Hi Russ! Hi Folks!
- Russ_Buchan
I noticed a tiny rubber-tired wheel on the Panther whose function escapes me. It looks as though it is mounted behind the drive sprocket, rather high on the hull, is very small, and appears to be meant to be moved by the passage of the track as it goes overhead. What on earth is that thing?
Track Block 101:
When the sprocket is pulling forward, the slack we see on the top run of track block is reduced. That slack is transferred out in front of the spocket and in front of the first set of road wheels.
When the sprocket is placed into reverse, any slack in the track is pulled out from under the first set of road wheels and transferred behind the sprocket and layed out between it and the idler wheel.
On the Panther, the height of the top of the sprocket above the first road wheel CAN be a problem when the vehicle is trying to back up and even more of a problem when the vehicle is also turning. To much slack CAN develope on the top and the block will hang onto the sprocket until there is enough pull from the idler wheel. To much slack between the idler wheel and the sprocket and the track block will hang onto the sprocket teeth and go down into the gap between the back side of the sprocket and the first road wheel. That little support roller just behind the sprocket prevents the track block from wraping around the sprocket and causing problems. It wasn't on the first Panthers and was a MWO added to later production vehicles based on lessons learned the hard way by troops in the field.
Spot Report!
Sgt, Scouts Out!
