Cargo hatch loses its spring.

Crewmen, the cargo hatch on your M2/M3-series Bradley is quite heavy. That's why it comes equipped with a leaf spring system to help open it to the pop-up, TOW load, uptight and full-open positions.

Unfortunately, like everything else, those leaf springs are going to wear out or break. When that happens, the leaf springs don't pick up any of the weight. And you can hurt your back trying to do it all on your own.

To test the leaf springs, pull down on the hatch handle and push the latch release lever forward. Slowly release the downward pressure on the hatch handle. The hatch should move to the pop-up position.