Counterbalance Corporation Awarded Contract with TACOM

CounterBalance Corporation, a manufacturer of modular torsion spring systems, has entered into an exclusive contract with the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command (TACOM) to provide upper rear door torsion bars in M1117 Armored Security Vehicles. 

The torsion bar, called a “counterbalance”, is designed specifically to lift the upper rear door in military vehicles used by Army soldiers. The soldiers use the upper rear door as an additional escape point. “This door lifts upwards and weighs over a hundred pounds”, said Tim Howard, president of CounterBalance Corporation. “They are extremely heavy. The counterbalance alleviates the weight of the door so soldiers can exit the vehicle quickly.” 

Heavy doors can be a major problem for troops faced with the need to evacuate tanks quickly. Soldiers use the rear door as an escape method when the side doors are blocked or otherwise unusable. CounterBalance Corporation offers a solution for doors that would otherwise be too heavy to lift. 

“We have worked diligently with U.S. Army TACOM to provide the soldiers with a safety feature that will allow maximum functionality in the event of an emergency”, said Howard. “We manufacture our counterbalances to last the entire lifetime or longer than the product we design it into.” 

About the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle 

The M1117 Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) is a 4x4 armored, wheeled vehicle and serves as a platform for providing exceptional levels of soldier protection and security. The vehicle protects against small arms fire, overhead artillery fragmentations and under-wheel and under-hull mine blasts. Currently the M1117 ASV in deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the U.S. Army military police.