T-16 S/N 5399 T.D. 97377 Restoration

[Lynn Eades]

Heres my explanation of why the carrier heads in one direction,when the track link numbers are uneven. It comes from the tendancy for the drive to come out of a differential evenly, particulary under load. Just like in a slippery diff, the planetary and side gears tend to push away from each other. The result is they tend to lock against the thrusts, and in turn the differential case. This has the effect of the whole unit turning as one including the sprockets with their thirty five teeth. It takes just that little bit longer for a track with extra links to get back around, and so the machine starts to head to one side. Of course this tendancy is easily overcome by the application of a bit of steering or brakes, or the effect of uneven terrain