ATS 59G back from Major Overhaul
After almost a full year, our ATS 59G artillery tractor has returned from major overhaul in Slovakia and is now again in mint condition. When it originally arrived in 2011, first attempts at starting the engine showed that the engine pre-heating system exhaust was full of coolant, indicating a leak of the cooling system. As the pre-heating system is located on the right-hand side of the hull beneath the water/oil cooler, engine exhaust and engine oil tank, we totally stripped the right side of the engine and thought that we had identified the problem – a failed weld in the exhaust/coolant heat transfer chamber. After re-welding this part, the vehicle spent several years waiting to be re-assembled (and had become well known to the visitors of our annual fall gatherings because it provided an unobstructed view on the 12-cylinder V2 engine). By July 2017 we had agreed with our sister organization in Slovakia to call upon their help to re-assemble the vehicle, and it was transported across the border.
