----- Original Message -----
From: "William Anderson Carter" <wmacarter@centurytel.net>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2000 9:21 PM
Subject: [MV] modifying my ROPS kit on my M151A2
>
> I am considering modifying my ROPS kit on my M151A2.
>
> How would removing the front two legs, that attach in the footwells,
> effect the surviveabllity of a rollover?
>
> They sure are a pest to live with. Terrible design.
Yeah. Most of the ones we scrapped had damaged windshields in the
lower corners where the stupid cage bashed and trashed the metal
with each and every bump.
The integrity of the rear cage _should_ still be okay without the front
portion, but your chief worry is the windshield itself, which will either
tear away, or flatten itself in your lap like some kind of malevolent
airline food tray.
If you go right over and the rear cage retains its integrity, you can
basically draw a line from the front edge of the hood to the top of
the roll-bar remaining, and anything within that zone won't look too
pretty afterwards. Of course, without the netting and what-have-you
normally attached between the center and front pillars on the cage, you'll
be flailing around like a sock-puppet anyway, so perhaps landing on your
roof after several rolls is the least of your worries.
The Army had another sort of 'roll bar' fitted to these things (I had one
once), which was either for Sp Forces or Rangers - forget which - and
consisted of a single tubular bar mounted behind the seats (traditional
spot for a roll-bar), and had an MG mount and slots for M-72 Law
rockets. I felt fairly safe driving with that thing on, but again, without
the personnel restraints, it'll probably just make it a bit easier for EHS
to
find the bodies afterwards.
Personally, I was just going to go with the M4 pedestal, in the rather
fanciful hope that the top of the pedestal would then become the highest
point
in any rollover, and not the top of my head. 'Course, you're more than
likely to get clobbered unconscious by the thing in the event of a rollover,
but
I guess it beats nothing.
As far as rollover goes, Grant Smith, a collector who until recently lived
in Victoria, B.C., took one of his 151 w/ROPS out onto the airport
runway with a forklift standing by, and basically did everything he could to
make the thing turn turtle without success. That's not saying you shouldn't
drive
151's with the utmost caution - just a hint that the vehicle's reputation is
more due
to its drivers than its design.
Andy Hill
MVPA 9211
Vancouver, B.C.
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