M840 trailer/ mobilizer question---

[Guyfang]

The M840 was used by all MASH units for tranporting of the containers and expandable shelters needed to deploy MASH hospitals. I sepnt 7 years stationed at Meisau Army Depot. The entire stokage of M840's in Europe for MASH units were there. They had to be the most unloved, totally un-servisable things I ever saw in my life. Not one of the trailers made it off the depot, when deployed for the first Great Sand Box War. War stockage had to be pulled from storage to deploy the Landstull MASH unit. When they tried to deploy for the Second Great Sand Box War, my company, (ITT) was assigned to TI, and repair them enough for deployment. Not one was road safe. If you want to use one, be sure to get all the TM's and look at the BII listing to make sure you have the extra parts needed to safely use it. The DRMO's are full of these trailers.

 

[Valence]

I think the m840 was modified for a larger shelter system, also the s280 shelter you posted does not have the shelter dolly feet or bolt brackets attached to it.

Oh! So the shelter I posted above wasn't necessarily designed to be transported via dolly eh?

Are these tabs that stick out points to bolt a dolly to, or tabs that simply rested on the top of the bed rail of, say, a deuce and a half?

 

[Guyfang]

Oh! So the shelter I posted above wasn't necessarily designed to be transported via dolly eh?

Are these tabs that stick out points to bolt a dolly to, or tabs that simply rested on the top of the bed rail of, say, a deuce and a half?
View attachment 822964 View attachment 822965

This shelter can not be used with the M840. Open the TM for the M840 and check out how to mount the shelters to the dolly. The above pictured shelters will not even come close.

 

[StrykerPerry]

The tabs pictured were for the truck bed

 

[StrykerPerry]

Also allot of the shelter dollies have a breakaway rubber hitch mount. You need to dispose of the rubber and weld the 2 pieces together without it. (I had one breakaway in a parking lot once)

 

[StrykerPerry]

The shelters that do connect have 2 pockets that stick out from the end at the bottom about 3-4' apart from each other that the shelter dolly feet go up into. Then they have a side plate with a threaded bolt hole on each corner about 2-3' up aiming towards the dolly.

 

[Another Ahab]

Also allot of the shelter dollies have a breakaway rubber hitch mount. (I had one breakaway in a parking lot once)

What's that about, some safety feaure or something?

Or just plain-and-simple bad idea?

 

[Valence]

The shelters that do connect have 2 pockets that stick out from the end at the bottom about 3-4' apart from each other that the shelter dolly feet go up into. Then they have a side plate with a threaded bolt hole on each corner about 2-3' up aiming towards the dolly.

Thank you StrykerPerry for your insight! In your awesome YouTube videos I could clearly see the reinforced edge of the shelter with the threaded hole for those big bolts to secure the dolly "arms" (for lack of a better word) to the dolly. However, I didn't know about the shelter needing the pockets for the dolly feet to go into.

Thank you (& Guyfang!) very much for taking the time to help educate me!

Also a lot of the shelter dollies have a breakaway rubber hitch mount. You need to dispose of the rubber and weld the 2 pieces together without it. (I had one breakaway in a parking lot once)

What's that about, some safety feature or something?

Or just plain-and-simple bad idea?

Yea, I read in another thread StrykerPerry talking about that. StrykerPerry, you wouldn't happen to have photos of the before/after of said rubber hitch mount, would you?

Thanks again!

 

[StrykerPerry]

I'll have to find my pics from where I did that but the rubber is designed to reduce shock load from the hitch and was updated to a spring pack on the m720 due to failures of the rubber

 

[StrykerPerry]

The green is mine the tan is what they look like before that

 

[Another Ahab]

I'll have to find my pics from where I did that but the rubber is designed to reduce shock load from the hitch and was updated to a spring pack on the m720 due to failures of the rubber

Got the picture now (thanks to you, and literally, StrykerPerry):

- Good intentions, but a concept not prone to age real well....

 

[Another Ahab]

Got the picture now (thanks to you, and literally, StrykerPerry):

- Good intentions, but a concept not prone to age real well....

DOH: the explanation AND pic were both from you. Thanks, StrykerPerry!

 

[StrykerPerry]

Hahaha

 

[StrykerPerry]

Also the you tube videos