Lot 1047

The Littlefield Collection

M48A5 Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge

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$103,500 USD | Sold

United States | Portola Valley, California

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Addendum: PLEASE NOTE: This lot is being sold on Bill of Sale only

Weight: 61.4-tons (55,746-kg)

Length: 36' 5” (11.10-m)

Width: 13’ 2” (4.01-m)

Height: 13' 3” (4.04-m)

Crew: 2

Armor:

Hull front: 4.72” (120-mm)

Engine: 29.3-liter V-12 gasoline, 825-hp

Power/weight: 13.4-hp/ton

Fuel Capacity: 335-USG (1,268-l)

Range: 160-miles (258-km)

Speed: 30-mph (48-km/h)

The vehicle being offered, M48A5 AVLB, serial number 2658, is in excellent condition. It is not known if the desert MERDC camouflage is original. However, the exterior paint is in excellent condition. The wheels and tracks are in good condition. It runs and drives well and operates using fuel from its own fuel tanks. It is not known if the bridge mechanism is operational.

This M48A2 bridge-layer is simply an M48A2 tank with the turret removed with a hydraulically-launched scissors bridge mounted in its place. It will span an 18.2-m gap in three minutes, and will take vehicles up to 66-tons (60,000-kg) in weight.

The bridge itself weighs 15-tons (14,470-kg), and can be picked up or lowered without the crew leaving the vehicle, very handy when operating in an environment with nuclear, biological or chemical contamination. The bridge is launched by first being stood on end, with the stabilizing plate resting on the ground and then opening up forwards. Though mechanically simple, the disadvantage is that this results in the bridge’s center section being some 35-feet in the air, making it very difficult to conceal the bridge-laying operation. Some other ABLB’s such as the Abrams-based M104 Wolverine have a horizontally extended bridge, which does not have such a signature. This vehicle is in running and driving condition.

A number of M48A2 AVLBs were updated to M48A5 standard, much like the gun tanks of the same family. This was a major upgrade involving a complete rebuild, also including the replacement of the power pack with a diesel system as part of the overall dieselization of the Army to streamline logistics and to increase operation range as diesels are more fuel-efficient.

Transport Cost to Storage: $7,000