M8 Tractor
The M8 High-Speed Tractor was an artillery tractor used by the US Army and Marine Corps from 1950.
| M8 High-Speed Tractor | |
|---|---|
 M8E2 high speed tractor 1954 | |
| Type | Artillery tractor |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | US Army |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Allis-Chalmers |
| Produced | 1950 to 1955 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 54,008 lb (24.948 t) |
| Length | 22 ft (6.731 m) |
| Width | 10 ft 11 in (3.327 m) |
| Height | 10 ft (3.048 m) |
| Crew | 1 + 1 |
| Armor | none |
Main armament | 1 x 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) anti-aircraft machine gun |
| Engine | Continental AOS-895-3 six-cylinder air-cooled petrol engine 863 hp (644 kW) |
| Power/weight | 34.60 hp/tonnes |
Operational range | 180 miles (290 km) |
| Maximum speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) |
Construction
The M8 is a full-track tractor based on the chassis of the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank. It was used to tow cargo trailers and artillery such as the Skysweeper 75 mm anti-aircraft gun and the M59 Long Tom gun. The basic M8 variant could be quickly adapted for carrying projectiles and charges. Unusually for a tractor, the M8's engine was located at the front of the cab. Some M8s were equipped with a hydraulic M5 dozer blade.
History
The M8 was developed following the failure of the T33 cargo-carrier, which was based on the M24 Chaffee light tank chassis. The new, standardized M8 was produced between 1950 and 1955.
References
- Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armoured Fighting Vehicles. p 309: Dempsey-Parr. ISBN 1-84084-328-4.CS1 maint: location (link)
- TM 9-7406
- SNL G266
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