Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite - View Single Post

blackwater1 · 11-01-2009, 01:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by maddawg308

That would be a M88 Hercules Recovery Vehicle. Very large, very useful. It also looks like an early model. If it is worth anything, it will be hauled down to Anniston for conversion into a more modern M88A2 Hercules, with new engine, tranny, etc. If it's not worth it, it will be hauled out to a range and pummeled with arty and high-velocity DU penetrators for the next 30 years until it's a pile of small steel pieces.

The m88 nor the m88a1 cannot be converted to the newer m88a2. They are not the same. The m88a2 is a much bigger arv. It weights 70 ton the m88 weighs 56tons and is considered a medium recovery vehicle --- lol. In Nam it would take 2 m88 to lift an m48 or m60 to put the tank on a lowboy. Ben there and done that. In order to do a heavy lift the blade is rotated all the way till it is completly under the front part of the track. So as to take the suspension out of the lift. The M88 had a cont. V12 aircooled diesel engine with an A/C 2 speed automatic transmission ---- the same engine and trans used them the M48A2C and the M60 tanks. The fuel mileage was about 2 miles per gal. The M88 was said to be able to push 1 tank and pull 2 at one time --- never seen that and I doubt it could do it, But have seen the M88 pull 2 disabled tanks over rough terain at the same time.