spicergear
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As a PL and CCdr in days gone by in HMMWV TOW Motorized and AASLT Bn we used the SEE a lot. At every opportunity. Don't recall every having one break while working for me. Engineers frequently show up late complaining about not being released from the previous job on time. That was in the mid/late 80s when they were fairly new.
The improvement over digging a hole with an E-tool or a D-handle shovel is HUGE. The backhoe is really just a biggish shovel. As stated it's no a for heavy duty work (like digging a basement). The front bucket is not even as good for digging a a skid steer but if you break the topsoil up with the backhoe you can scoop the loose stuff. For digging in a HMMWV that is huge as you can then move the spoil you doug out well away from your position (cammo). The first thing that gives a prepared position away is a big field of black (etc) new topsoil behind the new hole you're sitting in. Just not practical to carry 20yards of dirt 500ft from you position by hand. The hydraulic tools were really neat. As I recall they had a hydrulic jackhammer that the operators used to breakup the hardpan at Yakima Firing Center so the could get a stat for the backhoe. The hydraulic chainsaw was neat.
Don't recall what other hyd. tools on board.
We LOVED the SEEs in 9ID (Ft Lewis) those Eng operators had a steady supply of adult beverages back at home station.
The SEE chassis is a Unimog univerally regarded as about the best offroad and overprice 4x4 ever built. Could do a lot with a decent SEE for offroad play if you stripped off the front/back attachments.
Nice to see they were put to good use and LOVED. The stripped truck ends up looking like a 406.