HEMTT

Post by **Niner Delta** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 4:07 pm

This is a heavy truck that the Army has used since the early '80s.

The "Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck" is about 38,000 pounds with a large diesel V-8 and a 4-speed auto trans.

I drove one of these around the city streets of Tempe, AZ for about an hour to charge the batteries. We were making the armor kit for these so the Army loaned us two for patterns. People really get out of your way when they see one of these. It was a lot of fun.

One of my favorite stories involves one of these trucks and three mechanical engineers.

I walked up and saw these three guys trying to start it up and they couldn't get it to even turn over. They had pushed, pulled and twiddled with every knob, pedal and dial in the cab. Having driven it, I knew the problem. The auto trans had no "Park" setting on the gear shift, so all the way forward was reverse, and it won't start when in gear. I watched them for awhile, trying not to laugh, then I knew what I had to do. So I told them I could start it, they all smiled because they were engineers and I was 'just' a maint mech.

As I got in I put in neutral when they couldn't see me do it. And it starts right up for me, they were dazzled. I turned it off and of course slipped it back into reverse as I got out. Now it just happened that all three of them were slim and not overly tall, so I told them (a big fat lie) that it was the pressure switch under the seat. And the Army figured that it took a big guy to drive one of these, so the switch was set at 200lbs, no problem for me at 280lbs.

As I walked away, one was in the drivers seat with his hands on the ceiling of the cab, pushing his butt down harder on the seat, and another one was trying the starter.

One of my prouder moments.

Vern.

Post by **DuncaninFrance** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:20 pm

I think I would have made some money out of this situation Vern!!

Aughnanure · Post by **Aughnanure** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:04 pm

What a rotten thing to do----I love it.

This has little to do with the subject but I can't resist telling it, as your post brought it up from the depths.

Many years ago I worked for a Shire Council (Country, ie. out in the bush)

and one of my jobs was to tow a vibrating roller behind a tractor compacting new roadwork. It was powered by a twin cylinder diesel motor and had to be hand started because the elec. starter didn't work.

Naturally I soon got sick of this and fixed the elec. start.

Some months went bye and I was on another tractor spreading road metal(about 30 miles from the depot) when I was told to report to the depot the next morning.

This I duly did, expecting to be told to go do some other job.

Imagine my surprise when the Foreman led me out to the vibrating roller and then called one of the others up and told him to show me how to start the motor.

With much 'fanfare' he held a screwdriver across the terminals at the back of the starter switch and started her up.Then he stopped it and invited me to try.

I took out my spare key and turned the switch.

Imagine their collective surprise.

Foreman "Who fixed that?"

Me "Dunno, I tried the key one day and it worked, thought you must have had it fixed".

They paid, but were not happy when I claimed mileage for the useless trip to the depot.

Post by **Niner Delta** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:29 am

"I love it when a plan comes together." John "Hannibal" Smith

Vern.