"17-pounder Tow" Topic
4 Posts
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Mobius | 08 Oct 2014 10:27 a.m. PST |
Could a Loyd carrier be used to tow a 17-pounder AT gun? I've seen photos of them being towed by Morris Quads but not the Loyd. The Loyd seems to have more horse power than the Quad so I wonder why it wasn't used. |
Jemima Fawr | 08 Oct 2014 10:41 a.m. PST |
It probably 'could', but wasn't. Yes, it probably had the horsepower to pull it, but no room for the ammunition or crew. The usual 17pdr tractor in Infantry Division AT Regts was the Morris or CMP Quad (with gun-limber). In Armoured Division AT Regts the typical tractor was the M14 Halftrack (not normally with a limber). Some Canadian formations later used C15TA armoured trucks and/or Stuart V 'Jalopies'. In Corps AT Regts the Crusader Tractor was used (with limber). The Canadians sometimes used Ram Tractors. In Airborne AT Batteries, the cut-down Morris C8 Quad was used (without limber) until October 1945, when it was replaced by the Dodge Weapons Carrier. |
Neroon | 08 Oct 2014 11:12 a.m. PST |
If I'm remembering correctly, it wasn't about the horsepower or crew/ammo capacity. You could easily follow the same practice as with the 6pdr and have one tow the gun and the other tow the limber, with the larger crew distributed between the two. It was about the transmission and suspension capacities of the Loyd carrier. The transmission was neither geared correctly nor built robustly enough to tow the 17pdr (2 1/2 tons of gun) for any great distance without burning out – even on a level paved road. The other factor is how the weight is distributed on the suspension when the gun is limbered. It's all on the rear suspension members and is simply more than they were designed to handle. Even if the transmission survived it's likely the suspension would break under the load. Then there is the issue of trying to go cross country. The Quad couldn't manage it very well and it is simply beyond the Loyd's capabilities with such a heavy load. |
Andy P | 09 Oct 2014 4:49 a.m. PST |
It was a transmission issue that stopped Uni carriers towing 6 pdrs, they could in an emergency but risked damaging the engine and gear box. |
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