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
TypeArtillery tractor
Place of origin United States
Service history
Used byUS Army
Production history
ManufacturerAllis-Chalmers
Produced1950 to 1955
Specifications
Mass54,000 lb (24,000 kg)
Length22 ft (6.731 m)
Width10 ft 11 in (3.327 m)
Height10 ft (3.048 m)
Crew1 + 1
Armornone
Main
armament
1 x 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) anti-aircraft machine gun
EngineContinental AOS-895-3 six-cylinder air-cooled petrol engine
863 hp (644 kW)
Power/weight34.60 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.

See also

References
  • Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armoured Fighting Vehicles. p 309: Dempsey-Parr. ISBN 1-84084-328-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  • TM 9-7406
  • SNL G266
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