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Sherman suspension
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JimWeb
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Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 8:25 am Post subject: Sherman suspension
Are the hull mounting points for the HVSS & VVSS suspension units the same? _________________ TTFN Jim If your not a member of JED then your not serious about anything military.. ********************* www.jedsite.info JED Military Equipment *********************

Dontos
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Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 12:01 pm Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
Jim Here is the hull mounting point on Cobra King with the suspension unit mounting 'face', for reference. I don't have any comparison photos, onhand. I can check it though on my next work visit to RMP (on Wednesday). Regards Don

Kurt_Laughlin
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Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 1:42 pm Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
No. HVSS: Ten holes in rectangular pattern, 12-1/16 from lower edge of hull plate to centerline of upper row. Five equally spaced holes on underside, 11-3/4 overall, center-to-center. VVSS: Twelve holes in hexagonal pattern, 15-1/16 from lower edge of hull plate to centerline of upper row. Four equally spaced holes on underside, 9 overall, center-to-center. KL

Maple_Leaf_Eh
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Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 11:03 pm Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
How thick is the lower hull at the mounting points? One inch? More? Or less?

tankbarrell
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 7:41 am Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
- Maple_Leaf_Eh How thick is the lower hull at the mounting points? One inch? More? Or less? 1 1/2" on Sherman, 1 1/4" on M10.

the_shadock
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 6:38 am
Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension

- Kurt_Laughlin

No.

HVSS: Ten holes in rectangular pattern, 12-1/16 from lower edge of hull plate to centerline of upper row. Five equally spaced holes on underside, 11-3/4 overall, center-to-center.

VVSS: Twelve holes in hexagonal pattern, 15-1/16 from lower edge of hull plate to centerline of upper row. Four equally spaced holes on underside, 9 overall, center-to-center.

KL

does it mean that one can't easily put a VVSS suspension back on a tank which has HVSS?

P-O

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soldat_ryan @ hotmail.com

Looking for photos of Sherman manufacturer's plates

the_shadock
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 6:42 am Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
BTW I'm looking for pictures of the hull mounting points for HVSS tanks, just the same kind of pics than Dontos provided for VVSS. thanks P-O _________________ soldat_ryan @ hotmail.com Looking for photos of Sherman manufacturer's plates

Kurt_Laughlin
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Posted: Thu May 27, 2010 2:16 am Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
- the_shadock does it mean that one can't easily put a VVSS suspension back on a tank which has HVSS? P-O Correct. It was specifically noted in Ordnance documents that the conversion to HVSS was too difficult to be considered for field modification. It was only done as part of a complete overhaul at a factory or tank depot. KL

Dontos
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Posted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:05 am
Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension

On the topic of VVSS & HVSS. Was there any series of Sherman Tank that had both.

One example that comes to mind is the M4A3E2 (well sorta)

Of course we know the Tank itself always had the VVSS but post war, 3 Jumbos were converted to the T33 Flamethrower Tank testing and those Jumbo hulls were converted to HVSS.

Were there any others known to have started with VVSS & then physically converted to HVSS ?

This might be the best way to compare the two types of suspensions by being able to do an actual side by side comparison.

Just a thought
Regards
Don

Kurt_Laughlin
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Posted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:32 pm
Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension

Series, yes. All the 76mm and 105mm tanks as well as the M4A3(75)W were produced initially in VVSS then HVSS.

If you mean converted, the only ones done by the US were M4A3s. After the war there was a program to create as many M4A3(76) HVSS tanks as possible. So, 76mm VVSS, 75mm HVSS, and 105mm HVSS tanks were converted first, using turrets and suspensions from M4A2(76) and M4A2(76) HVSS. I imagine some 75mm and 105mm VVSS were converted as well.

There are plenty of surviving examples of these converted tanks around, including at Knox. Just look for idler and return roller mounts held on with plug welds rather than bolts. The bogies will also be attached with welds, but sometimes there is a bolt or two in place, probably used to fix it in place for welding and unable to be removed afterward.

Some examples:

picasaweb.google.com/g...1986716514

picasaweb.google.com/g...1752251234

picasaweb.google.com/g...6241531778

As-built HVSS looks like this:

picasaweb.google.com/g...7558297842

picasaweb.google.com/g...3447289218

KL

Dontos
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Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 10:26 am Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
Thanks Kurt Being a novice to such details, you helped make it a bunch clearer. You mentioned a converted VVSS to HVSS at Knox. Which tank? I can do a quick 'drive by' and try to get some detailed shots 'for the record'. Regards Don

Kurt_Laughlin
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Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 3:56 pm Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
Unfortunately Don, I don't remember! KL

Dontos
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 12:19 am Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
Kurt Is the M32 ARV 'the one'? Found this today: Regards Don

Kurt_Laughlin
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 2:37 am Post subject: Re: Sherman suspension
Well, I thought it was a tank, but that's an example of a modified suspension! KL

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