| M25 Tank Transporter | |
|---|---|
An M25 tank transporter, with an M4 Sherman tank at the 2010 War and Peace show
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| Type | 40 ton (36,287 kg) 6x6 Tank recovery truck-trailer |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941–1955 |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Knuckey Truck Company |
| Manufacturer | M26: Pacific Car & Foundry Co. M15: Fruehauf Trailer Co. |
| Variants | M26A1, M26A2 |
| Specifications (M25[2]) | |
| Mass | Empty[1] M26: 48,000 lb (22,000 kg) M15: 36,600 lb (16,600 kg) M25: 84,300 lb (38,200 kg) Loaded[1]
M26: 103,000 lb (47,000 kg) |
| Length | M26: 25 feet 4 inches (7.72 m) M15: 38 feet 5+1⁄16 inches (11.71 m) |
| Width | M26: 10 feet 10+3⁄4 inches (3.32 m) M15 12 feet 6 inches (3,810 mm) |
| Height | M26: 11 feet 5 inches (3.48 m) |
| Crew | 7 |
| Armor | front 3⁄4 in (19 mm) sides, rear 1⁄4 in (6.4 mm) |
Main | .50 cal M2 machine gun |
| Engine | Hall-Scott 440 gasoline 240 hp (180 kW) |
| Transmission | 4 speed x 3 speed |
| Fuel capacity | 120 US gal (450 L)[1] |
Operational | 120 mi (193.1 km) |
| Maximum speed | 28 mph (45 km/h) |
The M25 Tank Transporter (G160) was a combination 6x6 M26 armored heavy tank transporter/tank recovery tractor and companion 40-ton M15 trailer introduced into US Army service in Europe in 1944–45. Manufactured by Pacific Car & Foundry Co., it was a substantial upgrade over the Diamond T M19 transporter/trailer duo introduced in 1940.
Nicknamed the Dragon Wagon, it was replaced by the 10 ton 6x6 M123 semi-tractor beginning in 1955.[3]
In 1942 a new 40 ton semi-trailer tank transporter was needed with 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 used by the Diamond T tractor unit. Designed by the Fruehauf Trailer CompanyofDetroit, Michigan,[4] it was heavier than the Diamond T could manage. A companion M26 tractor was designed by the San Francisco-based Knuckey Truck Company. When it could not keep up with the Army's demands, production was awarded to the Pacific Car & Foundry Co. of Seattle, Washington.
Designated TR-1 by Pacific Car, the chain-driven 12-ton 6x6 M26 tractor was powered by a Hall-Scott 440 1,090 cu in (17.9 L) 6-cylinder gasoline engine developing 240 hp (180 kW) at 2000 rpm and 810 lbf⋅ft (1,098 N⋅m) at 1200 rpm. Developed for the M26, it was used to uprate the Diamond T. Some 2,100 Type 440s were built. Baxter notes "over 1,300" M26 and M26A1 being built.[4]
Unusually, the tractor unit was fitted with both an armored cab and two winches with a combined pull of 60 tons,[4] allowing it to do light battlefield recovery work.
A later unarmored version of the M26 tractor was designated the M26A1. An experimental ballast tractor conversion was evaluated by the British Fighting Vehicle Proving Establishment[4]
After the war, some of them (both armored and unarmored) were bought as surplus and used to carry oversize loads such as transformers, locomotives and heavy equipment.[5]
Japan: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
United Kingdom: British Army[4]
United States: United States Army
Yugoslavia: Yugoslav People's Army[6]
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Authority control databases: National  |
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