1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

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GlennV
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1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by GlennV »

Hello to all,

In the past my father owned a WC62 in which i drove a lot of very memorable miles ... my father pasted away in '99 and unfortunatly we had to sell all dodges ..

But now that I'm a bit older :D , the desire for a dodge is starting to grow again.

As i'm getting back into the dodge scene, i'm faced with a new problem ... apart from that the prices have gone up, the availability of the 1/2 ton dodge's has grown. Regretfully i have never drove a 1/2 ton dodge and i was wondering if someone gat shed a light on the difference in driving a 1/2 ton versus a 3/4 ton .. performance, handling, comfort, etc

Thanks,
kind regards,
Glenn
Especially jeep stuff at the moment, no dodges yet :)
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by Gordon_M »

Ahem - there are no bad Dodges, though some are better than others.

If I was in the market for another, I'd be looking for a 1/2 ton VC, any 3/4 ton WC, any 1/2 ton WC, and then any 1.5 ton 6 x 6, because I find the VCs the most attractive, the 3/4 tons easy to drive and coolest, stable, and easy to work on, the WC half tons quirky and unusual looking, and the 1.5 tons are fine but I've been told they are hard work, compared with the 4 x 4 trucks.

My most comfortable Dodge ever was my 3/4 ton Command Car. It was even comfortable over rough ground, where the height and narrower track of a half ton would make it easier to turn on its side. They should all run all day at the governed 55mph, I don't think you would notice a real difference in fuel consumption unless you went for a 6 x 6, with all that extra metal to haul around.

You wouldn't go far wrong with any of them, but you should aim to find something as complete as you can, as major components are getting hard to find. Buying a decent project that would run, and came with another for parts, would be even better.
Gordon, in Scotland

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GlennV
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by GlennV »

Hi Gordon,

Thanks for the reply and nice to hear from you again ! Hopefully all is well !!

It surely wasn't my intention to say that one kind is better than the other, but it's just a matter of "What you're not familiar with...".

For instance, it didn't occur to me that the 1/2 ton's Dodges have a narrower track than the 3/4 ton. Apart from stability, does this give any other issues ?
The fuel consumption is not my main worry. If you can't fill the fuel tank, you shouldn't think about buying a dodge ..

I know from experience that's it's best to buy a project that is as complete as possible ... but unfortunatly the budget is limited.

Again, thanks for the reply !
Kind regards,
Glenn

BTW, what happened to your website ?
Especially jeep stuff at the moment, no dodges yet :)
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by wc 9 and 12 owner »

Where are you at Glen several people on here that can help you find a project
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by GlennV »

Hi,

I'm from Belgium.

Thanks for your help but i'm taking my time to find a suitable project.

For the moment i was just looking for opinions, advice and information (especially) on the 1/2 ton dodges, because i lack any experience with these vehicles ..

To be honest i was/ am a big fan of the 3/4 series (in regard of driving, comfort and overall useability), but there are already a lot of them around here in Europe. As i do like to take the difficult road (once in a while) :wink: , at the moment i'm leaning to the 1/2 ton side .. just for the rarity of it .. but i just don't want to be 'disappointed' if i would go this route ..

Thanks,
Glenn
Especially jeep stuff at the moment, no dodges yet :)
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by wc 9 and 12 owner »

I have an ambulance and have at least one other vehicle headed to Belgium early next year if you have any interest
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by Ernie Baals »

AS many have said, they are all fun to drive
The VCs are the peppiest, being lighter
The half tons are pretty preppy too.
Not sure about the track being thinner as i have a 1/2 ton differential and axels in my WC53 housing for higher gears
The only real quirk i have with the VCs ad WC 1/2 tons is that they do not correct when you let go of the steering wheel.
My favorite to drive is my WC52
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by GlennV »

Hi Ernie,

thanks for your reply !

I reckon that they're all fun to drive, but i'm just interested in what experience other people have ... in a light way :D . It's not my intention to start heavy discussions. On the contrary, just some simple info is already highly appreciated !!

So again, thanks for your insight !

You are probably right (and it also occurred to me), maybe it would be best to use a 51/ 52 for fun drives (=> a bit of off road + not so official trips) and a 1/2 ton for more official trips, static displays, etc ..
But then again, this setup requires extra budget :mrgreen:

Is the 'not correcting when letting loose of the steering wheel', not a case of correct alignment ?

Apart from the 1/2 vs 3/4 ton, i'm also a little bit concerned about the spare parts supply of the 1/2 dodges here in Europe. Is there anyone who has experience in that area ?
Another question, once in a while i see 1/2 ton dodges with 900/16 wheels .. how does this effect the drive-ability ?

BTW, Jaap R. is my brother in law, so i already know him well :thumbup:

Kind regards,
Glenn
Especially jeep stuff at the moment, no dodges yet :)
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by Gordon_M »

Hello again Glenn, I should have worked out who you were, good to hear from you.

Just get Jaap to hand you a VC1 and you'll be set - he usually has one spare somewhere. I don't know anyone personally who has turned over a half ton, but they didn't make the 3/4 ton lower and wider by accident. Or since Belgian weather is pretty much like Scottish weather, consider a Carryall and get Jaap to find you the missing bits.

Give him my regards when you see him ( and I never did manage to pick up that speedo he sent over here for me)

Gordon
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by Lang »

My two cents worth is, if you disregard "I like the look of" argument which is purely subjective and you do not have a particular thing you wish to relate to such as a period or unit the answer is clear to me.

The vast majority of mechanical parts are equally available for both 3/4 and 1/2 ton. Trinkets are easy to find in USA but probably more difficult in Europe.

I love both vehicles but a 1/2 ton is a delight to drive while a 3/4 is a truck. I currently have a WC53 and a WC12 and have had just about every model of both over 40 years. I have been regularly to the Corowa meet (3,000km return from Brisbane) in my two WC53 and a WC51. A WC12 was my "everyday" club vehicle for 10 years and I ran up around 50,000km in this time, lots in the bush on steep hills, drowned in river crossings and also thousand kilometre runs on highway. Either Dodge will just walk past a jeep on a steep hill after the jeep runs out of steam.

Stability of the half ton is not an issue because despite their tall appearance the centre of gravity is very similar to the 3/4. Our extreme off-roading in the 80's and 90's never saw the WC12 anywhere near tipping while the jeep boys had three people hanging on the high side to stop them rolling on a steep cross slope.

1/2 tonners go good with either 7.50 or 9.00 tyres but the big tyres do make steering heavier though they make up for it by giving a higher gear on road and they certainly make the vehicle look better. The big tyres start to make them more 3/4 truck like in their ride. I have stuck with original 7.50 in my current vehicle and it sure rides nice, the longer wheelbase and softer springs help, and drives like a car. I don't know where the steering will not return comment came from as camber and alignment for self-centering steering was standard engineering practice from well before the Model T Ford.

If you want the best to drive comfortably and nimbly for reasonable distances the 1/2 ton wins hands down. If you want a "tough" looking vehicle which still drives OK but is quite lumbering go for the 3/4.

There is no difference in strength, reliability or servicing ease in either vehicle for our club type civilian use. The half-ton may? give better fuel consumption but the difference would not be a big sales feature.

Lang
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by GlennV »

Hi,

thank you all for your opinions :D ! They all confirm what i wanted to hear ... the conclusion should be (as Gordon mentioned) to have 2 or 3 different kinds .. so, i will continue my search ...

I found a guy offering a 'dodge command wc56' on FB in Belgium. He had the following buil card attached to his advert =>

Image

I looked up the body model on http://www.command-car.com/technik/tech ... rsNEU.html and saw that body nr 66 means a WC 51 / 52 ? :shock:

Can anyone confirm if my assumptions are correct ?

@ Gordon, when i see Jaap i will surely give him your regards !

Thanks,
Kind regards,
Glenn
Especially jeep stuff at the moment, no dodges yet :)
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by juan15 »

Yes, this Dodge 81608695 is a model WC-51.

Image

B.R., Juan
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by GlennV »

Hi Juan,

Thank you !! Then this will not be 'the one' .. :(

Kind regards,
Glenn
Especially jeep stuff at the moment, no dodges yet :)
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by Ernie Baals »

The WC51, 56,58 and the WC51,57 basically share the same chassis
Many were rebuilt not caring which one they used when they went through a rebuilt program
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Re: 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton

Post by GlennV »

Hi,

Thanks i didn't know that CC were also rebuilt ? Were they rebuilt in Europe (like jeeps in "la Maltournée") ?

So i would probably give him the benefit of the dought :) I was just a little disappointed in the fact that it wasn't mentioned in the advert ..

To be continued ..

Glenn
Especially jeep stuff at the moment, no dodges yet :)
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