Tough Farm Truck: 1948 Dodge Power Wagon
Once, long ago, we were a country that built things and worked hard. In the post-World War II days, much of that hard work was in rough places. Dodge made vehicles to go in those wild places that are still legends in regard to their sheer toughness. One good example is this 1948 Dodge Power Wagon for sale on eBay in Winchester, Indiana. This original brute is in running and driving condition and wears its patina proudly. At a current bid of $30,000, the reserve has not yet been met with two days to go. Where do you think this tough truck’s bidding will top out?
While Dodge was in the business of providing trucks for the military long before World War II, the intense rush to produce them once we were thrust into that conflict was amazing. Thousands of GIs got a lesson in what a 3/4 ton four-wheel drive truck could do. The proven design and battle-tested components of these trucks were at the heart of Dodge’s civilian Power Wagon when it came to market in 1946. Dodge already produced the usual line of civilian trucks, mainly meant for limited journeys off-road. Power Wagons were an entirely different animal.
Power Wagons were designed for what we would call severe service. Beyond military applications, these trucks were purchased by Forestry Services, State Game and Fish agencies, construction companies, farms, ranches, and a large number of them found long lives in the wrecker business. With part-time four-wheel drive, a four-speed transmission, power take-off abilities both front and rear and powered by Dodge’s well-proven inline six-cylinder, there weren’t many places you could not go in a Power Wagon.
You just went fairly slowly. These trucks were not designed for speed. Around 45 mph was about as fast as you would care to motor along. The gearing was designed for low-speed power and that torquey inline-six didn’t like to rev too much. If you were moving quickly, the heavy-duty suspension and requisite stiff springs gave you a beating over even slightly rough surfaces. Still, you would get there every time. These trucks were reliable and well built, They were just not luxury transportation by any means.
The Power Wagon you see here is a 1948 model. According to the seller, this tough truck lived its life on a ranch in the tiny unincorporated town of Silver Star, Montana. The country around that town is rough by any measure. One can see why this Power Wagon was maintained throughout its existence on the ranch. It was likely called into service by the rancher to do whatever heavy work was necessary for areas where taking a regular farm truck would be inadvisable.
Unfortunately, the seller doesn’t disclose much more information about this iconic truck. We are told that it runs fine, stops fine, and is considered to be ultra rare due to its options. Unfortunately, those options are not discussed in the ad. A winch on the front and a heater in the cab are the only obvious options I see. Does anyone see anything else on this truck that would warrant a premium?
Overall, this is the kind of truck all of us would like to have. It doesn’t fit everyone’s needs, but it surely checks the box in the “want” category. Power Wagons are a niche vehicle that was a must-have for people who needed one. You could still do a lot of heavy-duty work with one of these indestructible beasts. Let’s just hope that this truck finds a home where it doesn’t have to work so hard to earn its keep and can enjoy a leisurely retirement.
Have you ever owned or driven a Power Wagon? What was the experience like? Please let us know in the comments.
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Comments
I never get tired of looking at a decent Power Wagon. They were very popular with the ranchers in the western plains and all but dotted the landscape well into the 60s before the other manufacturers got the hint and decided to build their own. Never a powerhouse but they delivered. And yes, there are a number of steering wheels that have tooth marks where the driver was caught unaware and attempted to bit a chunk out of the wheel.
But I’ll always appreciate a well-done restoration. And sometimes you come across a surprise when you see the name on the grill…
Pretty cool find. My wife’s uncle has one almost exactly like this. Like Jeff says, however, you won’t be going fast and it won’t be a smooth ride getting there. It’ll only go 40 teeth-rattling mph or so. The uncle drives it around the neighborhood and in parades, and it’s very fun for that. Had no idea they were so valuable.
Sounds like the perfect bug-out vehicle for when the zombie apocalypse hits!
Looking on eBay and closely at the tailgate, there has been a dump gate added just a tad off center… I believe this has a dump body.
The split running boards also jump out me adding to that conclusion, along with the extra control levers in the cab.
Ranch work would need that ability.
Yes, no?
When I was a kid and saw these on the road, I always thought it was looking for a fight… tough machine !!
The Army used these in Korea and we had one of the last ones in the motor pool in Viet Nam. It didn’t get used much as was a BEAR to steer at slow speeds in mud/sand. NO power steering or brakes. But the biggest problem was under the hood. These things loved to throw a water pump thru the radiators. In 13 months we put 2 water pumps and radiators on it. Definitely not used in convoys. If we had to use it around post, we took along a tow bar just in case. Probably the reason the Army switched over to the Jeep 5/4 pickup, which unfortunately had it’s own problems.
Thank you for your service, wes!
Tough old truck, but a bit overpriced, especially by those with auction fever.
The ones who say this one ‘s mine, no matter the cost. Also by sellers who view an old vehicle’s value to be worth the reaches of outer space when selling.
May not be worth it to you, but it takes at least 2 people to bid on an auction and it’s worth it to at least 2 people.
What was the last year for these beasts? Did they ever go to OHV?
I think they were built until 1968. It seems to me that they were always powered by a flathead six which the CID eventually grew to 250 CID.
My grandparents used to have one. I drove it a good bit, delivering coal for them. Always enjoyed driving it. First gear was what we called a “Granny gear” as it was geared so low.
I have had a couple of these. They are the kind of vehicle that seems like it would be so cool to own and drive (much like I thought about my Series IIA Land Rover and my Unimog), and they are- to a point. If you stay close to home and don’t mind going slow (about 45-50 maximum is good for this truck), and don’t mind the hard ride, loud interior (headsets are a good idea), heat, and constant smell of 90 wt. gear oil, then this is your ride. One of mine conked out in an intersection once, and it took 3 or 4 of us to push it to the side of the road. I am not sure what the curb weight is on this, but I think that you are looking at about 5,000 lbs. I couldn’t lift the spare tire on to the holder due to the weight of the tire/wheel assembly without destroying my back. Finding tire shops to work on the split rims can be challenging. These vehicle were designed to be a tool to get you where most vehicles couldn’t go- think running power lines in the mountains in first/low. They are somewhat less suited to a Starbuck’s drive through.
Having said all of that, these are a lot of fun, especially if it is owned by a friend.
I see an optional sun visor arm on the right of the cab, can’t tell if there’s one on the left. There’s also the arm rest and the ashtray. Those cost less than $5 each new.
I can’t figure out if it has a dump box on it now but there is some kind of added box at the front bottom of the left side bed.
I’m not as well versed on the power wagons vs the regular pickups.
It’s nice, but I’ll stick to my ‘41 StudeFaker M5 that is lifted onto a ‘78 Bronco, 351, 4 spd, 4×4 with power steering and a heater! Most of those Studebakers went to Russia in WWII in the Lend Lease Act. I bought mine 6 years ago for 5K on eBay. I can’t believe how prices have soared in that amount of time.
When I was 12 years old or so, my Uncle John would tell me stories of
how he and Uncle Frank became very
rich flying fresh veggies from Florida
to Illinois in the dead of winter. After
the war, they bought 2 surplus C-47
transport planes and set the business
up in 1946 or ’47. They would land right there in the field where the planes would be loaded by a veritable
fleet of war surplus trucks like deuce
‘n’ a half’s, stakebeds, and so many
more. The crates were sent up a conveyor belt run by a PTO to a man
inside the plane who stacked and secured the load before take off. My
Uncle said he saw many Power Wagon trucks like this one while he and Uncle Frank waited to be loaded.
Here in Florida, they were used for all
sorts of things in the agricultural industry and beyond. He also said
they used surplus tanks fitted with
sprayers to spray pesticides on the
Orange trees to rid them of bugs and
other varmints that might be hanging
out there. But my uncles weren’t the
only ones landing in fields to pick up
produce. Outside of Immocolee, my
Uncle said he saw a surplus B-24
Liberator bomber land to pick up
its cargo and take off again. He said
the thing had cargo doors on each side of the fuselage so that the plane
could be loaded quickly and efficiently. There were cots in the nose so that the pilots could take turns sleeping while one of them
flew the plane. Boy, my Uncle sure had some really good stories to tell
and I couldn’t wait to hear more.
Sweet old rig. IMHO too much money but anyone willing to step up should be happy with it. It defines old iron. And that’s patina boys & girls. Not surface rust under clear coat
That is one fine old truck! All business and no frilly nonsense. If I were lucky enough to own one of those, I would have a dashboard plaque made that read, “I don’t need no stinkin’ touch screen.”
Got one made in 1942 which came to Europe via the sands of the Normandie.
After the war they got sold to european armies by the squaremile.
After ending service for the swiss army (they used some of them until the 90’s) it was bought by a smalltown smithy/blumper/mechanic who used it to do all kinds of heavy duty work for his community. After his death we bought it in 2019 for our little farm for 1300 swiss francs (about the same in USD).
Sometime allong the way in the 50’s or 60’s some coachbuilder put a cabine and a flatdeck with a crane on it.
Love that thing!
In 1966 I was in Germany as as an O5C and was assigned an M-37 with a radio hut. I found some carburetor seals and screwed the governor down and used to drive on the the autobon at 70 plus mph. We were out in the field one night and slept under the trailer. When we woke up the snow was above the bottom of the trailer. I drove out up hill to the main road and never got stuck. It always started regardless how cold. It was a great truck. Wish I had it today.
true pedigree. You say good for some work? Yeah but there better be some acreage as these dont turn ona dime. Like the stuff from off shore (continent, japan) tough off rd but not for the st, rd or hwy.
Next came the usa ones that Could go hwy and true multipurpose won over (1st bronk & ’60s thru today’s suv). A horse of a different stripe~