Foster-Daimler tractor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Foster-Daimler tractor |
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| Type | Tractor |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United Kingdom |
| Wars | First World War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | William Foster & Co. & Daimler Company Limited |
| Unit cost | £1,866 |
| No. built | 97 for Royal Marine Artillery |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Almost 14 long tons (14 t) |
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| Engine | Daimler 6-cylinder double-sleeve valve petrol 105 bhp (78 kW) |
| Drive | 4x2 |
| Transmission | 2 speed |
| References | Vehicles at war & The devil's chariots |
The Foster-Daimler tractor was a very strong and heavy tractor. It was built by a company called William Foster & Co. in the early 1900s. This powerful machine was used by the armed forces of the United Kingdom during the First World War. Its main job was to pull heavy artillery (big guns). Interestingly, parts of this tractor were also used to create early British tanks!
What Made It Work?
The Foster-Daimler tractor was super heavy, weighing almost 14 tons! It had a special Daimler 6-cylinder petrol engine. This engine could produce 105 horsepower. It also had a two-speed gearbox to help it move.
The tractors used huge rear wheels, like those on a traction engine. These wheels were 8 feet (about 2.4 meters) wide and 2 feet (about 0.6 meters) across. They were so strong that they could pull loads weighing up to 35 tons!
How It Was Used
The Foster-Daimler tractor was first made in 1912. It was a team effort between two companies: William Foster & Co. from Lincoln, England, and Daimler Company Limited. They designed it as a powerful tractor that ran on petrol. The idea was to sell it to countries that didn't have much coal, especially in South America.
When the First World War started, the British military needed a way to move their new, super-heavy BL 15-inch howitzer guns. These guns weighed over 60 tons! They had to be taken apart into several pieces to be moved on roads.
The manager of Coventry Ordnance Works, Reginald Bacon, asked Daimler for tractors to pull these huge gun parts. Daimler sent him to William Tritton, who was in charge at William Foster. They decided that the Foster-Daimler tractor could be changed to do the job. So, the military ordered 97 tractors. Each one cost £1,866. They also ordered 291 special wagons to go with them.
The tractors were tested in Lincoln in December 1914. By early 1915, the 15-inch howitzers and the Foster-Daimler tractors were ready for use. They were given to the Royal Marine Artillery, which was part of the Royal Naval Division. To move one 15-inch howitzer, eight Foster-Daimler tractors were needed! These tractors could drive on roads. If they had special wheels, they could even move along railways.
The Tritton Trenching Machine
During the tractor tests in December 1914, something interesting happened. A tractor was pulling trailers with wood for building bridges. When it tried to cross a ditch on a bridge, one of the trailers fell off!
After this, Reginald Bacon told William Tritton that a strong, armored vehicle that could build its own bridge would be very useful. Bacon kept pushing this idea. Soon, designs were made for a changed Foster-Daimler tractor that could cross gaps. These plans were shown to Winston Churchill by the end of December. He then ordered a test version to be built.
This test machine had many names, like the Tritton trenching machine. It was a Foster-Daimler tractor without its usual front wheels. Instead, it had a special frame with two wide wheels at the front. This made the machine about 31 feet (9.4 meters) long. It also had two steel bridge parts, 15 feet (4.6 meters) long, hanging underneath.
When the machine came to a trench, its front wheels would reach across. As it touched the other side, the bridge parts would lower. This allowed the machine to drive over the trench. Once it was across, it would pull the bridge parts over, drive backward over them, and be ready for the next trench. Bacon even suggested putting big headlights on it, painted with fierce Chinese warriors, to scare the enemy at night!
The machine was supposed to be ready by February 1915, but there were delays. It was finally tested on June 9, 1915. It could easily lay the bridge parts over trenches 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide. However, after crossing, it needed at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) of clear ground to get the bridge parts back. It was also too heavy at the front, hard to control, and not powerful enough. Even though the idea was clever, it wasn't practical. So, the tractor was changed back to its original form. This cost £20.
A Lasting Impact
Perhaps the most important thing the Foster-Daimler tractor did was to connect William Foster & Co., and especially William Tritton, with the creation of the tank. Tritton became one of the engineers who designed the first complete tank, called Little Willie. He also helped create its improved version, "Mother" (also known as "Big Willie"). Later, he worked on the Mark A "Whippet" and Mark C "Hornet" medium tanks. William Foster & Co. built many of these early tanks.
The first tanks, like Little Willie, Mother, and the Mark I tank, used the Foster-Daimler tractor's 105 horsepower Daimler engine. They also used its gearbox and differential. This was because it was one of the few powerful engines available in England at the time. Using it helped speed up the design and building of the first tanks. These engines were also used in the Mark II, Mark III, and Mark IV tanks. Later, the engine was made even stronger. It was changed to produce 125 horsepower and was put into the last 200 Mark IV tanks.
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