International Harvester TD-18

The International Harvester TD-18 Tractor / Bulldozer, introduced in 1938, was the largest IH tractor produced during WW II. The TD-18 (brand name TracTracTor) remained in production, in several versions with increasing horsepower, until 1957. A total of about 22,000 TD-18 tractors were produced at the International Harvester factory in Melrose Park, IL.

International Harvester TD-18 tractor / bulldozer in the mud of the Central Solomon Islands, 1943
International Harvester TD-18 Tractor / Bulldozer in the mud of the Central Solomon Islands, 1943.

Today in WW II: 28 Sep 1943 More than 9000 Japanese troops escape from Central Solomons to southern Bougainville in a well-organized evacuation effort [28 Sep-3 Oct].   

International Harvester TD-18 Tractor / Bulldozer (G-101)

The TD-18 Tractor / Bulldozer was a designated prime mover for heavy artillery such as the M2 155mm "Long Tom". The TD-18 was especially useful in the mud and jungles of the Pacific Theater where only a tractor crawler could move the heavy artillery. With a bulldozer blade, the TD-18 was used to build roads and fortifications as well as to breech enemy positions. It is reported that the SS President Coolidge, a luxury liner converted to troopship, had 120 IH TD-18 bulldozers in cargo when it was sunk at Espiritu Santo in 1942, while carrying reinforcements for Guadalcanal.

During WW II, the TD-18 was one of the bulldozers collectively known as "Tractor, Heavy, M1." The International Harvester Co. Model TD18 was Ordnance G-101. Equivalent tractors were produced during WW II by Caterpillar Tractor Co. (Model D7, G-126) and Allis-Chalmers Co. (Model HD10W, G-98).

International Harvester TD-18 Characteristics

Weight 21,500 lbs (9752 kg)
Length 166 inches (421 cm)
Width 95 inches (241 cm)
Height 106 inches (269 cm)
Engine IH 6 cyl in line diesel
Drawbar HP 53
Belt HP 72
Transmission 6 fwd/2 rev

Manuals for the International Harvester TD-18 include:

  • TM 9-1777A, Heavy Tractor M1 Engine (12 December 1942)
  • TM 9-1777B, Heavy Tractor M1 Diesel Engine Accessories (2 February 1943)
  • TM 9-1777C, Heavy Tractor M1 Power Train, Track Frame Assembly, and Seats (25 February 1943)
  • TB 5-3280-1, New Data and Parts for Tractor, Crawler, Diesel, 70 to 90 DBHP, Standard or Rigid, International TD-18, 74-inch Gauge (1944)
  • TM 5-2410-203-30, Tractor, Full Tracked, Low Speed NAVISTAR Intl Corp TD18-182 NSN 2410-00-541-7654 (1959)

An International TD-18 tractor moves 155mm Long Tom towed guns onto an LCT to be relocated to Piru Plantation from Tambusolo Island, Central Solomon Islands, 15 July 1943. The Long Toms belonged to 1st Marine Raiders, Battery A, commanded by Capt. Henry H. Reichner
An International TD-18 tractor moves 155mm Long Tom towed guns onto an LCT to be relocated to Piru Plantation from Tambusolo Island, Central Solomon Islands, 15 July 1943. The Long Toms belonged to 1st Marine Raiders, Battery A, commanded by Capt. Henry H. Reichner.

T5 Russell W. Smith, Service Co., 127th Infantry, 32nd Division, of Clarksburg, WV, using an IH TD-18 bulldozer to clear destroyed Japanese tanks from a road to Lonoy, Leyte, Philippine Islands, 22 December 1944
T5 Russell W. Smith, Service Co., 127th Infantry, 32nd Division, of Clarksburg, WV, using an IH TD-18 bulldozer to clear destroyed Japanese tanks from a road to Lonoy on Leyte, Philippine Islands, 22 December 1944.

Other military IH TD-18 photos from the McCormick - International Harvester Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society: