Aircraft tug
M2 high-speed tractor Type Aircraft tug Place of origin United States In service By 1943 Used by US Army Wars World War II Designed February 1941 Manufacturer Cleveland Tractor Company No. built8,510 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) 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
Cletrac in front of a P-47 Thunderbolt of the 406th Fighter Group
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).
See also
References
External links