M548 / M1015 tracked carrier

The M548 and M1015 are the thin-skinned, unarmoured members of the M113 tracked vehicle family. They share the same basic chassis and layout. The M548 and M548A1 are cargo carriers rated at a 6-ton payload, used mainly to bring ammunition and general cargo forward to artillery and other field units. The cab seats the driver and up to three others side by side, and a large rear door makes loading easy. The M1015A1 was built to carry an electronic warfare shelter. Only a few hundred were made, and because some of the equipment they carried was withdrawn, many were retired in very good condition.

Specifications

US Army Tank-Automotive Command data for the M548A1 give a net weight of 16,390 lb (about 7,430 kg) and a combat weight of 28,400 lb. The vehicle is 226.5 in (5.75 m) long and 105.75 in (2.69 m) wide. Power comes from a 212 bhp Detroit Diesel 6V53 through an Allison three-speed automatic, giving 33 mph (53 km/h) and a range of 285 miles. The aluminium hull rides on torsion-bar suspension with five road wheels a side. The M1015 offered on eBay in 2005 had the turbocharged 6V53T of 275 hp. Its seller quoted 41 mph (66 km/h) on land and 3.6 mph (5.8 km/h) in the water using the tracks, and said the vehicle had a bilge pump for swimming.

Civilian use

Surplus M548s and M1015s passed to US forestry agencies through the Federal Excess Personal Property programme. In 1998 the Roscommon Equipment Center in Michigan tested them as low-ground-pressure fire-fighting vehicles. They fitted an 800-gallon water tank with pump and foam proportioner, a heavy bumper, limb risers and an enclosed cab, and drove the vehicles through marsh and bog. The report found the M548 durable and powerful enough to push over small trees, though its width made narrow forest tracks awkward. Riding over the engine was noisy and hot for the crew.