Quote Originally Posted by DaveA.
No, I'm just saying that (pun intended) there was no need to reinvent the wheel when eight lug wheels had been used successfully by the big three for a number of years already. It is as if the head of Kaiser got the engineers together and said "Ok, the military wants a truck to use in the worst conditions possible. Our fighting men may depend on these trucks to save their lives. What say we sell them an engine that we have abandoned as unreliable even though we are currently using a much better one in our civvie trucks. While we are at it, let's use a transfer case that will overheat at the mind warping speed of 50mph.Screw the fact that there is a better one in production(np205). Oh yeah, before I forget let's give them a goofy lug pattern in the off chance these trucks end up in civilian hands so that future generations will bemoan the lack of cheap wheels and disc brake hardware.
I don't think it is like that at all. I don't know what the big deal is with six, but have you ever noticed how many military vehicles used six lugs?
Its not just Americans, either, because look at a unimog, six lugs.

I think they use six because that allows the tires to be changed in the field that much quicker. Personally, I think load bearing is taken care of by using a large radius circle (7.25") instead of a small circle with a lot of lugs.

I honestly think there is some reason to the six lug thing though, crazy as it may sound.

Are you sure they had np205s in 1967? If so, how about 1966?
I am sure, even if they were around at the time, they would have been more $$$, thus making it more cost effective to go np200 (you have other things to worry about going 50+ in a stock vehicle!); once the np200 was already in production, it was unneccessary to switch to a 205 when they became available.

I always thought the stock engine was adequate, too. for its time, it was actually technologically advanced, being an OHC design. The six was also used in civilian vehicles for quite a while. I think people don't like it because it doesn't have hardened valves, and bigger tires or replacement of gears mean the engine no longer has enough leverage to move the behemoth.