making FOV TOW launcher pivot.

Post by **aferguson** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 1:58 pm

anyone come up with a way of making the FOV Bradley's TOW missile launcher pivot? I thought of grafting on the 21c one but trying to find a paint that would match the FOV sand coloured plastic would be tough.

popeye357 · Post by **popeye357** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:18 am

That was a low point in this vehicle, how hard would it have been to make that peice move?? I understand that is saved them money but it still would have been nice. I might undertake this project once I clean out the TOC in spring.

Post by **aferguson** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:06 am

i agree. It didn't need to be fancy, just a seperate piece for the tow launcher and a simplified hinge. The TOW is a major part of the Bradley and not having it flip up is a significant drawback to an otherwise nice vehicle.

Grafting the 21c bradley's tow onto the FOV bradley is going to be a pig of a job. Plus you have to try to match the colour and you'd be wrecking a 21c bradley. I was thinking of maybe sawing the TOW launcher off of the fov bradley and then rigging up some sort of way of hinging it. Wouldn't be great but at least it would flip up as it should.

popeye357 · Post by **popeye357** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:35 am

i think cutting it off and rehinging would be the best wa to do it, i would not want to mess with my 21st tanks.

Post by **aferguson** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:47 pm

ok i think i figured out a simple way of doing this.

the TOW launcher just pulls off the side of the turret, with a bit of force. It's attatched by two thick pegs. My plan is to shorten the pegs so that they just barely go into the locating holes on the inside of the TOW launcher. That way they will still hold it in the correct place but it will be easy to pull the launcher off the pegs when i swing it up.

I'm going to use two strips of tin for hinges (from a Shrek soup can....mmm). I'm going to Loctite the strips of tin to the underside of the molded on hinges on the TOW and then to the side of the turret. Then i can just flip up the TOW and the stiffness of the tin will hold it up. To fold it down i will just push it down, the tin strips will essentially fold in half and the TOW launcher will sit against the turret wall, held down by the shortened locating pegs.

So basically the tin strips will go from being folded in half (when the TOW launcher is in the down position) to being bent at 90 degrees when the TOW launcher is in the up position. I tested a piece of tin and it took 83 folds back and forth before it snapped....so that should give this hinge mechanism a pretty good life, as i don't imagine i will open it and close it that many times; if the hinges do snap it will be a fairly simple matter to install another couple strips of tin and the fun can begin all over again.