Search the Community

So, if my sources do not lead me astray, almost every Western tank design since the M46 has used a double-differential steering unit with a hydromechanical steering drive, excepting some low-cost or expedient designs like the Type 61 and AMX-13, and British designs which stuck with triple differential steering until at least Chieftain. At the same time, every Soviet tank design since the IS series has used a two-stage epicyclic final drive to provide geared steering with auxiliary clutch-and-brake steering for tighter turns. How much of a practical difference does this make? This video comparing the M60 to the T-62 mentions that the steering in the T-62 is very abrupt, and tended to throw the gunner off target. American testing of the T95, which had an essentially Soviet-style transmission, showed that the auxiliary clutch and brake steering didn't do well in the mud. Has anyone here driven or otherwise compared tanks with both styles of steering?