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A dun-colored jeep drove up to the stone marker and stopped. It was followed by a strange, tread-equipped vehicle that moved much more slowly. There were toy-sized radar dishes mounted on the front and back of this halftrack. Two soldiers lounged on its upper deck, and Garraty felt a chill in his belly when he looked at them. They were carrying army-type heavy=caliber carbine rifles.

The long walk.

I think 'tread' here means "The part of a wheel or tire that makes contact with the road or rails.". But I'm not sure what "tread-equipped vehicle" really is or looks like. Any ideas?

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  • The quotation refers to a halftrack which is a vehicle with wheels at the front and tracks at the rear. As most motor vehicles are wheeled, perhaps tread-equipped refers to the track-laying part. The Wikipedia page about tracked vehicles refers to the track as also a tread.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Aug 25, 2020 at 19:45
  • It is not incorrect to call a half-track a tread-equipped vehicle. It is both a tread- and wheel-equipped vehicle.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Aug 25, 2020 at 20:24

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Vehicles with treads (or 'tracks') include military and civilian vehicles such tanks, 'half-tracks', bulldozers, cranes, etc. They use endless tracks instead of wheels to get over rough or soft ground without sinking. In Britain they are called 'track laying vehicles' for licensing and taxation purposes. Such vehicles are sometimes called 'crawlers'

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Half-tracks are mainly military vehicles with wheels or sometimes skis (usually at the front) and tracks (usually at the back).

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