In addition to the standard trucks and buses, Daimler-Benz also produced numerous all-terrain and in some cases all-wheel-drive special series between 1926 and 1945. Even though some of these were offered to private customers, these vehicles were primarily tailored to the needs of the military. In 1926, the German military's plans for the motorisation of the German army became increasingly concrete.
The first vehicle of this type, the G 3 all-terrain light-duty truck, was launched in 1928. It was a three-axle vehicle with a payload of around 1.5 tonnes, which was further developed from the civilian L 1 and L 45 models. It also had a stable ladder-type frame with U-shaped main beams, on which the axles were suspended with semi-elliptical springs. The G 3 was powered by a six-cylinder M 09 petrol engine with an output of initially 60 hp (44 kW), to which a four-speed transmission with primary reduction gear and single-plate dry clutch was directly flange-mounted. From there, the power was then transmitted to the two rear axles with locking differentials by means of a cardan shaft. A hydraulic six-wheel brake brought the G 3 safely to a stop, while the hand brake only acted on the first rear axle.
In the end, 89 examples of the G 3 rolled off the production lines in Untertürkheim before it was replaced in 1929 by the improved G 3 a, in which the M 09 engine now produced 68 hp (50 kW). By 1935, more than 2000 of these had been produced, most of which went to the German military. There it was categorised as motor vehicle no. 61 - 64. Daimler-Benz was also able to sell the G 3 a to civilian customers such as the German National Railway and the German National Mail.
In addition to the G 3 a, which was a representative of the light-duty 6-wheel trucks of Group I defined by the German military, Daimler-Benz also worked from 1926 on the development of a vehicle for Group II, which was to cover the payload range up to 3.5 tonnes. This finally led to the introduction of the LG 3000 model of the LG 63 series in 1934. The three-axle vehicle with two driven rear axles was usually powered by an OM 67 diesel engine. A four- or five-speed transmission with reduction gear was flange-mounted directly to this. The brake system was a six-wheel oil-pressure brake with power assistance, while the hand brake again only acted on the first rear axle.
As before, the main customer for the LG 3000 was the German military, although some examples were also fitted with bus bodies and used by the German National Mail on high mountain routes. There was also the LGS 3000, a special chassis variant for fire engines, which was predominantly equipped with the M 68 petrol engine instead of the OM 67 diesel engine. The LG 3000 was initially manufactured at the Gaggenau plant. In 1935 it was moved to Marienfelde, but from 1936, when the vehicles were equipped with the improved OM 67/3, the Untertürkheim plant was also involved in production. By 1938, around 7500 LG 3000s had been built, making it the German military's most common three-axle truck with a diesel engine alongside the Henschel 33.
From 1937, there was also a variant derived from the LG 3000 for payloads of up to four tonnes. This was designated as the LG 4000 model of the LG 68 series. Apart from the longer wheelbase, however, it did not differ from the normal LG 3000 of the LG 63 series. A total of 76 LG 4000 production vehicles were produced, but all of them were exported. The customers were Greece, China and Argentina.
Parallel to the LG 3000, Daimler-Benz was also developing a series of all-wheel drive vehicles, which were similar in design and therefore grouped together under the joint LG 65 series family. The smallest model in this series family was the LG 2000 two-tonne truck of the LG 65/2 series. In 1934, two prototypes were built at the Gaggenau plant and subjected to intensive testing. The LG 2000 was powered by the OM 65/3 diesel engine with 70 hp (51 kW). It transmitted its power via a five-speed gearbox with reduction transfer case to the two knuckle-joint drives on the axles. These in turn were suspended from the frame with helical springs. The LG 2000 was therefore a fully swing-axle vehicle that impressed in tests with its good off-road mobility. However, it never went into production. The two chassis were finally sold to the German National Mail, which used them on high mountain routes, with a slightly shortened wheelbase and fitted with bus bodies.
Another prototype was built in 1934 with an almost identical design, but with three driven axles. However, the LG 2500 of the LG 65/3 series had four differential gears and its five-speed Aphon change gearbox had ten forward gears, in contrast to the LG 2000, which only had eight forward gears. This truck, which was available with either the OM 67 diesel engine or its improved successor OM 67/3, as well as the M 68 petrol engine, also more than impressively demonstrated its performance in various tests. Even though the German military refrained from procuring them, 150 of them were delivered to the Greek army between 1938 and 1939. The German National Mail received a further five vehicles with bus bodies.
Finally, the third member of the LG 65 series family was the LG 3000 eight-wheeler of the LG 65/4 series. It had two steered front axles, but otherwise did not differ in design from the LG 65/3. It was also initially equipped with the OM 67 diesel engine, but this was later replaced by the improved OM 67/3 in the few prototypes of this model produced in Gaggenau between 1934 and 1935. It never went into production.
Another special series from Daimler-Benz was the LR 75 half-track vehicle, introduced in 1936 and probably developed at the request of the German National Mail. The LR 75 was a further development of the G 3 a, from which it largely adopted the technology and the frame. Only the two rear axles on the LR 75 had been replaced by a sliding chain drive. The majority of the 35 LR 75 models produced between 1936 and 1939 were fitted with bus bodies and delivered to the German National Mail, which could now guarantee regular service even in winter on high mountain routes otherwise impassable due to snow. The LR 75, which Daimler-Benz AG advertised as the vehicle of choice for use on mountain roads, mountain passes and in desert areas, was also offered with a platform body. Even if the model ultimately failed to achieve commercial success, it nevertheless provided important insights for the later development of the 4500 R half-track truck.
As early as 1927, the Ministry of the German military commissioned Daimler-Benz and other manufacturers to develop an armoured multi-wheel vehicle, from which an armoured reconnaissance vehicle was to be further developed. At Daimler-Benz, this vehicle, which was designed as an eight-wheel vehicle with steerable front and rear axles, two driver's seats for both directions of travel and a self-supporting body, was given the designation MTW 1. The test vehicle was powered by a six-cylinder M 36 petrol engine. This was initially combined with a reversing transmission from Daimler-Benz, but this was replaced by a ZF Aphon reversing transmission in the course of testing. All eight wheels of the MTW 1 were driven and suspended on swing axles. The body of the MTW 1 came from Martini & Hüneke in Salzkotten and weighed 2680 kg. It consisted of sheet metal 13.5 mm thick, which was largely bolted and riveted, as the welding technology was not yet sufficiently advanced at this time to guarantee the required strength of the entire body. The two test vehicles were taken over by the German military at the end of 1930, and one of them underwent intensive testing at the German military combat vehicle school near Kazan (USSR). Due to the global economic crisis, however, there was no procurement.
The situation was different with the Sd. Kfz. 8, a heavy tractor vehicle in half-track design, which the company developed on behalf of the Wehrmacht. Its first version was created in 1934 in the form of the DB s 7, which was powered by a Maybach DSO 8 engine with 150 hp (110 kW) and designed for maximum towing loads of up to 12 tonnes. This was replaced in 1936 by the improved version DB s 8, which remained in production until 1938. It was then replaced by the improved DB 9. This had a towing capacity of up to 14 tonnes, an even more powerful Maybach HL 85 engine and an ATE steering brake. The Sd. Kfz. 8 finally reached its lastevolutionary stage in the form of the DB 10 at the end of 1939. This differed from the DB 9 in that it had road wheels with torsion bar suspension instead of leaf springs and the use of sheet steel disc wheels instead of the usual cast steel spokes. Production of the Sd. Kfz. 8 was continued until 1944, with the vehicle also rolling off the production lines under licence at Krauss-Maffei, Škoda and Krupp. In total, around 4070 units of the heavy-duty half-track mover were built.