HEMTT
Posted: 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.
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.
