Allison M916 + Mk48 Cab = 6x6 "FEMTT"

[FullSpecial]

Artillery module:

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

John,
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but after pricing all the "Stained Lexan" that would be needed for the "Air Force Academy Chapel Module", this project (like so many other potentially great military projects) fell victim to spending cut-backs! This is mostly due to the projected downsizing of my motor pool for FY-2014.....I'm really sorry about that John!

Soni

The Good Lord giveth, and the budget taketh away.

 

[wreckerman893]

Artillery module:

Gives new meaning to "gun truck".

 

[M920]

It's actually Working!!!

So today started with a "slight setback"....
In braking apart two hydraulic fittings to tie in the new circuits, I discovered that the hydraulic fluid in the FEMTT was totally contaminated with WATER!!!
After some investigation, I traced the mess to a bad gasket under the inspection cover, on top of the hydraulic tank.
This cover is very prone to leaking and I really should have used some silicone in addition to the new rubber gasket, when I installed it.

So after draining all the 'fluid' (really more like mayonnaise!), cleaning out the tank, working all the contaminated fluid out of the whole system and adding an incredible 45 gallons of fresh hydraulic fluid, the hydraulic tank was almost HALF full!! This truck must hold over 60 gallons when the tank is all the way full!!!

The good news is that after all this 'mess' everything on the new system works as it should! I even got the new, longer cable delivered, that I had custom made to go between the remote control lever in the cab and the valve, back below the crane.

Even the winch works and can be controlled from the cab with the same control lever as the dump valve for the dump bed!

So now I really need to get the bed painted, so I can try it with the FEMTT's new, auxiliary hydraulic system.....

Here are a few pics from today's ordeal......

Soni

 

[73m819]

My question is How do you get ALL the crap oil out off ALL the lines, cylinders, ect. no matter what you do you have a major mess on your hands.

 

[ke5eua]

My question is How do you get ALL the crap oil out off ALL the lines, cylinders, ect. no matter what you do you have a major mess on your hands.

Manually exercise cylinders, drain all lines, patience and beer

 

[rtk]

Always wondered about the PROPER procedure ! LOL

 

[M35A2-AZ]

Looking good Soni!!!!

I have old motor grader that I need to bleed all the cylinders and hoses on. Not Sure how to get it out of all the hoses.

 

[rickf]

Now if you let those cans of contaminated fluid sit for a month or so you will find perfectly clean fluid on top and the water on the bottom. Carefully draw the fluid off the top and you have many gallons of clean fluid ready for the next disaster. Been there done that. Actually found out by accident when I was ready to dispose of it and took the lid off and thought I grabbed the wrong bucket.

 

[ke5eua]

Looking good Soni!!!!

I have old motor grader that I need to bleed all the cylinders and hoses on. Not Sure how to get it out of all the hoses.

Disconnect it at the lowest point and let it drip out, also helps when it's disconnected and you manually exercise the cylinders as that will push the fluid out.

The other option is to drain, fill, run, drain, change filter, fill, run, repeat till satisfied.

While I never suggest it, I had an old motor sgt that swore that putting a quart of atf in the system between flushes will help clean it out. I'm no expert on hydraulic systems, I was taught them in the military and worked on them but when it came to changing fluids I did what the tm said to do.

Basically gravity is your friend in these situations. Compress all cylinders and then start removing lines pulling all the fluid out, fill, bleed air out, fill some more and good to go in my book.

 

[M920]

My question is How do you get ALL the crap oil out off ALL the lines, cylinders, ect. no matter what you do you have a major mess on your hands.

As mentioned already, there are different ways to go about the clean out of a contaminated hydraulic system.

The way I cleaned out the FEMTT's system is in my opinion the easiest way and gets about 95 percent of the contaminated fluid out:
I started with making sure that all cylinders were retracted. Next I drained the hydraulic tank and cleaned it out completely through the clean out cover.
Then I disconnected the suction lines at the pumps and let them drain out.
After the fluid quit dripping out, I reconnected them and filled the tank with fresh fluid.
Next I disconnected the main return line at the return filter and stuck it in to an empty bucket.
Now, with the pumps only pumping clean fluid, I started to systematically run all the cylinders out to their max extension.
This pushes almost all the contaminated fluid out of the front half of the cylinders.
I then retracted all the cylinders which filled the back half of them with clean fluid.
Last I changed the hydraulic filter in the return line and reconnected the return line. I made sure that I ran everything, until the fluid coming from the return line was reasonably clean looking before reconnecting the return line to the filter.

Yesterday it still had a lot of tiny air bubbles in it from bleeding the system, but I checked it today and it looks clean!

Soni

 

[73m819]

920 when you use your mag drill, are you using cutters instead of drill bits ????

The crap hyd. fluid is a issue that I am going to have to deal with with the m819, I see a MAJOR mess in this operation, need to park the truck in a field of weeds, then dump away, just not sure on how to get all the crap fluid out of enerything, trying to hold off till I install the power divider and change rotation of the pump.

 

[M920]

920 when you use your mag drill, are you using cutters instead of drill bits ????

The crap hyd. fluid is a issue that I am going to have to deal with with the m819, I see a MAJOR mess in this operation, need to park the truck in a field of weeds, then dump away, just not sure on how to get all the crap fluid out of enerything, trying to hold off till I install the power divider and change rotation of the pump.

I'm using drill bits. It seems that they hold up better then the cutters I tried. On a double frame there is a layer of rust/corrosion in between the inner and outer frame rails. This crap is pretty rough to drill trough and the drill bits just fair better!

Also it is important to be able to keep good pressure and a good feed on the drill bit when pushing through that rust layer, or the bit will get all dulled by the rust.

Soni

 

[M920]

Started Work on the Flat-bed Module.....

So since I got a pallet of corner castings delivered last week, I started on the flat-bed module today.
First I had to remove it from the 'donor' Mk17. This went pretty smooth and after setting it on the back of the FEMTT, it looks like it will be an easy modification.

Really all I have to do is fill in the wheel openings in the side of the bed (they do not match up at all with the placement of the wheels on the FEMTT) and shorten it from 16' to 12'.

Here are some pics.....

Soni

 

[M920]

Now if you let those cans of contaminated fluid sit for a month or so you will find perfectly clean fluid on top and the water on the bottom. Carefully draw the fluid off the top and you have many gallons of clean fluid ready for the next disaster. Been there done that. Actually found out by accident when I was ready to dispose of it and took the lid off and thought I grabbed the wrong bucket.

That is what I thought, but I was told that AW-46 hydraulic fluid is designed to "SUSPEND" water. Do you, or anybody here know if this type of fluid will still let the water settle to the bottom, if you let it sit long enough?
Just wondering.....

Soni

 

[quickfarms]

What company did you get you corner castings and ISO locks from?

 

[M920]

What company did you get you corner castings and ISO locks from?

I got them from a company in Florida: CHASSIS KING INC.

Soni

 

[M920]

Used the Flat-Bed Module Today....

I got to use the unfinished flat-bed module today to haul a big welding table and some tires and axles to my house.
As I mentioned, I was going to shorten the Mk48 bed down to 12', but now I'm thinking about leaving it the full 16'....It seems to work great, it does not look too odd and it would sure save me a bunch of work! I guess if I figure out that there are problems with it, I can always shorten it later....

Here are a few pics of the unloading and the painted underside of the dump module. The LEDs are the newest ones used by Oshkosh on their military trucks.

Soni

 

[camoyj7]

Looks Great Soni! Did I spot a Marine 7 ton (MTVR) in one of those pictures?

 

[M920]

Looks Great Soni! Did I spot a Marine 7 ton (MTVR) in one of those pictures?

Well....at this point it is more like a 5 ton.....there are about 2 tons of stuff missing off of it...lol

Sadly it's 7 ton residue only, it is wrecked and badly cannibalized.....they are great trucks though....Maybe some day we can buy them....

Soni