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M6 High Speed Tractors Anywhere?


Scammell4199

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Does anyone know of any Allis Chalmers M6 high speed tractors in existence?, its the big brother of the M4, weighing in at a respectable 36 tons and uses two of the engines used in the M4. The picture below is me with the one at the Marshall Museum in Overloon, Holland and I know of one other at the Indiana Military Museum. I have researched the subject quite a bit and can find no other survivors.

 

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Adrian,

 

They are definatly not the same vehicle, this photo was only taken last year and I have recently made contact with Jim Osborne who says he still has his, it is as yet unrestored but he hopes to one day display it with his 8in gun. He is sending me some photos of it in its current condition which I will post when they arrive.

The one I am pictured with used to be owned by a chap called Chet Krouse, (i think i got the spelling right), before being acquired by the marshall museum. I think I have some pics of its rebuild - i'll dig them out and post some.

 

Richard

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Does anyone know of any Allis Chalmers M6 high speed tractors in existence?, its the big brother of the M4, weighing in at a respectable 36 tons and uses two of the engines used in the M4. The picture below is me with the one at the Marshall Museum in Overloon, Holland and I know of one other at the Indiana Military Museum. I have researched the subject quite a bit and can find no other survivors.

 

DSC00015.jpg

 

Dont know if it's any use, but there is an article on the M4 Version in the latest copy of CMV.

A Guy named Jim Clark has just imported some to the UK. They need ground up restoration though! :cry:

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Jim,

 

Its one of my all time must have vehicles, but I think its a bit of a pipe dream at the moment, i'm up to my eye balls with the ground up restoration of my Scammell Pioneer and I have an AEC Matador waiting its turn too. I would dearly like one for restoration, I like to take on project vehicles, the restoration is where I get the most enjoyment.

In addition i've also recently had to move to a much smaller premises after being kicked out of the barn I was renting on an arable estate near me because they wanted the barn for 'other uses'. You sound as though you know of several.

 

Richard

Edited by Scammell4199
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  • 1 year later...

there are more survivors, the only problem some are rebuild

 

I found this one at a Dutch forum about .... vehicle's (meant in the most wide sens of the word :cool2:)

The picture is to large to directly show, so I use the link

 

http://www.dennisbosman.nl/foto/reizen/canada/attracties7/080928%207107.jpg

 

It is located at the BC Forest Discovery Centre Canada

 

The running gear can be identified as being a M6 High Speed ad that is about all that remains of the original vehicle

 

Michel

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Hi,

 

I have been looking for an M6 myself. The best I have been offered is in the USA - see pictures. He also had the Walker Bulldog based HST which I have also attached the pictures of. Unfortunately I was only sent one picture of the M6.

 

Does anyone know if the tracks were just used on the M6?

 

Regards,

 

Mark

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Hey mark, looks like you've found a couple potential goers there.

Shame most of the original body work is missing, but the red one behind looks like an M6 too but i'm a bit unsure about the area in front of the diff / steering unit / final drive area, doesn't quite look right. Maybe its been chopped about.

 

I have heard of another somewhere in the states minus bodywork, maybe this one.

 

The yellow one in MichelK's post certainly looks like a yarder, not much of the original machine left tho.

 

 

 

Richard

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Like Richard I could not see the red High Speed Tractor behind the Yellow one in Mark's photos in post 19 as an M6. It is in fact one of four prototype T94 Cargo Tractors which were authorised in late 1956, intended as a very heavy artilery tractor, partly replacing the M8A1 or A2 shown in th other photos. Like the M8 it had a Continental flat six air cooled engine as used in the M41, M42, M75, this time a 525hp AOSI 895-3B and an Allison XTG-500-2 transmission but instead of the Walker Buldog running gear of the M8 it used the suspension and tracks from the M47 tank. The track links are interchangeable with those of HVSS Shermans but with a different centre guide. It was built by Allis Chalmers about 1957 and originaly had the single cab that is still on it, then the engine compartment and then a cargo body taking up the rear half of the length of the vehicle rather like the body in the middle of an M8A1. There was a large winch on outrigers in front of the cab, hence the depressed rectangle in the cab front. Overall length was 24' 11", width 10' 10", hight 10' 5". Weight 72000lbs with a 12000lbs load. All this from Fred Crismon's 'US Military Tracked Vehicles' and R.P.Hunnicutt's 'Bradley'. Hate to think what the fuel consumption was when towing !

 

Please note that the M6 used its own unique design of HVSS and track that was not interchangeable with Sherman or anything else. They fitted a set to a Sherman as an early experiment in improving its suspension but it was not strong enough and could not be fitted with dampers. The M6 track was very unusual as it had a triple sprocket, the centre one driving onto the centre connectors which also carried two guide horns as well.

 

Hope this helps.

David

Edited by David Herbert
Found more info!
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