PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-570
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 570
MAY 2000
PS 570
15
PS 570
14
MAY 00
oose end connector wedge bolts are a tanker’s worst
nightmare. There are 312 wedge bolts to keep an eye on
and it only takes a few loose ones to break a track.
If you’re like most crewmen, you assemble a track by laying the eight
block sections on the ground and hooking them together. Then you tighten the
end connector wedge bolts with all your might.
Unfortunately, you’re wasting your time. As soon as the track is on the tank,
the wedge bolts will start coming loose.
The secret
to assembling
track is not
brute
strength, it’s
location
.
M1-Series Tanks . . .
M
echanics, take the frustration fac-
tor into consideration when torquing
down the hex socket bolts that attach
the NBC tube to the engine on M1-
series tanks.
The bend in the tube makes it hard
to get your torque wrench on two of
the four bolts. If you’re not careful,
the wrench slips and the tube is cut. If
outside air can get in, the tank is NMC.
The Frustration
Factor
Don’t let
wrench
slip
when
torquing
down
NBC
tube
i've got all
your connectors
nice
and
tight
now!
then how
come my tracks
still
feel
wobbly
?
he forgot
that the
key
to
assembling track
is
location
,
location
,
location
!
To properly torque the wedge bolts,
the two track blocks must be at just the
right angle to each other. That’s so there
is no tension between the wedge bolt
and the angled face on the two track
pins.
The only places where this happens
are the two angles created by the track
between the idler wheel and the No. 1
roadwheel. It’s there and only there that
you should assemble a new track or
replace a track block.
The same goes for loose wedge bolts
you find during inspection. It won’t do
any good to tighten the bolts unless
you do it at the angles between the
idler wheel and the No. 1 roadwheel.
Torquing the wedge bolts in the right
place will keep your tank on track for
many miles to come.
Slow and
easy is
the ticket. It’ll
take longer to torque the
bolts, but it’s still faster
than installing a
new NBC hose.
. . . and at track angle
on No. 1 roadwheel
Tighten wedge bolts
between 8 and 11
o‘clock
positions
on idler wheel .
. .
PS 570
15
PS 570
14
MAY 00
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