The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), also known as the Humvee, is a modern-day jeep used by the U.S. military for various purposes. It has four-wheel drive and automatic capabilities, making it an affordable option for the military. The HMMWV is equipped with metal cages on its exterior to provide additional protection for the vehicle and its occupants. These cages help deflect projectiles and minimize damage from explosive devices, improving overall safety.
The HMMWV can ford 2.5 ft (76 cm) normally or 5 ft (1.5 m) with deep-water fording kits installed. Optional equipment includes a winch, which can be used for firing a BGM-71 TOW missile. The armor is integrated into the existing Humvee frame and consists of welded aluminum, composite, and steel. Basic armor protection allows for the stoppage of 7.62mm ammunition from up to 100 yards.
In 2022, the U.S. military is slowly making moves to replace the Humvee with the Oshkosh J-LTV (Joint-Light Tactical Vehicle). Slat armor, also known as bar armor, cage armor, and standoff armor, is a type of vehicle armor designed to protect against high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) threats.
Originally designed to ferry troops around the battlefield in Europe against the Soviet Union, the U.S. Army responded with modifications, such as adding metal caging around the exterior of Stryker vehicles to cause incoming warheads to stop. The British Fox CVR(W) was built largely of aluminum, and a tubular roll cage protects troops in case of a rollover.
The HMMWV is a family of Light Utility Vehicles featured in ArmA: Cold War Assault, and its design is designed for the military occupational specialty of Army Support Operations Specialists.
📹 Army flashback time for the CAR WIZARD! He spent years repairing these M998 Humvees
The CAR WIZARD ♂️ is getting a chance to relive his Army days. He spent years working on humvees like this 1986 AM …
Are Humvees legal in the UK?
Hire a Military Humvee for events, film/video productions, or parties in the UK. This M98 full military Humvee has UK road legal status and can be driven on the road or on a standard UK license. You can dry hire or have a team on site. The Humvee can be trailered or driven as needed. Available in black or green colors, you can remove doors and roof as needed. You can find a full list of available vehicles at the bottom of the page.
What are the cages around military vehicles?
Slat armor, also referred to as cage armor, is a defensive mechanism intended to impede the premature detonation of shaped-charge attacks or high-explosive, armor-piercing (HEAT) munitions at distances that are incompatible with the structural integrity of the vehicle’s hull.
Are miniguns mounted on Humvees?
Dillon, a company that developed specialized mounts and ammunition-handling systems, initially focused on aviation systems. From 2003 to 2005, the Navy began mounting Dillon miniguns on specialized small boats, and in 2005, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division procured guns to mount on Humvees. In Iraq, US Army Special Forces units mounted M134D miniguns on their vehicles for additional firepower. Garwood Industries created the M134G version with modifications to the original GE system, aiming for an optimum firing rate of around 3, 200 rounds per minute (rpm).
The M134G is being produced with this firing rate, 4, 000 rpm, and the previous standard 3, 000 rpm rate. Garwood Industries also made modifications to the 1960s Minigun design to meet modern-day military and ISO standards.
From 2015 to 2017, Garwood Industries CEO Tracy Garwood collaborated with firearms dealer Michael Fox and weapons smuggler Tyler Carlson to supply miniguns to Mexican drug cartels. Garwood submitted false paperwork to the ATF, claiming that some M134G rotor housings had been destroyed when they were actually sold to the gun-running ring. In 2017, federal agents raided Fox’s home and recovered two of the rotor housings, while a completed M134G using a reportedly destroyed rotor housing was recovered from a cartel by Mexican law enforcement.
Why do Russian tanks have cages?
Russia and Ukraine are using cages on their tanks to protect against drone attacks. However, these cage armor add-ons may reduce the low profile of Soviet-style tanks, making them easier to detect and engage. The towering, bulky cage designs are particularly problematic. Despite this, Russia may be willing to make the trade-off, especially in a war where tank-on-tank battles are rare and drones pose a threat to infantry and vehicles.
Why do soldiers remove Humvee doors?
Humvees were sent into Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks and proved invaluable during initial operations. They were liked by troops for their ability to access rough, mountainous terrain and increased visibility. However, with the onset of the Iraq War, Humvees proved very vulnerable to IEDs, with 67 U. S. troops dying in the first four months of 2006. To increase protection, the U. S. military hastily added armor kits to the vehicles, but this made the Humvee an “ungainly beast”, increasing weight and straining the chassis, leading to unreliability. Armored doors were difficult for troops to open, and the newly armored turret made Humvees top-heavy and increased the danger of rollovers.
The U. S. Marine Corps began replacing Humvees in combat with Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles in 2007, and the U. S. Army stated that the vehicle was “no longer feasible for combat” in 2012. However, Humvees have also been used by Taliban insurgents for suicide bombings against the Afghan National Security Forces in the country.
The Humvee has become the vehicular backbone of U. S. forces around the world, with over 10, 000 HMMWVs employed by coalition forces during the Iraq War. However, deploying the vehicle to conflict zones exposed it to a full spectrum of threat, adding protection at the cost of mobility and payload.
What are tank cages for?
Slat armor, also known as bar armor, cage armor, or standoff armor, is a vehicle armor designed to protect against high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) attacks, such as ATGMs and RPGs. It takes the form of a rigid slatted metal grid around key vehicle sections, disrupting the warhead’s charge by crushing it or damaging the fuzing mechanism. Although effective against incoming missiles, slat armor does not offer complete protection, as up to 50% of missile impacts are unimpeded.
Slat armor is more effective when the cage spacing is less than the diameter of the incoming RPG round, typically 85 mm. The German Wehrmacht was the first to employ cage armor during World War II, using Drahtgeflecht-Schürzen to fortify tanks against shell fire. In 1943, Adolf Hitler ordered all new Sturmgeschütz, Panzer III, IV, and Panthers to be outfitted with wire mesh or steel plate Schürzen. Soviet Red Army tanks faced the German Panzerfaust and were similarly equipped with “bedspring” armor made from expanded metal mesh grating panels.
What gun is mounted on top of a Humvee?
The Military Systems Group (MSG) has equipped a Special Forces HMMWV with mounts and swing arms, thereby enabling the vehicle to be equipped with an M2 Heavy Machine Gun and a medium machine gun. This collaboration with leading vehicle manufacturers represents a significant advancement in military technology.
What’s the difference between a Humvee and a Hummer?
Hummers and Humvees are not the same thing. Hummers are street legal versions of the HMMWV, also known as the Humvee. They were discontinued by AM General in 2010, but were later resurrected by General Motors as a sub-brand. The 2022 Hummer is an electric vehicle. To buy a Humvee, you can register a free account on used military surplus site GovPlanet and bid on a Humvee in a weekly online auction. An End User Certificate (EUC) is required for all surplus military assets with demilitarization.
What are steel cages used for?
Metal or steel cages are widely used in various industries for storage, transport, and immediate storage. They offer numerous advantages, including being heavyweight, safe, foldable, and stackable. They are ideal for bulk product retention, shipping, and storage, and can be customized for specific needs. Daywalk offers a range of metal cages compatible with Australian pallet footprints, and can also design or manufacture custom steel or pallet cages for made-to-order needs.
Metal cages are ideal for various applications, including retaining bulk products, shipping, and transit, and are suitable for various applications. Daywalk can also design or manufacture custom steel or pallet cages for specific needs.
What are the four types of cages?
Cage culture is an aquaculture method that involves growing fish or shellfish in mesh enclosures suspended in water bodies like ponds, rivers, lakes, or oceans. This allows water to flow freely, providing oxygen and removing waste. The fish are fed a balanced diet and can be easily observed and harvested. Cage farms can coexist with other activities like boating and recreation, but site limitations may exist due to the need for suitable locations with good water quality, depth, and currents.
📹 Is the American military Humvee a good vehicle?
Today Alex gets to drove our newest toy a American Humvee! SUBSCRIBE to Armourgeddon YouTube channel: …
Was a HMMV998 and 5-Ton Mech in the Marines. Only used BO lights (cat eyes) with NVG’s (night vision goggles) which made the BO’s look like basketball sized headlights. Seeing that they changed the starting switch with an ignition, it would be interesting to see if they replaced the PCB (primary control box) on the driver-side kick panel under the dash) with an updated fuse box. If I were to ever buy one of these as a toy, I’d certainly make sure you purchased an extra PCB for a backup. We used to do full engine and trans swaps within 3hrs. It was always fun to run the trucks through the dunk tanks with the snorkel kit on the exhaust. You could drive with water up to your chin and keep-on trucking.. Great article as usual Wizard!
Mr. Wizard, when I was a young MP riding in the back, one of my tasks was to ” feel the can” the light bulb taped up inside the can on the end or our whip antenna that our mechanic rigged to the blackout light. It would heat the can and emit a heat signature so the apache’s and other attack aircraft would ID us as friendlies. The light was totally taped up in the can, so no light could get out, but it was a distinctive heat signature that kept us safe from friendly fire. Def wanted to make sure the bulb did not burn out
This reminds me of a friend of mine who was an Army mechanic. He told me a good story where they would come in all hung over and they would catch a few zzz by sleeping under a truck that they were working on. They would hook two 5/8 open end wrenches together and put them over a frame rail. Then they would put their thumbs in the closed ends of the wrenches so that their arms were held up by the frame rail while they were laying down, sleeping. It made it so it looked like they were actually working when the sgt walked by.
I remember when we got our hummers in. OMS gave us our quick overview of it and a quick drivers test, Left in a convoy to training area and i was lead one and pulled over the whole string of vehicals cause i thought i blew a motor in that brand new hummer. The maintance folks forgot to tell us that the cooling fan sounds like a jet blasting off. LoL
I worked at Sears Auto for about six months after I left the Seabees. We had an H1 come in and the two senior techs couldn’t figure out why the starter wasn’t coming off after they pulled the starter bolts. I asked if they needed help, and one of them asked why I was asking, while he was lifting himself into the air off of the starter, and I had to tell him, “Because you’re holding up your body weight on a 3/8″ nut in the engine mount.” I had to spend the rest of the day showing them how to complete the work order.
The HMMWV was my dad’s baby. He was tasked with writing the specs, and then was the liaison working directly with AM General to come up with the finished product. A lot of what he learned first hand as an enlisted soldier in the Korean and Vietnam Wars went into that into that vehicle. I really enjoyed your respectful, personal, and positive perspective on the HMMWV. Thank you!
63B! One of the things I miss about working on these vs. civilian vehicles are the tiny numbered metal tags crimped on the wires. Most people will have no idea what I am talking about. There are little metal tags crimped around the wires with numbers stamped into them. Each wire has a number assignment for what it is for, which you can then look up in the manual. It works the other way around as well. If you need to find a particular wire on the vehicle, look for the number in the mass of wires. All of the wires are black, so there is no following the green or blue wire kind of thing. Another fun note – a lot of the parts are the same across a wide variety of vehicles. Alternator on your Humvee shot? Grab one off that busted 5-ton.
Brings back memories of my army days too. I have a fun story for you. I was in signal. We had trailers. As you know the trailer had a front support leg. At Fort Riley I asked the Specialist to hook up the trailer and make it secure. He did. We had mud about 2 feet deep in the road. My Specialist failed to lift the trailer leg. It was plowing mud. The truck could hardly move. I went back there to find the trailer leg down. I made the Specialist get out and walk to the intersection which was about a quarter mile away in deep mud.
I deployed once as a CW2 (Fire Support), XO of a US Army Security Force Company, I was stuck on base for months while our mechanics were out in the AO. To pass the time I changed the heads and intake on an M998 in our maintenance shop. I had no training for this job, and it took me awhile, but reading the tech manuals I got it all done, and the truck ran fine.
The reason they use cannon plugs and the 24v system is because aircraft are 24v and every wiring connector is also a cannon plugs. 24v is more efficient and cannon plugs are more reliable for disconnecting terminals, they also don’t have a lot of corrosion issues as most are “waterproof”. Also easier to diagnose electrical problems. The humvees were designed this way as well. Simple yet reliable.
HI Wizard. I don’t know if you follow “Diesel Creek”, but he just released a vid a few days ago of him purchasing one of these at a heavy equipment auction. I believe it had a full belly pan under it. Thought you might enjoy perusal him going over all the fluids and filters and running it through its paces.
My first unit was in 93. Had a Cut V Blazer for 3 months. Was part of a special program. They wanted 2 guys from each group to have a license from a 2.5 T to M60 tank to a Generator. Was given my own Hummer with my name on the windshield. Earned my Drivers badge in that beast. My best sleep was with the hummer idling and the heater on full blast. I swear it was sleeping gas coming out of the vents. It was nice to drive a hummer to the ASP for work while everyone had to take a bus. I eventually was given a 96 S10 Govt truck.
Some things to add with the Black Out lights, in my unit we were always given Night Vision Goggles (NVGs) that made it 10x easier to see the black out lights. They also make the night sky really incredible to look at it, but that’s off topic. Also, you see how there are 4 lights? If you are following the truck in front of you and you can see all 4 lights, you know you’re too close. If you can see just one light source, you are two far away. We’re trained to make only 2 light sources visible per side of the vehicle to keep an appropriate distance.
As a note to non-military personnel: How to properly PMCS? follow the “dash10” to the letter: before, during, and after; non-operational pintles is a quick way to tell that the checks were not completed by the book and therefore to standard. other steps were likely skipped as well, and at a minimum, his orders were not followed. That area between the seats is usually used to house the various other systems that get installed, along with a place to secure your “load plan” or, if equipped with a weapon skate ring, it gives the gunner a place to stand
always remember the answer when i asked about the alternator to my SGT as to why it was so big, ‘have to have all that power to run the radios’ of course now, and before the hummer was replaced, it also was to run all the computers and the electric remote gun turret that would be mounded on the roof of the ones with the solid roof.
ah memories from my Marine days….. I will say Ms. Wiz forgot to mention the doghouse on the interior….. that made working on these vehicles hella easy…. you can work on them from the top, bottom or even inside the vehicle…… but I love how she mentioned it has no park gear…… always had guys saying their truck wouldn’t start….. come to find out they slammed it all the way up into reverse….. but what’s even funnier is the people who didn’t know about the 4×4 on these things….. I could keep people from taking my trucks just by throwing that transfer case into neutral……. good thing I knew about that 4×4 as well because it cokes in handy when you gotta climb a decent hill but you’re heavy….. lock her in 4L and have some fun….. screaming up q hill is more fun than creeping, plus that helps you coming down so you don’t cook the brakes….. everything I needed to know about 4 wheeling I learned in q humvee
a cpl things I remember about the Hummv and CUCVs, when they were new, ( mid 80’s ) was all the trouble we had with the glow plug circuits and and the vertical starter motor bolts breaking or falling out and of course folks putting gasoline in the tanks rather than diesel and / or diesel in the M880 dodge p/up trucks… AHHH GOOD TIMES !
Didn’t know you were a vet, Wizard, thanks for your service. During my Air Force career, I had countless hours in multiple HMMWV variants including up-armored. Highway speeds in these things on Korean highways was a real adventure. They leaked like a sieve in the rain, and rode like a lumber wagon. I get the nostalgia but I never understood why so many guys wanted to own these as private citizens.
Very cool, Wizard! I really want a 4wd vehicle, and as impractical is that Humvee is, if it went faster than 60MPH, I would want one! I need to drive @ freeway speeds to get to the hunting/fishing cabin that I frequent. Driving 60MPH max, my fellow Michiganders would be flipping me off during the entire 3 hour drive from the Detroit area to the north country. BTW, now I know why the National Guard convoys are always going so slow up I-75 on their way to Grayling, MI.
Hummer I had in Korea was a dogged out POS that had been crashed at least once. It burned oil, and the high pressure metal cooling lines for the transmission next to the radiator had been replaced with hoses and the clamps holding the hoses would not hold them on all the time, so I regularly would dump transmission fluid. Before we would go to the field I had to make sure I had a bunch of 1 QT bottles of FRH and a 5 GALLON can of oil. Had the alternator die in the field, the starter broke off it’s mounting bolts many times, and all of the oil leaked out of the right rear spindle and destroyed the gears inside and the wheel fell off while going down the road. The final insult before the end of my year was that my unit never put me in for my drivers badge.
Brings back memories for me as well. I was a 63T at Carson, Polk and in Germany. Made the transition from the M151s to the M998s when I first got in and most of us missed the simplicity of the M151s. Civilians think the 998 is cool, but most of us that spent time in one know how horribly uncomfortable they are.
I’m a retired W4, flew Blackhawks. Had a sling mission once, moving a few Hummers for a grunt unit. Loads cleared by a load master, but when I pulled pitch, it was clear the thing didn’t weigh per the manifest. Turns out it was overweight by more than 500 lbs. All of it, and I mean all of it, was in covertly loaded poggie bait. Gotta love the 11B…..
Ah yes…meeeeemorieeeeees…lol I’ll never forget having to drive an up-armored one of these, towing an over-loaded trailer, through the Arizona desert, on the freeway, in summer, as it overheats. Flak and Kevlar in a hummer, in summer, with windows that only open ~4 inches and the HEATER ON to try to cool the thing down. Good times. lol
I don’t know if you are reading any of these old vids but the round thing on a trailer is called a lunette. When I was running convoys in Vietnam with a M543 wrecker the jerks behind me would have their head lights on and my mirrors would be blinding me from the reflection of their headlights at night. One time when I was running a convoy to Tay Ninh I got three flat tires and had only one spare. I fixed two of the 1100×20 tire split rimed wheels them with my patch kit that I had on my wrecker in a RVN forward camp the size of a half acre. The SPEC five in charge of my section came looking for me and I said I,ll be on the return convoy in the afternoon. My tour of duty was very busy and I went somewhere every day with Wrecker A35.
Fun fact: you have to remember to pull the control relay for the cooling fan before forging deep water. If not, the fan blades can and will break off if the fan tries to operate. Then after you crawl back out of the crappy, muddy water, trying to keep your spacing at night with NVGs, don’t notice that you’re now overheating until you manage to turn the engine into scrap….speaking for a friend….how would I know, I was just the TC…..
Man the wizard is taking me back to the days in the motor pool. I was a 92Y Unit Supply Specialist, but our unit was a BSB and we had a huge motor pool to support the Battalion. When I was caught up with my duties in supply, I’d give the motor pool a hand with working out their PMs on the vehicles. I drove the Hummer, 5 tons, and Deuce and a halfs’. I didn’t get to work on them, it was not my pay grade, but I would have enjoyed it.
When I was an observer controller I had my own humvee that I drove all day and night during 14 rotations at a combat training center. I put a lot of miles in the older 998; also drove the heavier 1165s and other variants. They’re VERY capable off-road, trust me, I put it through its paces in muddy Hohenfels, Germany. Acceleration is slow at first,‘ its very torquey, naturally and handles pretty good. Brakes aren’t great, slid a few times toward a stopped tank and thought this was it. If you’ve driven with NODS on in low-illum in the forest then you know it’s nearly impossible to see over your shoulder. So, I hit a tree backing up with night vision goggles and thought I destroyed the truck, and it didn’t have a scratch or dent. They’re very sturdy.
A couple other cool things about the M998. Bleeding the brakes is a piece of cake. Lift the front end up, support the vehicle on Jack stands and start it up and turn to the right stop and hold. Turn to the left stop and hold and then back to the right and you are done. Unless there is a leak somewhere. The valve up by the fan clutch relay links the fan clutch, the power steering, and the brakes together. Holding over relief at the stops bleeds the hydraulic system of air. Another one is the fan control relay, engine is over heating disconnect the relay and the fan is constantly engaged, limp hone mode. Break a CV shaft, pull out a 15mm wrench and remove the 6 cap screws from the differential. Allen wrench to remove the plug on the geared hub and remove the 3/8ths bolt that holds the CV shaft in. Damage the rear end remove the the cv shafts, place the transfer case in 4 low and now you have a front wheel drive hummer. So much you can do to recover yourself if you understand how things work.
Canada Mech here. We used so much USA kit, including the CARC paint. When the boys were being put into Kosovo, there was some worry about RPG`s effect on the tank trainers that had been promised never to be put into combat ( AVGP, kinda like the Cadillac Gage Amoured cars) . Well we had to grind and weld mounting points for the uparmour kits 12 hour days, day and night shift for a month. Safety goggles and 3m paper masks, we looked like reverse racoons. Fast forward about 10 years, I get jacked up for grinding the seized mounting nut off a mirror bracket as that now needs full self contained PPE and a negative pressure paint booth and that, with CARC, it has always been that way.. LOL, gotta love the Army!!
Thanks for a great article. I bet you developed your patience during the time in the military. A tour of duty with Uncle Sam makes you realize better ways to do things in life. I love the overview on the Humvee. It makes me glad I stuck with the rebuilding of old Jeeps. I also never liked the wideness of the Humvee vehicle, for city streets or on narrow trails. Carry On Sir!
Drove one of those around Hohenfels Germany for three years as an OC. The mechanics we had were the best. The shop ran 24/7 every day except Christmas and New Years I believe. Those mechanics helped us alter our trucks in ways that wouldn’t believe. I remember severs guys that had a second heater core installed to have an extra heater in the vehicle with a large heater hose attached to it. I remember so many times rolling in the shop at 2am with serious issues and those mechanics would get everything right in no time. The worst problem I had with the truck was the electrical connection for the wipers. I can’t even begin to describe the way the electrical connections were installed on the vehicle but they could be a pain in the ass. We also had IR lights installed on all our OC trucks so we could drive around the training area at night. I had two mounted on mine and loved them. My call sign was W13A if there are any other former OCs out there
Great article on the Humvee car wizard when I was in high school I drove a deuce and a half military truck the thing was awesome I live in Ohio and in the winter time it was great the only problem was I wasn’t allowed to park it at the high school there was a couple of times I drove it to the high school and the principal tried to have it towed but the tow truck driver wouldn’t touch it anyways I love your website I haven’t been a subscriber for very long and I don’t know if you have but maybe in the future you can do a article about a deuce and a half
I’m curious. I know the 6.2 was replaced probably 20 years ago now but did you have the same injection pump issues we had with the 6.5’s? Basically the hardened parts inside the IP didn’t like ULSD and would digest themselves between oil changes. We ended up using a quart of ATF at every fuel up to”lubricate” the pump so the pool guys wouldn’t have to do a monthly IP change, again on the 6.5s.
Always a fun article with cool stuff Wizard, thanks for your service. I’ll bet you never forgot to inspect that piece of equipment ever again in your Army career with as easy as it was to miss which I’m sure was the point of the lesson. Always sucks to lose a weekend but nothing quite like that to drive a lesson into 18 or 19 year old soldiers. I joined just after these were starting to come into service and always liked their look – their ride not so much.
I have slept on, in, under and beside those things. Some of the tricks are the back seats can come out. You can flip them around and recline them so they face the back leaned back. You then throw your legs on the back wheel well and you’ve got yourself a bad ass field recliner. To sleep on the top you’d bend the bar that goes across the passenger and driver side seats, normally by hanging on it. Then you throw your sleeping bag on top of the canvas and get the best sleep of your life, not having to worry about snakes, scorpions or whatever else the desert would throw at you. To sleep under, you’d dig a sleeping trench in the sand, pull the vehicle forward then roll under it. Just make sure you have the brake on and the chock blocks out. To sleep beside, I’d take two vehciles pointing in opposite directions and line them up about 10 feet apart. Then take the doors off that are facing each other in the center. Throw up one of those big tents with the sides going over the roofs of each vehicle. Then throw the bag for the tent under one humvee and the mre boxes under the other. You’d then basically have a heated tent if needed by starting the vehicles. Just make sure its the passenger sides that are in the tent or your not going to wake up… As a bonus, the passenger (a-driver) and driver seats have ash trays in that the sheet metal on the pillars next to the leg always stopped about a few inches above the bottom of the dash. Just have to make sure your cig is out or you could set one of those a blaze from all the trash in there.
After my time in motor pools, you couldn’t give me a mil-spec vehicle and several con-ex full of spare parts. Over-priced, under engineered and constant maintenance just to pretend to keep it road worthy. Humvees are junk. I never worked on the civilian Hummers, so I won’t comment on those. I reclassified from 63E to 11B because of the crap that the DoD buys with taxpayer money. (Edited for spelling mistake. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.)
I was a commo guy in an MP company, I had to pull the huge radios in and out of those and was always messing with those antennas, helping people get their radio on the net in the hop set frequency. I always hated working on those trucks, I don’t think they consulted with a single mechanic when they engineered them to make them intuitive and easy to maintain and repair. The Commo dept actually had a truck version from 1993 with the 6.5L n/a engine and it might have been a 4L80 trans unlike all the old 1986 6.2L 3L80 trucks the MPs had. The head of the motor pool had a 1986 truck with only like 2,000 miles on it that was immaculate, I’m not sure how it managed to be set aside so much but, it was interesting. Usually anytime we went on a field exercise there was a broken truck on a tow bar or two. It was always weird going so slow in Germany. We used to break into the motor pool at night…with my key…and take the trucks mudding on the back of the base. We were usually drunk too. Amazingly we never broke anything since they’re so under powered.
On those seat thingies that turn into trolleys, I got something like that at home and it has absolutely transformed working on my motorbike and car. It used to be such a pain kneeling or squatting in front of the bike, but this is just so much nicer. Once you hit 50, your knees don’t like squatting or kneeling for a long time and the feet are even worse. I’m sure those things cost an order of magnitude more than the cheapo crap I got from the discounter, but it does the job. Absolutely recommend.
I think the purpose of the general’s inspection was to press home “attention to detail”. Also, operators change the oil? If it’s not in the -10 manual, it don’t get done by the operator. I’m sure things have changed, it’s been almost 30 years but I’m sure there are a lot of operators that I’d not want changing oil, or anything that involves something that important to a motor.
His war stories make me glad that my branch doesn’t allow operators to change oil. On the whole, HMMWVs are decent to work on as long as they are not up-armored. I had to replace an engine on one of these (same era) when the operators figured out that the “governor” was just a bolt behind the accelerator pedal that stops it from being pushed all the way down to the floor. Needless to say, all it took was a hacksaw to really “open up” that naturally aspirated 6.2L. it literally opened the oil pan when it put a piston through it. They did finally upgrade them with a 6.5 Turbo Diesel and basically a 4L80e behind them. That generator (alternator) also grew in size. A/C was added in later models and the v-belts gave way to a serpentine. There are other changes, but those are the most important in terms of performance
I had the enjoyment of taking that wheel apart out in the field with no air tools and putting it back together. Another time when I was an E3 the E4 mechanic asked me to hold the starter up while he got the bolts that he picked out started. He bitched at me for 45 minutes to hold it still because he couldn’t get it started. The bolts he grabbed ended up being too short. It was a heavy starter. The weak points of the HMMWV were the generator which could snap if you really whacked something, the wheel hubs where the spindle met the seal the sand would wear a groove on the spindle and you’d replace the seal and it’d still leak and then the CO would complain about it leaking with the new seal but the hub was crazy money so they didn’t want to replace that. The turn signal arms were cheap. The glow plugs would swell and get stuck and my Sergeant would tell me to bang the tips in if the vice grips didn’t work. What a noise that would make when you started it up after doing that. We had a HMMWV ambulance and it was broke about the whole two years I was there. Too heavy for the transmission and the transfer case. I figured out if one would crank and no start in cold weather you could usually just unplug the glow plug relay and plug it back in and it would start right up. Moisture would get in there. Oh, and one of the guys in my unit got pulled over doing 77 on Fort Hood back in 93 or 94 so they could go a little faster than 60 but it would be a lousy ride because we didn’t have a wheel balancer with the right adapter and had to eyeball it when we replaced a tie rod because there was something wrong with our thing that we did the alignment with so it was useless.
Had to use the blackout drive trying to navigate between 2 compounds during Desert Storm. The SSG who was supposed to be navigating me didn’t have a map, compass or night vision goggles. She was also scared out of her mind. Needless to say we got lost. I managed to stumble upon a convoy of Commo trucks heading towards the compound next to ours and followed them. From there found our way back home. Needless to say it was determined that the information could be delivered in the morning when we could see.
This thing looks better than any Humvee I saw while I was in the Army, for sure…. My understanding with some states not registering them is that for years when the DOD would surplus them they wouldn’t come with a title or anything and most states wouldn’t work around that. But now most are coming with titles and can be registered.
I one time got a high top hmmvw up to 80-90 mph heading to a FARP because I was late. Found out real quick why Motor T says to not go over 55 on the road. As soon as I got to a stop sign at an intersection, the red temp light lit up and the temp gauge was all the way in the red. Thought she was gonna explode on me but thankfully she didnt. Never did that again 😂. My A driver and I never mentioned it to MWSS when we turned it in. Never heard anything about it later either. The thing was a POS anyway. Seat rails would fall out while driving and the canopy collapsed so many times.
There is no metal on the body make up of the Humvee / HUMMER Its Aircraft Aluminum and the hood is Heavy Duty Fiberglass The frame is FULLY boxed in and has 5 cross members… The entire drive train is INBOARD… The Vehicle weighs 5,500 pounds so it can be air lifted It has 4 wheel Independent suspension with 16″ of ground clearance The Humvee / HUMMER H1 is built in my home state of Indiana at the Mishawaka AM GENERAL Corp plant Built from 1982 to 2019 Humvee HUMMER H1 built from 1992 to 2006 for the public Thx for the article folks 🙏🇺🇸👍st
19D here Ah, motor pool Mondays… dredges up his mental copy of TM 9-2320-280-10 Every HMMWV I drive gets the packard connector for the hydraulic fan clutch disconnected: I’d rather the fan run constantly than to have the thing try to spin up the fan from a dead stop, especially while reversing and/or turning, stalling the engine. (Happened more than once in my squadron before deployment, and once to me in combat while traversing a ditch) That and most of my HMMWV driving experience was Iraq and Fort Stewart: The engine cooling system needs every last bit of help it can get. I note the missing pioneer tools and tool tray. Probably missing the first aid kit, toolbag, wrench, pliers, screwdrivers, extinguisher, screw jack, pamphlet bag, and the -10, too. For our unit, missing BII was a deadline. I like the HMMWVs. Much better off road performance than the MRAPs that supplemented/replaced them. Sure, they’re loud and uncomfortable. It’s a military vehicle, not a Maseratti. Sure I had one blown up around me, but that was because I was told to take a “cleared” road rather than my instinct to egress the location I was at by the way I’d entered. And sure, they’re underpowered. But anything better has tracks (less reliable) or attracts bullets that’ll go right on through.
A 4L80Eor 4L60E would fine in one of those. If you could make it fit. Then make it shift. The plastic fan breaks if you hit a deep puddle faster than 3 MPH. They are almost as loud inside as a 2 1/2 ton. My MPs were really good at breaking HUMVEEs. Not just fans. Engines. But THE THM 400 worked fine. Even seen one of them break a front axle. That takes talent. Oh and I almost forgot something the heater almost works. In February, in Wisconsin
I know some of our special forces in Afghanistan quit using Hummers when they went out on patrol/missions in the country side. Said they were all wore out, unreliable pieces of junk that were liable to break down and get them killed. Got sick of the enemy having better trucks, so they went out and bought what the enemy was using a bunch of Toyota Hiluxes and 70 series Land Cruisers. Said the Toyotas were stone dead reliable and way better off road(narrower/smaller so they fit down the mountainous trails unlike Hummers). They also looked like civilians in the Toyotas which meant it was easier to sneak up and ambush the enemy. AKA the guy in the village is going to radio to the terrorists outside of town a convoy of Hummers just rolled thru.
A few FYIs: The tailgate hooks are designed to hook from inside outward, not from outward in. AM General always called their entry in to the U.S. Army’s HMMWV competition the “HUMMER.” It was not until they decided to offer a Civilian version did they trademark the name “HUMVEE” for their military HMMWV version and the name HUMMER was exclusively used for the civilian. The hood is designed to be opened by one person facing the hood on the operator’s side, pushing slightly to the opposite side …while lifting. The raincap on that HMMWV is pushed down way too far. and being ex-USMC it should have the air intake extension installed. Also may want to mention with the Deep Water Fording Kit installed it can go through depths of up o 60″ (5 ft.) of water. All gear boxes are connected to one common vent system. The geared hubs not only multiply the torque where needed (at the wheels) they provide a 4 inch drop which translated in to a higher ground clearance. (16 inches). With the inboard mounded brake calipers, by applying slight brake pedal application, all 4 wheels can work as one (lock). The body is comprised all of aluminum panels and extrusions bonded and riveted together using aircraft construction designing.
Cannot register for road use- Some states where the training area is off base: uses the state roadways going 55mph Also, modern HMMWV’s are both 12V and 24V mainly for some of the HD hardware and equipment running inside. It would take 24V while the rest of the vehicle ran on normal 12V As for kits, you can get everything from the “hatchbacks”, even much more rare Fiberglass body kits. normal Crew 4dr kits, to 2dr troop shells, and uncommon 4dr troop shells too! Alaska has a bunch of these bodies, and some units have them modified to be insulated to be used as warming shelters thanks to the Arctic Troop Heaters
Drive one when I was in Korea HHC 3rd Bde 2ID Camp Howze Korea. It was early 1988, had just pulled HQ-3 out of Q Service, was driving out Brigade Chemical Officer from Camp Casey to Camp Howze he was going to be late for a meeting. He says, I can’t be late, man that thing was humming we’re going down a long hill on the MSR he asks how fast are we going? I replied “per” he says what? I said “per” at the bottom of the speedometer, sir it says miles per hour and we are going “PER”
When i was in the army we did very very few oil changes due to the Army Oil analysis program we just took samples and since they didn’t get many mile put on them in garrison they didn’t need oil changes it saved the army a ton of money and as for the pintle thing it was a deadline able issue if it didn’t have a cotter pin and since one truck loses its pin and it starts a giant pin theft ring they were always missing so we paid a lot of attention to them during services plus its really cringy to hear a vet call it a hummer ugh as my sergeant would say you get a hummer from your girl not the motor pool
So… HMMWV or HUMVEE is the military acronym and Hummer and the name of the civilian version from GM. That is a HMMWV. But…. I am sure he knows that and is just saying Hummer for ease of use. It just sounded weird being an Army Vet. Awesome article. I’ve been driving these for 13 plus years and learned a few things. Keep up the great work.
lol that last story, I ran company maintenance for a CBRNE battalion when I was active duty and never requested or used operators for our scheduled maintenance. My warrant would sometimes ask where the operators were for the service and I’d just shrug, ya I don’t know Chief-but truthfully, I didn’t want them-they were stupid, slow, got in the way, didn’t want to be there or would just constantly fuck shit up. I’d be in the maintenance meeting and just roll my eyes when our chief would complain that operators weren’t showing up to do maintennace with our mechanics but yet I would constantly have the best readiness in the battalion while staying ahead on services without those dipshits getting in the way of my maintenance team.
The tiny seats and no leg room is why I never liked the HMMWV. Yes, it is underpowered. It has other faults. But the cramped seats would literally make my legs and feet go numb and I had a hard time exiting the vehicle after a long ride. And I’ve ridden in many Army trucks, APCs, Bradleys, and even the M1 Abrams tank. The HMMWV was the most uncomfortable vehicle to sit in if you were not the driver.
1 hard lesson I learned as a 1SG (First Sergeant’s) Driver. When water fording even a small creek, don’t go full throttle. You will rip off every blade of that Plastic motor fan. We both learned something new that day. He didn’t even get mad at me for that. Just a “Huh, that sucks. Get it fixed Trooper.”
“You’ll think it’s a great idea when you buy it, especially if you’re a civilian. Although you’ll learn that there aren’t any locks or keys to start it so anyone can pretty much steal your hunk of shit humvee. if you’re over 6 foot tall you’re fucked because there is no way to be comfortable in one. no matter what seat you’re in. You’ll learn that the fuel economy is measured in foot per gallon not miles per gallon. The aluminum foil doors tend to fall off randomly, your gauges hardly ever work, the engine bay is also a bitch to work in. All in all its a piece of garbage. But hey buy it if you want, but when you do and you get into the highway to drive home hang on because when you hit 75mph you get to experience what it’s like when the Challenger space shuttle reentered the Earth’s atmosphere… The whole fucking thing will fall apart, rattle your fillings out, and you will die”
My brother worked on these too! They go ANYWHERE ….BUT…. they’re noisy and uncomfortable without 3rd part mods. Steam Clean the entire underbody and interior and then fix ALL rust or corrosion issues and then put on a one-quarter inch THICK COAT of Line-X truck bed liner on the entire underbody, wheel wells and any large area frame and suspension part. Then ditch that interior seating and ALSO spray in a full one-quarter inch THICK COAT of Line-X truck bed liner on the interior floors, sidewalls, etc. and entire engine bay to reduce interior noise by a significant amount. Buy some Recaro Egonomic Seats and you are set for front driver and passenger comfort. Keep the old-style gauge cluster but install a Panasonic or Pioneer multimedia entertainment and navigation centre on a front console cut-out and then get an old steering wheel from any 2010+ era RAM 1500 truck to replace the curent Humvee one. I love that RAM steering wheel and you can hookup some radio and window control parts to the centre controls of that steering wheel! I would also add an extra auxilliary disel tank for extra driving range. Just make sure the Central Tire Inflation System still works cuz that’s the best part of the HUMVEE! Deck it out with a decent roof rack for your fishing Canoo/Kayak and add some rear storage boxes and accesories for camping/fishing gear and you have got yourself one of the best backcountry lakes/rivers exploration vehicle you can find on the market today! It can ford deep mud and snow AND it can easily climb the rocky and mountainous areas of the western USA and Canada!
I love a Humvee. However, when I was in the Military, I was 6’3″ 225 lbs. w/ a 85 pound ruck sack. It was the most uncomfortable vehicle in the Military Fleet. Hard as hell to get in and out of with your gear. Especially when in a tremendous HURRY !! It was TIGHT QUARTERS !! Miserable ! However again, we managed to complete our missions. And, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in this world! I loved serving SO MUCH as my Dad and Uncles and Great Uncles were all Military for many years !! HooAh ? BTW, I married a Marine COLS Daughter.. 38 years now, we’ve been Tom & Jerri.. And it has been a loving and fun Tom & Jerri cartoon in real life ! I’m So Blessed ! Outstanding article !! Thanks Bro for sharing..
They’re not allowed to be registered because they’re not civilian purpose vehicles. One can say many things for and against them, but at the end of the day… you’re on the road and you’re part of a bigger thing. You share and hope others do the same, the responsibility that you may either terminate someone in your vehicle or someone outside. Most people who don’t accept this bravado until the point when its time to face the music. Like the kids who went to fight and got to see their first family of civilians fleeing an active zone, mistaken for opponents and … terminated. Sobering. Humvees are fun, but they’re not for the roads. We have to move on, can’t be stuck in the 80’s.
I never had a whole lot of experience with the Hummers, but I did hear about a drag race between a HMVEE and an old M151A-whatever when I was on a field exercise at Benning. The Jeep won. A certain federal entity famous for its SW border exploits once leased a couple from the military in the late 80s-early 90s for a very busy location with terrain that was really hard on normal 4x4s purchased for the task at hand. Initially, a handful of employees were trained by Marines on how to operate them. Then, without fail, someone in authority decided that all the qualifications needed to operate them were a drivers license and a verbal statement that prospective operators claimed to have seen a picture of one some place. Needless to say as I understand the sad tale, the Hummers’ weak point on the suspension was something like the CV joints. The Marines kept such parts on hand due to frequent risk of needing replacement – along with things like oil filters, air filters, etc (PPL, if I remember my acronyms?). The entity’s response was, “we’ll just go to NAPA….” Anyway the Hummers spent more time parked with uncompleted work orders they did in the field because NAPA didn’t regularly stock parts for them back then. When running, they’d last about two weeks before someone put their off road prowess to the test again and broke them.
One thing I remember, is the rear hub seals leaking like siv if you ever used 4wd. Mine was also an ’86 but in cargo configuration. The soft tops leak like crazy on the rain, even when brand new and the soft doors always needed replacing since the zippers around the windows were only single stitched rather than double. The one you showed looks like it had the heavy duty alternator which came on the ambulances and a few meant as commo vehicles. One cool feature you didn’t show were the slave ports under the passenger seat for jump starting.
I was drafted in 1968 and went to Nam. The Vietnamese got the new equipment, and I had a 1943 Dodge M37. Simple to fix. We had 5 ton dump trucks and one 2 1/2 ton with no starter. We would have replaced it but we couldn’t seem to get one. Push started every day, and it then ran all day. We got WWII 1943 and 1944 C rations to go with the Dodge. Jeeps were Ford built with the swing axle, no roll over bars on ours.
I bought a 1988 M998 HMMWV “humvee” with the upgraded 6.5L on GovPlanet. AVOID THE 6.2L ENGINE AT ALL COST. It is JUNK. The 6.5L is bullet proof. They’re government surplus auctions. Mine was priced at 4500 and I won it for 8100 bucks. Plus 10% auction fee and shipping fees if you don’t go pick it up yourself. It’s in mint condition. Do NOT get the SF97 “bill of sale” form if you win an auction. They are useless at DMVs. Request the State Title which will be from Montana, that’s where their HQ is. Got insurance on it, took my State Title into the DMV and they had to do a manual entry for the vehicle info because there’s no VIN, only a serial number. Walked out with my registration and a new Alabama state tag. They did a state-to-state title transfer. Just play dumb while you’re at the DMV, if you get pushy they’ll probably tell you to go get screwed. I’ve had mine for about 7 years now. Works perfectly. You can download the Operator’s manual, maintenance manual, and parts manual all for free. READ THEM. Especially the Operator’s manual. You can buy any part from ebay. Maintenance is pretty much the same as any other truck. It drives pretty well, actually gets decent fuel mileage. Hope this helps anyone trying to buy “win” a humvee in the surplus auctions. Buying one from a 3rd party re-seller will get you ripped off.
Over here at Fort Benning, we still have a pretty decent fleet of M1151’s still in use. I will say, I enjoyed the limited wheel time I had with them when I went through the military driver’s training course. I work over in heavy track section on the Abrams tanks, so I don’t get too much hands-on time with them.
Im pretty sure the H1 is the same mechanically as the military variant. Ive worked on my buddy’s a couple of times. I hate that piece of crap. Made from leftover parts from a few manufacturers. The Interiors literally fall apart, the steering wheel is like 10 inch diameter. Seats are so skinny even though the thing is wide as hell. F THAT DAMN thing
We had a bunch of dodge 3/4ton gas powered trucks in our field artillery battery. They had terrible, first generation electronic ignition on them. They were constantly failing due to the ignition. Our warrant officer procured a dozen, dual point Mallory ignition distributors. He set the points and timing on the first one, then us mechanics retrofitted the rest. Those trucks never once, gave us anymore ignition issues. It wasn’t exactly military command approved, but, it made those old Dodges, much, much, much, more reliable. Within two years of retrofitting those ignitions into those trucks, our Gamagoats, Jeeps, and Dodge trucks were replaced by HUMVE’s. Reagan sure poured a lot of money into the military, in those days
props to the general for making himself even more unpopular just to prove a point. i’m gonna guess he could have told them there and then to grease the tow pintels and specialist? wizard could have enjoyed his weekend off but nope: that general was gonna find something they missed come hell or high water and make them work their weekend anyway because ‘lives depend on it’. he was probably just being an asshole but he clearly taught a young wizard to be thorough: “if it’s fitted, make sure it’s fixed or i’ll make sure you make sure”. the sort of thing you hate at the time and still resent to this day but a lesson that has served you well in life and which just makes you hate it all the more! 😅
I worked at AM General up until a few years ago. We had a whole warehouse dedicated to supplying parts for service around the world. I’d imagine you can still contact AM General directly to get many of the parts. I can’t say for certain since I didn’t work there in the ’80s, but I don’t think the design changed all that much over the decades.
Before enlisting in the Air Force in 2003, I served in the Army as a 63B, Light Wheel Vehicle Mechanic from 1992 – 2003. I first started working on these vehicles during my first assignment with the 555th Engineer Company, Topographic, Phantom Command, Ft Hood Texas. We had CUCV Chevy trucks/blazers earlier on in my assignment there. They were decent vehicles given their age. A year or so into my tour we started receiving HMMWVs to phase out the CUCV vehicles . Easy to work on. Both driver/mechanic friendly. Just my experience of course. Now these are being phased out if they haven’t done so already across all of the services. The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, has taken on the mantle of being the new frontline tactical vehicle favored by the U.S. military. The JLTV combines the protection of the MRAP, which was critical in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the agility of a HMMWV. perusal this article really takes me down memory lane. Makes me fell nostalgic. I miss the circus, but not the clowns. 😉😁
Jump start capability to any other 24 volt military vehicle via heavy duty cable that plugged into slave receptacle. Inner “peg” was positive, outer ring was negative…all covered….no way to hook up wrong. In a pinch you can weld with that 24 volts. Hauled a lot of them out of Mishawaka, Indiana assembly plant and base-to-base…on a step deck trailer…drive toward front of trailer and climb straight up the 20″ to 24″ step to the top deck. Each wheel position is powered independently on military models. Civilian versions, the H1, that pro sports players and rich Saudis bought had A/C and nice stereo systems, metal doors, and crank up windows. They bought one for each day of the week. H2 and H3 are posers…carried the name and some of the look…far less capable.
Wizard and Mrs Wizard, god bless you both! I’m from the east coast, and now I live in Colorado. In between I spent 10 years in the Midwest. I am a mountain guy, but you two, Hoovie, and legit street cars, remind of the best part of the Midwest. That part is the people! What you lack in topography you make up for in genuineness and open arms! I didn’t know how to respond when I first moved there, but now I miss it. No bs I knew everybody on my block in my first 3 hours in Indianapolis. That’s priceless and I’m glad I experienced it. Keep doing what y’all do!
For someone who has “worked” on “more than 500” HMMWV’s, check your facts. HMMWV stands for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, not multi-wheeled. And, the hood is not “plastic”, it’s fiberglass. And the body is not “sheet metal”, it’s aluminum. Since 2018, the Humvee has been street legal in Kansas. 1097A2
You brought back many hours as a 63B, and a driver of everything from a mule, a Jeep, all the way up to a 5 ton wrecker. Those blackouts were tough, but they did work. I was in before the Hummer days, but they were coming online when I was getting out. Military days were sometimes tough, but we all got through them. I lost brothers in arms, and think about them everyday. Thank you for your service!
Portal/Geared axle’s are pretty cool, although a bit more complicated in function… The German WW2 Wehrmacht Kubelwagens (RWD) & Schwimmwagens used portal axles to increase the vehicles ground height. The Schwimmwagen was a VW amphibious vehicle w/a deployable propeller system, although both rides had ‘Slick-sided’ bottoms’ & rear mounted/horiz opposed pancake motors, the Schwimmwagen differed from the Kubelwagen in that it was 4 wheel drive, but only in 1st gear, in order to help it crawl outtve the water, usually in difficult terrain if used in an amphib application…. Great show!
I have a friend who recently started importing those into Brazil. We sometimes work on them, and they really are an oddity down here. The ride is very noisy and bumpy and the engine is very underpowered, but they can definitely take you anywhere. Some cool stuff I discovered is the fact that the whole body is aluminum and the hood is carbon composite. Yet it still weighs a lot. I’d love to see more of it in the future! Cheers!
Ive got a M1008 CUCV converted to 12v manual glows/starter/1 alternator, civi gauge cluster w the 6.2 and Banks turbo, 700R4 overdrive swap from the TH400. Its on 38s and does 75-78 highway w 4:56 gears. Old MVs are rewarding when you get em sorted! – But its an ongoing process. Fun to watch this thing w its nuances and similarities w CUCV’s. My insurance card says ‘4×4 military’ as all the Chevy vin#s were all transfered into the feds databases for road useage. Another thing is alllll MVs use the same key so get your doors/ ignition swapped w new keys lol.
This was really COOL!!! Thank you Wizard for a unique peak behind the scenes on this classic military icon. As always, I really enjoy all the technical knowledge you share. I remember the article you made about the Jag with inboard brake rotors, but need to refresh my memory on what advantage(s) the design offers. I’d be curious to know what, if any major tradeoffs exist.
I’m a veteran mechanic as well, but for the Air Force as an Egress/Ejection systems SSgt. I never had the unfortunate chance to ride in any Humvees, and my back is thankful for that, but I appreciate the cold war aesthetic of the woodland green camo pattern. These vehicles were part of my childhood, and much like the Woodland BDUs, M16A2 and shined boots that I was (fortunately) never issued, these are my first memories of what the US Military looks like. These Humvees are the Crown Vic NYC taxis of the military. Sure, both are outdated and getting quickly replaced by newer, more efficient vehicles – but they’ll always be an icon and will almost eternally be a symbol of the era.