Federal Motor Truck Company

Federal Motor Truck Company
Formerly	Bailey Motor Truck Company
Industry	Manufacturing, automotive
Predecessor	Stewart Motor Company (since 1942)
Founded	May 1910; 113 years ago
Defunct	March 1960; 64 years ago
Fate	Sold to NAPCO
Successor	NAPCO
Products	Trucks

The Federal Motor Truck Company was an American truck manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The company was founded in 1910 as Bailey Motor Truck Company by Martin L. Pulcher, who would later found the Oakland Motor Car Company, which launched the Pontiac GM companion brand, in 1926.

History[edit]

The company was founded in 1910, as the Bailey Motor Truck Company, but was later renamed to Federal. The company then opened a factory in Leavitt Street, near Southwest Detroit. During the prosperous time of the company, around 700 people worked there, producing as many as 3,500 trucks annually. The main competitor of the company was Diamond T. The main provider of engines for the company were Continental, Waukesha, and Hercules.^[1]

The company later producing some delivery trucks, with Willys-Knight engines, and these were marketed under the Federal Knight brand. Despite being an independent manufacturer, the company produced its own cabs, in both standard and deluxe versions. In 1942, the company bought the Stewart Motor Company. After the war, the company enjoyed high sales, and was bought by Fawick, although it was soon discovered, that the new buyers knew nothing about manufacturing complete trucks, and the company was sold to NAPCO, that closed down the company's factory in Detroit, and transferred the trucks' tooling in their own factories in Minneapolis.^[1]

Due to economic problems and the uncertainty of the future of the Federal brand, NAPCO retired the brand in 1959, with all operations ceasing in 1960.

Military trucks[edit]

Federal built its first U.S. military trucks in 1918, for the U.S. Army.^[2] More diverse military (tractor) trucks, including tank transporters, dump trucks, and heavy wreckers, were built for U.S. forces from 1933 through 1945. Federal produced over 10,000 trucks for the military.

Gallery[edit]

1952 Federal 45M tractor with 1946 Fruehauf semi-trailer (Henry Ford Museum)
A Federal light pickup truck
WWII Federal G-692, 7½-ton, 6x6, military wrecker in the Overloon War Museum (Netherlands)
A 1932 Federal truck
A Federal military truck

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "The Pride of Detroit: Federal Trucks, 1910-59". Retrieved 4 January 2022.
^ "Federal". Historic Vehicles. Retrieved 2023-03-20.

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[[1]-1] "The Pride of Detroit: Federal Trucks, 1910-59". Retrieved 4 January 2022.

[2] "Federal". Historic Vehicles. Retrieved 2023-03-20.

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[2]

v t e US military soft-skinned vehicles of World War II
1⁄4–3⁄4 ton vehicles	Dodge WC series Dodge WC54 Ford Pygmy Willys MB / Ford GPW
11⁄2–4 ton trucks	Austin K2/Y Chevrolet G506 Diamond T 4-ton 6×6 truck Dodge T-234 "Burma truck" Dodge WC-62 and WC-63 Ford GTB 'Burma jeep' GMC CCKW Studebaker US6
5–10 ton trucks	6-ton 6×6 truck Autocar U7144-T & U8144-T K-30 truck K-31 truck Federal G-692 Kenworth M1 Wrecker M425 and 426 tractor trucks Mack EH series Mack LMSW Mack NJU Mack NM Mack NO
Tank transporters	M19 Tank Transporter M25 Tank Transporter 'Dragon Wagon'
Amphibious vehicles	Ford GPA "Seep" GMC DUKW "Duck" Landing Vehicle Tracked
Tracked tractors & carriers	M1 Heavy Tractor M1 Light Tractor M1 Medium Tractor M2 High Speed Tractor M2 Light Tractor M4 High-Speed Tractor M5 13-ton High-Speed Tractor M6 High-Speed Tractor M7 Snow Tractor M29 Weasel
Motorcycles	Harley-Davidson WLA
Trailers	Ben Hur trailer Jeep trailer K-36 trailer K-38 trailer M5 Bomb Trailer
World War II vehicles of the United States List of soft-skinned vehicles of the US military