M1163 ITV-PM Growler off-roading in Southern California
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- I previously made a video with some of the footage from Rowher Flat OHV but I had some more footage so I put together a quick video with what I had.
This was the first off-roading trip that I took with the Growler so I was still feeling it out, learning it's capabilities and limitations. The terrain largely consists of deep moon dust/loose soil on top of hard pack dirt. My tires also we're pretty worn and brittle as they were the original tires from 2011.
For those of you who want to know a little more about these vehicles: There are two different versions. The long-wheelbase version is known as the LSV (Light Strike Variant). Its military designation is M1161. This variant originally came with a machine gun turret that was removed during the de-mil process. The short wheelbase version is the PM (Prime Mover). Its military designation is M1163. This variant was designed to tow the EFSS (Expeditionary Fire Support System) 120mm mortar. It was also called Dragon Fire. You can read more about this system here: en.wikipedia.o...)
The M1163 also towed the Ammunition Trailer that could haul 33 of the 120mm mortar rounds. That trailers military designation is M1164. These vehicles, along with their towed payload, were designed to be transported internally by the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The program lasted 10 years from 2007-2017. The contract was originally intended to last ten years with a possibility of renewal but, ultimately, the program ended as planned in 2017.
The ITV's were auctioned off via Govplanet.com. Most are now in civilian hands, some ending up overseas in places like Germany, New Zealand, Italy, and one soon going to France. There is a lot of incorrect information about these vehicles floating around out there so take what you find on the internet with a grain of salt!
If you own one make sure you go over and join the growler forum community at www.growlerforum.com
Deflate the tires?
This vehicle has a central tire inflation system (CTIS). You can air down/up at the touch of a button. I did indeed deflate before tackling the hill. There are run flats in there too so you can air pretty far down without risk of damaging the rim. Those tires were just really worn and old. I've got a brand new set on there now and also left the run flats out. The benefits weren't worth the costs of keeping them in there, in my opinion.
@@usmc_growler7438 My car (BMW X1) came with run flats and they made the ride hard (along with the MSport suspension). When it came time, I swapped them for conventional tires and the ride improved a lot, especially on the rough road to my house. I would think that at a certain low air pressure the run flat inserts would interfere with traction.
A modern willys jeep real cool
But you know Gov planet; you're mostlikely paying 10k for a rusted out well used truck
Yeah, people often get really excited when they purchase a low-mileage milsurp vehicle from GovPlanet. Most HMMWVs that are sold are sub 20,000 miles. But those 20,000 miles were rough! Marines take the saying, "drive it like a rental" to a whole new level (I would know) haha!
That's just something you have to be aware of when purchasing these types of vehicles. Lots of them even did ship-to-shore operations and forded shallow ocean saltwater. That is sure to cause rust & corrosion. I've worked on these growlers a fair amount. You can always tell when you come across one that was exposed to saltwater. It is very distinct. Mine was not in the saltwater but the first thing I did was disassemble everything and chase down all of the rust before painting it again. You have to nip that in the bud!
I personally don't have much beef with GovPlanet. They basically inspect the vehicles, demil them, and auction them off. They aren't there conducting maintenance. Whatever condition the military delivers the vehicles in is how they go to the buyer...minus a ridiculous demil process (demil guidelines & requirements are set by the DoD).
I do wish that GovPlanet would be a bit more gentle with the forklift though. They have a habit of damaging vehicles with those things.
how much does these go for at the auctions?
They have all already been sold off. Occasionally, some still pop up on Govplanet but they are vehicles that have already been sold to private individuals. They will sell them on Govplanet for more than they originally paid. The days of picking one up for cheap are long gone. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of these made so the ones that do come up for sale generally go for a lot. You can expect to pay at least 25-30k for one now.
@@usmc_growler7438 thanks bud, am looking for a ATV or a small transport vehicle for farm use. This looks interesting
Mobility sucks, it needs low air pressure and larger tires.
Those tires were so old and cracked too. You can lower the air pressure at the touch of a button because it has CTIS. I put larger tires on it since this video but you can't go much bigger than what it came with or they'll rub.
Of course, this is no rock crawler. It was built to tow a 120mm cannon on relatively flat terrain. These growlers were never doing this type of offroading in the fleet. They simply weren't designed for it.