| M51: General | |||
| Date of first acceptance | August 1954 | Total acceptances | 187 |
| Manufacturer | Chrysler Corp. | Crew |
|
| M51: Dimensions | |||
| Combat weight | ~120,000lbs ~54,400kg |
Height over AAMG | ~129" ~328cm |
| Length with boom and spade in travel position | 399" 1,010cm |
Width over tracks | 143.0" 363.2cm |
| Tread | 115.0" 292.1cm |
Ground clearance | 18" 46cm |
| Ground pressure, zero penetration | 11.5psi .810kg/cm² |
||
| M51: Armament | ||||
| Type | Mount | Ammunition | Traverse | Elevation |
| .50cal M2HB MG | Cal. .50 AA machine gun mount 7046650 on commander's cupola | 1,500 rounds | 360° (manual) |
Manual |
| Night vision | ||||
| Infrared periscope M19 for driver | ||||
| M51: Armor | ||
| Assembly | ||
| Welding | ||
| Hull | ||
| Rolled homogeneous steel | ||
| Location | Thickness | Angle from vertical |
| Upper front | .75" 1.9cm |
36° |
| Lower front | 1.5" 3.8cm |
0° |
| Upper sides | .75" 1.9cm |
0° |
| Lower sides | 1.0" 2.5cm |
0° |
| Upper rear | .75" 1.9cm |
0° |
| Lower rear | 1.5" 3.8cm |
0° |
| Top | .75" 1.9cm |
90° |
| Front floor | 1.5" 3.8cm |
90° |
| Rear floor | 1.0" 2.5cm |
90° |
| M51: Automotive | |||||
| Engine | Continental AVSI-1790-6; 12 cylinder, 4 cycle, 90° vee supercharged fuel-injected gasoline | ||||
| Horsepower | Net: 765@2,800rpm Gross: 1,000@2,800rpm |
Torque | Net: 1,670 ft-lb@2,100rpm Gross: 1,935@2,400rpm |
Fuel capacity | 400gal 1,500L |
| Transmission | XT-1400-2A, 3 ranges forward, 1 reverse | ||||
| Steering | Mechanical, T-bar | ||||
| Brakes | Multiple disc | ||||
| M51: Suspension | ||
| Type | Road wheels | Track return rollers |
| Torsion bar | 7 independently sprung dual/track | 4 dual/track |
| Drive sprockets | Idlers | Shock absorbers | 11-tooth rear drive | Dual compensating at front of track | On first 2 and last 2 road wheels/track |
| M51: Track | |||||||
| T107 | |||||||
| Center guide, double pin, rubber chevron | |||||||
| Width | 28" 71cm |
Pitch | 7.09" 18.0cm |
Shoes/track | 81 | Ground contact length | 186.25" 473.08cm |
| M51: Performance | |||
| Max level road speed | 30mph sustained 48kph sustained |
Max trench | 110" 280cm |
| Max grade | 60% | Max vertical obstacle | 36" 91cm |
| Min turning diameter | Pivot | Max fording depth | 60" 150cm |
| Cruising range | ~150mi ~240km |
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The M51 heavy recovery vehicle utilized suspension components of the 120mm gun tank M103. A 30-ton (27-metric ton) crane boom occupied the center of the vehicle, and a 45-ton (41-metric ton) Pacific Car and Foundry Co. Model J-10 main winch was located in the front of the vehicle. A 5-ton (4,500kg) Pacific Car and Foundry Model E auxiliary winch was located beside the main winch and was accessible through a hatch in the hull front. The auxiliary winch was used to handle the main winch cable, lower the spades, and for light winching operations. The main winch was provided with 300' (91m) of 1.25" (3.18cm) thick 6x37 steel cable, while the auxiliary winch had 475' (145m) of .5" (1.3cm) thick cable. The crane boom could be traversed 30° to either side by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder mounted on its base, and the inner boom could be extended so that the hook, normally 4' (1.2m) from the rear hull, would hang 8' (2.4m) from the rear hull. With the boom retracted, the crane could lift 30 tons (27 metric tons) at a distance of 6' (2m) from the rear hull plate; with the boom extended, 15 tons (14 metric tons) could be lifted 12' (4m) from the rear hull plate. The boom winch had 215' (65.5m) of .625" (1.59cm) thick cable, and the crane hook winch had 145' (44.2m) of cable of the same diameter. During recovery operations, the vehicle was stabilized by spades fitted to the bow and rear. From July 1956 to July 1958, all but ten M51s were reworked at the Lima Ordnance Depot due to engine, transmission, and winch problems. The fifty-two updates performed on each machine cost $26,000 per vehicle, compared to the production cost of about $150,000 for a new M51. The ten vehicles not included in the modification program were scrapped.
