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Surmounting a wave of unfavorable publicity and serious design flaws in the Army's High Mobility Trailer (HMT), an Integrated Product Team (IPT) at the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) successfully solved design problems in the HMT that were deadlining the fleet of trailers and delaying full delivery and fielding. The HMT, which will be fielded in three versions, is a new family of trailers designed to be towed by the Army's inimitable "Humvee" -- officially known as the HMMWV, or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle.

Led by the Project Manager for Light Tactical Vehicles (PM-LTV), the IPT, which included acquisition managers, engineers, logisticians, and testers, developed a materiel solution through extensive use of modeling and simulation, tested the redesign and approved its application, and are currently fielding the HMT. In so doing, they are providing soldiers in the field with an outstanding trailer capable of living up to its name.

In 1984, the Army began producing a 1 1/4-ton HMMWV to replace the venerable M151 series 1/4-ton Jeep and companion M416 1/4-ton trailer as the Army's primary light tactical vehicle. Each of the lightest HMMWVs would replace a set of two Jeeps and three trailers. As the HMMWV proliferated in the Army, units began using it to tow the M101 3/4-ton utility trailer.

The M101 was designed in 1952 to be towed by the M37 3/4-ton truck and has been paired with a variety of prime movers since then, such as the M880 series pickup truck and the Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle. The HMMWV could tow the M101 without incident on roads, but it was not at all suitable for cross-country travel behind the highly mobile HMMWV. The M101 had a narrower track width than the HMMWV, causing stability problems; and its suspension did not provide adequate wheel travel and ride dynamics, causing a loss of mobility in the truck/trailer system.

When towing the M101 trailer cross-country, the HMMWV was forced to slow down to minimize trailer wear and tear and preclude the propensity for trailer rollovers. The Army needed a family of HMTs to match the HMMWV's mobility and to reduce the number of trucks and trailers needed to perform unit missions.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:11 AM