M74 Armored Recovery Vehicle

The M74 tank recovery vehicle (T-74) was an engineer vehicle used by the U.S. Army in the 1950s. It was designed to cope with the heavier weights of the M26 Pershing and M47 Patton. It could also be suitable for light dozing, since it had a hydraulic, front-mounted spade. It was produced in the thousands by Bowen-McLaughlin-York, and some were converted by Rock Island Arsenal until 1958.

Development
After the Korean War the M74 was designed to cope with the heavier weights of the new vehicles that were being introduced. Designed in 1953, it based on the M4A3 HVSS medium tank, it was developed to cope with the heavier M26 Pershing and M47 Patton which were entering service, which the M32 tank recovery vehicle (TRV) was unable to retrieve. Using the standard Ford GAA and wide tracks, the chassis would be rebuilt. It was replaced in service with the U.S. Army by the M88 Hercules.

Design
It was fitted with a 60000 lb hydraulic winch as well as a lighter-duty general purpose one, a hydraulic A-frame, and hydraulic front-mounted spade, which was suitable for light dozing, as well as serving as an anchor for heavy winching operations. It had a 81 mm M1 mortar, which was mostly used for screening purposes.

Production
It was produced from 1954 to 1955 by Bowen-McLaughlin-York in the thousands. Some were also converted from old M32B1 TRV's by Rock Island Arsenal until 1958.

Operators

 * 🇺🇸 United States – Used in post-World War II Germany. It was the standard recovery vehicle of the U.S. Army in the 1950's.
 * 🇮🇱 Israel – Used in the Yom-Kippur War
 * 🇪🇸 Spain – Lended by the United States from 1953 to 1968.