Why dont they do this or do they

[mainsworthy]

Why dont they do this or do they

it seems like you could roll a steam roller with a long reach accrss minefields, to trigger the mines, while being sage in the tractor further back. you could clear a field in 30mins, so why not?

they got to the trouble of defusing them, why?

[Platoonist]

They exist already. They're called mine rollers.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_roller

images-1.jpeg (4.32 KiB) Viewed 487 times

[Platoonist]

images-2.jpeg (7.17 KiB) Viewed 484 times

The T1E3 Aunt Jemima was always my favorite.

[mainsworthy]

incredible

[Platoonist]

Then you also have your flail types that use a rotating drum with an arrangement of balls and chains attached to 'thresh" or flail out any mines ahead of the vehicle.

The drawback of both these systems is that they tend to work best in flat open terrain and they don't always get every mine which requires followup work.

M4a4_flail_cfb_borden_1.jpeg (224.74 KiB) Viewed 450 times

[mainsworthy]

so why do they defuse them by hand, I wonder

[mainsworthy]

there made for wartime, I would design it so the wheel was a lot further forwards , so the explosion would not effect the driver, so you would not need a tank.

[Platoonist]

so why do they defuse them by hand, I wonder

The need outweighs the means. There are currently enough landmines under the ground to circle the earth---twice. More are being planted all the time. If you're living in some small rural village where you need to work the fields to eat you probably can't afford to wait forever for the latest and greatest in demining equipment to show up. So, you use the cheapest local methods available. Dogs, sniffer rats, prods, etc.

[Platoonist]

there made for wartime, I would design it so the wheel was a lot further forwards , so the explosion would not effect the driver, so you would not need a tank.

Get one of the current robot types and you won't need a driver either.

[RangerJoe]

Just let the ground get to -50C or -60F and they just might explode on their own.

[zakblood]

Mine-clearing line charge also works well,

Code: Select all

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine-clearing_line_charge

Code: Select all

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine-clearing_line_charge#/media/File:Type92_Mine_clearing_vehicle_launch_its_mine_clearing_line_charges.jpg