I'm putting the finishing touches on my AFV Club M60a1 and would any M60 experts know how tank crews secured the spare tracks to the side of the turret? All the images I have are too far away or the wrong angle to tell.

The guide horn is a clamp affair which allows the link(s) to be attached to the rail.

Yep, the track center guide is the device used to clamp the track to the rail-- "teeth out". A bolt goes through the center guide between the two teeth to a clamp at the back that joins the track sections together in the center. 4 tracks or more linked together will have a slight outward curve, since live action track is "tensioned" by the bushings the track pins go through. "dead" track won't have this curve to it. As an old M60A1 commander, we'd never hang dead track on the handrails-- too much trouble-- we'd throw it in the bottom of the bustle rack, if we kept it at all. Usually, somebody from the maintenance section would pick it up and throw it in the back of a Deuce and a half for transfer to the depot. There would be no end connectors on that first link bolted to the rail either-- these were normally kept in an oddiment tray on the fender boxes, along with extra wedges and bolts (for the end connectors). Probably way more info than you wanted, but that's how it was done!
VR, Russ

Russ, I didn't know you were a TC. Oohrah!

Greg,
TC and Platoon leader for the M60A1, TC and Platoon leader on the M551 too. But, after they took my tanks away and gave me an unfun desk job, I went elsewhere. Part of that elsewhere was a Test Officer at Dugway Proving Ground, where I became the Army LNO to Marine and Navy test projects, one of which was working with the 1st and 2nd MARDIV tank battalions on M60A1 employment, engagement and targeting in NBC posture in the early 80's. Still have some photos from that-- one of which was a striking image very similar to the box art of the AFV club A1 box. Allons!
VR, Russ

By the way folks-- just to set the record straight-- the correct term for the pointy thing coming up from the center of the M60 track is a "track center guide". A small point, but that's what it's officially called. I don't claim to be an expert, but I've changed my share of "track center guides". During the winter at Grafenwohr, when the roads were frozen and the tracks become a pair of giant skis, we'd reverse every fifth guide or so. Plays heck with the asphalt, but sure gives great traction!
VR, Russ

MOS 0331 here. To me, as a grunt, the entire tank was a "thing". Usually designated by pointing and making animalistic grunts.



G

I was one of those MOS's you didn't see. To us tanks were big things that attracted unwanted attention. We saw a tank, ours of theirs, we'd pack up and move. Without being detected, we hoped.

Thank you everybody for your help. Unfortunately, I already glued the rails on well before I got to the adding stowage stage so I could not mount any spare track. This is why forums like this are great, this kind of information is almost never put into reference books.

You can still mount the track. I have seen some kits with separate center guides. That's how I did mine.