Vehicle recovery units:

[PurpleDragon]

The answer(s) I get to this question will be applied to MekHQ, but it is a canon Battletech campaign question.  I apologize if this is not the right location to put this question; it seemed logical.   

What units or rules for units does everyone on here use for recovering vehicles from the field?   Yes, I know about the 'mech recovery vehicles that can recover one or two 'mechs at a time.  IRL, we have tank recovery vehicles (any tankers are welcome to correct me here) that can recover upto five tanks at one time.  Looking through TROs and other sources, I have not seen any vehicle recovery units listed.   

So, what do y'all do when your games are not so 'mech heavy. 

[Elcor05]

The answer(s) I get to this question will be applied to MekHQ, but it is a canon Battletech campaign question.  I apologize if this is not the right location to put this question; it seemed logical.   

What units or rules for units does everyone on here use for recovering vehicles from the field?   Yes, I know about the 'mech recovery vehicles that can recover one or two 'mechs at a time.  IRL, we have tank recovery vehicles (any tankers are welcome to correct me here) that can recover upto five tanks at one time.  Looking through TROs and other sources, I have not seen any vehicle recovery units listed.   

So, what do y'all do when your games are not so 'mech heavy.

So I don't have an answer, because this isn't my forte. But what time frame(s) and faction(s) are you using? That might narrow things down some.

(Also if you're using the Snow Ravens do R-Teams and just have two 'Mechs with nets! It is the best.)

[PurpleDragon]

So I don't have an answer, because this isn't my forte. But what time frame(s) and faction(s) are you using? That might narrow things down some.

(Also if you're using the Snow Ravens do R-Teams and just have two 'Mechs with nets! It is the best.)

Most of my games are pre-Clan Invasion.   Since I am having to try and come up with something to run others through, there will be various factions represented.  However, I was thinking from a Mercenary point of view.  Especially one that is heavy on the "I'm a all about the salvage" types. 

[pfarland]

The Paramour was SL era (I think).  You always have the option of mechs with hands doing the salvage.

[truetanker]

I leave you this:

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Scavenger

Enjoy! Also I would use a few Flatbed Trucks and a possible a Lance of Light APC, Wheeled ( 2x SRM and 2x MG ) OR a Single Heavy APC, Wheeled ( Any config )

But this is me...

TT

[Bartholomew bartholomew]

karnov ur's are also fluffed for salvage ops. carrying stuff out with wires like helicopters do sometimes.

[Colt Ward]

Specific IndustrialMechs can be tapped for that . . . Loaders, Cargo, some ConstructionMechs could be used to haul off mechs.  Towing damaged/wrecked vehicles is why I think they should all be considered to have hitches- I know some rules exist for towing speed.  I think original Engineering Vehicles, 3025, has a hitch for that purpose.

You also have some of the vehicles brought out in 3145 which could be back dated, like the J-100 or the Jiffy.  IIRC one of the Jihad era books at the Oppy and the Hyena scavenger mechs.  Do not forget the wonderful Tonbo the Dracs used to cheat their allies in Op Bulldog.

For VTOLs . . . think of the image from Pacific Rim-

[gomiville]

For VTOLs . . . think of the image from Pacific Rim-

Just for stuff and giggles, I looked up the maximum underslung payload of the Chinook (since those look like them to me), which is apparently 12 metric tons.  For eight of them, that's a payload of 96t.  You could assume there's about a ton of tackle to coordinate them, or maybe round up a touch because these are super-PacRim Chinooks.  Estimated mass of a jager is then 95-100 tons, or a nice number for a top-end assault mech.  Verdict: Doable in BT.

(Maybe there's a canonical reference for jager weights around somewhere, but I didn't bother looking.)

[ph423r]

Just for stuff and giggles, I looked up the maximum underslung payload of the Chinook (since those look like them to me), which is apparently 12 metric tons.  For eight of them, that's a payload of 96t.  You could assume there's about a ton of tackle to coordinate them, or maybe round up a touch because these are super-PacRim Chinooks.  Estimated mass of a jager is then 95-100 tons, or a nice number for a top-end assault mech.  Verdict: Doable in BT.

(Maybe there's a canonical reference for jager weights around somewhere, but I didn't bother looking.)

According to the google I'm finding either a 2,000 or 8,000 ton average weight for Jaegers depending on the source. (The lighter comes from trading cards, the heavier from a poster) How about a new Ultra Super Heavy weight class? It could even transform into a smallish dropship for some LAM fun.  :P

edit: Then you wouldn't even need the vtols.

[gomiville]

That would also mean each of those helicopters could sling 250t-1000t (keeping it simple, and not accounting for the angled draw force, coordinating inefficiencies, etc).

If they could carry a kiloton, why bother with the jagers?  Just drop big frackin' rocks on the kaiju.  Splat.

(And PacRim catgirls die screaming.)

[Alexander Knight]

That would also mean each of those helicopters could sling 250t-1000t (keeping it simple, and not accounting for the angled draw force, coordinating inefficiencies, etc).

If they could carry a kiloton, why bother with the jagers?  Just drop big frackin' rocks on the kaiju.  Splat.

Because Kaiju can dodge slow-moving helicopters?  Seriously, those birds are not moving very fast when they're carrying Jagers.

[gomiville]

Because Kaiju can dodge slow-moving helicopters?  Seriously, those birds are not moving very fast when they're carrying Jagers.

Also because the movie wouldn't be as fun.  Rock Bombers 3: This time it's igneous!

[Kovax]

I would assume that most tracked vehicles would have towing brackets or rings built in.  Using a tank to tow another of equal or lesser weight at half speed (rounded down) would seem to be viable, provided that the wheels or tracks haven't been shot off the wreck.  Hovers would probably need to be loaded onto a flatbed.  In the case of engine or motive crits that don't require replacement, I've generally got a squad consisting of a mechanic and astechs in an APC, who can probably get the thing semi-running again in an hour, more or less (120-480 astech minutes / 6 astechs).

Bottom line is, if it's got wheels or tracks, it can probably be towed rather than carried.  If it's got legs, skirts, or rotors, then you need to either get it running or have something that can physically carry it.  Depending on how much time you have before the enemy either pays another visit or can direct artillery on the site, it can either be a "take your time, we have all day" or "grab whatever you can carry and run for it".

[Colt Ward]

Yeah, IMO it sort of scales . . .

Infantry- ambulances of various sorts

BA- maybe large ambulances, but more likely the 10 ton trucks- especially if you fluff a light crane, same sort of truck that would be used to reload armor and maybe mechs

VTOLs- wreck probably gets stripped at site due to 'truely destroyed' but might just be a wreck for the game so a heavy/large truck, a battlemech recovery vehicle (50t) from TROs

Hovercraft- same sort of thing as the VTOL though if you wanted to waste a Tonbo on it you could.  It would be interesting to see if you could put wheels under it like they do to tow some vehicles

Wheeled- wreckers, heavy trucks, battlemech recovery vehicle or heavy BMRV (70t), or towed by another vehicle

Tracks- wreckers, heavy trucks (lowboy), BMRV or HBMRV, or towed by another vehicle, Tonbo

Mech- wrecker, heavy truck, BMRV or HBMRV, towed by a armored vehicle, drug off by another mech, Tonbo or a specialized salvage mech like a Hyena.

Now, some ideas . . .

Either a 2.5t or a 5t truck base-


using a HMMT as a base-


Using the replacement of a the 2.5t truck-


I think a MRAP based wrecker, its armed from what I saw-


M88 Recovery vehicle-


I found pictures of it lifting a M109 paladin off the ground, it also was assisting in raising buildings or building fortifications.