From: Bill (bill@welovenh.com)
Date: Sat Dec 04 2004 - 16:14:21 PST
Steve asked "Who the hell wrote the spec?"
Initial design by the French and Germans through Steyr Daimler Puch.
They also built or build the MB G-Wagen, Pinzgauer, VW 4x4 Vanagon,
Mercedes E-class 4-matic and the New Saab 9-3 Convertible.
All clearly heavy duty tactical vehicles....NOT!
Bill
Steve & Jeannie Keith wrote:
> I'm not an M35 owner but I am a taxpayer and we (I believe) took a
> hosing on
> the FMTV's
>
> Ron you forgot the shucking driveshafts and the cracked bellhousings.
> And contrary
> to some in here, I have real problem with them not fitting into a C141!
> The M35's did
>
>
> Steve AKA Dr Deuce (who believes int he KISS principal ESPECAILLY for HMVs)
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron" <rojoha@adelphia.net>
> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
> Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2004 5:50 PM
> Subject: [MV] FMTV was Re: [MV] M35A3 closed at $45,949.00
>
>
>> Hi Glenn:
>> IMHO, I have to differ with you on "The problems with them were all
>> overblown in the media, fueled by S&S's competitors."
>> We went around on this on the list a couple (4 or 5?) years ago.
>> A simple Google of FMTV GAO or GAO M35A2 yields links to the
>> numerous Government Accounting Office reports on the problems. The
>> GAO suggested in several of it's reports to dump the FMTV and stay
>> with the M35A2 since the original 5 year replacement sequence was in
>> the toilet and the improvements to fix 'New' vehicles would never make
>> the FMTV a cost effective vehicle. Heck, the program makes sense to
>> me. The prototypes don't work, let's give them a contract to build
>> more of the trucks.
>> Yes, there were teething problems with the truck, minor things like
>> a European design fielded by a US company with NO experience running a
>> production line, no facilities owned to even build the proposed
>> vehicles, no support from the European designing company since the
>> contract between SS and them had ended, starting the contract with
>> blueprints that were not even in English, having to convert EVERY
>> measurement, instruction and note from metric to English measure,
>> small stuff of no real consequence I guess. The use of little
>> understood exotic metals like steel, exotic coatings like paint, types
>> of things that are barely understood today, but were 60 years ago,
>> caused FMTV's to rust out while sitting in the high rainfall, humid
>> climate of the Texas SS 'factory' delivery parking lot while awaiting
>> delivery to the Army are quite understandable. My nasty old 1968 M35A2
>> sat in a field at Fort Devens, Massachusetts for the last ten years of
>> its military life. No galvanized cab, no exotic electronics needed.
>> Just no nonsense engineering to provide a vehicle to haul 'stuff',
>> easily maintained, able to take abuse, and like the proverbial Timex,
>> keep on ticking.
>> Speed restrictions, Sweet spots susceptible to one shot 0.30 cal
>> kills and other design problems are not overblown by the
>> 'competition', just poor design and execution facts.
>> The Army bought, or was forced to buy turds, polished them and then
>> bought more. When we go back to take Iraq again in 30 years, we'll
>> probably find the M35A2's we are leaving them, still soldiering on.
>> Maybe on the next 5 year RFFMTV Truck design/delivery program, that
>> is allowed to be stretched to 30 years, it will be given to someone
>> with fleet experience of at least operating vehicles, say like UPS or
>> Dominos Pizza. But don't expect the yugos, excuse me, FMTVs, to ever
>> make it to the surplus market, let alone last to qualify for Antique
>> plates.
>> And we now return you to the present non MV related, off topic
>> thread, already in progress....
>> Ron
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn Shaw" <mpmutt@mtaofnj.us>
>> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
>> Sent: 03 December, 2004 15:31
>> Subject: Re: [MV] M35A3 closed at $45,949.00
>>
>>
>> Hi
>> Actually the FMTV's are turning out to be a fine vehicle. The
>> upgrades to
>> cure some growing pains are now pretty much done with and the new ones
>> coming out are all updated designs. The problems with them were all
>> overblown in the media, fueled by S&S's competitors. Lots of polictics
>> involved as ussual.
>>
>> Glenn
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
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>
>
-- ..."A good plan executed violently today is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite time in the future. General George S. Patton, Jr."Any ship can be a minesweeper . . . . once.
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