Mercedes-Benz L 337
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| Mercedes-Benz L 337 | |
|---|---|
Mercedes-Benz L 337 fire engine | |
| Overview | |
| Type | Lorry |
| Manufacturer | Daimler-Benz AG |
| Production | 1959–1961 |
| Assembly | West Germany: Gaggenau |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | 7.2 t lorry |
| Body style | Conventional cab Forward control |
| Layout | Front engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Platform | Mercedes-Benz L 337 |
| Related | Mercedes-Benz L 322 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | OM 326 (Diesel, 10809 cm3, 127 kW) |
| Transmission | Manual five-speed synchromesh gearbox and two-speed planetary rear-axle; 10 forward, 2 reverse gears |
| Propulsion | Tyres |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3700–5000 mm |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | L 338 |
The Mercedes-Benz L 337 is a lorry made by Daimler-Benz, sold under the Mercedes-Benz brand. Introduced in March 1959,[1] it was already discontinued in 1961, and replaced with the L 338. The L 337 is the first generation of Mercedes-Benz' heavy-duty "short-bonnet lorries", and has, in its default configuration, the "long" short bonnet, which is 300 mm longer than the typical Mercedes-Benz medium duty short-bonnet lorry's bonnet. Mercedes-Benz also offered the L 337 as a forward-control lorry, called the LP 337.[2]
The L 337 was designed to comply with "Seebohm's legislation", which limited the maximum permissible total mass of lorries registered in West-Germany to 12,000 kg (plus another 12,000 kg of trailer mass). However, the L 337 was rendered obsolete by rescindment of this legislation in 1960.[3]
Description


The L 337 is a two-axle lorry with a total permissible mass of 12,000 kg and rear-wheel drive. It has a ladder frame with U-profile longitudinal sections. At launch, Mercedes-Benz offered three different wheelbase options, (3700 mm,[5] 4200 mm, and 4400 mm);[4] in 1960, a 5000 mm option was added. The cab is either the long version of the short-bonnet lorry cab (L, LK models), or the short version of the forward-control cab (LP models). From 1960, Mercedes-Benz offered a long variant of the forward-control cab (LP models).[6]
Both front and rear axles are beam axles. The front axle is a stub (dead) axle, the rear axle is a hypoid drive (live) axle. Usually, such axles do not have additional reduction gearboxes if used in large on-road lorries. However, the L 337's hypoid axle was fitted with an additional, pneumatically-shifted two-speed planetary gearbox, giving the lorry 5 × 2 = 10 forward gears. This design allowed Daimler-Benz to install their modular Daimler-Benz G 32 synchromesh five speed gearbox, which otherwise would not have had proper gear spreading.[7] The clutch used to transmit the torque from the engine to the gearbox is a dry Fichtel & Sachs GF 50 KR BH single-disc clutch. The engine used in the L 337 is the naturally aspirated, straight-six OM 326IV Diesel engine. It is precombustion chamber injected, water-cooled, and rated 190 hp (SAE gross) / 172 PS; 127 kW (DIN 70020).[4]