The Latil TL — tracteur léger, light tractor — was a multipurpose all-wheel-drive tractor introduced by the French firm Latil in 1924. It was built for forestry, agriculture and colonial work, and its four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering made it useful to the army as well, first as a gun tractor and later as a carrier of anti-aircraft rangefinders.
Latil TL at a glance
| Maker | Latil (Automobiles Industrielles Latil), Suresnes, France |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1924, shown at the Paris Salon in October |
| Type | multipurpose all-wheel-drive tractor |
| Roles | forestry, agriculture, colonial work, military hauling |
| Engine | 2,950 cc side-valve inline four, 85 × 130 mm |
| Output | 18 PS (13 kW); 14 CV fiscal |
| Transmission | three-speed gearbox with transfer case, six forward speeds and reverse |
| Chassis | four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, lockable differentials |
| Load hauled | up to 5 tonnes |
| Weight, wheelbase, length | about 1.8 tonnes, 2.25 m, 4 m |
| Military speed | 20 km/h |
| Successor | KTL of 1932, KTL4 in service from 1935 |
Both Wikipedia articles describe the same tractor; the French one adds the 1928 order of ten and the KTL of 1932.
History of the Latil TL
A tractor for forest, farm and colony
Latil unveiled the TL in October 1924 at the Paris Salon, as a tractor for forestry, agriculture and what the company called colonial uses. It was presented in the United Kingdom in 1925. The layout was that of a working machine rather than a lorry: a short, high chassis on four equal wheels, with the engine, single-disc clutch and gearbox built as one unit and a transfer case behind them giving six forward speeds and a reverse.
The TL could haul up to five tonnes. Its wheelbase was 2.25 m and its main length 4 m, and it weighed about 1.8 tonnes. The wheels could be shod with pneumatic tyres or left on bare steel, twinned at the rear, and fitted with retractable spuds for grip on soft ground. Braking was by a contracting brake on the transmission worked by a pedal, with friction brakes on each wheel worked by a lever, and the suspension was by long flat leaf springs. Four-wheel steering let the tractor turn in a small space, while a lever beside the driver’s seat locked the differential so that drive could be held on either axle.
The army takes it up
The French military began ordering TLs in 1928, starting with ten examples. The tractor was tested as a hauler for the 75 mm gun against the Citroën Kégresse P7bis, but the Latil was judged too powerful for that light piece. It was adopted instead for hauling the 105 L 13 gun, a role it kept until 1935, when the Latil KTL4 took over. After that the TL was reworked as a carrier of rangefinders for anti-aircraft units, because it was considered too slow for heavy guns but steady enough for delicate optical equipment. Military TLs had a road speed of about 20 km/h.
The KTL and the end of the line
The TL was succeeded by the KTL, which appeared in 1932 and was developed into the KTL4 that replaced the TL in artillery service from 1935. TLs were still in use with anti-aircraft units during the Second World War. After the war the Latil tractor range passed with the company into Saviem in 1955, and in 1962 the licence for the tractors was sold to Creusot-Loire, which marketed them as the Latil Batignolles.
Design and features
- Engine and transmission in one unit: the side-valve four, single-disc clutch and three-speed gearbox were built as a single block, with a transfer case giving six forward speeds.
- Four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering: traction on all four wheels and a tight turning circle for forest tracks and field edges.
- Lockable differentials: a lever beside the driver’s seat could hold the drive on either axle.
- Working wheels: pneumatic tyres or bare steel, twin rear wheels and retractable spuds for soft ground.
- Five-tonne load: a small tractor with the hauling capacity of a much larger lorry.
Latil TL versions
- Civilian TL (from 1924): the forestry, agricultural and colonial tractor shown at the Paris Salon.
- Military TL (from 1928): the gun tractor for the 105 L 13, rated at 20 km/h on the road.
- Anti-aircraft rangefinder carrier (from 1935): the TL reworked for air-defence units after the KTL4 took over the guns.
- KTL and KTL4 (1932 onward): the developed successors that replaced the TL in artillery service.
The TL was the multipurpose member of a range that also included the heavy Latil TAR artillery tractor and the later Latil M2 military tractors. More Latil vehicles are in the Latil collection.
Video: Le Latil TL 80 S de Vincent
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Latil TL, English Wikipedia: design, engine, transmission, dimensions
- Latil TL, French Wikipedia: military orders, KTL successor, wartime use
- Latil, English Wikipedia: company history and the Saviem and Creusot-Loire years
