Cjones9920 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 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. Hi Guys my name is Charles and this is the first forum i have ever joined so bare with me as i learn... I'm not a big MV buff but i found this thread while searching for info on M6 high speed tractors. You see i buy all cars and scrap metal and such in my spare time and i have ran across a M6 in the weeds in MO. A farmer owns it and I intend on buying it. It has a dozer blade that goes with it. It is in rough shape. When I figure out how to post pics i will. I'm curious if its just scrap or worth trying to find a buyer. Thanks for your time. And if anyone can tell me how to post pic from iPhone i will post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 To scrap it would be a shame. keep in mind its WW2 and like almost anything WW2 its worth more than its weight in scrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scammell4199 Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 I've found another one! I've tried contacting the owner but not had anything back yet. Does anyone know who it is and what their intentions are for it? Also the one mentioned in the post above as being found in MO, actually wasn't, it was an M4 Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdmcm Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 There is a real M6 HST in Mission, B.C. Canada, relatively complete with original cab, the owner has both engines for it and has expressed the notion he may entertain selling it. If interested I will advise him of this thread so he can contact potential buyers John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scammell4199 Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 We'd certainly like to see some pictures if he's agreeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T212 Bill Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 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. Hey Richard, are you still looking for a M6? T212 Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scammell4199 Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Hi Bill, I've sent you a private message. Best regards, Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty71 Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Thanks for the video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Biondo Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 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. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 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 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinT Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 It would be nice to see one of these with a British census number. I know to 10 used by 61st Super Heavy Regiment RA. H5849538, H5849539, H5849543, H5849549, H5849551, H5849561, H5849562, H5849565, H5849822 and H5849823. There are 3 others that I have come across which must be from a Super Heavy Regiment but do not know which one. H6164822, H6164823 and H6164827. Hope it is of some interest to someone. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroman Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 Schiphol Amsterdam airport firebrigade had several of these tractors. Don't know wat has become of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Biondo Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 On 9/9/2023 at 10:48 AM, KevinT said: It would be nice to see one of these with a British census number. I know to 10 used by 61st Super Heavy Regiment RA. H5849538, H5849539, H5849543, H5849549, H5849551, H5849561, H5849562, H5849565, H5849822 and H5849823. There are 3 others that I have come across which must be from a Super Heavy Regiment but do not know which one. H6164822, H6164823 and H6164827. Hope it is of some interest to someone. Cheers I would be pleased to see some photos of one in British service - that alone is pretty rare. Even the illustration of an M6 in the R E Smith book, British Army Vehicles and Equipment Vol 2 Artillery of 1964 is of a model - not even of the real thing! There was that set of very fascinating photos taken in the early 50s at Woolwich with CMP Oerlikon LAA guns, a couple of Dorchesters etc where one or two appear, but, otherwise, very little. Interestingly, that seems to be true of medium & heavy artillery tractors in general - not many photos about at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinT Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 Here are the few that I have seen. Photos from various sources and 25th CADR Issue and Receipts from Canadian Heritage. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 Wow! They're excellent, thanks, Kevin Big beasts aren't they? And that must be one half of the 240mm gun - like some sort of siege engine! I am busy digging out pictures of the less usual vehicles in British service at the moment, just another little research cul de sac which I am following - or bee in the bonnet if you prefer. I have just come across some pictures of FWD HAR1s for example - a type I knew little of - apart from a brief mention in Bart Vanderveen's book - apparently they were used by RPC smoke generating units and, sure enough, I found a photo of one with such a smoke generator. The other great gap in photo availability seems to be vehicles in use by British forces in Burma and the Far East - where there was a preponderance of US vehicles such as the Dodge WCs which were rather less common in British markings closer to home. Which reminds me of a fascinating series of photos I came across of Dodge Power Wagons with post-war British ERMs - in service with the Trucial Oman Scouts, I think they were. All good stuff, but a bit off-topic from the M6s - sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scammell4199 Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 Thanks for re-igniting my thread Harold. Great to see that you've snapped up the T94, do please start a resto thread on here so we can track progress. @Citroman the ones at Schipol airport were M4s, i remember an article in Wheels and Tracks magazine years ago on them. @KevinT thanks for digging up those records. Good to keep the M6 data bank up to date. I can't fathom why so few of these vehicles exist now, but they do seem to be very rare. Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinT Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 12 hours ago, 10FM68 said: Wow! They're excellent, thanks, Kevin Big beasts aren't they? And that must be one half of the 240mm gun - like some sort of siege engine! I am busy digging out pictures of the less usual vehicles in British service at the moment, just another little research cul de sac which I am following - or bee in the bonnet if you prefer. I have just come across some pictures of FWD HAR1s for example - a type I knew little of - apart from a brief mention in Bart Vanderveen's book - apparently they were used by RPC smoke generating units and, sure enough, I found a photo of one with such a smoke generator. The other great gap in photo availability seems to be vehicles in use by British forces in Burma and the Far East - where there was a preponderance of US vehicles such as the Dodge WCs which were rather less common in British markings closer to home. Which reminds me of a fascinating series of photos I came across of Dodge Power Wagons with post-war British ERMs - in service with the Trucial Oman Scouts, I think they were. All good stuff, but a bit off-topic from the M6s - sorry! Yes these are the only photos I have come across of the M6 in British service, there may be others around but haven't found them yet. The line of M6's is apparently in Liverpool after they were off loaded, hopefully somewhere there shipping documents listing all the numbers not sure if there are on line files of US lend-lease equipment. Photos of heavy stuff guns and lorries do seem to be few and far between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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