Bridge Plate/Weight Classification

Anyone got a copy of the FM 5-36 Route Reconnaissance and Classification Manual? Or the related AR 746-5 or TB 746-93-1? Basically I am looking for the specs and tables on the Bridge Plates and their use on different MVs. There seems to be a lot of confusion where the bridge plates and the door numbers are concerned and I was wanting to get the real scoop. I got the manual numbers from one of the PS Magazine Articles but anything that would shed some light would be excellent.

I did a search for these and poked around a bit but I don;t think the search works well for me while I'm at work.

Lanty the info your looking for might be in here somewhere

http://www.armyradio.com/arsc/custo...ical_Bulletin_746-93-1/Technical_Bulletin.htm

If anyone locates the info... lets upload it to the TM or TA section please?

GTA 05-07-013 Go to the TM section and download this to see if it helps. Just put it up there.

Ken - I can't get GTA 05-07-013 to load, every time I click on it it reloads the TM index page!

Some idiot failed to attach the attachment. Should be working now!

Thanks Kenny! I can't look at it right now. Seems the Tech Manual Index page isn't loading for me, but I'll check it later today.

Might not be what you want Lanty. it seems to be mostly the bridge info. I'm on the hunt for the other stuff.

Yeah, I got it to load and all I saw was how to rate the bridge construction and not how to rate the truck for the bridge, lol. Interesting reading for sure, but not what I was looking for. Then I got to the very end and saw the chart with the different classes for the different vehicles. That's more of what I'm thinking, but I was hoping there was something older, or with more detail on how the bridge plate is used with different combinations. I picked out a few tidbits from the PS Magazine articles, but I was hoping for something that would put it all together and explain the ins and outs so to speak. Naturally I have never seen the manuals I posted at the beginning of this thread, so they may not actually have what I am want, lol. Anyway you help is greatly appreciated and I will be downloading the manual you posted on my home PC so I can read it more. It is sort of interesting how they are rated and what construction will support what.

What would be the proper weight classification combo on my M725 ambulance? No trailer hookup possible, no pintle hook.

The yellow or green badge is just rounded up to the nearest ton. In your case, I'd say 04 or 05 depending on where it scales.

My 5-ton wrecker is a class-18. M37's are class 04.

dg

M715s are 04, so I'd agree that a 725 would be either 04 also or 05. Probably 04. These are the sort of questions I am looking to answer. I believe from reading assorted posts and other sources that there is a way to do the weight class based on the vehicle configuration and weight alone, without a chart that tells what vehicle is what. sort of for uncommon vehicles that are not listed in the regular chart. This would sort of be helpful for determining the weight class of vehicles that are older and not in any of the current manuals.

All you need is a bigass scale and whatever load you carry.

dg

I'm a little behind the times on this one, but just discovered the Deuce classifications in section 1 of TM 9-2320-316-10. Maybe those of you wondering about other vehicles ought to start in Section 1 of your respective -10 TMs.

I do have a hard copy of TM 5-36. It contains a lot of crap about bridge classification, but very little on truck bridge plate classification. That info seems to be in the -10 manuals for the truck. However, if someone has a scanner and wants to scan and upload all several hundred pages of 5-36, I'd be glad to loan it to them as long as I get it back.

There is an appendix in the rear that lists trucks, trailers and combinations of same.

The bridge weight classification of a vehicle deals with more than its gross weight, it also factors in the distribuition of the weight - thus taking the weight off of the data plate, converting it to tons, and rounding it, does not always work.

I've got a couple of TMs that deal with this directly...but not in front of me at the moment. HOWEVER, issue 88 of Military Vehicles Magazine (December 2001) contains an article explaining bridge weight classification. In the article, I believe I list the TM numbers. The numbers are also probably listed in one of the Appendixs in the back of my "Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles". However, be aware that the chart in the back of that book pertains to M35 - not M35A2, etc.

Hope this helps,
David Doyle

Anyone looking for a plate?


I have a extra

Crazy_Matt said:

Anyone looking for a plate?


I have a extra

Click to expand...

I am... i went to buy the one on Ebay, and someone grabbed it earlier this afternoon

I still got it. Its not perfect. can take pics