PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-621
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 621
AUGUST 2004
F
or careless tankers, pure luck is
the only difference between a main
gun elevation lock that works and
one that creates an unsafe tank.
Careless tankers don’t pin the
lock to the gun mount assembly
bracket after releasing the cannon
from the stowed position.
If you’re lucky, the lock will fall
forward out of the way. As luck
would have it, though, it often falls
back against the breech ring when
the main gun is fired. As the main
gun moves back into battery, the
breach ring hits the travel lock and
shears the mounting bracket from
the main gun cradle.
When that happens, safety is jeopardized for both the crew and mechanics. Several
maintenance functions rely on this lock to keep crewmen and mechanics out of
harm’s way.
That little slip up will cost you a lot of down time since a depot-certified welder
will have to come to the tank to make repairs. But even worse, your unit has to fork
over $30,000 for a new main gun cradle.
PS 621
AUG 04
7
M1A1/A2 Tanks…
HOW
LUCKY
ARE YOU FEELIN’?
When you’re finished, make sure the chain attached to the lock’s quick-release pin
is short enough to keep the pin from getting caught under the lock. Remove a few
links if necessary.
Mechanics, you can install a very low cost insurance policy by adding a spring to
the lock. The spring forces the lock to the stowed position, keeping it away from the
breech ring.
Here are the parts you’ll need:
Size
Spring
Washer
Pin
Cotter pin
NSN
Unsecured
lock can fall
against
breech
Spring keeps
lock from
hitting breech
good ol’
lucky rabbit’s
foot!
don’t worry
about your main
gun elevation
travel lock…
…I’m
feelin’
lucky
today!
I dunno. one of
these days your
luck… and
mine…
is gonna run out!
M88A1/A2 Recovery Vehicles, AVLB…
T
he air filters on your recovery vehicle and AVLB won’t be worth a hill of beans if the
vehicle’s hull access plates and drain plugs aren’t
installed properly.
A loose or missing plate or plug lets the vehi-
cle’s fans pull dust directly into the engine com-
partment. That’s a near certain death sentence
for the engine and transmission, especially for
vehicles deployed to Southwest Asia.
Before leaving on the next mission, take a
close look under your vehicle. If any of the
access plates or drain plugs are loose or missing,
report ‘em. If a drain plug is just open, close it!
what’s the
problem?
I
just changed
your filters!
yeah, but
what about my
open access
plates and
drain plugs?
Open drain plug allows direct
access to engine compartment
Here’s how to put the parts together:
1.
Remove the old cotter pin and straight-headed pin.
2.
Place the new spring over the elevation lock.
3.
Slip a washer over the new pin and slide the pin
through the spring and lock.
4.
Place another washer over the open end of the pin.
5.
Secure the pin in place with the new cotter pin.
621. 06-07 (C)
7/6/04
6:55 PM
Page 1
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