Carrier Track Handling Tool

[Lynn Eades]

Who else has these?
Is it just a Kiwi thing?

[Robert Bergeron]

Goddamned good idea whoever tought of it ! Brilliant !

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Who else has these?
Is it just a Kiwi thing?

I used one those a few months ago, made the task easy.

Regards Richard

[Lynn Eades]

No numbers on them Richard, so I wondered. Well made though, they must have been done on your side?
Yes Robert, after the track is on, you can still count to 10

[Jon Bradshaw]

Curious. Is this just for dragging the track into position or is it for the jack to hook to as well? The eye makes me think it is for the jack...

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Jon Bradshaw

Curious. Is this just for dragging the track into position or is it for the jack to hook to as well? The eye makes me think it is for the jack...

The one I used had a long rope attached to the eye so you could pull the track up ad over top rollers and sprocket. I did not check for any marks but guess it was British.

[Robin Craig]

As Richard has stated his had a rope (likely spliced) onto the ring.

The basic concept of this has been in use and still is with many vehicles of British origins in varying designs.

Jon you being of the infantry heritage might not see the utility but honestly any tool that keeps fingers removed from danger and ergo keeps them attached is worth using and understanding.

Likely I am one of the few people here who as a civvy splits track on a regular basis, trust me, I love my fingers!

[rob love]

There are two kinds of track: live track and dead track. Live track does not compare to the finger-hungry dead track of the carrier.

Sprockets on a UC are another story. It is traditional that you spin the hub after setting up wheel bearings. That is a tradition best done carefully with the carrier as the ice grousers will use your finger as the wedge to stop the momentum of the spinning drum and sprocket.

Robin: Don't discount the infantry for having track knowledge. The majority of my track knowledge came while being attached to 2 PPCLI where there were close to 90 M113a2 carriers at one point. The operators did the bulk of the track maintenance.

With the shift to wheels in the last dozen years, and the few remaining M113s using rubber band track, that knowledge may be getting thin on the newer breed.

[Lynn Eades]

I learned something today. I thought a dead track was as per a Cat dozer,(say going over a log) that crawled up to its balance point and flopped over.(with a solid track frame at the bottom with fixed rollers) and that a live track absorbed the log.
I learned this (mis information)over 50 years ago
Thanks Rob for the correction.

[rob love]

Dead track is not rubber bushed so will fold over with no resistance, or flop onto the ground is laid down.

Live track has rubber bushings, and will resist any movement other than it's natural state.

You almost have to force the live track in order to pinch fingers, although the usual pinch points of things like sprockets or track jacks still exists. The dead track will happily grab a finger with all it's un-suspended weight if you don't control it.

[Jon Bradshaw]

I have only ever been in wheeled vehicles so my experience is all outside the service. I have only done carrier track and so far been lucky (so it seems) to not mangle/ lose fingers in my track... Seems like a simple thing to make, if the dimensions were put on here, even easier.

[Lynn Eades]

Jon, if you take a few links of track and put you hooks on the ends, the load on the rope draws them in.
The hoo end are about 5/8" (16mm)square, but are only 3/8" thick at the ends.
The opening inside the hook is 1 1/4" wide (31mm) The ring is a 5/8' (16mm round, with a 3 1/16" (77mm) id. The hole in the hooks has about 1/8" clearance all round.
The hooks have a 27 degree turn in.
You should be able to work out a functional set from that.
Do you know a keen blacksmith?

[Lynn Eades]

Jon, if you take a few links of track and put you hooks on the ends, the load on the rope draws them in.
The hoo end are about 5/8" (16mm)square, but are only 3/8" thick at the ends.
The opening inside the hook is 1 1/4" wide (31mm) The ring is a 5/8' (16mm round, with a 3 1/16" (77mm) id. The hole in the hooks has about 1/8" clearance all round.
The hooks have a 27 degree turn in.
You should be able to work out a functional set from that.
Do you know a keen blacksmith?

Robin's photo holds a good lesson. Use leather gloves. The won't prevent injuries but they certainly can help minimise the damage if you do something silly.