Disston Tractor Tank

The Disston Tractor Tank, also called the Six-Ton Tractor Tank, was an American light tank of the mid 1930s. It was cheap to make, but few were sold as it was primitive and markedly inferior to the other light tanks of the era.

Development

The tank was created as a joint venture by the Caterpillar Corporation and the Disston Saw Works. Caterpillar provided the chassis, which was from a standard Caterpillar Model 35 civilian tractor, and Disston provided the tank body, which was bolted on to the Caterpillar chassis. The Caterpillar track was lengthened by adding a road wheel to the front of the track assembly, but some examples apparently do not have this lengthened track.^[1]^[2]

The Disston had a 37mm gun mounted in the body, and a turret with a .30 caliber (7.62 mm) light machine gun. It weighed about six tons, probably had a speed of 5 to 6.5 miles per hour, and had armor sufficient to stop small arms fire. The crew consisted of three men. At a cost of $21,000 (equivalent to $367,000 in 2023), the Disston was cheaper than similarly-armed tanks, but – being quite slow, with tracks unsuited for difficult terrain, thin armor, a high boxy superstructure, the engine exposed in the front, and only the secondary armament in a turret – was generally deemed unsatisfactory even so.^[2]

Operational history

A few were sold and delivered to Afghanistan and entered service there. At the 2001 American occupation of Afghanistan some were found to still exist, in broken-down condition or in Afghan scrapyards. The vehicle was marketed to Kuwait, New Zealand and Romania, and perhaps some other countries, but there is no reliable evidence that any were sold.^[2]

References

^ Silcox, Henry C. (2010). A Place to Live and Work: The Henry Disston Saw Works and the Tacony Community of Philadelphia. Penn State University Press. p. 128. ISBN 978-0271030753. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Willkerrs (June 19, 2016). "Disston Tractor Tank". Tank Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 21, 2018.

[Silcox-1] Silcox, Henry C. (2010). A Place to Live and Work: The Henry Disston Saw Works and the Tacony Community of Philadelphia. Penn State University Press. p. 128. ISBN 978-0271030753. Retrieved November 21, 2018.

[TankEncyclopedia-2] Willkerrs (June 19, 2016). "Disston Tractor Tank". Tank Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 21, 2018.

[1]

[2]

v t e Tanks of the interwar period
Tankettes	AH-IV Carden Loyd L3/33 L3/35 R-1 T-27 T-32 (Š-I-D) Tančík vz. 33 TKS Type 92 Type 94 Type 97 Te-Ke
Light	7TP 38M Toldi I Char D1 Disston Tractor Tank Fiat 3000 H35 L-60 Light tanks Mk I–V Light tank Mk VI Light tank Mk VII LT vz. 34 LT vz. 35 LT vz. 38 M1 combat car M2 light tank Panzer I Panzer II R35 T-18 T-26 T-37 T-38 Type 95 Ha-Go Vickers 6-ton Vickers-Carden-Loyd light amphibious tank Vickers T-15
Medium	Char D2 T-24 T-28 Type 89 I-Go Type 97 Chi-Ha Vickers medium Mk I Vickers medium Mk II
Cavalry, cruiser, fast	AMC 34 AMC 35 AMR 33 AMR 35 BT tank Cruiser Mk I Cruiser Mk II Cruiser Mk III SOMUA S35
Infantry	FCM 36 Hotchkiss H35 Matilda I T-26
Heavy, super-heavy	Char 2C Char B1 T-35
Prototypes, experimentals	10TP FCM F1 Grosstraktor Kolohousenka Landsverk L-120 Leichttraktor Medium Mark III Medium Mark D Medium tank A7 Morris-Martel Neubaufahrzeug PZInż 130 Škoda MU-4 SMK Straussler V-4 Stridsvagn m/31 ST vz. 39 T1 light tank T2 medium T7 combat car T-19 T-42 T-100 Type 87 Chi-I Type 91 heavy Type 95 heavy Type 97 Chi-Ni Type 98 Chi-Ho Verdeja Vickers A1E1 Independent
Interwar period tanks List of interwar armoured fighting vehicles Background: History of the tank, Tank classification, interwar period

Development

Operational history

See also

References