Some info can be found here:

http://halftrackinfo.com/index.php?topic=483.0

I can't remember where I saw it, but I recently came across a photo of what I believe was a modified M16 Half Track with quad-mount .50 cals. The vehicle had its tracks/running gear replaced by standard road wheels, presumably fitted to the existing rear axles. Does anyone know the designation of this particular vehicle?

Some info can be found here:

http://halftrackinfo.com/index.php?topic=483.0

Cheers,

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Some info can be found here:

http://halftrackinfo.com/index.php?topic=483.0

Cheers,

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Sheesh, that article has about one short paragraph of useful information in over three pages. To wit:

George J. Phillips was stationed at Ft McNair from August 1947 to September 1948. He was in the 712th MP Bn and claims that the unit had four M3 halftracks modified to use two, 2DT axles instead of the tracks. Phillips also claims that the vehicles used a partial MG skate mount instead of the M3's pedestal mount. The rear axles are believed to have come from a 2-1/2 ton truck. No photographs have been found or are known to exist.

The rest is speculation or unrelated background. The author goes into a detailed explanation of how the conversion might have been done, but this ignores a critical design feature: The size of the tires. Halftracks had their front tires sized to match their circumferential speed with that of the tracks. If they didn't, either the wheels or tracks would be perpetually skidding while moving. Because of a shortage of transfer cases with the ideal gear ratio, somewhat odd-sized tires were used on the M2/M3 types. To use tires the transfer case ratio (whether original, from a truck, or altogether new) would need to be calculated to drive the two powered axles at the same circumferential speed. This might involve new tires on the front, new tires on the rear, a new transfer case, some combination, or all three. It might not even be possible without creating a new transfer case gear train. As the article states, this would be too complicated of a conversion for a unit. One must ask why a depot facility would do such a thing and where they would get parts and funding in the cash-strapped late 40's US Army. (This was in CONUS, under the noses of the the top brass, the auditors, and the accountants; in peacetime and not on the front in wartime or on some atoll with a mountain of salvage vehicles and lots of free time available.) There were plenty of excess M8 and M20 armored cars available, and even the de-turreted T17 cars used by other MP units. Why make this conversion?

Seems unlikely . . .

KL

I think you over thinking this. The easy answer is to swap the complete drivetrain from a duce to the halftrack. The army was flush with equipment by the end of the war.

You do know it's not hard to make a drive shaft?

You do know that the army was testing halftrack trucks prior to the war?

You do know that the suspension for the duce and the halftrack was bolt on?

Lots of things that were done were not well documented.

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You do know it's not hard to make a drive shaft?

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If you are an MP unit without a machine shop, I reckon it would be though.

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You do know that the army was testing halftrack trucks prior to the war?

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Yes, and the Germans and Russians used them during the war. None of which has any relevance to the question of whether a single MP unit made four conversions in 1947.

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You do know that the suspension for the duce and the halftrack was bolt on?

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Yeah, and jeep wheels and halftrack wheels both bolt on too, so it wouldn't be anything but wrench turning to put halftrack wheels on a jeep, would it? Oh, wait . . .

"Nothing custom at all." Have you looked at the actual dimensions and bolt patterns of the equipment of the two vehicles? If you haven't, it may not be wise to opine on the difficulty of the conversion.

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Lots of things that were done were not well documented.

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True, but likewise there is NO documentation on things that were just fantasy. Here's there's no documentation. The arguments For are easily challenged and rebutted by options that require more and more effort and less and less likely to be accomplished. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. What we're heading toward here is the ultimate argument of "You can't prove it didn't happen!!" If it comes to that, go ahead and build your model and enjoy the process. That's why like building models. Just remember to put it under sci-fi on the shelf though.

The more common situation in my research experience is that we find the proof or the documentation that something existed but we can't find any explanation of what it was or why it was done.

KL

You know what would be cool? A motorcycle with a P-51 Mustang wheel on it.

Why in the world would you want to do that?

Like I said, it would be cool.

Do you know how impractical that would be? Have you considered the economic factors? Do you even know anything about engineering?

Okay, how about this then - a .50 caliber charging handle assembly as a suicide shifter on a bike?

Again, you really have no clue how things work, do you? You need to take something with linear reciprocating motion and make it work on a lever designed to rotate about an axis? Why don't you just go back to building, or should I say assembling, plastic models?

Hmmm, rear end of a rocket used for an air intake?

You know rocket venturies are designed to expel gasses, not suck them in, right?

Imagine Joe wanted to mate a halftrack with a truck. Why? No one's done it. It would look cool. Or why not, we have two busted vehicles we could turn into one. Hope he didn't listen to his "friends."

One need only read the Pentagon Wars to realize that indeed, the military does wastes a lot of time and money and things that may not have been as practical as originally envisioned.

By the way...

Where did I say wheels, nope. I said suspension. You know the mount for the axles onto the frame. You do know they were bolted on, not welded or riveted? So, how did you come up with wheels?

I also think you are giving the motor sergeants and motor officers of the day a short shrif. Do you think they would say we can’t do this here, so it’s a nogo? Would you give up? Lots of assets on post and the local civilian area.

Just because you don’t want to believe a first person account doesn’t make it false.

Oh, by the why there have been conversion done by other countries.