4 X 4 vehicles in infantry and airborne infantry battalions.   It needed to weigh less than 750 pounds and carry a cross-country load of 1,000 pounds plus a driver.   

   Willys developed a pilot model in the 1950s which could carry 850 pounds on improved roads with 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive.  The driver's seat could be removed, and the steering column moved to accommodate more cargo. 

   Each wheel had shackles for lifting by helicopter or dropping by parachute.  If it landed upside-down, it could be turned over and still be driven away.

A prototype showing the transport of two litter patients, April 1956.

   The Mule's versatility was amazing.  It could be fitted with cable reels for signal use, used as a boat for river crossing, equipped with recoilless rifles and later TOW missiles.

	The Mule is fitted with cable reels for signal use.
It was a suitable platform for weapons systems, including the TOW missile launcher (shown above), the M40C Missile, and the 106mm Launcher.
	Wrapped in the cargo canvas of a 2-1.2 ton truck, this Mule is prepared for river crossing.

    Very popular with both the Army and Marine Corps in Vietnam, most Mules only hauled equipment and troops.

Transporting C-rations to waiting helicopters to fly to troops in the field, 20 June 1966, Vietnam.

    Mules were designed to keep pace with foot soldiers, but by 1978 the Army determined that the M274 was simply too old to keep.  With the HMMWV (High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle) taking the place of the venerable jeep, the Mule was retired from active service.

   In 2000, the value of the M274 Mule was found once again in the form of the M-Gator.  The M-Gator was an off the shelf, four-wheel drive platform that serviced troops in combat as well as the M274 served thirty years before.
 

Specifications:

M-274 Mechanical Mule: Truck, Platform, Utility ½-ton, 4x4

   Six varieties of Mules were made by Willys, Bowen-McLaughlin-York, Baifield Industries & Brunswick Corp.