Based heavily on European 6×4 truck designs of the mid-1930s, the Type 94 was developed to support the Japanese invasion of China. The truck was
produced in perhaps as many as 40 variants, including cargo truck, prime mover, refueller, aircraft-starting unit, searchlight truck and armoured car.
The standard design used an open cab with a canvas top and steel half-doors, but there were also closed-cab variants, as well as short-wheelbase and forward-control designs. A 4×2 chassis was also produced which simply lacked the rear bogie.
Power for the Type 94A was provided by a 4,390cc six-cylinder side-valve engine, connected to the worm-drive rear axle(s) through a four-speed gearbox. Smaller numbers of the Type 94B were produced, equipped with a 4,800cc four-cylinder diesel engine. For both models, live axles were suspended on semi-elliptical springs, inverted at the rear. The truck was also manufactured under other names, and subsequentlysupplied under a “subsidy11 scheme to civilian users as the TU10. when rt was rated for a 3-ton load.
