Engineering:M4 tractor
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| M4 tractor, high speed, 18 tons | |
|---|---|
| File:300 px M4 high-speed tractor with 90 mm ammo box | |
| Type | Artillery tractor |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943–1960 |
| Used by | US Army Belgian Army JGSDF |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Manufacturer | Allis-Chalmers |
| Produced | March 1943 – August 1945 |
| No. built | 5,811 |
| Variants | 90 mm antiaircraft gun tractor 155 mm gun or 8-inch howitzer tractor |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 31,400 lb (14.2 t) |
| Length | 210 in (5.33 m) |
| Width | 97 in (2.46 m) |
| Height | 99 in (2.51 m) |
| Crew | 1 + 11 |
Main armament | M2 Browning machine gun |
| Engine | Waukesha 145GZ OHV I6 gasoline engine 210 hp (157 kW) |
| Power/weight | 14.70 hp/t |
| Suspension | Horizontal volute spring |
Operational range | 100 mi (160 km) |
| Speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
The M4 high-speed tractor for World War II was an artillery tractor used by the US Army from 1943.[1]
Design and development
The M4 high-speed tractor used M4 Sherman tracks, roadwheels, and drive sprocket. However, the suspension was of the Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension (HVSS) type, first introduced on a light tank T6 project in 1938.
One variant was designed to tow the 90 mm anti-aircraft gun, and another was for the 155 mm gun or 8-inch howitzer.[1] The rear compartment carried the gun crew and other equipment and some later variants included a crane to assist with heavier projectiles.[1] Two types of ammunition boxes were used on all models: a 90 mm box with side "tailgates" to access 90 mm shells pigeon-holed in the sides, and a combination box for 155 mm or 8-inch ammunition.
History
Variants
- M4: base model. 2,464 were configured to tow the 90 mm antiaircraft gun, while 3,088 were configured to tow the 155 mm gun or 8-inch howitzer
- M4C: The "C" designation indicates spare ammunition racks configured in the crew compartment.
- M4A1: The "A1" modification designates the wider suspension used for the "duck bill" tracks mirroring the E9 modification on Sherman tanks. 259 were built in 1945, and were used post-war as a prime mover for the M23 ammunition trailer in M40 gun motor carriage sections.
Civilian use
At Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands, at least two refurbished M4s were used by the airport fire brigade in the 1960s and '70s. During the mid-80s and into the early 90s, many M-4s were converted into exhibition vehicles used for car crushing and dubbed "monster tanks", William Townes's "Virginia Beach Beast" Chevrolet K-5 Blazer being among the first.[2]
Surviving vehicles
- Robert Gill Collection militarymuseum.at, Vienna, Austria
- Armed Forces Military Museum, Largo, Florida. 2 pieces in the Robert Gill Collection militarymuseum.at, Vienna Austria * Fort Sill Museum, Oklahoma * Gunfire Museum, Brasschaat, Belgium * National Military Museum in Soesterberg, https://collectie.nmm.nl/nl/collectie/detail/270474/The Netherlands * Batey ha-Osef Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel * Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington, Nebraska * Marshall Museum in Lexington, Virginia * private collection in Colorado * private collection in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania * private collection in Grand Prairie, Texas * private collection in Leicestershire, UK * Royal Dutch Army historical collection Maaldrift, The Netherlands * private collection in Molsheim, France * private collection in O'Neill, Nebraska * private collection in Orlando, Florida *private collection in National Military Vehicle Museum, South Australia[citation needed]
- private collection in Sydney Australia as of April 2022[citation needed]
- Kansas Army National Guard Museum in Topeka, Kansas
See also
- List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog designation (G150)
- List of U.S. military vehicles by model number
- M5 tractor
- M6 tractor
- Raupenschlepper, Ost
References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armoured Fighting Vehicles. p 307: Dempsey-Parr. ISBN 1-84084-328-4.
- ↑ "Modelbouw, jan korte, brandweer amsterdam, brandweer schiphol, beba, behoud erfgoed brandweer amster". http://www.modelbouwjankorte.nl/.
- Bibliography
- "US Army M-4 High Speed Tractor". olive-drab.com. http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_m4_hst.php.
- "TM-9-2800-1947 Military Vehicles". US Dept. of the Army. 27 October 1947. https://www.scribd.com/doc/188375301/TM-9-2800-1947.
- TM 9-785 18-Ton High Speed Tractors M4, M4A1, M4C, M4A1C
- SNL G150
- the Field Artillery Journal, September 1945 references the M4A1 as an ammunition hauler for M40 Gun sections.
- Doyle, David (2003). Standard catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles. Kraus Publications. pp. 402–403. ISBN 0-87349-508-X.
External links
Template:WWII US Soft Vehicles Template:Allis-Chalmers
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