The M8 High-Speed Tractor was an artillery tractor used by the US Army and Marine Corps from 1950.
Construction
The M8 is a full-track tractor based on the chassis of the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank. It was used to tow cargo trailers and artillery such as the Skysweeper 75 mm anti-aircraft gun and the M59 Long Tom gun. The basic M8 variant could be quickly adapted for carrying projectiles and charges. Unusually for a tractor, the M8's engine was located at the front of the cab. Some M8s were equipped with a hydraulic M5 dozer blade.
History
The M8 was developed following the failure of the T33 cargo-carrier, which was based on the M24 Chaffee light tank chassis. The new, standardized M8 was produced between 1950 and 1955.
See also
References
- Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armoured Fighting Vehicles. p 309: Dempsey-Parr. ISBN 1-84084-328-4.
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- SNL G266
US military soft-skinned vehicles introduced after 1945 | |
|---|---|
| 1⁄4–1⁄2 ton vehicles | |
| 3⁄4–13⁄4 ton vehicles | |
| 21⁄2–7 ton trucks | |
| 8–16.5 ton trucks | |
| Tank transporters | |
| Tractor trucks | |
| Tracked tractors & carriers | |
| Specialist vehicles | |
| Amphibious vehicles | |
| All-terrain vehicles | |
