Hanomag SS 100 – German 4×2 Heavy Tractor


Hanomag SS 100 Heavy Tractor – photo 2014

The Hanomag heavy tractor was a pre war civil design used in agriculture. It was made for the road and lacked cross-country capabilities. Before the Second World War Hanomag named the truck ST 100 “Road Tractor” but after the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe started to use the heavy tractor it was renamed to SS 100.
The Wehrmacht used the SS 100 heavy tractor for transporting trailers with telegraph poles in field cable construction companies, for towing multi-axle trailers in depots and as heavy wheeled tractors in pioneer units. It is known that the Hanomag SS 100 pulled artillery pieces like the Flak 36, the 88 mm gun.

Hanomag SS 100 Heavy Tractor – photo 2014

The Luftwaffe used these tractors mainly on airfields for towing aircrafts, bomb carrier trailers and fuel tanks. In the last part of the war the Hanomag Heavy Tractor was deployed with the commissioning of the V2 missile mobile launch units, it was used to tow the Vidalwagen which allowed the V2 to be transferred from its delivery area to its launch site. Its operational preparation completed, the V2 was transferred to a Meillerwagen and towed by an SS 100 on its launch pad. The SS 100 was also used to tow the special fuel tanks with B-Stoff, fuel used for the V-2.

Hanomag SS 100 Heavy Tractor pulling a V2 Rocket on Meilerwagen – courtesy v2rocket.com

There was one driver and room for five more in the cabin. The winch could pull 20 tons and it had a six cylinder diesel engine with 100 PK and it was 4×2 driven. Top speed of the SS 100 Heavy Tractor was 65 km/h and it had range of 750 kilometers. It was 5 meters long, 2,5 meters wide and 2,4 meters high and weighed 6420 kilograms. It was used from 1936 up to 1945 and 1112 units were produced.

Hanomag SS 100 Heavy Tractor – photo 2014

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