Hi All,

Here's a detail question for all you Abrams experts. I've built an M1A1 before with a mine plow, but I want to model this one with the driver's hatch open. The prior build, the cable connecting the plow to the tank ran through the right-hand driver's periscope. If I want to have the tank I'm building shown with the driver's hatch open, what do I do with the cable once it's connected to the periscope. That is, where does the cable run on the inside of the tank? I presume that the hatch would still open just like the hatch does without the mine low cable, but I could be wrong.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. If I've not stated my question adequately, please let me know and I'll try to restate better. I do have one photo of the cable running into the periscope on the outside of the hatch, but that's all I've got in terms of pictures. Thanks in advance.

This may not completely answer your question, but here is a discussion and a few pics

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missinglynx/abrams-with-plow-question-t132075.html

That's GREAT info, thank you! What I need to know is which of those ways was used on the April 2003 Thunder Run tanks. If it's the fitting, and not the cable through the hatch, that makes it easy. If not, I still need an answer. But again, thanks!!!!

On 3ID tanks in OIF 1, the fitting in the vision block was still the most common.

Here's this setup on a USMC tank in April 2003 :



Full size

H.P.

Wow, thank you, sir! It looks like the lead tank is using the half periscope, but perhaps on the opposite side of the right-hand block, compared to the close-up photo of the cable attached to the vision block. But I'm guessing the method of cable routing on the tri-color tank is the correct routing for the tank I'm working on.

You're welcome Curt

But now, looking closer at this picture, it seems to me that a whole vision block has been removed, just like in this other picture :

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12HrQXFj6kNtLcDIChrdz5RWsHJ30GF2w/view?usp=sharing

H.P.