An artillery tractor , also referred to as a gun tractor , is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be wheeled , tracked , or half-tracked .
20-665: The Albion CX22S was a heavy artillery tractor used by the British Army during World War II . The Albion CX22S was designed and built by Albion Motors in late 1943 to supplement the Scammell Pioneer heavy artillery tractor, which was not available in sufficient numbers. In service the CX22S was used by the British Army to tow the 155mm Long Tom and the BL 7.2-inch howitzer . The CX22S
40-490: A bucket, and are also often referred to as 'Roto' machines, and may be considered a hybrid between a telehandler and small crane. In some jurisdictions, a license is required in order to operate a telehandler under law or regulations of a national or other jurisdictional authority. For example, in Australia , a Gold Card can be obtained for telehandlers with a capacity of three tonnes or less for standard attachments where
60-550: A computer which uses sensors to monitor the vehicle and will warn the operator and/or cut off further control input if the limits of the vehicle are exceeded, the latter being a legal requirement in Europe controlled by EN15000. Machines can also be equipped with front stabilizers which extend the lifting capability of the equipment while stationary. Machines that are fully stabilised with a rotary joint between upper and lower frames can be called mobile cranes ; they can typically still use
80-425: A crane jib for lifting loads. Attachments on the market include dirt buckets, grain buckets, rotators, and power booms. Agricultural models can also be fitted with three-point linkage and power take-off. The advantage of the telehandler is also its biggest limitation: as the boom extends or raises while bearing a load, it acts as a lever and causes the vehicle to become increasingly unstable, despite counterweights in
100-412: A different primary purpose such as the U.S. Marines' light capacity rough terrain forklift (LCRTF), a versatile telehandler forklift capable of towing gear from either end. The following are a few examples of artillery tractors, classified by its traction system and era. Telehandler A telescopic handler , also called a lull , telehandler , teleporter , reach forklift , or zoom boom ,
120-401: A low boom angle. The same machine with a 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) lift capacity with the boom retracted may be able to support as much as 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) with the boom raised to 70°. The operator is equipped with a load chart which helps him determine whether a given task is possible, taking into account weight, boom angle and height. Failing this, most telehandlers now utilize
140-427: Is a machine widely used in agriculture and industry . It is somewhat like a forklift but has a boom ( telescopic cylinder ), making it more a crane than a forklift, with the increased versatility of a single telescopic boom that can extend forwards and upwards from the vehicle. The boom can be fitted with different attachments, such as a bucket, pallet forks, muck grab, or winch . The first telescopic handler
160-475: Is also common to find auxiliary power units built into the gun carriage to provide power while the propulsion engine is offline. Traditional towed artillery can still be found in units where complexity and weight are liabilities: e.g. airmobile, amphibious and other light units. In such units, where organic transport is usually limited, any available transport can double as artillery tractors in order to reposition guns when needed. For example, engineer vehicles of
180-481: The Morris "Quad" , Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) "Quad" and AEC Matador throughout World War II, rather than adopt a general purpose vehicle. Artillery tractors were different from "General Service" (GS) vehicles by having a compartment for the gun detachment immediately behind the cab and separated from the cargo space containing ammunition and gun stores. German forces used half-tracks as artillery tractors, such as
200-457: The Sd.Kfz. 7 . Half-tracked tractors were not commonly used in this role in other nations. Compared to wheeled vehicles they had better off-road capabilities, but were slower on roads and were more prone to breakdowns. However, for Germany horses remained the most common way of towing artillery throughout the war. In modern warfare , towed artillery has given way in part to self-propelled artillery . It
220-664: The interwar period and in World War II , especially by the Wehrmacht . This type of tractor was mostly discontinued postwar. The first artillery tractors were designed prior to the outbreak of World War I , often based on agricultural machines such as the Holt tractor . Such vehicles allowed the tactical use of heavier guns to supplement the light horse drawn field guns . "Horseless artillery" available prior to World War I weighed 8 tons, had 70 horsepower and could go 8 mph. For example, in
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#1732869870124240-544: The British Army it allowed the heavy guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery to be used flexibly on the battlefield. In World War II the draft horse was still the most common source of motive power in many armies. Most nations were economically and industrially unable to fully motorise their forces. One compromise was to produce general purpose vehicles which could be used in the troop transport, logistics and prime mover roles, with heavy artillery tractors to move
260-517: The heaviest guns. The British Army had fully mechanized prior to war. During the 1920s and 30s it had used the Vickers Medium Dragon and Light Dragon fully-tracked artillery tractors, but they had been mostly replaced with wheeled vehicles, starting with the Morris CDSW . The Royal Artillery persisted with specialist artillery tractors – known as "Field Artillery Tractors" (FAT) – such as
280-550: The machine is operated from below. The Gold Card is issued by the Telescopic Handler Association of Australia (TSHA). The Gold Card is not a legally required qualification however verbal instruction is not considered an appropriate training method as it lacks evidence of competency training. Competency training with evidence of learning and written assessment is legally required in Australia. In Victoria, Australia,
300-473: The most common attachment for a telehandler are buckets or bucket grabs; again the most common application is to move loads to and from places unreachable for a 'conventional machine' which in this case is a wheeled loader or backhoe loader. For example, telehandlers have the ability to reach directly into a high-sided trailer or hopper. The latter application would otherwise require a loading ramp, conveyor, or something similar. The telehandler can also work with
320-440: The most common attachment for a telehandler is pallet forks and the most common application is to move loads to and from places unreachable for a conventional forklift. For example, telehandlers have the ability to remove palletised cargo from within a trailer and to place loads on rooftops and other high places. The latter application would otherwise require a crane, which is not always practical or time-efficient. In agriculture
340-467: The rear. This means that the lifting capacity quickly decreases as the working radius (distance between the front of the wheels and the centre of the load) increases. When used as a loader the single boom (rather than twin arms) is very highly loaded and even with careful design is a weakness. A vehicle with a 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) capacity with the boom retracted may be able to safely lift as little as 400 lb (180 kg) with it fully extended at
360-419: Was based on Albion's CX23N 10-ton truck. The CX22S was a wheeled 6x4 truck, powered by a 100 bhp (75 kW) six-cylinder inline diesel engine, through a four-speed gearbox and two-speed auxiliary gearbox. The cab of the CX22S had bench seating for two or three whilst the rear body had bench seating for four and folding seats for two more along with stowage for tools, equipment and ammunition. The CX22S
380-576: Was believed to have been manufactured by French company Sambron in 1957. In 1971, Liner Construction Equipment of Hull launched the Giraffe 4WD, 4WS telehandler based on a design by Matbro who created a similar machine based on their articulated forestry machines. JCB launched their 2WD, rear steer Loadall in October 1977. The JCB 520 was originally aimed at construction sites, the potential for agricultural uses soon followed. JCB sold 100,000 units by In industry,
400-479: Was fitted with an 8 long tons (8.1 t) Scammell vertical-spindle winch under the rear body to assist with moving a gun. Albion built 532 CX22S artillery tractors between November 1943 and June 1945. This military vehicle article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Artillery tractor There are two main types of artillery tractors, depending on the type of traction: wheeled and tracked. In addition, half-track tractors were used in
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