Engine deck plate, as found on a later M4(105) tank with 47° glacis and large hatches. Note the additional reservoir cap on the left side, compared to the earlier deck plate above.




Early M4A1 engine deck. This type of engine deck is usually found on M4A1 tanks with a 75mm gun and small hatches.

   

Late M4A1 engine deck. This type of engine deck is usually found on M4A1 tanks with a 76mm gun and large hatches. Note the additional reservoir cap on the left side, compared to the earlier deck plate above.
       

    

M4A2 engine deck.




M10 Tank Destroyer engine deck. There are minor differences with the usual M4A2 engine deck.




Late M4A2 engine deck, as found on a Canadian M4A2E8 (photo courtesy of Chris Hughes).




Unmodified M4A3 engine deck, as seen on a small hatches Ford-built M4A3 with a 75mm gun. This vehicle has a single plate to the rear of the doors and two conventional hinges on each door. The doors were held closed with a bolt at each mating corner. The splash guard around rear of turret remains unmodified.


       

Unmodified M4A3 engine deck, as seen on a large hatches tank with a 76mm gun.
This vehicle has a single plate to the rear of the doors and two conventional hinges on each door. The doors were held closed with a bolt at each mating corner (replaced by latches on the left-side photo). The left side photo shows stowage for the sledge and idler adjusting wrench that were added to the rear plate. (left side photo courtesy of Kurt Laughlin).


   

The torsion bar/counterbalanced hinges installed on the engine hatches of these small hatches M4A3s are a post-war upgrade to make the extremely heavy doors easier to open. That engine deck configuration is exclusive to M4A3(75) Dry Stowage Shermans built by Ford in 1942 & 1943, most of them were used for training in the USA (Joe DeMarco). After the war, almost all of these had the conventional door hinges replaced with torsion bar/couterbalanced hinges. Additionally, the locking bolts were replaced with latches/handles. These modifications required that the splash guard around rear of the turret to be cut away in sections. Some may have the single plate at the rear replaced with a two-piece plate (Kurt Laughlin).


   

The single plate at the rear of these large hatches tanks was replaced to a two-piece plate. The tool and lifting handle plate locations were changed slightly. The locking bolts were replaced with latches/handles, even when the hinges were not changed. On the right side, the conventional door hinges seen on the left side were replaced with torsion bar/couterbalanced hinges (photos and text courtesy of Kurt Laughlin).


   

M4A4 engine deck, designed to house the Chrysler Multibank engine.


   

M4A4T engine decks. The M4A4T is an M4A4 with the Chrysler Multibank engine replaced with a Continental R-975 C14 engine,
hence the different engine plate. This modification was undertaken by the French Army in the 1950s, it is not an US upgrade.


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