Dělostřelecký malotraktor - prototyp

jednoosý dělostřelecký tahač
Artillery single-axis small tractor

Since I assume that the artillery motorization proposal described here has not received an official Army name, I have taken the liberty of coining, in purely working terms, artillery small-traktor.

Brief history
In the 1950s, the Czechoslovak People's Army (CSLA) arsenal was dominated by towed versions of artillery weapons, which could not "keep up" when accompanying tank-mechanized units. The effort to remedy the shortage allowed for the flowering of "popular creativity" and the emergence of some remarkable ideas to promote the mobility of artillery weapons.
In 1954, two proposals were made to address the self-mobility of anti-tank guns. The proposals were submitted as part of the improvement competitions held annually by the CSLA. One of them was Improvement Proposal Number 499, which offered 57 mm and 85 mm anti-tank guns (hereafter PTK) the autonomy to drive into firing positions as well as the ability to move to shorter distances. The improvement proposal presented two design options. The first version envisaged a rebuild of the anti-tank gun chassis system and was close in design to the Soviet SD-44 divisional gun. While the second idea offered to achieve the self-propelled artillery weapon in a simpler way. To achieve this, the production of a detachable propulsion unit was envisaged. Actually, it was to be a kind of single-axle small tractor designed to ride with a cannon weighing up to 3000 kg. One prototype each of the first and second versions was built.

Justification for the origin of the improvement design, as presented in contemporary material:
"... The PTK 85 is transported in the tail of a Praga V3S off-road vehicle. It is moved into firing position by the gun operator. Due to the heavy weight of the gun, the operator is not able to move the gun in heavier terrain and on steeper gradients, especially when the tractor cannot drive the gun into firing position ..."

Description
The artillery small tractor was designed as a single-axle carrier and tractor, which was equipped with a power unit, gearbox and steering system. The single axle of the vehicle was both driveable and steerable. The speed and direction of travel, were controlled from the driver's seat as in an automobile operated. The vehicle was equipped with a removable driver's seat, which also served as a support when the machine was parked. The manoeuvring of the small tractor when moving independently was not solved.
The small tractor was equipped with support surfaces and clamping mechanisms to accommodate the left and right PTK arms. The support platforms were located on the sides of the power unit, between the inner sides of the drive wheels. Cannons equipped with clamping lugs could be used for transport. This arrangement allowed a quick connection to the clamping mechanism of the small tractor.

Power unit
An unspecified engine was used to construct the prototype, reportedly a two-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled engine with an output of 14.7-18.4 kW (20-25 hp). The transmission used was modified for off-road driving.

Identified advantages
- minimal interference with the weapon design
- easy movement of the weapon in the field
- very good handling on the move

Identified disadvantages
- less climbability than the first version

Neither version of Improvement Proposal 499 saw introduction into the CSLA armament. The army top brass did not even allow the weapon's self-propelled capability to be tested in this way. On the other hand, from the rest of the surviving documents, which were supposed to be shredded in 1958, one can find the sigh of the author who wrote this instruction for the unit file service: "... save as irrelevant".

Jiří Mastný: Auxiliary drive of anti-tank gun - ZN 499, VHA Prague, MNO ATS, 1954
František Piškula: Motorobot PF-6 and its use in forestry, SZN, Prague 1953, ISBN denied
František Hofbauer: Motorobot M-6 with tools, Svépomoc, Prague 1962, 2nd edition, no ISBN
https://pf62.wz.cz/
https://home.tiscali.cz/roboti/

Dělostřelecký malotraktor - prototyp - Prototyp dělostřeleckého malotraktoru - čelní pohled

Prototyp dělostřeleckého malotraktoru - čelní pohled
Dělostřelecký malotraktor - prototyp - Prototyp dělostřeleckého malotraktoru - pohled ze zadu.

Prototyp dělostřeleckého malotraktoru - pohled ze zadu.
Dělostřelecký malotraktor - prototyp - Prototyp dělostřeleckého malotraktoru s 85 mm kanonem vz. 52.

Prototyp dělostřeleckého malotraktoru s 85 mm kanonem vz. 52.
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Delostrelecky-malotraktor-prototyp-t73263#259763 Version : 0
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