Latil KTL
Overview
Manufacturer	Latil
Also called	Latil K TL2  Latil K TL4 (extended wheelbase)
Production	1929–1938
Assembly	France: Suresnes United Kingdom: Letchworth (Shelvoke and Drewry)
Body and chassis
Layout	Front-engine, four-wheel drive
Chronology
Predecessor	Latil TL
Successor	Latil M2 TL6

The Latil KTL is an all-wheel drive tractor produced by the French manufacturer Latil. It was used as a commercial as well as a military tractor.

The Latil KTL tractor was introduced in 1929.^[1] In October of that year, it was presented in the United Kingdom^[2] and, by early 1931, it was being imported into the country.^[3] By 1932, it started to be assembled locally^[4] under licence by the British company Shelvoke and Drewry^[5] with some minor modifications.^[4]

From 1932 onwards, the KTL was tested by the French military as a replacement for the earlier Latil TL tractor for towing the 105 L 13 canon, as the previous tractor was considered too slow. In 1934, The  military finally commissioned the K TL4, a KTL with extended wheelbase, which was still slow for that usage. About 163 were built.^[6]

In 1934, another KTL-based vehicle with extended wheelbase, the G TL3 prototype, was tested as a hauler for the 75 CA anti-aircraft gun, but it had a high centre of gravity and a narrow track relative to its wheelbase, which made it lack stability and off-roading capabilities. In 1937, the design was definetively abandoned. The French military adopted another Latil model, the Latil M2 TZ, and various trucks, among them the Berliet GDLS 30.^[7]

The main engine used for the tractor is the K,^[6] an inline-four petrol engine with a 90 mm bore and a 130 mm stroke,^[8][9] giving a displacement of 3,308 cc.^[6][10] Its maximum power is 40 bhp (41 PS; 30 kW) at 1,900 rpm.^[10] Its fiscal power is rated at 13 CV.^[8][9] As an optional, the KTL could be equipped with not specified  diesel and gasifier-running engines.^[11]

The gearbox is a 3-speed manual unit with a transfer case^[12] giving 6 forward speeds and 2 reverses.^[6][10][12] The differential system can lock the drive on any axle through a lever next to the driver's seat.^[13] The tractor has a four-wheel steering system. The wheels could be mounted with retractable spuds for improving grip on some surfaces.^[12]

For commercial use, the KTL was offered in two versions: agriculture/forestry tractor^[8] and road tractor,^[9] which mainly differ on bodywork and hauling equipment.^[8][9] They can haul between 5 and 10 tonnes, depending on version. Both have the same dimensions: a (main) length of 3.73 m (12.2 ft) a height (without roof) of 1.941 m (6.37 ft), a width of 1.79 m (5.9 ft), a track of 1.493 m (4.90 ft).^[8][9] The wheels have the same size both on front and rear:^[1]  36 in (91 cm) x 6 in (15 cm).^[8][9][10]

The tractor's wheelbase is 2.3 m (7.5 ft).^[8][9] Its weight (without equipment) is over 2 tonnes.^[10] It has drum brakes. Suspension is by long straight leaf springs.^{[10] [14]}

The K TL4 is a version of the KTL with a wheelbase extended to 2.7 m (8.9 ft). For military use, it was offered in two versions: a tractor for cannon on pivot and an ammunition-carrying tractor with extended bodywork. Both have a length of 4.7 m (15 ft), a height of 2.5 m (8.2 ft) (with roof) and a track of 1.5 m (4.9 ft). They differ in width: the cannon on pivot version is 2.1 m (6.9 ft) and the ammunition-carrying is 2.22 m (7.3 ft). The K engine in military configuration delivered 36 PS (36 bhp; 26 kW). The payload is 950 kg (2,090 lb). The tractor's top speed is 35 km/h.^[6]

The G TL3 had a wheelbase of 4.3 m (14 ft).^[15]

The Latil JTL is a similar contemporary tractor with the J engine,  an inline-four petrol unit with a with a 85 mm bore and a 130 mm stroke. Its fiscal power is rated at 11 CV.^[16]

The tractor can haul the same as the KTL (5 to 10 tonnes). It was offered with the same variants.^[16]

• Blenkinsop, Mike; Blenkinsop, Julie (2022). "The Latil (Part Two)". Heritage Commercials. No. 5/2022. Yalding: Kelsey. ISSN 1476-2110.
• Delanghe, G. (1931). "Le XXV Salon de l'Automobile véhicules industriels" [The XXV automotive Salon, commercial vehicles]. Le Génie civil (in French). Vol. 99, no. 26. Paris. ISSN 0016-6812.
• Dunne, Jemima; Kennedy, Sam; van Zyl, Miezan, eds. (2015). The Tractor Book. London: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-0-2410-1482-0.
• "Le tracteur Latil agricole et routier" [Latil's agricultural and road-going tractor]. La pratique automobile et aeronautique (in French). Vol. 38, no. 649. Paris. 1934. ISSN 1267-3765.
• Le tracteur léger type 'KTL' à quatre roues motrices et directrices [The KTL light tractor with four-wheel drive and steering] (in French), Suresnes: Latil, 1934
• Le tracteur routier type 'KTL' à quatre roues motrices et directrices [The KTL road-going light tractor with four-wheel drive and steering] (in French), Suresnes: Latil, 1934
• "New additions to the range of Latil chassis". The Commercial Motor. Vol. 50, no. 1282. London: Temple Press. 1929. ISSN 0010-3063.
• "Three days' work with a Latil tractor". The Commercial Motor. Vol. 53, no. 1373. London: Temple Press. 1931. ISSN 0010-3063.
• "Wonderful forestry work". The Commercial Motor. Vol. 55, no. 1409. London: Temple Press. 1932. ISSN 0010-3063.
• "The Latil tractor made in England". The Commercial Motor. Vol. 57, no. 1458. London: Temple Press. 1933. ISSN 0010-3063.
• Vauvillier, François; Touraine, Jean-Michel; Jeudy, Jean-Gabriel (1992). L'Automobile Sous l'Uniforme 1939–1940 [The Car in Uniform 1939–1940] (in French). Paris: Editions Ch. Massin. ISBN 2-7072-0197-9.