Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: XM808 "Twister"

[@Activated_Complex]

Fuel economy: Awful. Ammunition supply: Low. Driver: Uncomfortable. TC: Concussed. Rolling up in a GI Joe vehicle: Priceless.

[@robertwarner5963]

Sub-contractors would love it! They would turn a huge profit selling spare parts.

[@durandol]

For everything else, there's Master Card.

[@jayfelsberg1931]

I am surprised a moon version of this was not developed. It would have been perfect for the Moon Nazis in "Iron Sky."

[@rabbitwithm2495]

Poor gunner is in a God damn Bonney castle during a avalanche XD

[@Beretta249]

I'd have hated Ad Astra a little less if the stupid moon guerillas had been in a firefight with this beast.

[@Nordern]

That's one vehicle i would really love to see running under it's own power and steering

[@jamesstrickland4622]

🤢

[@steffenrosmus9177]

Same principle as WW II German Sdkfz 234 or after 1956 Puma

[@KingBobBobBob]

Most agreed brother! They're cool. And better than the puma trolol

[@denseacat]

Will not drive far, he said that "fuel economy : Awful" Meanwhile fule literally waterfalling out the vic trhoughout the video, if you look at the floor under it :D

[@torlakkarstad4251]

@@jamesstrickland4622 Damn that’s crazy…

[@KiithnarasAshaa]

The most devastating weapon against any vehicle: Budget Cuts.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Just ask the British.

[@demonprinces17]

@@ScottKenny1978 american also

[@joshuajoaquin5099]

Russian too

[@jimmydylan1472]

German too

[@TheFlatlander440]

France as well.

[@Ksportin]

It looks cool from the outside but the footage of it going over rough terrain was incredible to watch and made the vehicle much cooler in my book.

[@Wallyworld30]

My autistic brain gets off from watching something with that amazing articulation and number of wheel navigate terrain.

[@krissfemmpaws1029]

PJ a friend of mine worked on and help test this thing when he was in the Army. He said it was impressive for its mobility. After seeing video of it in action I'm impressed... my Toyota won't go where this thing will I know that.

[@petermoller6376]

@@Wallyworld30 q

[@M50A1]

@@Wallyworld30 same

[@prjndigo]

Two transmission shifters so you can put one in neutral. I'm betting they also hoped you could "trailer" the main body and run on the front engine only. The crew cabin would use the rear engine for electrical. So there are situations in which you'd be in rear-neutral idling to run the hydraulics and front engine in drive for roading. Makes it even crazier.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Fair point. Not sure how I missed that. I'm too used to transmission disconnects, I guess

[@stamfordly6463]

@hognoxious The four wheel drive one? Second engine in the boot IIRC.

[@MrTrilbe]

20:33 There's a plaque about single engine operation above the steering bypass, so i'd be willing to bet a one time use internet cookie you're right, I also want to know what not to stall check and why

[@wandersmann0]

An other interesting thing: it seems like the left transmission can only be put down to 3-4gear, while the right one can be put down to 1-2gear......

[@mpetersen6]

Operation on one engine if possible would also probably increase range

[@kevinsullivan3448]

Tall Irishman folds himself in half for your entertainment.

[@richardbell7678]

It would be interesting to see the Chieftain and Jeremy Clarkson square off and see who can fit into the smallest vehicle; although, Mr. Clarkson has set the bar very high with his review of the Peel P50 that sees him fit all 6'5" of himself into that tiny car.

[@BrianS1981]

@@richardbell7678 And the Chieftain that the bollix wouldn't dare punch for not getting him his coffee.

[@dmg4415]

@@richardbell7678 AMD Mr Clarkson was never so slim and fit as the Chieftain. I have a slight part of claustrophobia, I cringe every time he is going in through small hatches or in to cramped spaces. And in this case, the crew must have been no longer than 5ft4 and a weigh no more than 120 lbs.

[@pirig-gal]

@@BrianS1981 Why would a host punch his co-host for not doing a job that producers and staff should do?

[@buttahXD]

@@pirig-gal Why would a producer go get someone coffee? There's usually at least a couple staff that are hired to mostly do small stuff like that lmao.

[@GeneralJackRipper]

"You see that mountain?" "Drive over it." "Yes, I said drive OVER it."

[@ALavaWolf]

This thing is so funky looking. Could show up in a sci-fi movie and look futuristic even today imo 😅

[@mikearias2283]

I was thinking aliens colonial marines

[@WellBattle6]

I think I still prefer the French crab car for future design.

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

I am pretty sure that there was a GI-Joe's toy "tank" just like this one But with a gun turret very similar to the 105 mm on the Stryker IFV. Super cool BTW.

[@derrickstorm6976]

Definitely looks like 80s sci-fi lol

[@toddkes5890]

Made me think of the Landmaster from the movie "Damnation Alley" - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landmaster

[@Masada1911]

Looks like Chieftain has finally found a Transformer to do an inside the hatch on

[@moosemaimer]

You look at all the crazy stuff in the G.I. Joe toy line and it starts to make sense in context. Put a driver's position on the front hull and Cobra could have a vehicle that split in two.

[@shishoka]

It was called the M.A.G.G.O.T., it was tracked, and it split into three parts, two vehicles and a stationary artillery platform.

[@mastathrash5609]

Looks like an absolute death trap in combat(even as a concept), but I absolutly want one!

[@marinetech262]

Well sir, it struck me while observing you worming your way into the commander's position that should you decide to resign your commission, you certainly have a promising future as a professional contortionist or a yoga instructor. Might be an idea for a future video series. This week on Yoga with the Chieftain, I'm going to attempt to exit the XM808 in a hurry! Oh bugger, the vehicle's on fire! (begins to perform what appears to be him screwing his left big toe into his right ear.)

[@tommyfred6180]

:)

[@krissfemmpaws1029]

LOL! I lost it with your comment.

[@johnpatz8395]

🤣

[@christopherreed4723]

🤣

[@marinetech262]

@@christopherreed4723 Oh, you all know you'd watch it. :)

[@WildBillCox13]

The purpose of a wheeled vehicle, from the Marines' perspective, is to get it stuck somewhere it can't extricate itself from.

[@robertwarner5963]

Are you saying that "soldier proof" is difficult, but "marine proof" is impossible?

[@WildBillCox13]

@@robertwarner5963 I am. I have great respect for my marine friends.

[@Alfred-B228]

Yes but if you have enough PFCs and LCpls you can get anything out. If you got your vehicle stuck on a Friday they will have it out befor the end of the day.

[@sethp4002]

@@robertwarner5963 you win comment of the year for that

[@clothar23]

@@Alfred-B228 With or without the crayons ?

[@silverjohn6037]

Seems like an application of the engineering 20-80 rule. Trying to get an additional 20% of performance you need an additional 80% of design complexity.

[@hannesromhild8532]

Also known as made in Germany.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@hannesromhild8532 you mean Made in Switzerland.

[@hannesromhild8532]

@@ScottKenny1978 nah massive effort for little gain thats the German way of doing things. When the Swiss make something it just works like a Swiss watch.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@hannesromhild8532 and every piece is hand machined and polished to a high gloss so it costs 10x more than it needs to.

[@ianturner7023]

Aka the Pareto Principle

[@AllanSitte]

It reminds me of a logging skidder. If you have never seen a logging skidder, it is a very specific vehicle designed to drag or "skid" logs out of a forest. For this concept, they added 4 more wheels, changed the chassis a bit, added engineering for higher speeds, added a weapon mount, and painted it green. Still, if they took this concept and applied more current engineering technologies and safety/comfort features, I could see something like this being very handy for mechanized recon missions in places where good roads are a luxury. Thank you for going over this machine. I learned something new today for sure. :-)

[@mochaholic3039]

Log skidders are an interesting bunch, the early ones were literally steam locomotives on treads. The Lombard steam hauler had an unique tread system, a tread within tread to eliminate friction in the days before oil-based lubrication was available, and it worked pretty well. The thing moved at 4mph but could drag 300 tons worth of logs. I should mention I came across an abandoned Lombard deep in the forest I was hiking in some years ago, the thing was pretty intact despite sitting there for nearly 120 years and got me interested in log skidders.

[@CallanElliott]

I was just thinking, this thing with a 25mm, .30 cal or a .50cal would be pretty much the ideal recon vehicle. Could even put the weapons in an RWS and it'd still be fairly low profile.

[@justindunlap1235]

I've always thought about pulling off the skidder arm and arming a skidded with a reckless rifle of something.

[@jimnotter6046]

I actually built log skidders for J. I. Case. I believe they only built them a few years. Possibly because of high maintenance of that bearing that let the rear "twist" separate from the front. The articulated bearings worked just fine. The rear fenders (the part that you would pull a log into) were a half an inch thick. I dropped one on my finger (only about a two inch drop) and I can say, they are HEAVY!

[@rider660r]

@@jimnotter6046 What knocks those center bearings (actually bushings) out is people not knowing how to drive them and turning until it slams into the stop pads.It was worse on the old skidders that depended on RPM to pump the hydraulic pumps fast enough to turn quickly.The old Timberjack is a good example of needing RPM's to turn it,one of the reasons those old 353 Detroits were called screaming Detroit Diesel because if you wanted to turn moderately quickly you need to have your RPM's up.I ran a old Tj 240 with aerial bucket for years,another crew had a 225,then later a JD 440 logging or clearing right of ways for power companies in 4 states.The Tj was a much better machine. BTW, running 25mph (moving from job to job down the road) in a stick steer TJ had a little pucker factor...lol If I remember right that Tj 240 was 12 tons without calcium in the tires.

[@julmdamaslefttoe3559]

I appreciate that there is no music, much better and more relaxing, also allows me to do other stuff while listening

[@JDK73772]

I absolutely love this vehicle for no other reason than the cool factor.

[@RexKarrs]

What's its Doug-score?

[@JoeWalker98]

"Hinges need a bit of work" he says as he pushes em open with no lube, no extra leverage, without much trouble. 😂 Ive had car doors open worse than that with no where near the age and poor storage

[@spoeny]

They don't even scream like a demon from hell! Almost disappointing...

[@unevenelephant469]

Sure you have.

[@Warump]

21:53 Damn, those Group-B rallye races were insane back then

[@NitroNuggetTV]

Imagine a Group-A(...rmoured vehicle) class in the WRC!? That’d be awesome! Hahaha the group-B drivers would’ve been a lot safer in these... not sure about the spectators though lol

[@MrHws5mp]

I've always loved this thing ever since I picked up the AFV Profiles book on it in a 2nd hand bookstore. Looking at the mechanical transmission complexity, this has to be a design that would benefit hugely from electric transmission, with the engines just driving generators and a motor in each wheel hub. The ENGASA company from Brazil had a patent on a slighty different form of walking-beam suspension, and sold large numbers of them, both on armoured vehicles like the Cascavel and Urutu, and also on unarmoured 6x6 trucks.

[@gleggett3817]

Scammell had walking beam axles on their trucks (lorries) for off road capability in the 1920s The range of motion on them is amazing. And a pivoting front axle too.

[@MrHws5mp]

@@gleggett3817 Indeed. There's a series of pics of the Twister climbing a vertical wall: all eight wheels are in contact with a horizontal or vertical surface the whole time.

[@WhiskyCardinalWes]

LOL, never to run again he says. It's the military, all the curator has to do is put out a "suggestion" to the major commands there that 'volunteers' would be welcome to come do grunt work clean up, and those wheeled and track mechanics would be most welcome. I know that instead of going to my motorpool and pulling PMCS on my Scumvee for the fourth time in four days I would have 'volunteered' to go to the on post museum and worked on their vehicles.

[@Zack_Wester]

problem is that I presume if a idiot fails putting the PMCS Scumvee then there is at least one person that know how to do it. this not so much. and ods are you spending more time decrypting old archive tombs then actuall doing anything.

[@durhamdavesbg4948]

Solver the labour issue, but as the video says, they don't make the wheels anymore for starters.

[@carlhicksjr8401]

Obviously, you've never had the joy of working on either a 151 Jeep [pretty easy] or a Gamma Goat [hard enough that Catholics call it 'penance']. My first job as a tank crewman in Germany in 1983 was crawling through the slush of a late winter snow to break track on my M1 Abrams. No sympathy here, pal! 😁😆

[@marvindebot3264]

@@durhamdavesbg4948 You can get similar tyres in the right size. If not, anything can be made in Taiwan for a surprisingly reasonable price.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@durhamdavesbg4948 I'd be willing to be that a size close to that is still made in the agricultural shops for tractors. Maybe not as many plies, but low pressure and self cleaning cleats of the right shape.

[@petedardis606]

My dad worked at Lockheed during this period. He would bring home brochures about these things full of artist’s renderings of them in action, firing away driving thru a swamp. Great stuff for a kid. 🤓👍🏼

[@Skorpychan]

Do you still have them in a form you can scan and upload?

[@JeansWithPockets541]

That "Indicators!" was so adorable.

[@grognard23]

Wondered if we were going to get the start of the "Oh bugger, there's a wasp in my AFV!" series. That would be reminiscent (prescient) of the Steiner Scout Friedrich Three, "Mein Gott, there are bees in my cockpit!" spiel.

[@Vnx]

"Stealth is optional."

[@krissfemmpaws1029]

Hey Chieftain, thanks so much for doing this vehicle! PJ a friend of mine told me about working on and the testing of the Twister when he was in the Army. From what I see PJ was right about not a lot of room and servicing it was a major pain. He did say it was a hoot to drive and would go just about anywhere you pointed it within reason. I remember a comment about it would climb a tree if it had the traction. All I can say is... damn that thing is complex... I'll take a Gamagoat thank you. Yes they were still in service when I was in, most in the motor pool disliked them.

[@robertjohnson5484]

Thank you for the video. I actually got to drive the twister, in the tour video, at Fort Hunter Liggett in the 1970s. It was a blast to drive off road. One feature was that the steering hydraulics ran off of the front engine. There was a axle pump, on the rear section, that was a backup for the steering, in the event the front engine was not operating, that would provide hydraulic pressure to operate the steering once the vehicle was rolling about six miles an hour.

[@UberMax23]

This would be interesting in a modern take with maybe a diesel engine linked to a generator and electric motor wheel hubs. Remove all that drivetrain complexity and losses. And maybe replace it with heat problems..

[@ScottKenny1978]

I'm not sure how bad the heat would be now.

[@seanmcardle]

Just what I was thinking. Electrics would simplify so many of the drive train and articulation complexities.

[@flakstruk-8481]

My thought also

[@aaronleverton4221]

Ferry Porsche smiles at you from above, or below.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@aaronleverton4221 he had a good idea, just the technology wasn't there yet.

[@kingwiththeax6880]

The main issue with this vehicle- we didn’t get to hear about track tensioners!

[@GeneralJackRipper]

That archive video is fascinating, I hope we see more such stuff going forward.

[@bobsmith2815]

Full battle rattle ingress and egress dream on. Designed back in days your body armor was your starched utility uniform.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Flak jackets were a thing then.

[@roguedalek900]

Yea but 120 pound 21 year old GI can fit into some amazing places

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@roguedalek900 I think that's actually too light to enlist these days...

[@kylebrown2927]

782 gear was still pretty bulky and awkward if you kept all the crap on your belt/suspenders. Dont know how much load bearing stuff armor crew would actually wear though

[@EmergencyChannel]

I think the average G.I. used to be about 160lbs, now the average woman in the United States is 5'6" and 170lbs.

[@dujecurlin6265]

To me it looks like a vehicle made for patroling on the surface of Moon and Mars, it has that futuristic vibe

[@drleft2906]

i watch his videos over and over, and come to the same conclusion when he gets into small vehicles, Nickolas was an origami artwork in a previous life seeing how well he folds himself

[@HyperBurner]

I wonder how this would do with a modern hybrid-electric or diesel-electric drive

[@sir0herrbatka]

Solves issues with transmissions and engines complexity but batteries are heavy and high mass is a liability when offroading.

[@ltcuddles685]

@@sir0herrbatka hybrids usually don't have much in the way of batteries.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@ltcuddles685 depends on the car. A Prius has a pretty big battery pack. 100miles plus range on pure electric power if you've hacked the computer to let you run on pure electric.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Run it as a diesel (or turbine) electric series hybrid. Diesel (or turbine) engine spins at best economy speed all the time and just spins a generator that puts power to a battery pack. Then you just have electric motors at each wheel. No transmission per se, just power cables.

[@francesconicoletti2547]

@@sir0herrbatka why batteries ? Just keep the generator running from the engine. We can probably do that better now the Porche did in WW2.

[@micuu1]

After watching Cone of Arc's video on that insane design for a 'baby' assault tank, I can't help but think an armed and armoured production version of the Twister would have actually worked in that sort of role. Probably still not a worthwhile vehicle given the sort of conflicts the US was involved in or expecting, but an interesting vehicle none the less.

[@seansamurai1981]

"Start rear engine first" I reckon thats the one with the hydraulic pump and possibly generator/alternator/dynamo setup

[@ODST6262]

When I served with 2/2 ACR in Germany we had M114A1E1 scout vehicles. You don't have 75 rounds of 20mm although as mentioned there is an iron sight on the gun so you can aim to some extent from inside the turret. The gun is very accurate at least out to 700m as you could hit a 2x4 at that range without using a sight, just the tracer. The ammunition feed includes 25 rounds in a canvas chute from the loader - a separate device from the gun that sits on top of it and mechanically loads it, hence the high rate of fire ability - to the 50 rounds in the ammunition bin. When the gun is down to 25 rounds it will stop firing. You are supposed to load another 50 rounds, from separate ammo cases each holding five rounds, by hooking ten of the five round belts together, starting with the belt in the chute and then connecting that to the 45 round belt in the bin you put together. If you consider it to be an emergency you hit a switch and you can fire off the 25 rounds. However, you then have to take the ammunition loader off, make a chain of 30 rounds (6 ammo boxes), feed the belt through the chute and into the loader then into the gun, fasten the loader down and then hook the 50 round belt in the ammo box to the belt in the ammo chute and you are ready to go. About 30 minutes to do that while standing/sitting/laying on top of the vehicle. You really don't want to fire more than 50 rounds. The gun is good. The feed system not so much. Oh, and the recoil at full auto when you fired off 50 rounds would lift the tracks at the front of a M114 off the ground. Not sure what it would do to that armored car and pretty sure you didn't want to be moving when firing for a reason even better than not hitting anything. Hope I remembered the ammunition reloading. Never did it. Only fired the 20mm once in training 50 years ago. Oh. In 1973 we turned in our M114A1E1 for M551A1 on a 5 M114 for 3 M551 ratio. I would like to see a review of the M551.

[@sim.frischh9781]

That "Twister" looks like it would be hella fun driving it!

[@alistairbuckle3450]

This is the coolest vehicle I have ever seen! Exactly like the sort of thing I used to doodle as a child with flames coming out of the exhausts. Never knew such a vehicle exists and I want one - so thanks for making this amazing video!

[@richardbell7678]

Given the number of gears in the rear portion of the vehicle, it is unsurprising how loud it would get while riding in it. To save costs, they would have been spur gears, so they would have been noisier than helical gears. Helical gears would have been less noisy, but the fuel economy would be even worse. This is one of the few vehicles which would have been better (not cheaper) if Ferdinand Porsche had designed the power train, as running electrical conductors to electrical motors in the wheels may actually be more efficient than all of those spur gears.

[@CallanElliott]

Literally just thinking about how this vehicle is almost built for an electric drive.

[@isakjohansson7134]

I think helical gears have less resistance than spur gears

[@EmyrDerfel]

Hub motors are bad. See replies to other comments.

[@griffinfaulkner3514]

@@isakjohansson7134 Nope, helical gears suffer slightly higher losses than straight-cut gears. Purpose-built race transmissions use spur gears both because they're stronger and more efficient, and they don't really care how loud the damn thing is.

[@isakjohansson7134]

@@griffinfaulkner3514 Musnt the fact that they are loud be an indication that they are inefficient? The noise takes energy to make. Also i think they are only used because their bearings dont have to be able to take any axial load hence making them lighter and cheaper.

[@shemaagh]

Excellent technical overview of a unique project for which there isn't much information available online - many thanks.

[@kanamisprs4330]

Chieftains years of experiance of getting in and out of armoured vehicles seems to have given him a sixth sense of when and where to move his head. I would have knocked my noggin black and blue getting in that thing.

[@bruceinoz8002]

The Armoured Kar Ma Sutra?

[@breembo]

I am so glad you did a video on this. Finally I see something outside of a hunnicutt book.

[@chopper7352]

from 29:30 to 31:00 ...we're all very glad that "The Chieftain" always wears jeans & not "Short Shorts" ....otherwise the content could have gotten 'non-PG' several times ! :)

[@Anlushac11]

When the Chieftan climbed in there was a placard that said something about single engine operation. I could see a need for separate shifters if for instance one of the engines were inoperable you could shift that transmission to neutral and shift the other transmission into gear.

[@johnclausen9057]

Looks like a concept that would lend itself to being electric, would simplify the drive train a lot.

[@heinrichwonders8861]

Yeah, possibly by removing the drive train completely and replacing it with hub motors. The future of armored vehicles will be very interesting.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Will also allow for better hull shaping for IED resistance.

[@glenmcgillivray4707]

Everyone seems to forget Electric engines are heavy and expensive. And hub motors are terrible mostly due to Unspung mass. Springs make your ride comfortable and shove wheels back onto the road faster than gravity would allow. Heavy motor wheels take longer to get back onto the ground. And the amount of electricity to run any 4 of those wheels? High. The machine as designed could have saved a lot of power losses through better transmission layouts and removing geared power transfer. However They were trying to print 4 copies on the cheap as proof of concepts, not as final delivery machines. So easy to print cogs shoved inside some metal bars are easy, but individual drive shafts for all four rear wheels? expensive, but lighter and lower power losses.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@glenmcgillivray4707 the unsprung weight is a valid point. May require an active suspension instead.

[@glenmcgillivray4707]

@@ScottKenny1978 and active suspension means more complexity to transfer power. Thankfully constant velocity joints aren't rare these days. But being careful not to have them rip themselves apart is a complex job of it's own making.

[@MrSheckstr]

So I remember in the early seasons of the history channel show Ice Road Truckers THIS VEHICLE was mentioned as the inspiration for an idea on how those semis could bring their own help getting up some of the steeper hills during heavy snowfall. . Essentially the idea was a vehicle chassis with no cab that could be bolted into the front of the tractor section and pull it up the hill. This concept would be considered easier than the current Buddy system where one semi would disconnect their trailer , and then chain up to the other semi and trailer and then pull it up the hill . They would then have to repeated the process to get the other trailer over the hill then get everyone sorted out again. A device like this could ride along in a half filled vehicle, and then one by one pull everyone up the hill before being returned to its storage. It also could be stored in a small but heated storage location near hills that are chronically bad and deployed when semis are getting stuck

[@GARDENER42]

Looks like "oh my God, the XM808 is on fire" would be a bit of a bugger to get out of...

[@Claymore5]

I love the XM 808 - it looks like it's come straight out of a movie. Stick it alongside a Gamma Goat and a Teracruzer - the army of the future - yesterday!

[@ozza1785]

Really want to hear the story of that little adorable XM800T standing nearby :P

[@dirtydave2691]

Fascinating. As usual great information with a bit of humor. I started my career at Fort Benning in 1987. My oldest is son is currently a Drill Sergeant there. This vehicle, at first glance, looks a bit like the South African multi wheeled armored systems but with all the comfort and quality of a used BTR 60!

[@whyjnot420]

Articulated vehicles have a simple "thats neat" factor that is inherent to their design. Personally one of the coolest things I ever drove was a bigass payloader (or front end loader if you prefer) with articulated steering and tires as tall as I am.

[@edxcal84]

I've never even heard of this! Amazing vehicle! ... But the whole time I was staring at the XM800T next to you, waiting on a video for that!

[@bren2385]

WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE A REDESIGN WITH MORE COMPACT MODERN ELECTRICAL ENGINE 😉👍

[@ticotube2501]

Since electric SUVs without any concern to max weight are all the hype, this contraption with a bit more luxury and a bling bling dashboard seems economically viable for most car markets ;)

[@ekscalybur]

Electric engine, so you want even worse range?

[@marvindebot3264]

@@ticotube2501 He means diesel electric which would be perfect for this.

[@Skorpychan]

It looks AMAZING and I want to drive it, but I'd either never get in, or get in and not be able to climb out without assistance from a crane. It's an interesting concept, though. Shame they never picked up on it.

[@johnsamu]

It looks like a field maintenance NIGHTMARE 😆 All those difficult to reach spots and nooks and crannies where all muck can find a safe haven.

[@bertv.374]

@johnsamu You don't want to have this in repair in the field. For this you want a tow truck or crane and a lowloaderto bring it in a hall or place with a strong gentry crane. Some 30 miles behind the front.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

The list of grease zerks is as thick as a phone book

[@luciusvorenus9445]

Interesting vehicle. Thank you for showing us another prototype or experimental vehicle.

[@oldmangimp2468]

Hmmmm... XM808 Twister; designed by Lockheed. M561 Gamma Goat; designed by Vought. . Could someone please point me to the Army regulation that stipulates a ground vehicle designed by an aircraft manufacturer MUST include some type of articulation joint?

[@jonathancoetzer6937]

Absolutely excellent, I am staggered at how good condition it is in. Would love to see it run again, it make an interesting pr tool

[@tarjei99]

Reminds me of a Bandvagn which of course is unarmoured, but can carry a load at a respectable speed on bad roads.

[@Allurade]

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say you start the rear engine first because that engine drives the main fuel pump since that's the part the tank is in. If you start the front one first it would probably starve for fuel.

[@nougan_tanker]

Hi Chieftain, are you trying to give WG idea to add a US wheeled LT line which can swim (submerged) and climb to places usually not accessible by other tanks??? ;-)

[@noscopesallowed8128]

Shhhh don't give them any ideas

[@sethp4002]

this is an AFV no light tank

[@candleman2123]

This thing looks great. Genuinely seems like something worthy of further investigation as a concept.

[@Zombine45]

Does "Oh a wasp nest" warrant a similar response to "Oh god the tank is on fire"?

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Might be if it were inhabited

[@Zombine45]

@@TheChieftainsHatch Ahh i see, that explains why you were so nonchalant about it.

[@shorttimer874]

It's nice to see something that looks familiar on one of these. From what I remember, the 20mm on the M114A1E1 had a metal tube below the gun cradle that you could get a rough sight from looking through the cupola window. Am thinking if the M114 had just one of those engines it would have been a huge power difference over the Chevy 283. Also, always though it would have been better to keep the .50 instead of the 20mm, which still would have made other apc's stop and think a bit while we ran the other way, the combat load of 400 for the 20 would be gone in 30 seconds if you could link all the ammo fast enough.

[@Wyrsa]

While i love seeing all the vehicles that Chieftain covers, there are not that many that I go "I WANT ONE" This though is one of them.

[@GadgetSteelmare]

We need a modern version of this. Maybe not for military use, but it would certainly be a great sci-fi movie vehicle. That, and it would be a great practical effect as well rather than just CGI-ing something in.

[@gubulgaria5416]

Makes me think of vehicle from a Gerry Anderson puppet show It's the correct decade Just glad the wasp nest was abandoned. Would make a good replacement to "On no, my tank is on fire"

[@leesale5832]

The maintenance depo must've hated working on that. Looks like it belongs in a movie. I vote to get it running. Must be a site to see in motion.

[@atsiv12]

Is this lead up to US wheeled vehicals being added to World of Tanks?

[@cheyannei5983]

His job is to collect data on historical vehicles, he's done a lot of data collection that never went anywhere. So yes, but it's equally likely they just don't add them.

[@Ltdeathsquid]

Much more likely to see this in War Thunder

[@88porpoise]

Since there is no WOT branding on this video it almost certainly has nothing to do with them. This would be Chieftan's own decision to go there, pay the costs, and play with what he wants to.

[@cheyannei5983]

@@88porpoise I have no doubt that his entire trip was not possible without Patron funding. I also have no doubt he is collecting direct data for Wargaming. All said and done, making video solo does take a lot of hours, especially on a lot of different vehicles... and I have no doubt that Patron funding allows him to stick around for a few days or a week to make those videos. But at the end of the day, Wargaming NA pays his health insurance, and his duty to them is collecting and assembling historical information.

[@88porpoise]

@@cheyannei5983 And his vacation is equally his to do as he pleases, such as making content. Maybe he was looking at it for some reason associated with Wargaming, but at least as likely is just the vehicle was of interest to him personally. And if Wargaming was interested in this vehicle it likely would have been made in association with Wargaming and feature the World of Tanks branding like many of the Chieftain's Hatch videos. So I would not get my hopes up that this indicates something that is to come.

[@stamfordly6463]

I also had one of Dagenham's finest as a first car (with the obligatory faux XR2 spoilers and stripes) and to be fair this thing doesn't look too cramped compared to a Mk1 or 2 Ford Fiesta. I'm also pretty sure that if you left a Fester outside for as long as this was the only thing left would be a small pile of rust and perhaps some alloys if it was an XR2.

[@brianj.841]

For fighting off space aliens? Recoil would be a bitch, but the ballistics! ("Range 10 klicks, set your lead, boys.") ;-)

[@T51B1]

US wheeled tank line incoming to WoT! Very informative, thanks for the video chieftain

[@guidor.4161]

Wouldn't steel applique on aluminum cause corrosion? Via the connecting bolts, unless they managed to completely electrically isolate the armor components (e.g. with the "adhesive"). You see this on old land rovers which have aluminum doors but steel hinges.

[@tgapmax4051]

They'd probably add zinc sacrifice strips like in boats.

[@Shaun_Jones]

Like he said, this was a concept vehicle, an actual armored version probably would have had an all-steel structure.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Cadmium plated bolts, plus that's partially what the glue is for.

[@demonprinces17]

@@Shaun_Jones think would go for aluminum for weight saveing

[@cbroz7492]

We had a short lived vehicle similar to that in Germany in the early 70s...the "Gamma Goat"...which my Polish born 1st Sgt called a "Gummy Goat"...it didn't last long in the inventory...or in the memories of the drivers

[@lugdan]

Yeah I kept thinking it reminded me of the Gamma Goat the US Army used in the late 70s. It seemed cool, but I was always hearing about people getting killed in them when they flipped over - there was a real bad accident in Ft Lewis once; you weren't supposed to catch a ride on them, but a bunch of guys had, which killed most of them when it flipped over...

[@carrotsix]

From the front it looks like a Saracen photographed through a fisheye lens

[@opticalecho119]

This is the best video series on KZbin

[@bigbrownbagofcash]

Next up, the SheVa tank from John Ringos Posleen war books

[@shorttimer874]

Or the hovercraft ones from Hammer's Slammers

[@mpetersen6]

@@shorttimer874 Bolos

[@mbr5742]

@@mpetersen6 That would be intersting. He could actually interview the tank :)

[@IRMentat]

looks like the perfect kinda design to be downscaled for a drone

[@Famasmaster15]

Tank yoga and history lessons about armored vehicles that’s what this guys job is haha

[@adamskinner5868]

I missed these vids and appreciate that they are still being made, excellent.

[@cirian75]

So, it was the army concept for a hot rod/drift/rally car

[@RexKarrs]

If nothing else, it would make a heck of a recruiting tool.

[@ScottKenny1978]

That basically is what a scout car is. An armored rally car.

[@Bochi42]

Fascinating vehicle and a great talk on it!

[@homelessEh]

this is not cheiftan folded into an amx elc episode i ordered lol

[@johnd.branstetterm77metala44]

A few years ago I got to fabricate a fuel tank for one of these machines. Unarmored version stored at NATC. I have no idea the current status of the thing. But it was fun to crawl all over it and have a good close look at the ideas of the era.

[@jacobszymczak9323]

Honestly considering one Chrysler 440 will get like 8-10 mpg in a road car/truck having two of them with that crazy powertrain getting 2 isn't that awful

[@tobiasGR3Y]

They were putting the finishing touches on this museum while I was at Benning. God did I want to go see this collection.

[@Gpower441]

Quick! Someone make a mod of this in Snowrunner! I want to drive this on Mars or Russia!

[@mpetersen6]

Russia's a planet?

[@durandol]

@@mpetersen6 Vostroya!

[@fdmackey3666]

I never met a fellow Soldier, of 1960s to 1980s vintage like myself, who actually liked the Gamma Goat or Goer. Some of us were even willing to risk a Courts Martial rather than operate or even ride in one of those articulated POS. BUT, I must admit that with a good bit of tweaking an XM808 type vehicle would have made for a nice, peak, and run like hell Cav, Airborne, or RDF Light Infantry Scout Vehicle if the "main gun" was a 25mm Bushmaster or even a 7.62mm "Gatling".

[@demonprinces17]

Our mortar section had the same thought til the goat was taken away and they had to walk

[@fdmackey3666]

@@demonprinces17 OK, I can see why a mortar section would rather have a Goat than have tote all that gear (tubes, mounts, ammo, etc.). My only first hand experience with ANY mortar was when us D.A.Ts were required to cross train with our, Cav Troop, assigned Four Deuce mortar crews while I was stationed at Ft. Knox, KY in the early 1980s. Our people used converted/adapted M113s for about 98.99% of their training with the balance being "humping and ground mounting" their tubes. Those old tubes would break a healthy Missouri mule's back by themselves much less all the other gear Mortarmen had to carry. I did not intend to offend any of my fellow Vets who were left holding the bag when the Gamma Goat was pulled from service. Until I cross trained with our Mortarmen I thought they a "soft job"....I quickly learned how wrong I had been. "Shot Out!"!!!!

[@Captain_Coleslaw]

Imagine a swarm of these rushing at enemy infantry, with stabilized 20 mm cannons and 7.62 coax... That could be absolutely insane e

[@dropinabucket1484]

Yeah, especially the sound coming off of those Dodge 440's. Imagine if they had open headers on those things. It would scare the shit outta the enemy, wouldnt even have to fire a shot!

[@Hybris51129]

Looking at this now it's one of vehicles that I can't help but wonder if instead of a web of transmissions and transfer cases if making the whole thing a gas-electric powered with 8 electric motors or maybe just 4 if you want one to drive each axle. Still amazing to see what people can come up with when throwing stuff around to see what sticks.

[@b.snotty8173]

Wait until Gaijin see this.

[@Comm0ut]

The classic Chrysler big block is very close kin and would share parts with 440c.i. musclecars of the era. Being a concept demonstrator there was no need to use a diesel for fire-resistance (it wouldn't take much damage to ignite that carbureted fuel system). Other uses of big blocks include the twin-engined M113 concept demonstrator which was seriously quick and fast. Hotrodding was so common that every engineer would have been familiar with those engines and often owned a car or truck running one from that engine family. The XM would have been great fun with a GM Roots-style supercharger which would have been a near direct bolt on with aftermarket parts! The thing succeeded as a demonstration of wheeled vehicle limitations being excessively complex for what it delivered. "Cool" and "functional" sometimes intersect but with all the real estate taken up by the articulated hull, wheeled suspension etc it's obvious why such vehicles are rare. Thanks to lack of computer modelling we have such fascinating artifacts today when most would have died on the computer before steel was cut. It was certainly leading edge for the era and especially the intend (lunar ops) though the effect of recoil in very low gravity environments would have been interesting.

[@donjones4719]

0-60 and quarter-mile times are about what my family's VW bus could do, even with only 2 people. An advanced 1970 model, woo-hoo!

[@Shaun_Jones]

Yea, but your VW bus doesn’t weigh 10 tons.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Amazing what a pair of Chrysler 440s could do.

[@chemech]

It's interesting to see how many design ideas got inspired by front-end wheeled loaders...

[@samholdsworth3957]

I'd like to play twister with Nicholas lol

[@tacticalmanatee]

So awesome to see you doing these little-known oddballs.

[@SlinkyTWF]

I was perplexed by this one when I saw it at Benning last winter. I guessed that it was much newer than it actually was, as it looked like the kind of thing the Army might want for desert recon. Amazingly impractical for a combat vehicle.

[@aaronleverton4221]

Rear window, with a fantastic view of the radio antenna mount. First saw these in a 70s book about armoured vehicles. To put the book in its era it featured the MBT 70 and a couple of variants of this as "the future" of US armoured vehicles. Even with its issues, the mobility of this thing still seems like the future of scouting and mobile firepower in mountainous terrain to me.

[@MidnightSt]

"Start rear engine first" My uneducated guess would be that it's because it powers some kind of a pump that pushes fuel through the piping to the front engine?

[@joehonan1773]

While you were describing the TCs position all I was looking at was three pieces of 100 mile an hour tape someone stuck on that box to the right about 50 years ago and are still there

[@larrybomber83]

Wow, now that was some hard work to show the inside. Thank You, since I never heard of this vehicle. Air Force had some tow vehicles with the Chrysler Engine, it would pull an Airplane.

[@trevortaylor5501]

That was indeed ahead of it's time. Fascinating.