Kenworth - WikiHQ

alt=A Australian Kenworth unloading cattle on a farm in NSW.|thumb|An [[Australia|Australian Kenworth T659 unloading cattle]]

thumb|A 1985 Kenworth K 124CR

Kenworth Truck Company is an American truck manufacturer. Founded in 1923 as the successor to Gersix Motor Company, Kenworth specializes in production of heavy-duty (Class 8) and medium-duty (Class 5–7) commercial vehicles. Headquartered in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, Washington, Kenworth has been a wholly owned subsidiary of PACCAR since 1945, operating alongside sister company (and marketplace rival) Peterbilt Motors.

Kenworth marked several firsts in truck production; the company introduced a raised-roof sleeper cab, and the first heavy-duty truck with an aerodynamically optimized body design. The Kenworth W900 has been produced continuously since 1961, serving as one of the longest production runs of any vehicle in automotive history. The K100 was also released in 1961.

History

1912-1923: Gerlinger Motors

Kenworth traces its roots to the 1912 founding of Gerlinger Motors in Portland, Oregon; the company was a car and truck dealership owned by brothers George T. Gerlinger and Louis Gerlinger, Jr. In 1914, the brothers expanded into vehicle manufacturing, marketing a truck named the Gersix.

While the first vehicle was completed largely as a side project, the heavy-duty construction of the Gersix found itself in demand by loggers in the Northwest. Under the new name, the company relocated within Seattle to 506 Mercer Street, and later to 1263 Mercer Street.

The onset of the Great Depression hit the company hard; initially in good financial health, a substantial decline in new vehicles and a high rate of vehicle loan defaults forced the company to adapt. In 1937, Harry Kent died, with Philip Johnson becoming company president. By the end of the 1930s, demand for trucks began to recover, with Kenworth producing 226 trucks in 1940.

In 1948, Kenworth redesigned the cab of its COE product line, later nicknamed the "Bull-nose" 500-series.

1950s: Market expansion

By 1950, Kenworth had grown outside the Pacific Northwest, marketing vehicles across the western half of the United States and across nearly 30 countries worldwide. The Model 801 was introduced as an earth-moving dump truck, adopting one of the first cab-beside-engine configurations.

In 1955, Kenworth began the redesign of its COE product line, launching the CSE (Cab-Surrounding-Engine); in line with the Bull-nose, the CSE shared its underpinnings with the 500-series trucks and did not have a tilting cab.

In 1956, Pacific Car and Foundry revised its ownership of Kenworth, changing it from an independent subsidiary to a division. In 1957, Kenworth ended bus production, selling the rights to its product line (see below).

In 1958, Kenworth became a sister company to Peterbilt, as the latter company was acquired by Pacific Car and Foundry. In 1959, the company further expanded its sales base, establishing facilities in Mexico. In 1968, the company established Kenworth Australia; in place of importation and conversion, right-hand drive trucks were produced and developed in Melbourne, Australia.). The same year, parent company Pacific Car and Foundry adopted its current name PACCAR.

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the company, annual Kenworth sales exceeded 10,000 for the first time for 1973.). In 1992, the Mid-Ranger became the K300, as PACCAR shifted production to Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec.

In 2008, Kenworth underwent a modernization of its model line. The T600 underwent a substantial revision to its aerodynamics, becoming the T660. The medium-duty T300 was replaced by the Class 5-7 T170/T270/T370 model family. The low-cab COE made its return, based on the DAF LF. Initially marketed as the K260/K360, the model line was renamed the K270/K370 for 2013. The T660 would be discontinued in 2017.

For 2011 production, the T700 replaced the T2000, adopting a larger grille and fender-mounted headlamps. Sharing the wide-body cab of the T680 and T880, the W990 is the longest-hood conventional ever produced by Kenworth. As of current production, the W900 remains part of the Kenworth model line (six decades after its introduction).

For 2021 production, Kenworth introduced three model lines of electric vehicles, with the K270E, K370E, and T680E powered by battery-electric powertrains. In 2021, Kenworth launched the T680 FCEV with a 10 vehicle demonstration fleet in California. The T680 FCEV is powered with a Toyota hydrogen fuel cell, has six hydrogen tanks and a driving range over at a full load weight of .

In 2022, Kenworth announced a new T680. The T680 Next-Gen was redesigned with the future in mind. The new Next-Gen model has a skinnier, but taller grill than the original T680. It has a completely all-new front bumper. Like the 579 Next-Gen (See Peterbilt), it has an all-new interior and steering wheel.

Current models

Current products

United States/Canada/Mexico

alt=Kenworth T600|thumb|311x311px|Kenworth T600

alt=Kenworth T600|thumb|Kenworth T600

As of current production, Kenworth offers the following vehicles in North America.

C500 (1972–present)
K270/K370 (2013–present)
T170/T270/T370 (2008–present)
T440 (2011–present)
T470 (2010–present)
T680 (2013–present)
T800 (1986–present)
T880 (2014–present)
W900 (1961–present)
W990 (2018–present)

Australia

thumb|Kenworth T650, used as a heavy vehicle tow truck

thumb|1988 Kenworth L700 Tipper seen in Australia

The headquarters for Kenworth Australia is located in Bayswater, Victoria where all Australian models are assembled. The first Kenworth model in Australia was the KWS925, imported fully built in 1962. Soon later, Kenworths were imported in complete knock-down kits and assembled in Preston, Victoria. Australian built Kenworth models are also exported to nearby RHD markets in New Zealand, Japan, Thailand and Papua New Guinea.

The T range includes the bonneted conventional models and the C for heavy haulage, mining, off-road and road train use, and the K range covers the cab over models. As of July 2020 the only models that do not have Twin-Steer configurations are T410 SAR, T610 SAR, T900, C510, C540.

Kenworth Australia started building the new range of trucks tying in their 2008 release with the model range being the '08 Series'. This includes the following conventional (bonneted) models; in approximate order of smallest to largest: the T358/A, T408SAR, T408, T608, T658, T908 and C508. The only cab over truck built was the K108, which was very popular in the B-Double market segment owing to its shorter length.

Legend Series

The Kenworth "Legend" Series is a limited production truck based on a previous models styling with modern improvements such as safety and environmental. Originally commencing in 2015 with the Kenworth T950 Legend, inspired by the Kenworth T950 that was in production from 1992 - 2007. This model of Kenworth Legend had 75 produced and sold out in 48 hours. The T950 Legend also came with a special edition Cummins ISXe5 engine which was painted in Cummins Heritage Beige.

2017 Saw the second truck in the Kenworth Legend Series released, that being the Kenworth T900 Legend inspired by the 1991 Kenworth T900. There were 257 Kenworth T900 Legends produced, The T900 Legend came with a special edition Cummins X15 painted in black and red to commemorate the Cummins N14 that many of the original T900 came with.

In 2021 the third truck in the Kenworth Legend Series was released this being the SAR Legend, a homage to the W900 SAR that was produced from 1975 until 1987. The SAR Legend has sales orders of over 700, a final number currently has not been released. The special edition Cummins X15 in the Kenworth SAR Legend is painted in Cummins Heritage Beige, similar to the Cummins Big Cam which were in many of the original Kenworth SARs.

Previous Australian Kenworth models include:

T300 Series: T300, T350, T358, T359, T388
T400 Series: T400, T401, T401 ST, T402, T403, T404/SAR, T408/SAR, T409/SAR (T450, T480)
T600 Series: T600, T601, T604, T608, T609
T650 Series: T650, T658
T900 Series: T900 Classic, T904, T908, T900 Legend
T950 Series: T950, T950 Tradition, T950 Legend
K Series: K100, K123, K124, K125, K100E, K100G, K104, K104B, K108, K200

Current Australian Kenworth models include:

T Series: T360, T410, T410 SAR, T610, T610 SAR, T659, T909
C Series: C509, C510, C540
K Series: K220

Mexico

thumb|Kenworth Truck (Mexico)

In the early 2000s Kenworth introduced to Mexico the T604, based on the Australian T604 with a few modifications, mostly in the hood.

Operations

Kenworth currently has manufacturing plants in Chillicothe, Ohio; Renton, Washington, US; Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, Canada; Bayswater, Victoria, Australia (Kenworth Australia); and Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.

Bus production

Bus production was a mainstay at Kenworth during the early years of company history; at one time, buses were its most lucrative form of business. When the company was still known as Gerlinger Motor Car Works, their first two full-chassis vehicles were school buses based on the Gersix truck chassis.

1920s

BU series

In 1926, Kenworth developed a chassis specifically for school and transit bus operators, known as the BU. The BU model sported a wheelbase of that was expanded two more inches in 1927, and could be fitted with bodies ranging from 21 to 29 passengers. The BU model also heralded the return of the Buda six-cylinder engine, and remained the company's principal offering through 1931. The new model became so popular in the Pacific Northwest that production rose from 99 units in 1927 and 127 units in 1927, to 230 units by 1930.

By that time, the predominant number of BU models produced were sent to school bus body builders and were built for use in school districts throughout the Seattle and Puget Sound area of Washington state.

1930s

KHC series

Kenworth continued expanding into bus production throughout the 1930s, despite the Great Depression being a major influence. To assist Kenworth's 80 factory workers - who were idled by the Depression, the company undertook a bold move by introducing a new line of buses in August 1932. Known as the KHC-22 (Kenworth - Heiser - City), the 23-passenger bus was developed by Kenworth engineers as a stock demo vehicle to help aid a glum sales picture, and to jumpstart the local economy. At a time of mild economic recovery, the KHC22 proved to be very popular and sparked a renewed interest in Kenworth buses. Major operators of the KHC-22 (later expanded to a wheelbase, 33-passenger KHC-33, in September 1933) were the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company of Portland, Oregon, and Spokane United Railways.

Production of Kenworth buses continued throughout the 1930s and into the early 1940s, and during this time Kenworth was manufacturing bus chassis for body builders such as Wentworth and Irwin (later renamed Wentwin), and Heiser. Heiser, long an often chosen body for school buses bearing Kenworth chassis, would later be purchased by Pacific Car and Foundry Company in 1937.

Model 870 and 871

In 1933, Kenworth also released its most popular and successful line of transit bus, a conventional styled bus based on their Model 86 heavy duty truck. Powered by a Hercules JXCM engine, the model 870 as it was known, would soon be replaced by a model 871, which became Kenworth's standard line of buses throughout the early and mid-1930s. Experiments with "deck-and-a-half" buses would soon follow, made reality in the W-1 model, as well as the company's very first experiments with rear-engine coach-type buses in 1936.

Transit buses

Kenworth changed its production line early in 1939, reflecting a desire to remain "in tune" with market forces. The conventional bus chassis, which had become poor sellers, were dropped altogether, and Kenworth focused its designs on more transit or "coach-type" buses with engines being located either underfloor or at the back of the bus.

By this time, Kenworth was a major force in transit bus production, and nearly every major transit company in the Pacific Northwest were running Kenworth buses. Seattle Municipal Railway purchased several new model 601s to replace the previous model H30s, which were powered by a Hall-Scott 135 engine underfloor and had bodies built by the Pacific Car and Foundry Company. Kenworth also built a model 612, which became the company's most widely distributed underfloor coach. 27 were built with 14 wheelbase variations (and seven engine variations), and all 27 were sold by as many as 15 different operators.

1940s

At the beginning of the decade, bus customers began to decline in number, but the company received larger orders as several regional operators consolidated into larger, territorial ones. Bremerton Transit purchased several buses in 1940 to accommodate the increase in ridership due to the preparations for the war itself; the same year, the Seattle Municipal Railway purchased 30 buses in a single order, assisting Kenworth in breaking a production record. Producing about 40 buses yearly, Kenworth became a low-volume bus manufacturer, accommodating special-order coaches. Gray Line affiliates Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver purchased several of these special coach orders known as Grayliner or Grayliner Junior buses; the bodies for these buses were all built by Pacific Car and Foundry.

At the onset of World War II, war production took precedence over bus manufacturing as Kenworth supplied recovery vehicles for the U.S. Army. Along with military variations of their commercial truck line, Kenworth buses remained in production for use as troop transports. In 1945, Kenworth was sold to Pacific Car and Foundry; both companies believed bus production would play a pivotal role in jumpstarting a postwar economy. Kenworth also saw the opportunity in hiring former military truck and aircraft workers as part of launching its post-war product line. For 1946, Kenworth launched four new model lines of buses, deriving their model designations from the first four letters of the company name. The Model K was a line of small intercity/interurban buses; the Model E, a trolley coach; the Model N, a city transit bus; the Model W, an intercity bus.

Subsequently, Kenworth added the Model O one-door transit bus and Model T prototype school bus. Ultimately, the company built trolley buses for just one city – a single order of 50 of model E2 built in 1947–48 for the Portland Traction Company, in Portland, Oregon.

Model K, N, W

Outwardly similar in appearance, the Model K intercity/interurban and Model W intercity bus differed in function, size, and layout. The Model K was shorter, with a capacity of 25-33 passengers; the longer Model W seated 31-41 passengers. The Model K was equipped with a rear-mounted International Red Diamond RD450 while the Model W used a horizontally mounted underfloor Hall-Scott 190 engine. The Model N, in its original configuration, was a 36-44 passenger bus; after the design found no takers, the vehicle was downsized in 1947 to a 32-36 passenger bus.

After 1947, Kenworth revised its model designations, assigning numerals to its model lines to signify evolutionary variants of each design.

Kenworth "Brucks"

As production orders for the interurban model Ks and model Ws waned, Kenworth focused its attention on special orders including an order of 10 "Brucks" for Great Northern Railway in Montana, (an earlier version was built for Northern Pacific Transport, but was a split-level coach) and several Highway Post Office coaches.

These "special order coaches" were based on the Model T school bus, which entered production in early 1949. The company also test-marketed a small 20-passenger bus known as the Carcoach (only one example was built).

1950s

thumb|275px|right|1955 Kenworth T-126 "Pacific School Coach"

Model T and CT

The Model T school bus, which entered production after the last bus was built for Great Northern in April 1949, was an immediate hit with many school bus operators in the Pacific Northwest. The T-126 as it was known, boasted a unique four-pane windshield that offered unheralded forward visibility in any school bus at the time, and was the first school bus ever built to feature a roof escape hatch (now required equipment). Production of the T-126 averaged over 375 buses per year, making it Kenworth's most lucrative bus offering in the company's history up to that time.

Shortly after its launch, Kenworth renamed the line the model CT. The model CT also came in several varying passenger capacities ranging from 55, 61, 67, 73, and 79 passengers. The model CT "Pacific School Coach" was powered by an International Red Diamond 450 inline six-cylinder gas engine placed at the rear of the bus, and a LeRoi H540 engine was made available for an LR-73 model that was produced in August 1950. Some orders for modified model CTs were made available and sold internationally, with variants being sold to Uruguay and Venezuela, as well as the Middle East.

End of production

After the boom of school bus production, and to focus more on truck production due to a rising number of heavy duty truck orders, all bus production was shifted from Kenworth over to Pacific Car and Foundry in the middle of 1956. After some final cleanup, PC&F wound up completely outstanding orders for the Pacific School Coach in early 1957. Shortly afterwards, PC&F sold all rights, tooling, and equipment to school bus manufacturer Gillig Bros. of Hayward, California.

Following the acquisition, multiple features of the Model T/CT were integrated into the Gillig Transit Coach line of school buses; the model line was produced until 1982.

Reception

The brand claims to maintain an image of high quality, it has won five of six JD Power Awards in 2005, and was a clear sweep in the 2007 J.D. Power Awards for Heavy Duty Truck Product Satisfaction.

Gallery

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References

External links

Kenworth Truck Company
Kenworth Trucks Australia
Kenworth Trucks Mexico
The Kenworth W-1 Deck and a Half Bus