M4 tractor
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| M4 Tractor, High Speed, 18 tons | |
|---|---|
 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 |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Manufacturer | Allis-Chalmers |
| Variants | Anti-aircraft and howitzer towing variants |
| 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 (156 kW) |
| Power/weight | 14.70 hp/t |
| Suspension | Vertical volute spring |
Operational range | 100 mi (160 km) |
| Maximum speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
The M4 High-Speed Tractor was an artillery tractor used by the US Army from 1943.[1]
Design and development
The M4 was based on the chassis and drive train of the obsolescent M3 Light Tank which introduced the trailing idler.[2] One variant was designed to tow the 3-inch or 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
The M4 was built by tractor manufacturer Allis-Chalmers of West Allis, Wisconsin, starting in 1942 and was in U.S. military service until approximately 1960.[1] Under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program, the M4 was supplied to Greece, The Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, Yugoslavia and Pakistan after World War II ended.[1] In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 the Pakistani Army used the M-4 Tractor to haul M115 Howitzers to the battlefield of Chamb and then to the Lahore front.[citation needed]
Variants
- M4: base model
- 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. these were used post war as a prime mover for the M23 ammunition trailer in M40 Gun Motor Carriage sections.
Civilian use
After the war many types of these tractors were stripped of their military components and used for log skidders and power line construction. Many were used as carriers for rock drills, used in logging road construction in British Columbia. The first prototype was designed in the early 1960s by G.M. Philpott Ltd. of Vancouver, BC, and Scott-Douglas Industries, who supplied the M4 Carrier. It was used by MacMillan, Bloedel, and Powell River Company at their Juskatla, BC logging operation. Many improvements were made and when Finning Tractor later bought G.M. Philpott, the machine became the Finning Tank Drill. At least 500 were built, many of which are still in service. The original Finning Tank Drill was replaced by the M32F and M40F Tank Drills, which used larger Sherman tank carriers.[citation needed] At Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands, at least two refurbished M4s were used by the airport fire brigade in the 1960s and '70s.[3]
Surviving vehicles
- one M4A1 at Fort Sill Museum[4]
- one M4A1 at Maaldrift, The Netherlands.
- one M4A1 in a private collection in Colorado
- one M4 at the Marshall Museum[5]
- one M4 at Grand Prairie, Texas[6]
- one M4 at the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles[7]
- one M4 at the Batey ha-Osef Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel
- one M4 at Armed Forces Military Museum, Largo Florida,[8]
- one M4 at Armourgeddon Tank Paintball, Leicestershire UK[9]
- one M4 in a private collection in Molsheim, France
- one was restored and shown fully operational at the War And Peace Show in the UK on 21 July 2012
- one M4 at O'Neill Ne fully operational
- one M4 in a private collection in Troyes, France. MILITAIRE ASSOCIATION TROYENNE
- One M4 in private museum collection in Gettysburg PA., USA
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
- ^ a b c d e Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armoured Fighting Vehicles. p 307: Dempsey-Parr. ISBN 1-84084-328-4.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ American AFVs of World War II, Ed. by Duncan Crow, Doubleday, 1972, pp. 2–5
- ^ "Modelbouw, jan korte, brandweer amsterdam, brandweer schiphol, beba, behoud erfgoed brandweer amster". www.modelbouwjankorte.nl.
- ^ "U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Museum - Collections". sill-www.army.mil.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "M4 Transport - Grand Prairie, Texas - Military Ground Equipment Displays on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com.
- ^ http://www.heartlandmuseum.com/
- ^ http://www.tdlitwiller.com/Military/The-Armed-Forces-Museum/10541131_vNh9Dk/3/732695321_bYmcM#732695321_bYmcM
- ^ "Armourgeddon the Home of Tank Paintball Battles". Armourgeddon.
- Bibliography
- "US Army M-4 High Speed Tractor". olive-drab.com. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- "TM-9-2800-1947 Military Vehicles". US Dept. of the Army. 27 October 1947. Retrieved 28 Oct 2014.
- 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 hauller 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
