M1070 HET Heavy equipment transporter

The Heavy Equipment Transport System (HETS) consists of the M1070 Truck Tractor and the M1000 Heavy Equipment Transporter Semi-trailer. The HETS transports payloads up to 70 tons – primarily Abrams tanks. It operates on highways worldwide (with permits), secondary roads, and cross-country. The HETS has a number of features that significantly improve the mobility and overall performance of the system in a tactical environment. The M1070 tractor has front- and rear-axle steering, a central tire-inflation system, and cab space for six personnel to accommodate the two HETS operators and four tank crewmen. The M1000 semi-trailer has automatically steerable axles and a load-leveling hydraulic suspension.

* Tractor Length: 358 in
* Tractor Width: 102 in
* Trailer Length: 622 in
* Trailer Width (at rear bumper): 144.8 in
* Tractor Curb Weight: 41,000 lbs
* Trailor Curb Weight: 50,000 lbs
* Payload: 140,000 lbs
* Engine: 500 horsepower Detroit Diesel
* Transmission: 5-speed automatic
* Speed: 40-45 mph on highway (25-30 mph with 70 ton payload)
* Range: 300 mi
* Fording: 28 in
* Air Transportability: C-5A and C-17

The M1070 HET is a powerful tractor truck with an 8 x 8 drive configuration and advanced features such as an electronic engine control system to ensure maximum efficiency at all times, and an 'air ride' rear suspension to ensure all axles remain in contact with the ground at all times while smoothing out the worst round terrain shocks to the chassis frame. To assist traction further, across rough terrain, another standard feature is a central tyre inflation system (CTIS). Unlike the previous transporters the M1070 is designed to carry both the tank and it's crew.

Big Bud One of the Biggest Tractors in the World

This is Big Bud. For many years it was the largest tractor in the world. It was built by Ron Harmonn’s crew in Montana. The largest Big Bud 747 appeared in 1977 for deep plowing on a cotton farm in California. Only imagine: this tractor weighs over 45 tons! And it still runs, though some manufactures build even bigger tractors today.

In 1977 the Big Bud 747 tractor was built in Havre, Montana. The tractor was built by Ron Harmon and the crew of the Northern Manufacturing Company. The tractor was built to produce 760 horsepower using a 16-cylinder Detroit Diesel engine. The tractor measures 27 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 14 feet tall. The tires were specially made by United Tire Company of Canada and are 8 feet in diameter. When the 1,000 gallon fuel tank is full the tractor tips the scales at over 100,000 pounds.

Equipped with custom-built tires, made by United Tire Company of Canada, Big Bud can work more than an acre of land in just one minute. The Williams Brothers made some minor modifications to the engine, and the tractor is now able to produce 900 bhp, instead of the initial 760 bhp.

The Soviet Ekranoplan and WIG

The Cold War was the catalyst for the development of a diversity of interesting vehicles, platforms and technologies, but few have been of more interesting to me than the Soviet “Lun” ekranoplan pictured above and below. The Soviet Union began developing the wing-in-ground (WIG) ground effect technology in the 1930’s, but the craft reached a pinnacle of sorts in the 1980’s with the Lun , though WIG craft have yet to reach any broad application, whether military or commercial. Ekranoplans benefit from WIG in two important ways, the first being the ability to achieve incredibly high speeds and the second that flying at 10 to 50 feet above the surface makes them largely undetectable by radar.

WIG works as a high pressure region develops beneath the wing’s lower surface and above the water surface, which enhances its lift compared to a conventional wing in free air. The close proximity of the water also disrupts the formation of wing-tip vortices, which are a major cause of induced drag on conventional wings in free air. To benefit from WIG, the airfoil must have a relatively flat lower surface in order to increase lift. WIG craft have an advantage over water-bourne craft in that a huge amount of power is needed to overcome the drag of the water. By flying just above the water that power can be used for speed and carrying capacity.

Ekranoplans were developed in a range of sizes and applications, but they could reach enormous proportions and cargo carrying capacity. The Lun, among the largest to be developed, spanned 240 feet long with a wingspan of 144 feet. Its size would be comparable to a Boeing 747. It had a maximum takeoff weight of 882,000 pounds and a range of over 1,800 miles. This behemoth could cruise at 341 mph, leaving traditional naval vessels quickly in its wake.