Tires and meds

[stormlion1]

Not sure about meds, but I can speak of old tires pretty well as I spent a few years rebuilding classical cars with my dad, including looking for original 1930 Plymoth (I think they were Plymoth) era tires at one point. About every set of original tires I ran across they had suffered horribly due to time and neglect until I ran across a set of eight in Texas. Drove down to look at them as the pics I was sent looked good to discover these old tires had been stored in crates filled with gun grease. After cleaning them up, they were exactly like new and had next to no problems at all so I think if they were stored properly tires could still be good after a 150 year gap. But tires that aren't cared for will begin to fall apart but not fast. Underground in a dry enviroment they might be good, but would I want to trust my vehichle with them? That's the other question. Next time I see my old man I will ask him the question.

[kato13]

I've always consider tires to be a problem for the project long term.

Short term I agree with the posters here that some method might have been determined for long term storage. They may only expect the team to sleep for 5 years but they expect the vehicles to have a much longer lifespan and tires (esp on rough terrain found after the war) would need to be replaced quite often.

Since a vehicle without a tire is pretty useless, what can the project do to mitigate a long term tire issue.

I had the following thoughts

1) Reengineering all tires. Increase the durability perhaps by adding an internal runflat support and using much more durable materials.

2) Some sort of modular tires. Perhaps tires with a tough but flexible core and replaceable treads

3) Standardizing the tires as few rim configurations as possible or allowing for flexibility in attachment points.

I did some research on the number of different tires used by the US millitary and the number was staggering. (Edit I found the PDF the list is like 35 pages long) I know the canon game has only a few different vehicle systems but some type of generic flexible tire concept could streamline logistics and perhaps keep more prewar vehicles moving with project replacement tires (assuming the project worked as planned)


Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by kato13

I've always consider tires to be a problem for the project long term.

Short term I agree with the posters here that some method might have been determined for long term storage. They may only expect the team to sleep for 5 years but they expect the vehicles to have a much longer lifespan and tires (esp on rough terrain found after the war) would need to be replaced quite often.

Since a vehicle without a tire is pretty useless, what can the project do to mitigate a long term tire issue.

I had the following thoughts

1) Reengineering all tires. Increase the durability perhaps by adding an internal runflat support and using much more durable materials.

2) Some sort of modular tires. Perhaps tires with a tough but flexible core and replaceable treads

3) Standardizing the tires as few rim configurations as possible or allowing for flexibility in attachment points.

I did some research on the number of different tires used by the US millitary and the number was staggering. I know the canon game has only a few different vehicle systems but some type of generic flexible tire concept could streamline logistics and perhaps keep more prewar vehicles moving with project replacement tires (assuming the project worked as planned)


Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Another Poster reminded us the 5ton truck is the donor for many of the parts and assemblies for the V-150. Tires, rims, drive train, transmission, axles, steering box, probably more.

The M8 Greyhound had liquid rubber (so I have read) that would fill in bullet holes.

Currently as an option on Skid steers the tire can be filled with a foaming compound that hardens and fills the volume. The tire is then "air free" and punctures no longer matter.

So a combination of filling the tire void with a hard foam core replacement, and a chemical mix that is tougher wearing.

How about a vulcanizing system at a regional support base? A tire grinder chews up any tires civilian, commercial, or military and under heat melts them down. This molten mix is injected into a form and new tires made.

Thus, the project could reclaim tires, and make new tires for Project vehicles and probably common tires for commercial tractor trailers and common car sizes to get police, fire trucks, and ambulances back on the road.

[Gelrir]

Rubber tires are very difficult to re-manufacture into 'new' tires, without waving another Morrow Industries Magic Wand. It'd be easier to just stash a spare tire of some sort in each cache, and thousands more in various depots. Or even just dig a hole, line it with something to keep water and stuff out, fill it with tires, and cover -- not even much of a security risk if discovered. Store enough tires so that by the time you run out of tires, you've probably run out of armored car, too! Have a lot of patch kits on hand.

Various run-flat systems existed for the "Classic" era, and were standard on most of the Cadillac-Gage armored cars: either foam-filling, or solid rubber "doughnuts" mounted inside the regular, pneumatic tire. Neither type are meant to make the tire immune to holes -- rather, they allow you to drive around for some distance.

Oooh, an exciting article about American military tires during WW2:

http://www.usarmymodels.com/ARTICLES/Tires/tires.html

And I think this is the Commando Special tire:

http://www.stausaonline.com/military/commander.html

In any case, notice the deep rubber.

Oh, and there are a couple of big piles of used tires; one is in Colorado, and the other in northern Mexico (near Ciudad Juarez, I think).

If you're running a super-modern campaign, maybe think about airless tires:

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bull...-go-flat/14406

http://www.pavementsucks.com/board/t...-Airless-Tires

--
Michael B.

[nuke11]

Originally Posted by Gelrir

And I think this is the Commando Special tire:

http://www.stausaonline.com/military/commander.html

--
Michael B.

Yes that is the original Commando tire used by Cadillac Gage. The tire was originally produced by a company called "Commander Tires" before they went out of business in the late 1990's. I have the details of the tire around here somewhere as well.

Most users of the Commando have switch out the hubs and replaced these with the Michelin XML, XZL or the XL.

Gary.

[stormlion1]

Did some checking and Dry Rot is a environmental condition event, if stored in a dry, cool place-like a Bolt Hole they could probably survive some time, maybe even 150 years. But if stored in a wet, or a hot humid environment there going to start to dry rot very quickly. Which makes long term use of tired vehicle's a problem in the South West and the North West as vehicles up there if let sit, and not maintained will soon lose there tires, and not only that any other rubber items inside, like hoses and wire covers.
In many ways, the fact that each team is supposed to be somewhat self sufficient might be a death knell for there Commando's, lacking a supply of spare parts for there vehicle's or even a central area to go for basic repairs or replacement of parts and equipment. Might not be a major problem if they were supposed to wake up only a few years of going under, but a 150 year gap will cause issues. In many ways this is a perfect way to separate a team from there armor support, the very fact that replacement tires, hoses, and wire insulation will wear out in the wrong environment and spare parts aren't readily available.
Maybe the Morrow Project had set up regional repair depots for this problem?

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by stormlion1

Maybe the Morrow Project had set up regional repair depots for this problem?

I think they have. It is just up to a Team to locate one, wake the operators, and get it active.

Maybe an engineering Team and the Team Leader has a few clues like Desert Search?