M76 Otter pics and information

Thought I would start a thread once in a while on a uncommon vehicle and see if we can get together and exchange pics and information on in, kind of a quasi-vehicle show on a specific vehicle type, if you will.

Anyone got any pics of M76 Otters out there? These are the tracked amphibious carriers built by Pontiac in the 1950s and used during the height of the Cold War in places like Alaska and Vietnam as well. Prop driven in the water, road wheels are inflatable tires, not solid rubber. Here's a starter pic for this interesting machine.

http://www.amphibiousvehicle.net/amphi/P/pontiac-otterspecial/otter-1.jpeg

It was a pretty neat vehicle, primarily used in a supply or support role as I recall. Did pretty well with the rice paddies in Vietnam, but just about anything that was fired at it went through and through.

Olive Drab has a couple of good photos at:
http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_m76_otter.php3

Another photo at:
http://www.phpbb88.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?mforum=theriflecompany&p=985

A neat article about various Marine Corps vehicles, including the Otter and what happened to some of them:
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14741

How about a photo of the M76 and some of the data plates?
http://www.mvdataplates.com/tracked_misc_.htm

Enough for now .. anyone have any actual experience with these machines?

I always thought that they would make a great camper / boondock machine.

According to the "Standard Catalog of US Military Vehicles," by David Doyle:

The otter had a totally enclosed, insulated aluminum body and space for eight passengers plus the two-man crew, or 3,000 lbs of cargo. There were hatches in the roof, and a pair of doors on the back for loading and unloading passengers or cargo. The crew compartment had doors on each side.

There was a propeller mounted below the pintle hook for use in the water, and the fuel tanks were mounted externally. The location of the fuel tanks and external storage varied during the production run. They were centered on the hull side on early vehicles, and shifted to the rear of the hull sides on later models. All otters had a 5,000 lb capacity winch mounted in the rear compartment under a seat.

The road wheels on the Otter were pneumatic like those on the Scorpion instead of solid rubber like most other tracked vehicles.

I've never seen one in private hands, but have run across several references to privately owned and restored Otters. Anyone know how many were produced?

Mechanized Museum on Camp Pendleton has two. The article referred to in one of the links above refers to one of the otters that Camp Pendleton has. They are both in pretty poor condition, needing full restoration, new tracks, and new road wheels (which are inflatable rubber).

http://www.surfacezero.com/sdmvcc/faye/m76otter1.jpg

Otter at FSD, Barstow, it will be coming down here some time in the future.

http://www.surfacezero.com/sdmvcc/faye/m76ottertrailer.jpg

I believe this is the trailer that was supposed to be towed behind the Otter.

I have a pic of the one that is currently at Camp Pendleton, but I'd have to dig it up, lemme know if you guys really want to see it.

Michigan Otter

One of our Museum members used to own an Otter. We took it out for out winter "snowmobile" rides. He sold it to a guy in England a few years back. I'll see if I can find some pics to scan and post.

Couple pics I pulled from the Photo Gallery on this site. These were taken by someone at Tomlin Ordnance Depot in Utah.

Tomlin supposedly has two 40' containers full of NOS M76 Otter parts...

Otter snowmobile

Here are some pics from Feb 96.

RE: Otter snowmobile

Cool pic of the M116 next to the M76! I still like the lines of the Otter better, looks like a boat on tracks....

RE: Otter snowmobile

I like the M116 a bit better, for some reason, I think of the ultimate hippie machine (VW bus) when I see it. Though, just wanna let everyone know, I don't like hippies, they need to stop boycotting soap, get a job, and the female hippies need to shave.

RE: Otter snowmobile

I am planning to make a R/C model in 1/8th scale of the M-76 Otter and/or the M-116.
But i haven't found much information about this vehicles on the web!
If somebody have informations, drawings, technical datas about this vehicles, please contact me.
Any information is welcome.

Thank you.

RE: Otter snowmobile

i need a distributor for m76 otter anyone help me thanks rjzu812@yahoo.com

RE: Otter snowmobile

I spoke to a guy last night in MN who says he has one that is being restored and almost ready for paint. I hope to get over to his shop sometime. Have to bring the camera.

I was in the Alaska National guard from 1960 until 1967. I actual drove the M76 otter for a couple of years. I was a company armorer. and used one for a a "in the field" work shop. I was a kick to drive. The engine was a radial Aircraft engine that used a electric driven flywheel to get the gas engine turning before actually turning on the ignition. Sorta whined like the old hand spun flywheels on the older aircraft.

hello i'm new to steel soldiers but have a interesting otter story , my grand father actually owned one for some time , it was sold surplus to a now defunct ski area in northern mass and was used daily " im not sure what roll it actually did " , when the resort closed down the otter was sold via auction to my grand father who bought it for scrap , after he bought it he must have realized that it was too interesting to cut up .So it was brought back to running condition and used around our house (one good trail rig !) , how ever after catching the kids "playing " a little to hard and having the police called on (my grand father was the chief ) a bunch of times the otter was sold to a scrap dealer from the scrap dealer it then landed in privet hands , im not going to tell any one where it is because i am currently trying to aquire funding to organize a sale and restoration of the otter ! This being said , if any one here knows about my otter please post some more info about it i'd like to get in touch with who ever it may concern about buying the otter back or setting up a restoration fund !, also if any one else has information about otters for sale in the new england area I HAVE CASH and i want otters !

You otter check this out-

Hey trab, cool story, not too many otters around. The one you mentioned, would it be at the Legion post very near the state line? If so, I've seen it many times and thought it needs someone to give it some TLC. Hope you can get it and restore it, that'd be a cool bit of family history to have. Good luck with it! JK

RE: You otter check this out-

hello yes that is my grandfather's otter ! please don't spread the word around about it's location though, I would hate to see it shipped over seas like so many other otters , also i am trying to build up a data base of people that would know any thing about this otter , have any ideas on who to call ?

RE: You otter check this out-

There are plenty of them up here in Alaska. A guy I know of was able to buy 2 in a deal for 8,000 plus a trailer, and fixed them both up.

They are pretty solid rigs. They get around up here in Alaska pretty good I've heard. I've seen a few of them, the fact that they float is a real plus. You can put tracks on them and it helps them go through the swamps up here. I know plenty of people who use them to go hunting in. They can help you get deep into the woods, way back in there away from roads.

I remember seeing a privately owned one driving around at the Aberdeen, MD shows back in the late 80s.
It was pretty nice if I recall. Anyone have pics of that one? I know I have some laying around somewhere.

I helped a guy in Cleveland restore one about 6 or 7 years ago.We found a surplus engine and transmission assembly at a drmo auction at Rock Island Arsenal.The Otter uses the Continental AIO-268 air cooled,injected,opposed 4 cylinder engine.The engine and transmission can be changed out in about 1 hour.Everything is quick disconnect fittings and the transaxle has a half-clamp that pivots out of the way.It's a really neat vehicle.He floats it in his lake and drives it in the snow.That thing is a blast.I will try to get some pictures.

A friend of mine who now lives in Arizona sent me a bunch of photos that he took while he was stationed in Alaska in the Signal Corp as a weather observer in support of the Continental Army Command artic test activity during 1960-61 at Ft.Greely.

The photos are on my website and include such shots as a gasser M52 hauling a M76 Otter and one of an Otter parked in a staging area.

I'd post the photos directly into this thread, but that would involve copying them to the work computer and resizing them...so, follow the link to http://www.garbee.net/~cabell/photosmisc.htm

Enjoy.