Latil KTL
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Latil K TL2
- Latil K TL4 (extended wheelbase)
- France: Suresnes
- United Kingdom: Letchworth (Shelvoke and Drewry)
| Latil KTL | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Latil |
| Also called |
|
| Production | 1929–1938 |
| Assembly |
|
| 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 definitively abandoned. The French military adopted another Latil model, the Latil M2 TZ, and various trucks, among them the Berliet GDLS 30.[7]