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M6 High Speed Tractors Anywhere?


Scammell4199

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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,

 

Thanks for posting this information.

 

Regards,

Hanno

 

PS: see http://www.pbase.com/kees_s/image/83674555 and http://www.pbase.com/kees_s/image/83674554 for pictures of the M6 at Overloon.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Further to my comments on Sherman HVSS track and M6 High Speed Tractors it seems that the M6s on rubber chevron track DO indeed use the same track links as HVSS Sherman, M47 etc but with a unique box shaped centre guide similar to the one used by Shermans but rather wider as the M6 has a wider gap between the inner and outer bogie wheels. As these tracks are marginally wider than the original M6 steel chevron tracks a special sprocket hub is required which also carries only two sprocket rings (instead of three of the original design) and is slightly more dished on its outside face than the original.

 

I can find no photos of M6 HSTs on rubber chevron tracks in service so I would guess that they were only fitted for peacetime use in USA and Germany when it became unacceptable to destroy the roads with steel track.

 

Also does anyone know which countries received M8 series High Speed Tractors other than Japan and are there any still in Europe that have not been turned into drilling rigs etc.?

 

David

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]39728[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39734[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39735[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39736[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39724[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39725[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39726[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39727[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39732[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39731[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39730[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]39729[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]39733[/ATTACH]

 

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

 

Akron, Ohio ?

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You might want to have a cup of teat to hand as you scroll through the 20 pages of this thread:

 

http://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?17042-Alaskan-Logging-Equipment-Left-to-Rust

 

Admittedly a lot of it isn't military, but a chunk of it is.

 

I spotted some heavy tracked carriers under the big tower logging units, a couple of Sherman-type drive ends, and an M15A1 tan transporter trailer that you normally see behind a Dragon Wagon hooked to the back of a Mack and left sitting in the weeds.

 

Alaska with some spanners, a battery, and some Plus Gas, anyone?

 

Gordon

 

Did I mention the steam locomotives too?

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So it is Hanno, I wondered where your lot had gone.

 

Did you spot the Power Wagon parked next to it in another, similar photo?

 

I'd think a lot of those trucks were military-derived if not actually military in origin too.

 

Gordon

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for anyone interested theres a good picture book on high speed tractors, it covers M2 M4 M5 M6 and M8, and theres some good pictures of M6s on the production line. Details as follows:

 

High Speed Tractor: A Visual History of the US Armys Tracked Artillery Prime Movers

Authors: David Doyle and Pat Stansell

ISBN: 0-9773781-0-1

 

Enjoy, Richard

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So it is Hanno, I wondered where your lot had gone.

 

Did you spot the Power Wagon parked next to it in another, similar photo?

 

I'd think a lot of those trucks were military-derived if not actually military in origin too.

 

 

No, I have not seen it.

 

Did come across this pic of Sherman final drive housings. As these have VVSS sprockets they must be there for spares, as all the yarders using Sherman components have HVSS tracks.

 

 

 

Oh no, should not have shown this, now Eddy has run off to Alaska ;)

IMGP3261.jpg

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High Speed Tractor: A Visual History of the US Armys Tracked Artillery Prime Movers

Authors: David Doyle and Pat Stansell

ISBN: 0-9773781-0-1

 

 

 

Mark this is a great book with loads of HST pictures and guess what it also covers the M2 Cletrac!!!

 

It shows some early production photo's of the Cletrac with the aircraft energiser fitted! I knew I had seen pictures of it fitted to an M2 somewhere.

 

Regards

Paul

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mcspool

Did come across this pic of Sherman final drive housings. As these have VVSS sprockets they must be there for spares,

 

Hi Hanno,

 

There are/were VVSS equiped yarders as in the UK Channel 5 series on the Oregon lumber industry from around 2008- I'm surprised none were shown in the 20 odd pages of the link- there must have been some around- the HVSS yarders were I think from a Canadian company that also built large dozer using the Sherman HVSS suspension components on a new build chassis which would probably make the armoured nose of a sherman unnecessary.

 

Steve

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Found a couple of photos tucked away in a file the first one is a yarder probably the same as in the link

 

 

This in an ex M4A2 HVSS chassis components made into a drill carrier -can't find the plough.

 

But unlike the Oregon tank chassis VVSS Yarder both these are new build apart from the suspension comonents

 

Steve

Track%20Mounted%20Yarder_jpg.jpg

Traxxon-Tank-Drill.jpg

Edited by steveo578
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No, I have not seen it.

 

Did come across this pic of Sherman final drive housings. As these have VVSS sprockets they must be there for spares, as all the yarders using Sherman components have HVSS tracks.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]41044[/ATTACH]

 

Hanno look at the steps on the front and on the left side , these front ends are from M10/ Achilles

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There are/were VVSS equiped yarders as in the UK Channel 5 series on the Oregon lumber industry from around 2008- I'm surprised none were shown in the 20 odd pages of the link- there must have been some around- the HVSS yarders were I think from a Canadian company that also built large dozer using the Sherman HVSS suspension components on a new build chassis which would probably make the armoured nose of a sherman unnecessary.

 

Hi Steve,

 

My "Shermans into ploughshares" webpage features a picture of a VVSS-based drill too. As you say, the photos featured in the link only show HVSS-based vehicles, hence my remark about spare parts.

 

If the logging vehicle used the gearbox and final drives off a Sherman (or M10, etc.) it was necessary to use the final drive housing in the new-build chassis. Most often they are fitted with extensions to compensate for the increased width. The armoured housing is needed for alignment of the gearbox, cletrac controlled differential steering and final drives. Possibly some manufacturers opted for electric / hydraulic drive, in that case the final drive housing could be deleted.

 

Hanno

Edited by mcspool
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The Heavy Equipment forum thread is a great find, there is a link to a Youtube Channel called skadill with videos of "Finning tank drills" operating. I'm completley new to this but there look to be a few Sherman bits (bogies?) in this one?

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/skadill#p/u/26/og8sZBi_GbQ

 

With a cold start and close up of the undercarriage here

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/skadill#p/u/13/hqJAJEgBbFo

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  • 4 months later...
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Dear Richard,

 

I assume this "beast" could be in a US State, like Oregon, where there are a large number of lumber industries and lumberjacks; (I saw a lumberjack reality show on Discovery Channel last year located in Oregon.... :angel: )

 

Best Regards,

 

Luigi

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