Bridgeplate

[Dan Mac]

What does a bridgeplate signify and did all the military trucks have them?

[brute4c]

Read this thread and you got it:

More bridge plate Q

[randyscycle]

Jon, thanks for reposting that thread. I reread it and now I have a question:

With the S250 installed should I use the C 05 on my bridge plate? Seems the added weight would indicate so.

TM isn't clear there.

[brute4c]

Dont know Rany...that is a good question and hasnt come up before in my experience...

[wolf.dose]

With any shelter or load, the M715 is bridge rated 4 ton. With any trailer towed, wether loaded or not, the M715 is rated C06. The C simply stands for Convoi, which indicates a trailer behind the truck, no matter the weight of the trailer. Even with a Bantam T2 the classification is C06. This is related to a weighting value based on ton per meter. The Kaiser has a too long wheel base to come into a higher clasification, even if over 4 metric tons. Minimum is most of the cases the approximate vehicle gross weigth (With the M715 family, depending on the version, it is allways close to 4 metric tons.) With a trailer, and here always the heaviest Army legal trailer is counted, it is plus 2 for the Kaiser M715, so C06.
The heaviest legal Army trailer is a M101 family trailer, also called Dodge trailer.
Wolf

[randyscycle]

Well, according to the manual, the "04" is not the actual weight. It is the impact upon a bridge figured from a formula the government used that is quite lengthy and complicated.

Anytime a trailer is towed, again according to the TM, the "C" for combination is displayed, and "05" I've seen no reference to "06" on an M715. A Deuce is only "08"

[brute4c]

Wolf is not correct for US stuff...maybe in Europe, I cant say...

[randyscycle]

My understanding is that the bridge plate system was put into place during WWII in Europe by American and British forces, because so many of the bridges then in use there were very old and not adequate for the heavy military trucks.

A bridge had a plate on it or at the approaches with a number on it that was the maximum it could withstand. If a vehicle were to cross it, it had to have that number or a lower one to safely do so.

[brute4c]

Correct. I am thinking it is possible that the European methods may have diverged from what we do in this country now...guess but possible...

[randyscycle]

That may be true. I know that the regulations for trucks are much, much more stringent in Europe than here in the states. The inspection programs alone would put most trucks off the road here. Brake hoses are required replacement items every 10 years, even a hint of rust can be grounds for sidelining a vehicle, and on and on.