Two-Speed Final Drive for Recovery Vehicle

The Army is looking for an innovative solution to address the towing capacity of the M88-A2 recovery vehicle. As vehicle weights increase, the towing capacity of the recovery vehicles must compensate for this increased load. Heavy tracked vehicles (70-80 ton) require high tractive effort to perform towing maneuvers and it is increasingly difficult to maintain this pulling force as well as achieve the desired maximum vehicle speed when not towing. For this effort, Loc will complete the development of an advanced two speed final drive that will extend the capabilities of the existing fielded tracked vehicle by adding additional final drive ratios. These ratios have been optimized during the Phase I effort for “low end” torque and for “top” end speed. Additionally, the combination of the final drive and transmission ratios would offer a significant amount of additional driveline system ratios. During this Phase II effort, Loc will mature this technology through detailed analysis and prototype testing. The technical objectives for the proposed SBIR Phase II effort will transition the Two-Speed Final Drive from the Phase I Best Technical Approach to a detailed design and through design verification testing.