PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-610

PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly

ISSUE 610

SEPTEMBER 2003
PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-610 - Page 4 of 33
A
little exercise never hurt anyone—and it can do the M256 cannon on an M1-
series tank a lot of good, mechanics.
Without it, the seals on the recoil
mechanism dry out and leak. It’s
only a matter of time before the
cannon won’t fire. The tank is
NMC.
That’s why, during semiannual
maintenance, you need to check the
tank’s DA Form 2408-4,
Weapon
Record Data,
to see when the can-
non was last fired or exercised. If
it’s been 6 months or longer, you’re
required to exercise the cannon
using the information in TB 9-
1000-234-13,
Exercising of Recoil
Mechanisms and Equilibrators.
T
he blow-off panels on your M1A1 tank are designed to blow clear if the ammu-
nition in the turret bustle explodes.
That’s exactly what happened to a tank that took an RPG and mortar round hit to
the blow-off panels during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Because the panels worked,
the trapped driver was able to escape without injury.
The key to blow-off panel success is using Grade 5 bolts. Using any other bolt—
Grade 8, for example—may not allow the panels to blow.
So how do you tell? Look at the
head of the bolt. If it has three dashes,
it’s a Grade 5 bolt.
There are three different blow-off
configurations for the M1A1 tank. So
use the right Grade 5 bolt for each.
Configuration 1 has separate stand-alone blow-off panels and uses Grade 5 bolt,
NSN 5305-01-345-1246. Configurations 2 and 3 have blow-off panels that are part
of the ammo rack. Ammo rack, NSN 2590-01-331-6170, takes Grade 5 bolt, NSN
5305-01-340-5652. Use Grade 5 bolt, NSN 5305-01-385-6814, if your tank has the
commander’s ammo rack, NSN 2590-01-428-7013, or loader’s ammo rack, NSN
The blow-off panels for the M1A2 and M1A2 SEP tank also use Grade 5 bolt,
Three dashes?
It’s a
Grade 5
bolt
PS 610
SEP 03
5
Pump Up Your Tank
PS 610
SEP 03
4
M1-Series Tanks…
whew!
it’s a
good thing we
used
grade 5
bolts
on the
blow-out panels!
yeah!
otherwise we
might’ve been
trapped!
wow!
looks like
you’ve
been
working out!
yeah,
it’s
it’s been six
months since
your cannon was
last exercised.
A little
exercise
will keep
they’re
needed.
610. 04-05 (C)
7/28/03
8:13 PM
Page 1
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