Skeleton tank | |
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![]() Skeleton Tank preserved at Aberdeen Proving Ground | |
Type | Experimental Tank |
Place of origin | ![]() |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Pioneer Tractor Company |
Produced | 1918 |
No. built | 1 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 18,000 lb (8,200 kg) |
Length | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
Width | 8 ft 5 in (2.57 m) |
Height | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
Crew | 2 |
Armor | 0.5 in (12.7 mm) |
Main armament | 1 X .30 (7.62 mm) caliber machine gun |
Engine | 2 X Beaver 4-cylinder 50 hp (37 kW) |
Suspension | Rigid frame tracks |
Maximum speed | 5 mph (8.0 km/h) |
The Skeleton tank also known as the Spider tank was an experimental prototype tank built in 1918 by the Pioneer Tractor Company, Winona, Minnesota for $15,000 ($ 303,800 in 2024).[1][2] The prototype was ready for trials by October 1918.[3] Designed with several innovative features, some of which were controversial at the time, the Skeleton Tank project did not proceed beyond the single prototype.