Com-Central.net

Here's something that's come up on the Armorama modeling site:

www.armorama.com/modul...941&page=1

KL

I don't know what they're for, but isn't that more likely an M60A3? Seems to have a wind sensor mount, which were not in service on A1's, at least through '73.

I think JoeD is who we need to hear from on this one.

As someone else noted on armorama, the typical searchlight stowage mount on an A1 was on the right side, and with the "two-piece" bustle rack, with the right side dismounted to accomodate the light (though in actual practice, this stowage point was seldom used).

Those slots in the bustle rack are for two 72 inch straps (NSN 1025-00-965-7833) for stowing the tarpaulin, Below is a picture of an M60A1 with the tarp stowed according to the TM stowage guide.

Tarp stowage

This picture shows the straps mounted without the tarp. The slots were there to allow the strap to pass through at an angle and also to ease installation

Straps

Below is a good shot of an A1 bustle rack, the four welded loops were for the 39 inch straps (NSN 5340-00-854-6733) and were ran around the top rail to secure your gear.

Loops

Originally the M60A1 20P manual had the nomenclature reversed when describing the straps, calling the 72 inch “STRAP ASSEMBLY, WEBBING: CARGO RACK STOWAGE, 72 IN” , and the 39 inch “STRAP ASSEMBLY, WEBBING: TARPAULIN STOWAGE, 39 IN”. The unit of issue was the way to know the correct one since it listed four for the 39 inch and two for the 72 inch. Both these straps were listed in the M60A3 20P manual were called “STAP, WEBBING” , listing neither the length or purpose. There wasn’t even a NSN available for the 72 inch either when cross referenced by part number.

Other than pictures of tanks either at the school house or proving grounds, I’ve never seen the tarp stowed this way. Common practice was to line the bustle rack with the tarp and cover all your gear to protect it from the elements. The late A1 and original build A3's were best for that since they were one piece and didn’t have the separating bar and fuel transfer pump stowage bracket in the way. Bottom line is it’s just a redundant feature that was still required by the manufacturer even though it’s use was long forgotten by the user. The -10 TM’s up to the A3's do vaguely show them in place in the strap diagram.

I'd participate more but my computer is slow as dirt with this lousy satellite provider I have, price I pay for living out in the sticks. Took me almost 45 minutes to put this together between researching, uploading and getting bumped off line (it's raining), the last two the main culprits. Hope this answers your questions.

Thanks Joe!! Great info as always!

KL

Good job.

I looked at some of my manuals and saw references to different size straps and a bundle of something in that location but no description of what the bundle is.