How do you stop a tank with readily available materials?

Question

a tiger trap? boulder from a cliff like willy coyote? be creative?

Answer 1

Let it run out of gas.

You do know that they were designed and tested to not be stopped with "readily available materials"? Kinda defeats the purpose of having them.

Answer 2

You have to tell what the readily available materials are! We could come up with anything hypothetical, but your question isn't phrased like that. Having said that:

Do you know how much you would have to dig out for a tiger trap big enough to stop a tank? it would need to be at least 10 feet deep and at least fifteen feet wide, if not more. Besides, the tank could just back up and go around it.

Boulder a la Wile E. Coyote? That thing would have to weigh many tons, your timing would have to be just right and your aim spot on. Probably wouldn't work.

Your best bet, start a fire. Preferably under and around the tank. Lots of gas and flammable materials. The treads are heavy duty plastic and metal linkage, the fire would melt the plastic and it instantly loses it's mobility. The temperature would rapidly head up, and if the fire gets to the ammunition or fuel, you get a big boom. Not much of a problem on the M1 Abrams, as the fuel and ammunition are sealed off from the crew compartment, but even then, it will get very uncomfortable very fast.

Answer 3

Tanks are normally supported by other tanks or AFV's and infantry so you will have to separate it from the herd which won't be easy. Once you have it separated you will have to immobilize it somehow, the best way is to make it throw a track. Putting a railroad tie or something large and solid in the track in such a way that it gets pulled into the drive sprocket should do the trick, repeat the procedure for the other track.
Once the tank is immobilized you and your friends jump on, avoid being cut in half by the co-ax machine gun in the turret, and start spray-painting the vision blocks with cans of spray-paint. You can also use cans of paint or dirty oil to achieve this, speed is very critical at this point- do it fast but efficiently so that the vision blocks are so obscured that the occupants can't see out. While you are on top unscrew or destroy the radio antennas so the crew can't radio for help, also quickly disable the commanders machine gun any way you can.
If the tank can't see or move it is at your mercy, now you pour on the gasoline or other flammable liquids/materials and burn out the crew. This will take time and a lot of fuel to accomplish so be patient, when the crew gets hot enough they'll come out.

Answer 4

if you can see the commander or the gunner, shoot them. If the tank is buttoned up, I recommend climbing on top of it; not too many tanks can engage anything on the turret. Spray paint on the turret vision blocks is easy to do; use metallic, it'll screw with the thermal sights too. JB weld on the turret hatches will prevent an easy egress for the crew, though getting to the gunners hatch will be difficult. The guy who said the Abrams is invincible needs to read up on current threats. I just came up with this stuff in 5 minutes; imagine if someone REALLY creative and pissed put their mind to it... though, in his defense, tanks should be operating with infantry to help prevent people from doing things like this.

Answer 5

You guys crack me up.

You'll have to do better than "readily available materials" to stop my tank.

Our "readily available materials" include two 7.62mm machineguns, one .50 caliber machinegun and a 120mm main gun. The main gun has several different types of rounds that we can fire at any would-be tank hunters, and ALL of them will just about ruin your whole day.

Plus, the driver can get into the act by just running down anything or anyone foolish enough to step out in front of the vehicle. This is why we call infantry troopers "crunchies", by the way. The throttle response on an M1A1 is surprisingly good, so watch out. The days of the slow, lumbering tank are long gone. The M1A1 can keep up with cars on the highway, so don't even think about trying to run away on foot.

You don't even want to try this one at home, folks...

Notoldcrow: Never said tanks were invincible, but with a good crew and our ever-present wingman to scratch our back, your average joe with spray paint and gasoline is gonna have his work cut out for him to take out a modern MBT. If our wingman sees "infantry" crawling all over our tank, he's gonna hose 'em down with his coax and get 'em off there. That's what a wingman is for. Bradley gunners can scratch backs, too, and a 25mm chain gun can screw up your whole day. We've got this mutual support thing wired, folks. We practice it and perfect it.

This kind of stuff may work like a charm in first-person shooter games, but don't let anyone fool you into thinking this kind of thing is easy. That kind of thinking can get you killed real quick in the real world.

FYI: JB weld takes about 15 hours to dry. JB Quick takes about 6. I think it's safe to say that we'll be able to get out before it dries...lol

Oh, God, the editing I've had to do!

Ok, check it out: if you DO make it up onto the turret(unlikely, but possible, and I don't advise it.), the gunner can swing the gun faster than you can get out of its way. The gun itself weighs 7,000 pounds, you weigh at most about 230-250. It's no contest, the gun tube wins. That thing will kill you with blunt force trauma just as quick as it could with projectiles(but much more messily).

Answer 6

A tank cannot be stopped with readily available materials.

Answer 7

Chemical explosion derived from Methane (fertilizer) and an oxidizer. I will not give the total recipe but, lets say you can make a big @ss explosion with everyday common items. Look it up on the internet.

Answer 8

Sticky back palstic and a washing up liquid bottle.

Worked on Blue Peter.

Answer 9

You know, truth will eventually prevail against any tank.

Answer 10

Dig a hole for it to drive into. OR, take it out like John Wayne took out the armored wagon in "War Wagon."