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| Type: |
M274 Mechanical Mule |
Armament: |
None |
| Built: |
Sept 2007 |
Armor: |
None |
| Builder: |
Joe Sommer |
Rating: |
0/1 |
| Status: |
Retired; Donated to Museum |
Battles: |
4 |
| Owner: |
Joe Sommer |
Points Earned: |
5,917 |
| Call Sign: |
Mule |
Points Given: |
1,500 |
| Notes: |
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Traxxas R/C Truck ChassisTwo 7.2v Batteries
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Click Photo For Enlargement (32 Kb)
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The M274 Mechanical Mule was introduced in 1956 to
replace Jeeps in airborne and infantry battalions.
They were used as platforms for carrying men,
supplies and weapons including M60/M2 machine guns,
106 mm recoilless rifles, and TOW missile launchers.
All Mules had four wheel drive but different variants
had either two/four cylinder engines and two/four
wheel steering. They were phased out in the 1980s
with the introduction of the HMMWV.
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The 1/6 scale Anvilus Mule was built on a standard Traxxas
Stampede RC truck chassis with terra tires, XL1 ESC and
Stinger motor. The bed, hand rails and foot basket were
custom built. The steering wheel is from a 1/6 scale 2.5T
truck.
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Click Photo For Enlargement (722 Kb)
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Click Photo For Enlargement (184 Kb)
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This bottom view shows more detail for the foot basket
and chassis. The Stampede is front wheel steer with
rear wheel drive. Two 7.2 battery carriers are used in
parallel to increase run time.
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Ready for battle. The cargo net and bungee cords retain
standard 40 round ammo pods. Because the Anvilus Mule is
small and only has rear wheel drive, it is not suitable
for heavy terrain. However, it performed very well in
low grass during the first battle of Teamster Turmoil
near Gettysburg.
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Click Photo For Enlargement (506 Kb)
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Click Photo For Enlargement (224 Kb)
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The Mule got a new faster Traxxas Stampede chassis with
brushless motor in preparation for the Green War.
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It performed very well in the second battle making over a
dozen supply runs and only getting hit once. It also survived
a high speed collision with a wooden barrier erected by the Marlow
Construction Battlion (MCB) and actually broke a piece of the barrier.
(Because Sean Marlow was driving the Mule at that time, Anvilus
lawyers refused to pay damage invoices submitted by MCB.) Two
7.2V 3300mAh NiMh batteries lasted for the entire 30
minutes of battling.
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Click Photo For Enlargement (225 Kb)
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Click Photo For Enlargement (42 Kb)
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June 29, 2009:
The 1/6 scale RC Mule was retired from active duty.
The Mule is still fully functional and was donated to Phil
Bragg for future display at the Veteran's Memorial Museum
in Huntsville, AL. Phil displayed it on the deck of his
M274A5 at a Mule gathering on June 29, 2009.
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