I have a question about when and how a tracked vehicle turns or changes direction with mine rollers. Are they lifted then set down or are they dragged over the ground?


image of M1 Panther II model credit: Sean Lynch (slynch1701)

It seems if they are dragged over or lifted, then there will be unchecked areas. I tried to illustrate this in the picture above of what I think would happen. I was just curious about this and any experienced information replies are helpful.

Thanks.

You can only go straight or lean slightly to the left or right when using the mine roller.

Interesting, thanks. Although, that doesn't seem very efficient.

Turning is not recommended. You make a straight lane through the field (or lanes preferably). Anything else is basically suicide. I would imagine its also easier for any forces coming in behind you to follow a straight line, rather than have to turn exactly where you did.

The rollers aren't lifted when turning or changing direction. You are right is thinking they leave some ground unchecked. This also occurs when the tank goes over steep terrain and the rollers are literally lifted off the ground for a short period of time.

A tank with mine rollers can turn. It just takes longer to turn and the tank is obviously less manoeuvrable. You can actually move quite well if you need to back up...but lots of mud thrown around. The roller system weighs around 8 tons, its pretty low tech but effective.

When I was commanding Leopard C1s with mine rollers mounted we could still turn the tank...we had to, you just couldn't mount them and move straight to the line of departure and off on the axis of advance.

Once on the move you still had to use the ground for tactics and that meant turning the tank...not as much but it happened.

Fitting mine rollers to a tank is part of a deliberate attack. A tank will likely have the bra fitted all the time but the rollers are carried by the echelon. There would be some intelligence that the enemy had mine fields. The mine roller tanks would be used in the lead fire team until the mine roller tank hits the edge of the mine field. The mine roller tank does not clear the lane or prove the lane....it only finds it by detonating the mines with the rollers.

The mine plow tank then comes up and creates a lane at the same time proving it for follow on tanks. The plow tank will try and create a lane as straight as possible.

That's the basics of Canadian mine roller and plow use. I am sure there are tactic changes from Army to Army.

Thanks for the replies, guys. Very informative information. That explains a lot of how these operate. As well as describes the need for the two, plow and rollers, and their functions. I was going to write, "...and their roles" but it may have looked like I was trying to make joke.

The plows and rollers mounted on M1 Abrams (and even the ones that can be mounted on the M2/M3 Bradley) have a motor and cable system [on the M1 it's actually a material similar to cargo loading straps] that lifts and lowers the assembly; the process of the lifting and lowering is fairly quick, and doesn't impede the speed of operation of the vehicles all that much. The added weight in the front, however does....A plow/roller armored vehicle is very "nose heavy" while the system is mounted regardless of up or down position, and this does affect turning ability and create quite a bit of mechanical wear on suspension and driveline components.

To clarify, the roller system has nothing to lift it on the Abrams, only the mine-plows. Basically when the Abrams turns the rollers, it's a combination of drag sideways/push forwards. I've always found it easiest to turn in reverse, but that can be counterproductive.

Jed

The mine rollers used on the Abrams are far different from the Pearson Light Weight Mine Roller used on the Bradleys and now the Strykers.

The Pearson systems uses a hydraulic system. The rollers on the Abrams use nothing but the tank's momentum.