During the years of World War II, the belligerent countries managed to create the largest parks of armored vehicles, which included vehicles of different types and classes. However, the end of the fighting made much of this technique unnecessary. The machines were written off and sent for cutting or sold to other countries or private customers. The latter, for obvious reasons, did not plan to use tanks or other vehicles for their intended purpose, and therefore rebuilt them into vehicles of other classes. This is how the Crawford Sherman heavy tracked tractor came about.
The history of the Crawford-Sherman project began in 1947. The agricultural company R. H. was operating in Lincolnshire, British at the time. Crawford & Sons, founded by Robert Crawford. One of the areas of her activity was the preparation of virgin lands for use. With the help of several tractors, self-propelled steam winches and plows, Mr. Crawford and his colleagues plowed the land to great depths, after which new fields could be put into operation. The company took orders from public and private structures, and made a significant contribution to the food security of the country.
The Crawford Sherman tractor after restoration. Photo Web.inter.nl.net/users/spoelstra
In the second half of the forties, the company faced a serious problem: its fleet of equipment mainly consisted of old models built many years ago. The existing steam tractors did not fully meet the tasks to be solved, and in addition, they managed to develop a hefty part of the resource. In the near future, the company should have renewed its fleet of equipment. Otherwise, she risked being left without the necessary machines and, as a result, losing orders.
In 1947, R. Crawford found an interesting way to replace obsolete technology, with a certain increase in performance and potential. After the end of World War II, the British army, as well as the armed forces of several other countries, began to sell off military vehicles that were no longer needed. Together with other equipment, it offered buyers American-made M4A2 Sherman medium tanks. R. Crawford appreciated this proposal and considered it acceptable. Soon there was a contract for the supply of a serial tank.
The Sherman tank, bought by R. H. Crawford & Sons. Shot from d / f Classic Plant
In accordance with the agreement concluded by the military department, R. H. Crawford & Sons received one Sherman medium tank. Before handing over to the customer, the seller removed the standard turret, weapons and some other military equipment from the vehicle. The cost of such a contract was only £ 350 - not entirely for nothing, but not too expensive for a combat vehicle with significant resource residues.
As the new owner of the tank and the developer of the tractor on its basis later said, the combat vehicle was released no later than mid-1942 and had a very curious biography. So, in the fall of 1942, she participated in the Second Battle of El Alamein. This tank was in one of the units that developed the offensive in North Africa and contributed to the victory in this theater of operations. However, specific data on the combat path of the purchased tank still remain unknown.
Having received the ordered tank chassis, R. Crawford and employees began to rebuild it. Not all the features of the combat vehicle corresponded to its new role, and therefore some of the units should have been removed, while others were planned to be replaced. Others could be left and used for their intended purpose. As a result, the new tracked tractor retained a certain resemblance to the basic military vehicle, but at the same time received the most noticeable differences. In addition, such a machine had minimal external resemblance to other tractors of that time.
Tractor at work. The photo was probably taken in the early 50s. Photo Farmcollector.com
The agricultural company considered that the existing tank was too heavy for new tasks. This led to a noticeable redesign of the case. The chassis lost its frontal and stern armor, as well as the entire upper part of the hull, which rose above the fenders. At the same time, it was decided to retain the characteristic cast transmission casing, which served as the lower frontal part. The lower part of the body with fasteners for the chassis elements was not finalized. The hull was left open on top, although the aft engine compartment was covered with a light casing, vaguely similar to the armor of the base Sherman.
Curiously, the removed body parts also brought some benefit. No longer needed armor plates were sold to one of the metallurgical enterprises as recyclable materials. Perhaps the money raised for them simplified the subsequent construction of the tractor to some extent.
Front view. The frontal detail clearly indicates the origin of the chassis. Shot from d / f Classic Plant
The layout of the case has not actually changed, but the removal of the upper box affected the composition of the internal units. In the front of the car, directly under the cast casing, there were transmission elements. A couple of crew jobs were placed immediately behind them. The central part of the hull, which previously contained the fighting compartment, now served only to accommodate the longitudinal propeller shaft, which reached the aft engine compartment.
The new tractor has retained the standard power plant. In the aft part of the hull, the General Motors Model 6046 system was left, which included a pair of 6-71 diesel engines with a total capacity of 375 hp. With the help of a longitudinal propeller shaft, power was transmitted to the front five-speed transmission, which distributed it between the two drive wheels. Taking into account the specifics of future operation, the exhaust system has been redesigned. In order not to worsen the already difficult working conditions of the operator of the towed plow, a pair of vertical exhaust pipes of sufficient height were installed at the stern of the hull.
The undercarriage, built on the basis of VVSS type suspension bogies, was completely preserved. Each such carriage was equipped with a pair of track rollers and one support roller. The role of the elastic suspension element was played by vertical springs. Three carts were kept on each side. In the front of the hull, large drive wheels of the lantern gear were placed, and the guide wheels and the track tensioning mechanism remained in the stern.
Stern view. The tank chassis received new exhaust pipes and towing equipment. Shot from d / f Classic Plant
When rebuilding the tank into a tractor, the ergonomics of the habitable compartment changed in a certain way. Instead of a closed control compartment, a simplified cab was now used, which did not have a roof or glazing. In the front of the body, on the sides of the propeller shaft and transmission, a pair of simple seats were installed. In front of the left were the control room devices. The controls and the dashboard have not been altered. However, R. Crawford and his staff had to come up with new ways of attaching them, since earlier some devices were connected to the sides or forehead of the hull.
The new tractor was intended to work with plows and other agricultural equipment, and therefore received new devices. So, at the stern of the hull, a frame structure with a transverse beam placed just above ground level was fixed. On the latter, a simple hitch was installed to secure the cables. Also, this or that equipment could be towed using similar devices on the engine casing.
Preserving part of the housing units while removing other devices made it possible to a certain extent to reduce the dimensions of the machine, as well as to drastically reduce its weight. In terms of dimensions, R. Crawford's tractor almost corresponded to the original tank. It had a length of less than 5, 9 m with a width of 2, 6 m and a height of less than 2 m. The curb weight was reduced to 20 tons, which made it possible to obtain the required traction characteristics with an acceptable load on the ground. The driving characteristics of the car have hardly changed. However, during the new work, the tractor would not have to reach maximum speed or overcome large obstacles.
Balance plow during work. One of the frames is raised, the other is plowing the ground. Shot from d / f Classic Plant
Already during perestroika, the new tractor tank received a bright red color. Also on the side shield of the engine casing there were white inscriptions stating that the unusual car belonged to the R. H. Crawford & Sons.
As far as we know, the new tracked tractor did not have its own name, which made it possible to confidently distinguish it from other equipment of a similar purpose. However, over time, this problem has been resolved. Now a curious sample is often called the Crawford Sherman - by the name of the creator and the name of the base machine.
For use with the Crawford-Sherman tractor, two plows were offered, which by that time were actively used by the operator. The first was designed for plowing up to 3 feet deep and was originally used with a Fowler self-propelled winch. The existing balance plow with a pair of single-body openers did not need any modifications and could be used as is. At the same time, instead of a steam winch, it was now supposed to be towed by a tractor.
The plow operator is in his place. Shot from d / f Classic Plant
The main part of the tasks was planned to be solved using a multi-body balancing plow, also manufactured by Fowler. The basis of this product was a lightweight front end with wheel travel, on which two frames were attached with four openers each. On both frames there were workplaces for an operator who could control the operation of the plow and change its parameters. Like other balance plows, the larger system could be towed behind the tractor using a cable.
The restructuring of the purchased tank into a promising tracked tractor ended in the same year 1947. Wasting no time, R. Crawford brought his novelty to the field and tested it in real conditions. The car showed itself well, and it was put into full operation. Soon, the best methods of using it were identified, which allowed to obtain maximum performance with minimum fuel consumption and time. Thanks to this, in particular, it was possible to abandon the previously used method of using a balancing plow with a pair of self-propelled winches standing at the edges of the field.
Towing this or that plow, the Crawford Sherman tractor moved in second gear at a speed of no more than 6-7 miles per hour (9-11 km / h). Having reached the opposite edge of the field, the crew disconnected the towing cable, turned the plow on the front end, lowering the other frame with openers, and then turned the machine around and attached the second cable. This made it possible to quickly and easily start moving in the opposite direction. Both plows, designed to work with a tracked tractor, differed in their characteristics, but had a similar design. Therefore, working with them was the same.
Tractor "Crawford Sherman" after restoration and sending to the museum. Photo Tractors.wikia.com
Using this technique, a single tracked tractor could plow from 10 to 20 acres in a working day - 4-8 hectares or 40, 5-81 thousand square meters. This work averaged 65 gallons of fuel (almost 300 liters). Thus, in terms of operational characteristics, the former tank, at least, was not inferior to other agricultural equipment of that time. And if we take into account the minimum cost of the base car and not the most expensive rebuilding, then it surpassed it in general terms.
According to known data, the only tractor "Crawford Sherman" completely covered the needs of R. H. Crawford & Sons in similar machines. New samples of such equipment were no longer built. The tractor was operated for a long time for one purpose or another. Depending on the specifics of new orders, it could work on virgin soil and prepare it for use, plow already developed fields, or perform the functions of a tractor with high performance. In the post-war period, Great Britain experienced certain difficulties with agricultural machinery, and therefore even one "tank-tractor" could make a significant contribution to the country's food security.
As far as is known, the active operation of the tractor lasted for about a decade. In 1957, the machine, which had already served in the army, had exhausted its resource and could no longer solve the assigned tasks. To the delight of lovers of unique equipment, R. Crawford did not sell the tractor for scrap or dispose of it on his own. For several years he stood idle, but no one was going to get rid of him.
View of the interior of the case. Also visible is a plate that speaks of the military and labor exploits of the machine. Photo Hmvf.co.uk
In 1984, the head of R. H. Crawford & Sons became Robert Crawford Jr. - the son of its founder and creator of an unusual tractor. In accordance with one of the first decisions of the new leader, the Crawford Sherman tractor went to be repaired and restored. The car was again on the move and restored its previous spectacular appearance. In addition, the restorers have added a new part to the tractor. A plate appeared on the engine cover with a loud reminder: "He fought at El Alamein, and now pulls the heaviest plow in Britain."
The restored caterpillar tractor was included in the exposition of the Crawfords private museum, which contains many interesting examples of agricultural and special equipment of the past. After repair, a car based on the Sherman can move independently, and due to this, it is often attracted to participate in various demonstration events. The unique exhibit has not been used for its intended purpose for a long time, but it is still able to show its capabilities to the audience.
It should be noted, however, that the Crawford Sherman tractor was not unique or the only example of its kind. In the second half of the forties, the armies of several countries were actively getting rid of surplus military equipment, and agricultural and other civilian structures bought them, due to which they restored their parks. However, the R. H. Crawford & Sons has an important difference from its peers. It has not been disposed of, has survived to our time and remains on the move. Unlike many decommissioned, butchery or simply abandoned cars, it is able to visually demonstrate the history of post-war British agriculture and convey the spirit of its era.
