From: paul carrier (paulc@teleport.com)
Date: Wed Jun 18 2003 - 21:46:35 PDT
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Military Vehicles Mailing List [mailto:mil-veh@mil-veh.org]On
> Behalf Of Bjorn Brandstedt
> Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 12:03 PM
> To: Military Vehicles Mailing List
> Subject: [MV] Mule vs Gator
>
>
>
> Just finished reading a 2-page article about John Deere's M-gator
> and how it
> is supposed to replace the M-274 Mule (MVM Dec '02).
Mule's were gone before I entered the army, and that was 1977.
> For some reason the M-Gator, which in reality is a 6-wheel
> ATV/golfcart with
> keyless ignition, pintle hook and a blackout drive light, is
> being compared
> to the Humvee and not to the Mule, which it is supposed to
> replace: "And I
> can buy 8 Gators for the price of one Humvee" or "soldiers can load up to
> four Gators in a Chinook as opposed to one Humvee..."
>
Biggest benifit ? It can go places the HMVEE can't. The 101st used them in
Afganistan and seemed to love them.
In fact, I'm not sure you can GET a M998 inside a Chinook, IIRC it has to
sling load underneath.
> Ground clearance is less than 7 inches (My Isuzu Trooper has more than
> that).
> It's a 6x4 and I'm not sure if it even has front wheel drive. Why six
> wheels?
>
> Tell me, what happend to the Mutt? It can do far more than the
> "Gator" and
> the Mule is a great little vehicle almost perfected for the job with many
> more features.
>
MUTT has been gone for years too.
> Does the Army have to go commercial? Do we have to forget all
> great designs
> of the past? We should build on the established standards not toss them
> aside for something with more bells and whistles because it looks "good".
>
Why go commercial ? Because it was needed RIGHT NOW, not in 6 to 9 years as
the boffins do some more R&D and load it up with more gadgets.
The old vehicles did the job, some were great, some were dog's. For the most
part the current crop can out perform the old designs.
Do I like Sherman tanks ?
Yes.
Would I want to take one to Iraq to battle T72's ?
Hell No.
> Does the Army have to shop at Wal-Mart?????
Actually we don't, but much purchase authority is now at the Company level
for day to day things. I can get stuff quicker commercially than through the
system. I can buy tools and parts and some property book items as a local
purchase. In fact some things are only available that way. Check FEDLOG for
the SOS on many engine parts.
If the Army ( or other services ) had to rely on government developed
computers we would still be running 8088's and ADA.
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