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Greetings fellow CIAs,

I have a question about the ring found on Stryker rims. Is there any rhyme or reason to when they are fitted or are they possibly an early vs late ID feature? Digging through my photos has not yielded a satisfactory explanation yet, especially since I found vehicles that had a mix of rims without and with the rings.

TIA

Jens O.

All I can guess is that the ring protects the bolt heads that protrude out from where the axle is bolted into the hub.

[img]http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0Je5mmnbCxHpV8APRujzbkF/SIG=135euvjhj/EXP=1194180135/**http%3A//www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/images/stryker-ATGM001b.jpg[/img]

The ring is a step. It has anti slip surface on the outer circumference. Originally, the rings were on all 8 wheels. Currently, they are only going on the left front wheel so only the driver climbs on.

But it's not like they are being removed. They will probably disappear due to attrition.

- Sabot

The ring is a step. It has anti slip surface on the outer circumference. Originally, the rings were on all 8 wheels. Currently, they are only going on the left front wheel so only the driver climbs on.

But it's not like they are being removed. They will probably disappear due to attrition.

Thank you very much Rob,

that is exactly what I wanted to know, and also explains the set-up I have seen in many of the recent photos.



Jens O.

Hi folks. In speaking with GDLS it was explained to me, as Robin points out, the step rings are just that - used for mounting the vehicle. They have a non skid surface on them. However, only older vehicles with 3/2 have this set up. So you will see this set up with their initial deployment and even with there most recent deployment (they just returned from Iraq last month).

But at some point a few years ago 7 step rings were left off NEW vehicles to save weight. Even though the whole C130 thing is still quite controversial, the vehicle still has to meet this requirement to be air-transportable.

So, old vehicles from 3/2 still have all wheels w/ the step rings, and new vehicles only have the one step ring. I'm not sure what they do with vehicles that go through the reset program.

Also, with the older vehicles that have a "mix" that is because they do not bother putting them back on when they fall off due to action. They are not fragile, by the way, but IEDs and other such hard action do remove them. Then, if a whole new wheel is put on these will tend to not have step rings.

Bob

Thank you very much Bob,

highly appreciated, a quick check through my references does indeed show it's mostly 3/2 vehicles with the full set- or Stryker variants being tested stateside.



Jens O.