TM    55-2350-224-14 CHAPTER  1 INTRODUCTION Section  I.  GENERAL 1-1.   Purpose   and   Scope This  manual  is  for  transportation  officers  and other  personnel  responsible  for  safe  transport  of the  M113  Family  of  Vehicles  (FOV).  It  provides transportability   guidance   for   safe   shipping   and receiving of the M113 FOV. It includes significant technical  and  physical  characteristics  of  the  vehi- cles  as  well  as  safety  requirements  for  worldwide movement   by   various   modes   of   transportation. Where  appropriate,  this  manual  provides  metric equivalents  in  parentheses  next  to  US  customary units of measure. 1-2.  Related  Publications Additional   information   on   transport   procedures can be found in the following: MTMCTEA  Pamphlet  55-19,   Tiedown   Hand- book for Rail Movements. MTMCTEA  Pamphlet  55-20,   Tiedown   Hand- book for Highway Movements. MTMCTEA Pamphlet 56–1,  Surface  Transporta- tion, Marine Terminal Lifting Guidance. MTMCTEA  Pamphlet  70-1,  Transportability  for Better Strategic Mobility. FM   10-567/TO   13C7-16-171,   Airdrop  of  Sup plies  and  Equipment  Rigging  Tracked  Person- nel—  Cargo  Carriers. FM  55-65,   Strategic   Deployment   by   Surface Transportation. TM 38-250/AFR 71-4,  Preparation  of  Hazardous Materials for Military Air Shipment. USAREUR  Reg  55-8,  Loading   and   Securing Military Wheeled and Tracked Vehicles on Euro- pean Railcars. AR 55-162,  Permits  for  Oversize,  Overweight,  or Other  Special  Military  Movements  on  Public Highways in the United States. AR  55-228,  Transportation  by  Water  of  Explo- sives and Hazardous Cargo. 1-3.  User  Comments Send  comments  and  recommendations  for  improv- ing  this  manual  on  a  DA  Form  2028  (Recom- Section  Il. 1-6.    General To ensure safe operation and movement, operators should follow the precautions and safety consider- ations given below. Specific safety instructions are mended  Changes  to  DA  Publications  and  Blank Forms) or a marked copy of a page or pages of the manual  to  Director,  MTMC  Transportation  Engi- neering  Agency,  ATTN:  MTTE-TR,  720  Thimble Shoals   Blvd,   Suite   130,   Newport   News,   VA 23606-2574. 1-4.    Definitions The following definitions are used throughout this manual: a. Breaking Strength (BS).  The stress at which a part (wire rope) actually fails. b. CONUS. Continental  United  States. c.  Curb  Weight  (CW).  Total  weight  of  operable carrier,  including  fuel,  all  system  fluids,  and  on- vehicle  basic  issue  items  (BII).  CW  does  not  in- clude crew weight. d. FISTV.  Fire  Support  Team  Vehicle. e.  Gross  Vehicle  Weight  (GVW).  CW  plus  maxi- mum  payload. f.  Total  Load  Restraint  (TLR).  The  TLR  given for  highway,  rail,    and  marine  modes  includes allowances  for  shipping  directions  and  typical  tie- down angles. For example, the highway TLR is 1.5 times GVW: 1.5 x 20,000 pounds = 30,000 pounds. g.  TOW.  Tube-Launched,  Optically  Tracked, Wire-Guided   Missile. 1-5.   Warnings,   Cautions,   and   Notes Throughout this manual the following special mes- sages emphasize important or critical information: ***WARNINGS*** Instructions that must be followed to pre- vent serious injury to, or death of, person- nel. **CAUTION** Instructions that must be followed to pre- vent  damage  to,  or  destruction  of,  equip- ment. *NOTE* An  operating  procedure ceive special attention. SAFETY given  throughout  the tions, and notes. a. When   the   ramp carriers  (except  the that  should  re- manual  as  warnings,  cau- door  latch  on  any  of  the M113A3,   M548,   M548A1, 1-1