M2 high-speed tractor

M2 high-speed tractor
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.^[1]^[2]

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,^[3] the Wright Museum,^[4] the AAF Museum in Danville, VA, Overloon War Museum,^[5] the Pima Air & Space Museum,^[6] 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).