PS 567
16
FEB00
PS 567
17
FEB 00
Dear Editor,
Water from washing, rain and
condensation always seems to
pool in the worst possible
places on our tanks. One of
those places is the left side
angle drive shaft cover.
When the drive shaft sits in
water long enough, rust
develops. Pretty soon, the shaft
won’t move the fan and your
engine isn’t getting the airflow
it needs.
We’ve stopped this problem
by drilling a
1
/
4
-in hole in the
bottom of the lowest portion of
the cover. Water drains away as
fast as it comes in and the drive
shaft stays rust-free.
SPC Brad A. Morris
2/70th AR
Ft Riley, KS
M1-Series Tanks . . .
We can’t find any holes in that
solution! Good job!
Damage to roadwheels and support
rollers has three main causes:
1. Improper track adjustment.
Loose track lets the center guides hit
the rubber tread on roadwheels and sup-
port rollers. That results in gouging and
chunking of the rubber.
2. Loose hardware.
Loose lug nuts
allow the roadwheels and support
wheels to wobble. That further strips
the lug bolt threads and eats away at
the wheel’s mounting holes.
The more the wheels move, the
greater the chance that the center guides
will hit and damage the tread.
3. Track debris.
Rocks that get
thrown up by the track lodge between
the roadwheel arms. That results in
gouging and deep cuts or grooves in
the tread.
Check track tension after every op-
eration and adjust it as necessary. Eye-
ball roadwheel and support roller
mounting nuts for looseness. Report
any you find. Make sure you check
your track daily for rocks and other
debris. Remove them before they kill
the wheels.
Finally, check out the good words in
TM 9-2530-200-24,
Standards for In-
spection and Classification of Tracks,
Track Components and Solid-Rubber
Tires
, for additional information.
Prevention
M2/M3-Series Bradleys, MLRS . . .
Don’t Let Roadwheels Get Wired
D
rivers, one of the first things
you need to do after bringing your
Bradley or MLRS back from the
field is check the roadwheels.
They may be getting really wired.
Commo wire that’s picked up
by moving track snags on the road
arms. As it tightens, the wire slips
down the road arms to the
roadwheels where it starts eating
away at the roadwheel seals.
Eventually, a leak develops and
the hub goes dry. Bearings burn
out and the road arm has to be
replaced.
While checking for loose hardware and low oil in the hubs during PMCS, take
a look at the back of each roadwheel. If you spot commo wire, cut it loose and
prevent damage before it starts.
my angle
drive shaft is
seizing
from
rust
!
what
in the world
is that
noise
!?
this
tangle
is
killing
my
seals
!
1
/
4
-in hole here lets
out trapped water