Harold Biondo

17 hours ago, David Herbert said:

Well done Harold. I hope that you will be able to restore it back to its original form but it will be a big job. At least it should be possible to obtain good quality photos and test reports of it from when it was being trialed. It will be quite a beast when it is done but you need to start saving for fuel ! Please post any developments here.

David Herbert

 

I will be posting updates on my facebook page, but I may make another thread to share them here as well. I don't think progress will be very fast, but at least I can preserve her better than the care she was getting before. It's funny you mention test reports, I work in the archives specifically in Army documents from the era when the T94 was made, and I've found nothing at all on it. A few things here and there for the other prototype cargo carriers, but nothing on the T94. Hopefully something will turn up one day.

On 1/10/2011 at 7:26 AM, David Herbert said:

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

Not to reopen a thread from 12 years ago, but if anyone was interested, I am now the proud owner of the T94 Cargo Carrier.

Sam Winer still has the M6, M8, and about 20 M4 HSTs, all in about the same condition as they were 12 years ago.