Tuesday 12 August 2014

American Trailer

"Conclusions of the GBTU Tank Directorate on Trials of the American Diamond-T Company Tank Transporter with Trailer

According to orders of the GBTU chief, Lieutenant-General of the Tank Forces comrade Vershinin, the NIBT proving grounds tested the transporter with trailer from October 10th to December 5th, 1943. During these trials, the quality and capacity for various tasks in the Red Army was evaluated.

  1. T-34 and KV tanks fit on the trailer comfortably for transport.
  2. Loading functional tanks onto the trailer is easy and does not need additional equipment. It takes 10-15 minutes to load a tank. When a tank drives up the ramps, harsh vibrations can be observed, which shear the bolts of the anti-slip covers on the ramp and rear section of the trailer.
  3. The presence of a powerful winch (up to 10,000 kg of tension) allows loading tanks with nonfunctional suspensions (no tracks). When loading T-34 or KV tanks with no tracks, the tension surpasses 10,000 kg, which requires special blocks to be used.
  4. When loading tanks without nonfunctional suspensions, it is necessary to block the trailer limber from turning when moving backwards. No such stopper is included in the design, and it must be produced domestically. 
  5. A T-34 can be held down by 4 cables, included with the trailer. A KV tank, due to its large size and low placement of tow hooks, cannot be attached securely with available equipment. In order to securely hold a KV tank, new hooks must be welded onto the trailer to replace front and rear loops.
  6. Off-loading broken tanks with functional suspensions is done using another vehicle or transporter. Off-loading broken tanks with nonfunctional suspensions should be performed with simultaneous help from another vehicle and the winch.
  7. The mobility of the vehicle is limited by the poor ground traction of the transporter and low clearance (190 mm) of the trailer. It is only possible to transport tanks over hard roads. On packed snow, soft, and wet terrain, the wheels slip. The maximum grade when carrying a T-34 is 6-7 degrees.
  8. When the trailer is loaded with a weight of 20,000 kg, the maximum speed of the vehicle is 34 kph, average is 30 kph. 
  9. 144 L of fuel is consumed when carrying a KV tank for 100 km. 
Aside from the primary purpose of the vehicle (carrying tanks), it can be used for other purposes.
  1. The powerful winch can be used for freeing stuck tanks.
  2. The transporter can carry cargo with other trailers. Using its winch, the transporter is capable of traversing terrain impassable for trucks.
Conclusions

Trials of the Diamond-T company tank transporter have shown the following results:
  1. The transporter and trailer can be used to transport domestic tanks weighing up to 45,000 kg over roads with hard surfaces.
  2. The transporter and trailer can transport tanks to repair bases, meaning they should be assigned to recovery units.
  3. When railroads are unavailable, the transporters can be used to move large amounts of tanks from one region to another.
  4. The transporter without the trailer can be used to pull out stuck vehicles and carry cargo.
  5. Based on the aforementioned performance, I consider it necessary to import Diamond-T transporters with trailers and use them in the Red Army.
Senior Assistant of the Chief of the 6th GBTU TU Department, Lieutenant-Colonel Dorofeev
Assistant of the Chief of the 6th GBTU TU Department, Engineer-Captain Zakhartsev"



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