PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-615

PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly

ISSUE 615

FEBRUARY 2004
PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-615 - Page 3 of 33
C
rewmen, after firing the main gun on your tank, don’t forget to service the
bore evacuator. The maintenance instructions start on Page 3-247 of TM 9-
2350-264-10-2, Page 3-138 of TM 9-2350-288-10-2, and Page 3-165 of TM 9-
2350-388-10-2.
Pay special attention to
the O-ring at the front and
rear of the bore evacuator.
Your tank is NMC if either
O-ring is torn, cut, gouged
or deformed in any way.
Your mechanic will replace
damaged O-rings using
PS 615
FEB 04
3
M1A1, M1A2, M1A2 SEP Tanks…
PS 615
2
M1-Series Tanks…
A
jerky, unsteady M2 machine gun is no good to anybody—except maybe the
enemy! But that’s exactly what you get if the mount on your tank is mistreated.
A wobbly mount is caused by two main problems:
Problem 1:
The mount is
not
a seat! Nor is it an arm rest, foot rest, or leaning
post. Sitting or leaning on the mount puts pressure against the brass gear teeth inside
the mechanical housing.
That pressure gradually eats away at the teeth. When the gear wears down too
much, the mount floats and the machine gun won’t hold steady when fired.
Problem 2:
Operators lock the mount in the depressed position to keep the tip
from poking a hole in the tarp when it’s tied down.
Unfortunately, that also compresses the equilibration spring. If the spring is
squeezed too long, it won’t snap back. That lets the mount jerk when you’re trying
to hit a target.
The solutions are simple: stay off the machine gun mount and keep it elevated.
You may want to put a coffee cup or a piece of cardboard over the tip of the mount
to protect the tarp.
Depressed mount compresses
equilibration spring
Raise mount
and cover tip to
protect tarp
we may
just be
little
O-rings,
but if
we’re
damaged…
your
tank is
NMC!
my mount
can’t
take much
of that!
Check both O-rings
for damage
yo,
move
it!
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