So I was watching a repeat of “Magicians Secrets Revealed #3” tonight on the FX channel when they eventually came to the grand finale illusion- the disappearing tank. How they did it is pretty well known and pretty straight forward (Cecil himself even covered this is a while back), but one thing that was mentioned while the trick was being set up struck me as odd-- voice over guy, “…. Seeing as it would take five minutes to restart the tank, driving it away isn’t the secret to this illusion…”.
Huh? Five minutes?
Forget about the stupid trick, I wanna know why it takes five minutes to start a tank.
You have to wait for a diesel truck engine to warm up, which is why those OTR drivers at the Dixie Truck Stop leave their 18-wheelers running while they’re inside.
I think probably what they mean is that normally after they start it up they spend about 5 minutes checking everything out to make sure everything is OK. They don’t start it up and then go right into battle or training exercises.
I can’t imagine that it really takes 5 minutes to start the engine.
KPM, you are exactly right. Tanks have turbine engines and have had them for a good 10+ years. The M1 tank used by the military in the US takes a matter of seconds to fire up (literly) and will MOVE quick. An M1 has over 1000 hp and will run about 100 mph+. I drove turbo-diesel Bradleys in the Army that topped out at 85 on the spedo and M1’s just zoomed past us.
Of course, they could be talking about ANY model prior to the M1, like the M60 tank from WWII and that would be a diesel using glow plugs like the Hummers and most of the other land vehicles in the military…
But, even glow plugs only take about 30 seconds or something to get to the point where you can start a diesel engine, assuming that the monster diesel’s in trucks are the same in general terms as the small diesel cars I have driven
I don’t think I can buy the 100mph top speed of an M1. The M1-A1 has a listed top speed of 45 mph, with an off-road top speed of 30 mph.
An M1 weighs something like 63 tons. And it’s driving on treads. The rolling friction has got to be immense. And it’s only got 1500 hp.
In comparison, a Ferrari that goes 180 mph has a 550 hp engine, is very aerodynamic, runs on four small tires on smooth pavement, and weighs about 1/30 of what the tank does.
Even if the M1 has a classified top speed higher than 45, there’s no way in hell that behemoth is coming anywhere near 100mph.
Sam Stone,
And you’re talking of what proof?? Have you ever been around an M1?
What do you REALLY know about the M1??? Do you think the government tells the people what we are really capable of?? We were told in Saudi that the Bradley with it’s 35mm gun was not capable to pentrating the armour of a T-72 tank. Low and behold, in a pinch, you fire away and send rounds straight thru it making it swiss cheese. How? We had ammo that they hadn’t told us about, a type of sabot round.
Unless you’ve been in the military and drove the vehicles, don’t try to compare them to a ferrari. I’m sure at the money invested (our tax dollars) they are much more advanced than you know. I’m still confused at why my supposed 900 hp Bradley moved it’s heavy 35 ton ass to 85 mph. This was verfied as we drove them on the Autobahn when our unit in Germany was deactivated and they needed to be shipped out. BTW the M1’s were put on trailers to be hauled out and collappsed the roads in our base
No way in hell an M1 is going 100 mph? Ask any Desert War veteran that saw combat in an armored unit. They’ll all set you straight on your “beliefs”
One thing you beefybashers are forgetting is that the governed top speed of the Abrams is 45 mph. Guess what the first thing to come off the engine is? That’s right, the speed governor. While I too have trouble swallowing 100 mph for the Abrams, it can certainly go much faster than 45. beefyman has experience that the naysayers (myself included) do not.
The military NEVER posts the full spec’s. The “top” speed of an aircraft carrier is 31 knots… yet… people, as in non-military, have seen them hauling at over 55 knots (65 MPH!!)… thats really fast considering the size of those ships.
Well said, galen ubal. The vehicle that are used for training are NOT the vehicles used in combat. For combat we have a reserve of vehicles (and weapons) in various postions prepared for when they are needed. We wouldn’t even take our beloved M-16’s to combat.
Keep stating your “cites”…if you believe what is written I’m sorry…for example, a quick look at the websites you linked contain a lot of false information as far as weaponry, horsepower ratings, etc…don’t believe everything you read
I’m talking of pure experience and to back up what my Bradley’s speedo was reading, I’ve had a Humvee with it’s spedo pegged right beside me when I took it down the Autobahn to be shipped out.
Are you sure you’re not thinking in k/h instead of m/h, beefyman? Especially since you confirmed this by driving tanks down Autobahns in a metric country. That might explain these large values.
I still say 63 tons, tracked vehicle, big, big frontal area to the wind, 1500 horspower == 100 mph does not compute.
By the way, if the stats are secret and the military doesn’t want us to know what these machines can really do, how come you’re talking about it on a public forum?