PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-604
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 604
MARCH 2003
PS 604
MAR 03
43
Inside the Shelter
Looking inside a packed commo shelter can remind you of your dad’s garage or
your grandma’s attic—stuff is stuck everywhere!
The fact is, if it must go and it can’t go
anywhere else, it winds up
in
your shelter.
But far too often, those things that wind
up in your shelter wind up breaking deli-
cate commo equipment—switches, knobs,
displays, handles, connectors and cables.
The only way to stop breakage is to
plan your storage, then carefully pack and
unpack.
Planned storage starts with a list of
what goes in the shelter, in what order,
and notations next to the items that have a
special area they fit in.
Store everything that doesn’t go in the
middle of the shelter first. Then store the
middle items, putting the biggest and
heaviest on the bottom.
Packing and unpacking usually causes most of the damage. Let’s face it, you’re
always in a hurry, whether you’re setting up or taking down. Items get tossed in and
tossed out and often hit delicate commo equipment on the way.
Bodies move in and out grabbing equipment and bumping knobs and switches.
But here is the reality: With a good load plan in place, you can set up and take
down just as fast as your neighbor, because adjustments won’t need to be made and
repacking won’t need to be done. And just think of the time you’ll
save by not having to wait for your equipment to be repaired!
On Top of the Shelter
Your shelter top has two thin layers of metal covering conductive foam and they
tear quite easily. Tossing or storing heavy or sharp objects on the top just invites
damage. Some of the worst offenders are concertina wire and ground rods.
The only load-bearing surfaces
on your shelters are at the cor-
ners—not the roof itself!
If you have no choice but to load
gear on your shelter’s roof, put pal-
lets or plywood under the equip-
ment to protect the skin and let the
corners bear most of the weight.
Also, remember that putting
items on top of the shelter changes
the center of gravity of the vehicle.
Too tall a load is a safety hazard!
Again, only place things on top
of the shelter if absolutely neces-
sary. CECOM prefers that nothing
go on top!
If your roof already has punc-
tures or broken seams, get them
fixed immediately. Shelter leaks
cause electrical shorts. Find out
what you can fix and what tools
and materials you need to do the
work in TB 43-0124,
Maintenance
and
Repair
Procedures
for
Shelters.
It tells you all you need to
know to do unit-level repairs.
If you want to increase
the load capacity of the
trailer, have your support
unit install two heavy
duty springs, NSN 2510-
01-353-3116, and four
U-bolts, NSN 5306-01-
147-8225. The springs
will increase the payload
by 160 pounds.
Some units have
modified their
trailers to carry
fuel cans. That
can be downright
hazardous.
Fuel cans pose
a fire hazard
if mounted
any-
where
near hot
exhausts.
You’ll find the
springs and U-bolts
in fig 27, Appendix F,
of TM 9-2330-
202-14&P.
and store
them
at
least
fifty
feet away.
but it’s all
absolutely
necessary!
absolutely
not!
I can
see the
sky!
If it’s not
on the list,
it’s not
going in!
aww…
my eye!
So, when
you run your
generator,
take the fuel
cans off…
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