M113 track

[rob love]

There are 4 generations of track that I know of. First was the stock American track which was replaced in the late 70s by the German Diehl 213B track. They had a problem with end connectors coming off, so had to impose speed restrictions until a newer 213G track was installed, sometime around 82. That remained the in service track on the Mii3A1 and for the conversion to M113A2. Around 2001, a company that made track for the BV206 did an unsolicited development of the rubber band type track. When the fleet was converted to M113A3 (TLAV) that track became the standard. I think there still may be the odd vehicle out there that did not get the upgrades, because I recently noted there is still Diehl track stuff in the system.

Sprockets for each brand are unique, but the roadhweels and idler remain the same. The rubber band track is extremely quiet. The vehicles sound more like a city bus that an armoured vehicle.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi

Interesting info on the tracks, any photos of the different track types?

Cheers Phil

[Bob Phillips]

Thanks all for comments- Thanks also Ed, I DO have your M113 book and its very informative. Do you know ...is there a TM specifically dealing with the track, track repair etc or does this come in the general service TM?
According to a military publication I read a few eeeks ago the solid rubber track was running 36K per set when it first came out.. I also note that M113 shoes are still being manufactured in diverse place such as Korea and Israel.

[maple_leaf_eh]

The continuous rubber band track was/is made by SOUCY somewhere in Quebec. (I suppose they ran out of versions of rubber boots to sell to the Army and had to think more creatively.)

TLAV is the family name for the stretched 6 roadwheel family of M113s.

[Douglas Greville]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

Hi

Interesting info on the tracks, any photos of the different track types?

Cheers Phil

Phil

The original track in US use was T130, this was superceded by T130E1, the differences are minor and you have to look really close to notice. This was then superceded by T150, which is a dual pin track.

Canada may have skipped T130E1 due to going to Diehl 213.

There are two types of Diehl 213, used by a number of countries. I have yet to find anyone who has the documents to define which is the correct suffix for each version.

Effectively they look identical from the front and rear, but have very different pins.

One has faceted pins for the end connector, the other has round pins and respective end connector, but with an alignment groove across the face of the pin.

I will try and attach pics so you can see the difference.

Supposedly one type is a "B" and the other a "G", but I get differing identifications with those 2 letters applied to both types.

At this stage, only something official will solve the issue.

Likewise the "Ice Cleats" (actually a tapered spike), everyone who served on an M113 fitted with Diehl 213 knew that was what went in the hole next to the track pad, but nobody seems to have a photo of one.

Regards
Doug

[Douglas Greville]

Forgot to say, that there is another Diehl variant, 513, this uses a "window" for the sprocket teeth. The whole idea was to decrease the forces at play on the end connector. On this version, the end connector serves to join the track, nothing more. There is a small alignment pin that sticks out of the main pin at a 90°C angle in the slot where the end connector bolt thread can be seen.

The pads are longer and do not have the metal "fin" the full length the way
the 213 pad does. Fin is only at each end of the pad.

Will just see if I can find a photo.

I have not heard of Canada using 513.

Regards
Doug

[rob love]

I have documentation on the Diehl tracks. The CF was going to a wider track around 2003 as part of the TLAV conversion, but they seem to have gone with the Soucey rubber track for the most part.

[rob love]

Had a look at Google images for TLAV track and the first image shows the track that Douglas showed 2 posts back.

[rob love]

Investigated a bit further regarding the tracks on the Canadian M113s.

The Diehl 213B track was the one with the flat spot on the pins. Originally installed in the latter half of the 70s, they were prone to shedding their end connectors, and the fleet was subject to severe speed limitations and no use of public roads while it was being investigated. Being of the "live track" variety, there was potential for the broken track to climb onto the vehicle and hurt the crew commander.

The M113 fleet (including the Lynx) changed over to the Diehl 213G track in the early 80s. The pins look round, but are described as hexagonal in the manuals. I'll have to have a closer look at some of our spare track sections to see if this is the case. The end connectors are also slightly re-enforced over the pins.

Re the 513, Canada was going to it, and it was fielded for the M113A3 fleet. However, at some point the decision was made to go entirely to the Soucey rubber band track, and the 513 is now gone from the Canadian system. We hold one section of this track out in the shed I believe.

Re ice grousers, they are a very real consideration here in Canada. I have not seen any documented evidence that we used the pin type Douglas describes, but rather we used the type that were installed in place of the track pad. I think they went on every 4th section of track, but I would have to confirm that in case anyone really needs to know. Edited to add I confirmed they are in fact every 7th or 8th pad. I also noted that there are ice grousers for the Soucey track. They appear to be more akin to the radial tire cables used on cars and light trucks.