The M25 tank transporter (G160) was a combination 6x6 M26 armored heavy tank transporter/tank recovery tractor and companion 40-ton M15 trailer introduced into US Army service in Europe in 1944–45. Manufactured by Pacific Car & Foundry Co., it was a substantial upgrade over the Diamond T M19 transporter/trailer duo introduced in 1940.
| M25 tank transporter | |
|---|---|
 An M25 tank transporter, with an M4 Sherman tank at the 2010 War and Peace show | |
| Type | 40 ton (36,287 kg) 6x6 Tank recovery truck-trailer |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941–1955 |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Knuckey Truck Company |
| Manufacturer | M26: Pacific Car & Foundry Co. M15: Fruehauf Trailer Co. |
| Variants | M26A1, M26A2 |
| Specifications (M25[2]) | |
| Mass | Empty[1] M26: 48,000 lb (22,000 kg) M15: 36,600 lb (16,600 kg) M25: 84,300 lb (38,200 kg) Loaded[1] M26: 103,000 lb (47,000 kg) |
| Length | M26: 25 feet 4 inches (7.72 m) M15: 38 feet 5+1⁄16 inches (11.71 m) |
| Width | M26: 10 feet 10+3⁄4 inches (3.32 m) M15 12 feet 6 inches (3,810 mm) |
| Height | M26: 11 feet 5 inches (3.48 m) |
| Crew | 7 |
| Armor | front 3⁄4 in (19 mm) sides, rear 1⁄4 in (6.4 mm) |
Main armament | .50 cal M2 machine gun |
| Engine | Hall-Scott 440 gasoline 240 hp (180 kW) |
| Transmission | 4 speed x 3 speed |
| Fuel capacity | 120 US gal (450 L)[1] |
Operational range | 120 mi (193.1 km) |
| Maximum speed | 28 mph (45 km/h) |
Nicknamed the Dragon Wagon, it was replaced by the 10 ton 6x6 M123 semi-tractor beginning in 1955.[3]
Development
editIn 1942 a new 40 ton semi-trailer tank transporter was needed with better off-road performance than the M9 24 small-wheel trailer, and greater capacity than the 30 ton 8 large-wheel Shelvoke and Drewry semi-trailers used by the Diamond T tractor unit. Designed by the Fruehauf Trailer Company of Detroit, Michigan,[4] it was heavier than the Diamond T could manage. A companion M26 tractor was designed by the San Francisco-based Knuckey Truck Company. When it could not keep up with the Army's demands, production was awarded to the Pacific Car & Foundry Co. of Seattle, Washington.
Designated TR-1 by Pacific Car, the chain-driven 12-ton 6x6 M26 tractor was powered by a Hall-Scott 440 1,090 cu in (17.9 L) 6-cylinder gasoline engine developing 240 hp (180 kW) at 2000 rpm and 810 lbf⋅ft (1,098 N⋅m) at 1200 rpm. Developed for the M26, it was used to uprate the Diamond T. Some 2,100 Type 440s were built. Baxter notes "over 1,300" M26 and M26A1 being built.[4]
Unusually, the tractor unit was fitted with both an armored cab and two winches with a combined pull of 60 tons,[4] allowing it to do light battlefield recovery work.
A later unarmored version of the M26 tractor was designated the M26A1. An experimental ballast tractor conversion was evaluated by the British Fighting Vehicle Proving Establishment[4]
After the war, some of them (both armored and unarmored) were bought as surplus and used to carry oversize loads such as transformers, locomotives and heavy equipment.[5]
Gallery
edit-
M25 with M26 armored semi-tractor -
Display of M25 with M26 armored semi-tractor -
Display of M25 with M26A1 unarmored semi-tractor -
M26 semi-tractor (LR view) -
M26 semi-tractor showing rear wheel drive by chains
Specifications
edit- Crew 7
- Armament 1 .50 cal. machine gun
- Armor, front 3/4 inch, sides and rear, 1/4 inch.
- Top speed 26 MPH
- Fuel capacity 120 gallons
Users
edit
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c TM 9-2800 Standard Military Motor Vehicles. US War Dept. 1943. pp. 132–135. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ TM 9-767 40 ton Tank Transporter Truck-trailer M25. US War Dept. 1942. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ "TrucksPlanet - Updates".
- ^ a b c d e Baxter, Brian S. (1989). Breakdown: A History of Recovery Vehicles in the British Army. HMSO, for REME Museum. p. 51. ISBN 0-11-290456-4.
- ^ "Forum des Poids Lourds Camions anciens de collection • Afficher le sujet - pacific". poidslourds.free.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 April 2017.
- ^ Kočevar, Iztok (August 2014). "Micmac à tire-larigot chez Tito: L'arme blindée yougoslave durant la Guerre froide" [The Yugoslav armored arm during the Cold War]. Batailles et Blindés (in French). No. 62. Caraktère. pp. 66–79. ISSN 1765-0828.
References
edit- TM 9-1767A
- TM 9-1767B Power Train for Tractor Truck M26
- TM 9-1767C Body, chassis, and winches for Tractor Truck M26. US War Dept. 1944. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- TM 9-1767E Ordnance Maint. Semitrailer M15. US War Dept. 1944. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- TM 9-2800 Standard Military Motor Vehicles. US War Dept. 1943. pp. 132–135. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- TM 9-2800 Military Vehicles. US Dept. of the Army. 1947. pp. 151, 152. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- TM 9-2800 Military Vehicles. US Dept. of the Army. 1953. pp. 101, 102, 281. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- Crismon, Fred W (2001). US Military Wheeled Vehicles (3 ed.). Victory WWII Pub. pp. 383–384. ISBN 0-970056-71-0.
- Doyle, David (2003). Standard catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles. Kraus Publications. pp. 232–240, 283–288. ISBN 0-87349-508-X.
Further reading
edit- Military Vehicle Journal #8 (Photos of the M26 and M26A1)
External links
edit
- Short story of the M26 and pictures of a restored vehicle in 2004
- Article and photo at milweb.net
- Scratchbuilt M25 model step-by-step, with pictures and references used
- https://web.archive.org/web/20090204121541/http://realmilitaryflix.com/public/378.cfm training film
- http://www.forum-auto.com/automobile-pratique/modelisme-modeles-reduits/sujet7051-5495.htm pictures of M26 used as oversize loads tractors