Tank maintenance back in the day (From: Canadian troops recieve Leopards in Afghanistan)

[George Wallace]

4 hrs wouldn't even get the suspension cleaned out in some cases on a MBT. Look to be days per C/S. And that is after the Add on Armour is removed.

Actually, I have done it in less time.....Approx 15 minutes.  Unfortunately we can no longer use that method.  The environmentalists would sue our arses off........I used to have my driver drive down to the ford (now a bridge) between WTP and Petersville.  Loader would pump up the submergence hydraulics and we would turn right and drive up the river to the next bridge and exit to drive up the hill back to WTP.  The suspension was spotless.  Please ensure your driver is hatches down and locked as there is a large hole where another creek joins into the river.  ;D

 

[REDinstaller]

And I'm sure the local Tree Huggers are still looking for you. ;D Where your hubs oil or grease filled back then?

 

[George Wallace]

And I'm sure the local Tree Huggers are still looking for you. ;D Where your hubs oil or grease filled back then?

15 W 40

I am not sure when we switched to grease, but that was a lot easier to check and maintain.  When did one ever find level ground to top up oil in the hubs?  ;D

 

[REDinstaller]

Well now the problem is when do you know when your grease filled hubs aren't lubricated anymore? When you see the hub on fire, or can't find it at the halt.

 

[George Wallace]

Well now the problem is when do you know when your grease filled hubs aren't lubricated anymore? When you see the hub on fire, or can't find it at the halt.

Doesn't your driver jump out and periodically put a couple of pumps into each?  Grease should come out of the overflow valve.  Every Halt we did we would touch our hubs checking for heat, or just visual checks if in mud to see if it was still wet (hot hubs bake the mud on).  Our biggest problems were the retread roadwheels done in Canada.  The rubber would burn out from the inside and we would land up changing roadwheels after half a day driving.  The German ones would last a few days (in Lawfield Corridor).

 

[REDinstaller]

The issue is lack of experience with the crews, and if the grease is cacked up at the front it tends to come out of the breather without providing lubrication. And also you never know if your inside seal is leaking with grease, and oil shows contaminaton better along with being easier to flush out. Roadwheels aren't too much of a problem rubber wise except for a few batches lately that have been prematurely cracking. The only issue has been the inner diameter of the roadwheel has been too small to fit on the hub, a quick pass with a die grinder solves this. 

 

[George Wallace]

The issue is lack of experience with the crews, and if the grease is cacked up at the front it tends to come out of the breather without providing lubrication. And also you never know if your inside seal is leaking with grease, and oil shows contaminaton better along with being easier to flush out. Roadwheels aren't too much of a problem rubber wise except for a few batches lately that have been prematurely cracking. The only issue has been the inner diameter of the roadwheel has been too small to fit on the hub, a quick pass with a die grinder solves this.

I take it that they aren't doing F1, F2 and F3's to the same standards that they used to?  I am sure that we would periodically pull the caps off the hubs, check the wear on the bearings and repack the grease.  Where are the roadwheels coming from, that they have to be ground down to fit?  Sounds odd, as even retreads are just sandblasted and repainted.

 

[REDinstaller]

F1's are being done in the record times of 20-30 min. So very incorrectly. This is being addressed through the CoC. As for the roadwheels, it must be a new contract that had incorrect specs attached to it.

 

[George Wallace]

Time to send the drivers out to talc the track pads.    >

 

[REDinstaller]

Actually I think polishing grousers would be better. >

 

[Kat Stevens]

F1's are being done in the record times of 20-30 min. So very incorrectly. This is being addressed through the CoC. As for the roadwheels, it must be a new contract that had incorrect specs attached to it.

Ah, yes, the "driver's hole F-1".  Driver climbs in his hole, closes the hatch, and checks everything off on the F-1 sheet.  I actually liked F-1,2, and 3's... only time nobody ever came into our bay with trivial crap for us to do.  Err, George, you didn't need level ground to check hub oil... they're round.

 

[George Wallace]

Level ground helps if you have the caps off to check/fill.  ;D

















Do we have to sneek over in the middle of the night and back off your muff couplings?  >

 

[REDinstaller]

That only works on the front and rear being uneven. When the tank is leaning to the left or right then it runs out the plug or isn't at the correct level.

 

[Kat Stevens]

I guess AVLB and AEV are different.  On a side slope, I'd just turn my vehicle to point up or down hill,  MBT must not have that capability.   

 

[REDinstaller]

Well you don't have as many in a sqn. Try to pivot with a Troop of MBTs on either side of you, and only 10ft to move in.

 

[mover1]

Why is it the Track pads would always show up after a good piss up?
Taking the fume extractor off and cleaning that out was my favoritest thing to do. 
Or being the guy who had to go underneath the tank armed with the ratchet.

 

[REDinstaller]

Replacing track pads is the best way to work the booze off.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Or cleaning out the hulls by taking out the drain plugs and running through a ford site.....

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Replacing track pads is the best way to work the booze off.

And play the how far will the track pad and pin fly game .....

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Bahhh. George, you call that back in the day? You youngsters don't know tank maintenance. Centurions! That's where you learned tank maintenance.

Harumph. harumph, wet behind the ears....all that sod