Type 1 Tractor

 

Type 1 Tractor
Type 1 1917
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	Kingdom of Sierra
Service history
In service	1917-1920 (Sierra) 1921-1929 (Mexico)
Used by	Sierran Crown Armed Forces Mexico
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1916-1917
Produced	1917
No. built	31
Specifications
Weight	15 tonnes
Length	6720 mm

The Type 1 Tractor was the first Sierran tank and armoured vehicle to enter production. The Type 1 was the culmination of the development of several armored cars, starting with a 1916 Cadillac-based model. The Type 1 was in essence a tractor, with three wheels.

Development

Development of the Sierran tank began in May 1916 with a 1915 Cadillac Type 51, given selective armor plating of around 1/8 inch and a mounted Lewis gun. The Land Tractor Type 1 followed in late 1916; this was based off of the NY state produced Linn tractor, and had rear treads and employed instead a unique Sierran-made 22mm machine gun. The model broke down in tests and was not reliable enough for production.

The first true "tank" was the Land Tractor Type 2 (retroactively called the Type 0 tractor). This was essentially the same as the later production Type 1, but was an open-top model. Work on this vehicle began in January 1917 and trials in May 1917 were fairly successful, but by then the government had begun working on an updated model.

Called the Land Tractor Type 3, it was the type 2 but instead of 1 wheel at the back had 2 very close together for added stability. The driver and the gunner were now enclosed in an all-steel 1/4 inch armoured box instead of having no protection above. The LT Type 2's engine, a 53 hp 4 cylinder (top speed 5.4 km/h) was kept and this one was tested by the army in August, being approved for production.

Production and service

Four models were produced in September of 1917, and were shipped over to Europe when Sierra joined the war. None saw any action, as three broke down in the muddy ground and were abandoned and the fourth was repaired but subsequently caught fire.

In October-December, 26 more tanks were produced, with one made from spares and Type 0 leftover parts in early 1918 to make 31 models (this butchered hybrid model is the only one in existence today as it was never shipped to Europe). 26 were sent to Europe, where they had mixed to poor success navigating the terrain. By then the Sierran Army began work on better and newer tanks to replace it, going with the Type 3 tank.

In 1921 the Mexican army purchased 15 Type 1's, in use until 1929. All the models seeing service were destroyed in combat or scrapped, with the rare 1918 Type 1 held in the Sierran Military Museum after being dug up from army storage in the 1950s and restored.