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Deuce tail roller and bed winch, skid loading setup

m16ty

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It's been slow going on this project with work and kids getting in the way. The main goal now is to get the deuce bed where I can load and unload the shelter at home. That way I can work on it in the evenings.

I've got a HMMWV hyd winch coming that should be here tomorrow and I've got to fab up the tail roller. I'm going to make the tail roller removable so I can still used the stock tailgate when needed.

Here is my lame attempt at putting into drawings what is currently in my head. The first pic shows the winch mounting position and the cable routing. Green is the cargo bed, blue is the winch, red is the various rollers, and orange is the shelter.

In the second pic, Green is the bed, red is the tail roller, and orange is the brackets that will support the roller and allow it to be removable. The orange brackets will be welded to the bed side channel and to remove/install the roller I'll just slide it into the slot. The brackets will be welded far enough toward the edge of the bed to still allow the stock tailgate to function with the roller removed.

Anybody see any problems with this setup?
 

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Another Ahab

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I've got a HMMWV hyd winch coming that should be here tomorrow and I've got to fab up the tail roller. I'm going to make the tail roller removable so I can still used the stock tailgate when needed.
Have you given any thought to using something like the roller hardware used for boat trailers?

I'm wondering if going that route might be cheaper and easier. What do you think?

roller.jpg
 

m16ty

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Another Ahab

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Not near heavy enough (they are made of rubber) and the roller needs to cover the entire width of the bed.

Here is a little different load and a much larger truck be the process is the same.
I hear you, but I think these rollers are rated for 3,000 lbs each (they're urethane, and nit just "rubber"). It was just a thought, Iwas figuring it might be a lot cheaper to spread two or three of these of-the-shelf items across the back than go the full-width roller route.
 

turnkey

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If you get one of the army pup tents that should take of the problem....Camping today is 1. suitcase..2 credit card...3 hotel with grill and bar....4 espn and HBO...Now thats camping ....Oh ya swimming pool and hot tub...no rednick type.....There you go all done.
 

firefox

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The only problem I see, is the wear and tear on the skids as they get dragged
across the truck bed once the shelter lands on the bed. So far, the only solution
I have come up with so far is a full length roller on the leading edge
of the shelter that extends down a little past the bottom surface of the skids.
Then, if possible, make a depression in the bed such that when the shelter comes to
the end of its travel, the roller dips into the depression. This will keep the load on the skids
durring travel and also help to keep the shelter from backing out on a hill.
 

Recovry4x4

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FWIW the oil field deuce (M756A2) loads the same way. I have (somewhere) pics of them field testing one and it shows a multi stage pump in various stages of being winched on the bed. Also shows them being unloaded via tug off or using pinch bars to pry it back an inch or so at a time. It might be somewhat primitive but it's deadly dependable! Ty, your is a dump, you can shake it off!
 

Another Ahab

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Then, if possible, make a depression in the bed such that when the shelter comes to
the end of its travel, the roller dips into the depression. This will keep the load on the skids
durring travel and also help to keep the shelter from backing out on a hill.
Yeah, that would be bad; no two ways about it.
 

tim292stro

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I like the idea of positive retention - bolt it in if you can, strap it down for sure, and don't forget your dunnage underneath. For the 250 size, I'm a fan of the HMMWV attachment method:
S-250_Mount.jpg
if you can work in some way to use the dolly mount points, you should be able to bolt it in your bed.
 
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m16ty

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I haven't made it home yet but the wife said FedEx delivered a heavy crate today so I guess my winch came in.

I had thought about some "C" channel to lay in the floor of the bed but I'm not really sure it's needed. No more than I'll load/unload it I doubt there will be much wear and tear to the skids or the bed. I'll wait until I get everything setup and see how it works before I make a decision on that.

I figure I'll just use the standard military tie down setup for the S280 to secure it to the bed. That seems a lot easier than having something to bolt and unbolt every time I load the shelter.

At first I was thinking I would load the shelter and leave it on the truck while camping and then I got to thinking that it would be nice not to have to climb steps every time I went in and out. So I want to make the loading and unloading process as easy as possible.
 

tim292stro

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Yeah I was thinking for side-to-side retention, and bolting something at the tail-gate end of the c-channel to keep the sled rails confined - this would only work if the tie downs or the corner bolts held the shelter down - but either solution for hold-down is great. If you're moving the shelter in the bed when the bed-box is level, teflon slider strips and Dawn dish-soap are about as slippery as you can get. I'm planning this for my shelter so I can move the shelter from a pickup bed box to a trailer bed box with just a stiff push once level and the "bridge" put in place - using an intermodal shipping container dunnage air bag to support the floor when installed (quick and easy to install/remove/relocate).
 

m16ty

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Well the winch is here.

Now to figure out how to plumb it and wire it (I assume that info will be in the HMMWV manuals). From what little research I've already done, I know I'm going to need a flow divider and relief valve. My pump currently puts out 15gpm and 2,500psi. The winch is rated for 3.5gpm and 1,500psi. I'm going to need a flow divider to cut the flow down to 3.5gpm and the relief to limit the pressure to 1,500psi.

I was surprised at how flimsy the high/low, free spool lever were. I've also got to figure out how I can operate them with the winch mounted under the bed. It's crossed my mind to use air cylinders but room is going to be pretty tight. I might can just add some linkage and a rod that runs to the side of the bed where I can operate them there.
 

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gimpyrobb

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When you get it out of the box, I'd like more pics of the hyd in/out please. I got one of these from Tony and will be installing it this year. From what I can tell there is a couple different models. Yours looks similar to mine so far.
 

m16ty

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When you get it out of the box, I'd like more pics of the hyd in/out please. I got one of these from Tony and will be installing it this year. From what I can tell there is a couple different models. Yours looks similar to mine so far.
Will do.

What are you putting it in?

I'd also be interested in any info you have on hooking this thing up.
 

gimpyrobb

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Mine came sans solenoids so There is some difference. Last time I checked, they had a lot of good info on their site.
 

red

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The only problem I see, is the wear and tear on the skids as they get dragged
across the truck bed once the shelter lands on the bed. So far, the only solution
I have come up with so far is a full length roller on the leading edge
of the shelter that extends down a little past the bottom surface of the skids.
Then, if possible, make a depression in the bed such that when the shelter comes to
the end of its travel, the roller dips into the depression. This will keep the load on the skids
durring travel and also help to keep the shelter from backing out on a hill.
To avoid damage my plan (similar setup, bed roller and winch) is to use wood at the bottom of the skid, as a designed wear point.
 
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