Aircraft tug
| M2 high-speed tractor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Aircraft tug |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | By 1943 |
| Used by | US Army |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | February 1941 |
| Manufacturer | Cleveland Tractor Company |
| No. built | 8,510 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 14,700 lb (6.7 t) |
| Length | 166 in (4.22 m) |
| Width | 70 in (1.78 m) |
| Height | 68 in (1.73 m) |
| Crew | 3 |
| Engine | Hercules WXLC3, 6-cylinder, petrol engine 150 hp (112 kW) |
| Suspension | Volute spring |
| Operational range | 100 mi (160 km) |
| Maximum speed | 22 mph (35 km/h) |
The M2 high-speed tractor (or colloquially M2 Cletrac) was an aircraft tug used by the United States Army Air Forces from 1942.
Construction
The M2 is a fully tracked vehicle designed to tow aircraft on primitive airfields. It was equipped with a 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) winch with 300 ft (91 m) of 3⁄8 in (9.5 mm) cable, an auxiliary generator (3 kW at 110 volts DC), and an air compressor (3 stage, 16.7 CFPM, 2,000 PSI)
History
The M2 was standardized in February 1941 as Medium Tractor M2.
Surviving artifacts
Surviving examples are at the Estrella Warbird Museum, the Wright Museum, the AAF Museum in Danville, VA, Overloon War Museum, the Pima Air & Space Museum, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, the Yanks Air Museum, Chino CA, the March Field Air Museum in Riverside CA, The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Bright's Pioneer Museum, Plainsburg CA, two at the Danville Armour Museum, Danville, VA, and one privately held in Belton, SC, USA. Abroad, one can be found, in perfect condition, at the American Air Museum, in Duxford (UK).
See also
- List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog designation
- List of U.S. military vehicles by model number
- M4 tractor
- MB-2 tow tractor
- Omni Directional Vehicle
- U-30 tow tractor
References
- United States. War Department (September 1943). TM 9-2800 Standard Military Motor Vehicles. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- David Doyle (2003). Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles. Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87349-508-X.
- "EWM Webmaster redirect". www.ewarbirds.org. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- "Wright Museum - M2 Cletrac High Speed Tractor". www.williammaloney.com.
- Overloon, Oorlogsmuseum. "Home - Oorlogsmuseum Overloon". www.oorlogsmuseum.nl.
- "Museum Aircraft". www.pimaair.org.
External links
- Cletrac M-2 High Speed Tractor (HST) – Olive-Drab
- Photo Album - Cletrac MG-1, MG-2, MG-3 Pictures – Cletrac.org
| US military soft-skinned vehicles of World War II | |
|---|---|
| 1⁄4–3⁄4 ton vehicles | |
| 11⁄2–4 ton trucks | |
| 5–10 ton trucks | |
| Tank transporters | |
| Amphibious vehicles | |
| Tracked tractors & carriers | |
| Motorcycles | |
| Trailers |
|
 World War II vehicles of the United States List of soft-skinned vehicles of the US military | |