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Do Army mechanics read the TM's?

1 Patriot-of-many

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Look what I found when I finally got around to airing up all my tires.... Glad I had this truck towed home. In one picture you can see a properly mounted rim with the CTIS hose attached. In one picture you can see clearly the turrent is to the left of the CTIS valve, hose was just ziptied cause naturally it wouldn't reach....... In two of the pics notice the space between the rim and the lugnuts. This was driven to lot by the description!!!!!!!! I remember someone posting about recovering an A2 and the lugs broke off, I'm wondering if it wasn't put on like this one, rather than overtorquing.
 

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FloridaAKM

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Hey, it required less work to get it half done, than to do it correctly. You have uncovered a major problem there, luckily before some serious damage was done to the rim or the truck. That is one of the reasons that the walk around inspection is a mandentory task, rather than if you feel like it! Good catch!
 

doghead

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Some read the TMs, some just ask anyone withing earshot for an answer...

Some care and learn to do a job correctly(and do).
 

MTMUDRUNNER

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How much work do the GL employees do to some of these trucks to get them more presentable for sale, I would imagine some places do different levels of prep. When I picked up mine they said I could drive it home no problem but I loaded it on my step-deck and hauled 200mi it just in case. My idea of drivability might be different than someone else's.2cents
 

Keith_J

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That is something that should have been caught on a DA 2404, BY THE OPERATOR. Then again, some units don't have extensive training on PMCS or the care. To blame this on mechanics is a bit over the top, you didn't acquire this vehicle straight from the United States Army, you bought it from GL which acquired it from DRMO.

I remember back in the day when we were getting rid of M51 dumps, ALL 11 tires had to be serviceable, even on the ones being scrapped due to broken frames. Guess who did the back-breaking job of tire changing, including break down and remount? Not mechanics, OPERATORS. Line dogs from the vertical construction platoons. Carpenters and masons.
 

1 Patriot-of-many

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How much work do the GL employees do to some of these trucks to get them more presentable for sale, I would imagine some places do different levels of prep. When I picked up mine they said I could drive it home no problem but I loaded it on my step-deck and hauled 200mi it just in case. My idea of drivability might be different than someone else's.2cents
I don't believe GL does anything to the vehicles other than advertise and sell them as they are given them.
 

Keith_J

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GL has tortured many a driveshaft. Also, I have seen/heard of people taking things off GL vehicles.
 

73m819

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How much work do the GL employees do to some of these trucks to get them more presentable for sale, I would imagine some places do different levels of prep. When I picked up mine they said I could drive it home no problem but I loaded it on my step-deck and hauled 200mi it just in case. My idea of drivability might be different than someone else's.2cents
We were told in FL by GL that they CANNOT DO ANYTHING to items sold OR to be sold due to liability issues, even putting the mk48 together was not supposed to be done, FL. GL talked to headquarters telling them that we WERE competent to do the job and that liability was on us. GL headquarters gave the ok. When we first showed up on site, it was a surprise that we were going to put some together as GLs plan was to load BOTH separate halves of the truck.
 

emmado22

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In my experience, some mechanics are very good, some OK, and some suck, and the quality of the work varies. Once an unit finds out an item (truck, trailer, generator, weapons system, radio, backpack, anything and everything) is getting turned in to DRMO, it usually becomes the parts gold mine to keep other similar items the unit is keeping going. If the truck being turned in has good tires on it, and there are bad tires on a truck that the unit is keeping, guess what is happening? The turn in truck is getting the bad tires, and the unit just saved itself some $, but way more importantly, time. Mostly all the "easily wrenchable off" items come off the truck if they are needed. Headlights are always the first thing to go for some reason. This is also the time canvases get swapped out like the tires or removed.. Side racks, bows, and other easily removeable items go missing. Some times it comes down to paint color.. If a turn in truck is tan and had tan sideboards, and a similar truck is tan with a green sideboard, the smart soldier will swap them. Usually all the BII goes to other trucks to complete their BII.

GL does nothing other than take pictures and post it for sale.
 

dalton92

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I usually only try them as a last resort, and maybe once had one work, as for using a tm for maintenance, never
 

1 Patriot-of-many

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I'm so glad I had this vehicle towed, but frankly surprised the wheel didn't come off during the tow. I went out today to rotate the rim so the CTIS airline would connect, 3/4 of the lugnuts were handtight! I thought deuce tires were heavy! Soldier B is out of commission so I had to reposition and properly mount and torque the rim myself. Scary stuff to think this catastrophe was just waiting to kill someone on the highway and that someone mounted this rim with the lugnuts not centered and didn't notice then drove it to the lot.
 

steelandcanvas

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I don't think it's right to lump all "Army" mechanics together, some do good work, some don't. Also, let me point out there are at least two other services turning equipment into DRMO, the Air Force and the Corps. My latest purchase from GL was an Ex-Air Force truck, which wasn't maintained any better than some of the "Army" mechanic's trucks I've seen.
Just my 2cents.
 

quickfarms

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In my experience, some mechanics are very good, some OK, and some suck, and the quality of the work varies. Once an unit finds out an item (truck, trailer, generator, weapons system, radio, backpack, anything and everything) is getting turned in to DRMO, it usually becomes the parts gold mine to keep other similar items the unit is keeping going. If the truck being turned in has good tires on it, and there are bad tires on a truck that the unit is keeping, guess what is happening? The turn in truck is getting the bad tires, and the unit just saved itself some $, but way more importantly, time. Mostly all the "easily wrenchable off" items come off the truck if they are needed. Headlights are always the first thing to go for some reason. This is also the time canvases get swapped out like the tires or removed.. Side racks, bows, and other easily removeable items go missing. Some times it comes down to paint color.. If a turn in truck is tan and had tan sideboards, and a similar truck is tan with a green sideboard, the smart soldier will swap them. Usually all the BII goes to other trucks to complete their BII.

GL does nothing other than take pictures and post it for sale.
You very right unless your truck is the last one of that type that the unit has and then they might clean out the storage room. I have a truck that came with a bed full of extra stuff. It came with three or four tops, lots of bow corners, uprights and top pieces. There was even a new 20 x 20 tarp.
 
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