Dragon Wagon

M25 Tank Transporter
M25 Tank Transporter
	; M26 tractor.
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1941-1955
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Knuckey Truck Company
Manufacturer	Pacific Car & Foundry Co.
Specifications
Crew	7
Armor	front 3/4 inch; sides, rear 1/4 inch
Primary; armament	.50 cal M2 machine gun
Engine	Type 440 6-cylinder gasoline engine; 240 hp
Suspension	6x6
Speed	26 mph

The M25 Tank Transporter was a heavy tank transporter and tank recovery vehicle used in World War II and beyond by the US Army.

Nicknamed the Dragon Wagon, the M25 was composed of a 6x6 armored tractor (M26) and 40-ton trailer (M15).

Development[]

In 1942 a new 40 ton semi-trailer tank transporter was required. This was to offer better off-road performance than the M9 24-small-wheel trailer, and greater capacity than the 30 ton 8-large-wheel Shelvoke and Drewry semi-trailers, then in use with the Diamond T tractor unit. This new trailer was designed by the Fruehauf Trailer Company (based in Detroit, MI).^[1] A new tractor unit was required, as this heavier trailer was more than the Diamond T could cope with.

The M26 tractor was designed by the San Francisco-based Knuckey Truck Company. When Knuckey's production capacity proved insufficient the army awarded production to the Pacific Car & Foundry Co. of Seattle, Washington.

Designated TR-1 by Pacific Car, the 12-ton 6x6 M26 tractor was powered by a Type 440 240 bhp 6-cylinder gasoline engine developed exclusively for it by Hall-Scott (although also used to uprate the Diamond T). Some 2,100 Type 440s were built.^{[clarification needed]} Baxter^[1] notes "over 1,300" M26 and M26A1 being built.

Unusually, the tractor unit was fitted with both an armoured cab and two winches with a combined pull of 60 tons.^[1] The intention was that as well as hauling the tank transporter semi-trailer, the tractor unit could itself be used for battlefield light recovery work.

A later unarmoured version of the M26 tractor was designated the M26A1. An experimental ballast tractor conversion was experimented with by the British FVPE^[1]

Service[]

The M26 entered service with the US Army in Europe in 1944-45.

U.S. Nomenclature[]

In the nomeclature system used by the U.S Army Ordnance Corps Supply Catalog this vehicle is referred as the G160.

Specifications[]

Crew-7
Armament 1-.50 cal. machine gun
Armor, front-3/4", sides, rear, 1/4".
top speed-26 MPH
fuel cap, 120 GAL.

Users[]

US Army
British Army^[1]
JGSDF

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 Baxter, Brian S. (1989). Breakdown: A History of Recovery Vehicles in the British Army. HMSO, for REME Museum, 51. ISBN 0-11-290456-4.

War Department Technical Manuals (Reprints by Portrayal Press, P.O. Box 1190, Andover, NJ 07821)
TM 9-767 (40 Ton Tank Transporter/Truck-Trailer M25)
TM 9-1767B (Power Train for Tractor Truck M26, Component of 40-Ton Tank Transporter Trailer, Truck M25)
TM 9-1767C (Body/Chassis/Winches for Tractor Truck M26, Component of 40-Ton Tank Transporter Trailer Truck M25)
SNL G160
TM 9-2800 Military vehicles 1947

External links[]

This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Dragon Wagon. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons by Attribution License and/or GNU Free Documentation License. Please check page history for when the original article was copied to Wikia

[Baxter,_Breakdown,_51-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 Baxter, Brian S. (1989). Breakdown: A History of Recovery Vehicles in the British Army. HMSO, for REME Museum, 51. ISBN 0-11-290456-4.

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