M60A1 or A3? (Was M60A0s, A1s and A3s?)

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Thanks, here's another few.

Quincy IL



Flemington NJ



Millersville PA





Simpson PA



Cotulla TX





Avis PA





Williamsport PA



Little Valley NY









Naples NY



Shellsville PA



West Orange NJ



Poestenkill NY



McCook NE: Cant tell - another A0?



Kinsley KS



Augusta KS



Neil

[Joe_D]

Hi everyone,
As always a good M60 discussion gets started when I'm off the net. What a great selection of M60's. Here is another ID tip to go by.

The Gunners Sight Housing for an M60A3 TTS is rounded on top and taller as opposed to the housing for an M60A1 or M60A3 Passive. IAW Army records all Passive A3's were converted to TTS by 1984 from what I remember (I don't have my references). So finding a Passive A3 should be almost impossible (Never say Never). A lot of tanks had the sight removed before being put on display. To make it harder the wind sensor mast might be removed too. Target tanks will even have the range finder blister removed with the LRF. The ID feature that remains for a TTS model is the old searchlight cable opening on the top center turret. It would have a cap welded over it. So if you see the cap, then it's an A3. But just because it doesn't have a cap does not make it an A1.
About the "Muzzel Brake" on the heater exhaust. It's actually meant to diffuse the IR signature the heater puts out, Not all A3's had them either. Most original Detroit production models were straight piped. There is an original M60A3 TTS at Praire Du Chein WI that has a straight pie still. A lot of A3's that went through a second rebuild at Anniston had this pipe installed along with the phone box removed before issue to the Gaurd.
Question for Geoff Walden, where were you with these very late model A1's? I see your 33rd Armor Crest but that could be Knox or Spearhead.
Question for Jim Web, Do you mean RISE/Passive by M60A1 RPE?? Not familiar with that description.

Joe D

[JimWeb]

- Joe_D

Question for Jim Web, Do you mean RISE/Passive by M60A1 RPE?? Not familiar with that description.
Joe D

Yes - taken from the maunuals. I am aware of the different engine types they had ie...

M60A1 AOS = AVDS-1790-2A or 2D
M60A1 RISE = AVDS-1790-2C
M60A1 R/PE = AVDS-1790-20

As far as I am aware only the RISE & RPE had the top loading air cleaner...

[Sabot]

Except for the one you ID'd correctly as an A0, they are all M60A3s. If you look at your last photo, see how the end of the tube juts out from the thermal shroud, giving the end a skinny appearance. If the tube is a smooth, continuous diameter all the way back to the bore evacuator, then it is an A1 (or an A3 with the shroud removed!).

There is also a strange variant of the M60/M48 family that came out it kit form by the Taiwanese company AFV Club. They make a model of a Taiwan variant of the M48/60 called the "M48H". This is an M60 series hull with an M48A5 turret, but with fire control and thermal sites of the M60A3TTS. At a glance, it could be mistaken for an M60A0, but as long as you have stateside photos and not any from the far east, we should not have ID problems. They also have an ERA armor package they use on it.

Interesting variant that adds a new twist to identification.
english.www.gov.tw/Yea...&type=prev

[JimWeb]

- Sabot

They also have an ERA armor package they use on it.

Images of both types on JED...

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Didnt the Taiwanese also put M60 turrets on M48 hulls? Or am I thinking of the M18 Jackson turrets on M42 Duster hulls...

Neil

[Neil_Baumgardner]

- Sabot

Except for the one you ID'd correctly as an A0, they are all M60A3s. If you look at your last photo

Sabot, thanks again for the ids. I'm beginning to find from this random sampling that A1s must be pretty rare...

And BTW, just for clarification, none of these pictures are mine... They all come from this Tanks for the Memories geocaching site...

www.geocaching.com/see...e6cedf1f33

I'm not in the habbit of photographing young children in my AFV pictures... 'Nuff said...

Neil

[JimWeb]

- Neil_Baumgardner

Didnt the Taiwanese also put M60 turrets on M48 hulls? Or am I thinking of the M18 Jackson turrets on M42 Duster hulls...

Neil

Your thinking of the CM-12. M48A2 with 105mm gun, M1 computer and a number of M-60 hull components including the engine.

Jackson turrets on M42 hulls? Nearest thing I can think of was the M42 turrets on the LVTP-5 hulls (Taiwanese) M42 turrets on AMX-13 hulls (Venezuala) or the M42 turrets on the M548 hulls (Taiwanese again)

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Sorry, I misspoke, M18 Hellcat turrets on M42 hulls. Cant find any pics of 'em just right now, but I can find several references via a simple google search.

Neil

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Next batch:

White Haven PA



Overbook KS (M60A1?)



Pine Grove PA



Shelton NE (M60A0?)



Sutton NE







Clay Center NE





Lebanon PA



Columbus NE





Cadillac MI





Allegan MI





Spalding NE



Grand Island NE



Hastings NE



Tuscumbia AL



Paterson NJ



West Paterson NJ





St Augustine FL





Independence IA





Hudson FL





Lake Charles LA



Hutchinson MN





Morrisonville NY











Parkton NC





Argonia KS



Conway SC





Greeley NE



Chillicothe OH





Hutchinson MN



Marion IL



Florala FL



Neil

[Roy_A_Lingle]

Hi Neil! Hi Folks!

The second photo under the Clay Center NE set of three is a M60A0. The one with the guy wearing a blue t-shirt.

Spot Report!
Sgt, Scouts out!

[Neil_Baumgardner]

- Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Neil! Hi Folks!

The second photo under the Clay Center NE set of three is a M60A0. The one with the guy wearing a blue t-shirt.

Spot Report!
Sgt, Scouts out!

Roy, thanks. I hadnt noticed there were 2 different M60s in Clay Center (in 2 different locations none-the-less).

Are all the rest A3s?

Neil

[JeffStringer]

Man ... I haven't seen so many M60's before like this in my life! I'll probably have a very weird tank dream tonight.

Hey Neil, are you sure you weren't thinking of M36 Jackson turrets on M18 Hellcats, causing what was called the "Super Hellcat"?


Jeff

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Nope, Hellcat turrets on Duster chassis.



See this discussion:

www.taiwanmilitary.org...562758ab0a

Neil

[JeffStringer]

Thanks Neil. That's something you don't see everyday!


Jeff