PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-688
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 688
MARCH 2010
18
PS 688
MAR 10
19
PS 688
MAR 10
Dear Editor,
Many of the cables for the Patriot Missile System have keyways in their
connectors to ensure the pins go in the right holes. You must line up the
cable connector keyway to the keyway of the connector you’re plugging it
into to get a correct connection.
Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to see the keyways, especially if
you’re plugging the cables in at night. And that’s even with a flashlight.
As a result, Soldiers often stick the cable connector on and twist it
back and forth trying to line up the keyways. That damages lots and lots of
pins every year. Too many times the whole cable must be replaced, which is
expensive.
An easy way to help Soldiers
find the keyways and prevent pin
damage is to mark the keyways on
the outside of both connectors
with a thin line of bright paint.
Yellow would be best. Then all
Soldiers need to do is match the
two lines to line up the keyways.
The paint will wear off over time
so periodically units will need to
repaint the lines. But the savings
in cables and money are worth
the effort.
SSG Benito Rosas
SPC Matthew Reimer
C Btry, 3-6 ADA
Ft Bliss, TX
Warning:
Never disconnect the trailer from the
HMMWV before setting both the right and left trailer
brakes and lowering the front and rear stabilizer legs.
Only then is it OK to disconnect the trailer.
Editor’s note:
We can line up
behind that excellent suggestion.
6.
Disconnect the trailer from the HMMWV
by lowering the front landing leg and
raising the tongue using the hand crank on
the front landing leg. Move the HMMWV.
7.
Level the trailer using the crank on the
front leg.
8.
On the rear jack, turn the leg base until
it makes Frm contact with the ground.
9.
If the jack model in use has the lock
washer and nut on the leg base, they must
be tightened Frmly against the tube end.
10.
This information will be added to Para
2.7 in TM 11-5840-380-10.
TM
11-5840-380-10 doesn’t give much info on setting
the rear stabilizer jack leg for the trailers used with the
AN/TPQ-36(V)8 and AN/TPQ-46A/B radars.
That’s not good since the trailer is heavier to the rear
because it doesn’t have much tongue weight. That means
if the jack leg isn’t set properly the trailer’s tongue can
fly up when it’s disconnected from the HMMWV or when
weight is added to the rear of the trailer.
1.
Park the trailer on as level a surface
as possible.
2.
Set the two handbrake levers to
prevent any movement.
Patriot Missile System…
The
Key
to Cable
Keyways
AN/TPQ-36(V)8, AN/TPQ-46A/B Radar Sets…
Setting Trailer’s Rear Leg
Mark keyways on
both connectors
with thin line
owww!
you
need to line up
the connector
keyways.
you can’t
just
force
that cable
on!
3.
Pull out the pin that secures the rear
stabilizer jack in the travel position
4.
Pull the
rear stabilizer
jack down.
Put the pin in
the bracket to
secure the rear
stabilizer jack
in the down
position
5.
Turn
the leg
base
on the
rear jack
clockwise
until it’s
within
2-3 inches
off the
ground
Here’s
how to
set the
jack leg
so that
doesn’t
happen…
Pin
Pin
688.18-19.indd
1-2
1/22/10
5:52:58 PM
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