Very Hard Ride M151A2

[glcaines]

My M151A2 is an Ex-TOW Launch Vehicle. I haven't been in an M151 since the early 70s when I drove A1 and A2 variants in the Army. What I remember is that the ride wasn't particularly hard or soft, just reasonable. My A2 has a very hard ride. I'm running the correct 20 PSI pressure in the tires. I was talking with a guy I met in the Ingles grocery store parking lot with my A2 about the hard ride. He said he drove M151A1 and A2s in the army in the mid-70s and I believe him because he knew a lot about the vehicles. When I told him that mine was an ex-TOW launch vehicle, he told me that was the problem. He said that M151A2s that had TOW launchers on them had beefed up suspension and stiffer springs to handle the heavy weight of the launcher and missiles. He said that M151A2s with TOW launchers were way over-weight, even with the stiffer springs. He said that they were much easier to roll over due to being top-heavy, which makes sense due to the heavy mounted launcher. We had TOW launchers in my unit when I was in the Army stationed in Germany, but no rollovers of TOW Launch A2s that I knew about. Most of our rollovers were the M718 ambulance variety. We actually had very few rollover accidents. We had more problems with rollovers with the Gamma Goats than anything else.
The guy I was talking to seemed to be very knowledgeable about the 1/4-ton vehicles. I was amazed at some of the things he told me, but I have no idea if he was accurate, or even truthful. I'm wondering if there is any truth to what he said about the stiffer springs on TOW Launch A2s.

EDIT: The guy was telling the truth about the stiffer springs. I should have looked in the manual first. I didn't see the TOW Launch vehicle listed, but the M151A1C and M825 were mentioned as having "Overload Springs" in the rear with standard springs in the front. It would make sense that the TOW Launch version would also have the overload springs in the rear as well.

[buzzinduzzin]

you gonna put " standard " springs on the rear ?

[hondo100]

I've got overload springs on my A1C. Very easy to tell as the "overload spring" is a second coil spring inside the original spring. If you have them, you could drop the A arm and remove them and the two seats.

[rickf]

I don't know if the A2 used the extra overload spring or not but what I do know is for a very long time dealers were selling Gamma Goat shocks as A2 rear shocks and needless to say they were the wrong shocks and valved way to tight hence a rough ride. Check the numbers on the shocks and see if they are the right shocks. The correct number for A2 shocks stamped on the shock body should be 116410029.

M3a1 on here might be able to get you the number from one of the shocks on his goat to compare.

[glcaines]

I don't know if the A2 used the extra overload spring or not but what I do know is for a very long time dealers were selling Gamma Goat shocks as A2 rear shocks and needless to say they were the wrong shocks and valved way to tight hence a rough ride. Check the numbers on the shocks and see if they are the right shocks. The correct number for A2 shocks stamped on the shock body should be 116410029.

M3a1 on here might be able to get you the number from one of the shocks on his goat to compare.

I just crawled under the A2. I definitely have the stiffer springs as I can see the cups on the top and bottom. I can't read the P/N on the shocks as they are coated with tar or undercoating, but it looks like splashed -up road tar. I can partially see a yellow logo on one shock, but can't read it yet.
However, I noticed that the right rear shock is leaking oil so I need replacements anyway. Later today I'll take some kerosene and clean off one of the shocks to read the P/N. They do look like the diagram in the TM showing A2 shocks and not like the A1 or earlier shocks. One thing of note is that this A2 came straight from the military and put in storage. No civilian hands ever touched it. The last inspection dates on anything were from the early 90s (Oil Filter, Coolant, MC, etc.) and there were U.S. Army papers in the seat back with early 90s dates on them.

[rickf]

If there is a yellow logo on the shock it did NOT come from the military! That would be a Monroe probably. Military used all black with no names. All of the things you mention to show it came straight from the military could very well have been a civi collector or someone who just never changed anything in the vehicle beside the mechanicals. Unless you yourself purchased it directly from the government you have no way of knowing what someone else did to it. Your biggest issue is going to be finding replacements as they are unobtanium. I think George from Holland did some cross referencing and it came back to the shocks used on one end or the other of a Hummer but I am a bit leery of that since the hummer is so much heavier than a mutt plus it has ten times the unsprung weight of a mutt so the shocks cannot possibly be the same.

[m3a1]

M3a1 on here might be able to get you the number from one of the shocks on his goat to compare.

Sorry but I can't even find the time to measure those seat pads. Busy, busy, BUSY!