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 not a good tank, being fairly primitive, but it was cheap to make.

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 $308,000 in 2018), the Disston was cheaper than similarly-armed tanks, but – being quite slow, with tracks unsuited for difficult terrain, thin armor, a high boxy superstructure, and the engine exposed in the front – was generally deemed unsatisfactory even so.[2]

Operational history

A few were sold and delivered to Afghanistan and entered service there. Some or all of these still exist, in broken-down condition in Afghan scrapyards. The vehicle was marketed to Kuwait and Romania, and perhaps some other countries, but there is no reliable evidence that any were sold.[2]

References

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