Tanks in the Tank Park are quite Handsome , but once they're in the filed..

A field Training exercise in the Mud fields of Hohenfels, W. Germany. first operating Day, our Transmission lost the ability to change gears, and was stuck in low gear only. It’s automatic a 2 speed, operates much as a car transmission does. So we were ordered to return to the MotorPool for service. On the Way, the Engine begins to smoke like a Naval Destroyer covering a withdrawal, and long story short, the entire Pack needed replacement. (The term “Pack” refers to both the Engine, and Transmission as one unit. ) The next 2 days were spent in the mud, stripping the old pack for the parts that had to be reinstalled on the new one. Then clean the old one, and bolt it up in the Nitrogen tight shipping/storage container the military is so very fond of. then putting it all together again, Removal, and installation for the Pack on the M-60 Series Tanks was a small job, even going slow due to weather etc. about 40 minutes to remove or replace. Got it fixed up alright, then on to the rocky fields for Piratical adventures. The image was taken while doing the parts swap of the external stuff Oil Coolers, hoses, all that little stuff prior to the arrival of the replacement Pack. I’m the one looking back to the Camera, the others are various levels of company, and Battalion Maintenance .

Interesting, I always figured the powerpack had to be quick to change. Did you guys use 15W-40 oil in those things?

For the Engine, Summer, Straight 30, Winter, straight 10 weight. Transmission Straight 10 weight all year. The Pack was made for quick removal and installation, aside from a few connectors, steering, and Brake linkage, and some other little stuff, only two large bolts held it in place. Removal, oil change, and reinstall could be done in as little as 90 minutes. The only tricky part were the final drive U-joints, took some bull work to get those realigned, and clamped. Oil Cooler Hoses were the only thing that might give trouble generally, they did have a habit of leaking in the field, usually never in the motor pool despite being run every day.