Warbird Information Exchange

Gentlemen,
going through my collection of photos I found on several occasions the same tractor used as a moto-tug. It's interesting to know the model and made of this "beast". I found photos with the tractor from WWII, Korea, Post-Korea (maybe even later), used by the USAAF, Navy, Marines, USArmy.
I'm sure somebody here knows the answer.
Thanks in advance!

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Yves Marino

Cletract- Cleveland Tractor Company.
I forget the model.

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Rich Palmer

Remember an Injured Youth
benstear.org
#64- Stay Strong and Keep the Faith

BOOM BOOM, ROUND ROUND, PROPELLER GO

Don't Be A Dilbert!

Thank you very much!
M-2 maybe?

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Yves Marino

Check out the http://cletrac.org/ website as it is all about these tractors. Interesting to see all the various models they had.

The shot of the tractor pulling the PBM out of the water is different tractor but the rest are as previously identified; a Cletrac or Cleveland Tractor Company MG-1 or M2 tractor, high speed, 7 ton. They were very common at most air bases in Europe, the Aleutians, the Pacific and stateside too. Pretty much everywhere the AAF was operating you could find cletracs.



We have three Cletrac projects at our museum and will make one complete one and a good second one some day. One is made under contract by John Deere. Tracks are hard to find as they are a one piece band type similar to the ones found on the half track and when the break you can't repair them nor find much in the way of spares.

Here is a crude web page I put together a while ago with some photos of the Cletrac:

http://www.twinbeech.com/cletrac.htm

They are pretty cool vehicles reportedly will really get up on the tracks when at speed. They also have a 110 volt DC (!) generator for tools and lights and "energizer" which was a motor used for manually starting the engines by spinning up the inertia starter. Much better than the hand crank option.

There was also a 1500 psi compressor meant for general servicing and shock strut inflation. The later models were equipped with top bows and a canvas enclosure just like a Jeep. In one of the photos above you can see the top bows stowed.

Great photos by the way. Haven't seen some of them and they give great views of different angles where you can see equipment not visible in the usual ground level shots.

This is my all time favorite Cletrac photo



The guy is using the compressed air to service either the tire or the strut. The Cletrac also has battery box art.

Check out the nose art on the bombs on the wing of the P-47. Sure would be fun to recreate this shot somehow. Lots going on.

Below is a good one too:

The yellow disc on the front is a placard with what was called the bridge weight. 11 means 11 tons! these tractors were no light weights. My 1 ton Ford van did amazingly well towing one of these back from Texas especially down the hills which was a surprise.

There is also a film of a Cletrac pushing the Enola Gay back over the bomb pit on August 5th. Good stuff.

One of the many not so well known vehicles of WWII that served a significant purpose. They kept the Army Air Force moving especially in difficult conditions

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Thank you!

Taigh Ramey
Vintage Aircraft, Stockton, California
http://www.twinbeech.com
'KEEP ‘EM FLYING…FOR HISTORY!'

Thanks for the lesson and cool photos Taigh.
It's easy to overlook the work horses for the bling.
I'm a maintainer so I know that feeling.
My favourite line to use around pilots is "You can teach a monkey to ride a bicycle, but, what's he gonna do when the chain falls off?"

Andy Scott

Taigh,
Thanks for posting the photos. I love these as well and wish the track issue could be easily resolved. Small pointer on your bridge classification info. The bridge placard is a number assigned based on class of bridge IAW the US Army Engineer bridge classification system. The bridge class is a number system calculated using methods of construction and condition of the bridge. The bridge is then given this classification and it is posted prominently on the bridge. The vehicle classification is based on weight, wheelbase, # of tires, and what that means in your photo is that the vehicle can safely cross any bridge with a number class of 11 or above. These plates went on every vehicle in WWII, including trailers. But they are not the weight of the vehicle. The opposite page from the book you scanned, TM 9-2800 or "Standard Catalog of Military Vehicles," will have the weight of the Cletrac shown.
If you have it in your library, WWII US Army Engineer Field Manual FM 5-36 "Route Reconnaissance and Classification" from WWII will explain the bridge classification system to you.

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REMEMBER THE SERGEANT PILOTS!

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shared ... 4P-015.JPG

Here is the example at the NMUSAF

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Taigh,
I hope that mechanic WASN'T servicing the P-47 strut with compressed air and was using a nitrogen bottle, otherwise, it'll make a very cool mailbox mounting post.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

The third one is not a Cletrac. It looks like a small dozer.

Everybody: Thank you for the whole bunch of information. Taigh, a special "thank you" for the Cletrac forum-link!
I was amazed to read all these details about the M2/MG-1. The fact that it didn't turn as a regular tractor or a tank, but had a turning radius of 10.5' was the culmination for me!
Thanks for the nice pics too.
Cheers!

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Yves Marino

If i had to guess, it looks like an Allis Chalmers WD-7 as a prime mover without a blade. Many of them ended up in the USSR as artillery tractors.

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Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.

And if you want a model of it, one comes with Monogram's 1/48 B-24. I think one comes in something else by another kit manufacturer but I can't place it. Maybe Lindberg's 1/48 Snark missile. Cool pics, thanks for posting them.

When I was in my mid-teens (1959-60) a local farmer had bought 3 of them miltary surplus and used them for plowing and disking. The air compressor was removed and a simple hydraulic system to raise/lower the fram equipment was installed. The modifcation I liked best was the installation of dual exhausts exiting through the hood - at night there would be an impressive blue flame 6-8 inches long out of both mufflers under full power. The exhaust manifold would run cherry red - I would light my cigarettes with it. With 150hp (back when a big Farmall or John Deere might put out 60hp) they were awesome pulling machines - I probably have 500-750 hours seat time in them.

My computer screen background is the one from above with the P-47

Dave, have you ventured back to that area to see if any of these are sitting off to the side doing a slow rot, could be a great find. Tractors are kinda difficult to steal in the night (reference to Meth-heads and should not be confused with the law abiding citizens of WIX), so one (or 2) might just be around. never hurts to check...provided the farm is still there naturally.

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Kind Regards,
Gary Lewis
J.A.F.O.