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Fixing the deck on the mule
- Thread starter KVFC_241
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Jones
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Welcome Kirk,
How big is the spot that needs to be repaired?
Mules are magnesium construction so they need to be repaired with like material AND if welding is needed it has to be done under controlled conditions in an inert atmosphere or you can end up with one heck of a blaze. Magnesium, even the solid metal, burns and can only be extinguished with dry sand. Water just makes the fire worse. (Those survival fire starters are solid magnesium with a sparking bar down the side and they're pretty impressive in the right hands... imagine that with a Mule-sized chunk of magnesium).
Track down a shop that is certifed for magnesium (lots of places that do aircraft air-frame repairs are set up for it). Or you might consider cutting a patch to fit out of either magnesium or aluminum and epoxying it in. A lot of the modern epoxies are as strong as the parent metal.
How big is the spot that needs to be repaired?
Mules are magnesium construction so they need to be repaired with like material AND if welding is needed it has to be done under controlled conditions in an inert atmosphere or you can end up with one heck of a blaze. Magnesium, even the solid metal, burns and can only be extinguished with dry sand. Water just makes the fire worse. (Those survival fire starters are solid magnesium with a sparking bar down the side and they're pretty impressive in the right hands... imagine that with a Mule-sized chunk of magnesium).
Track down a shop that is certifed for magnesium (lots of places that do aircraft air-frame repairs are set up for it). Or you might consider cutting a patch to fit out of either magnesium or aluminum and epoxying it in. A lot of the modern epoxies are as strong as the parent metal.
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Good advise Leonard, some newer Mules have aluminum decks. Cabell corrected me on this some time ago, don't know when the aluminum came into play.
clinto
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Per the webpage at www.militarymules.com:
The first Mechanical Mules, the M274 & M274A1, had a magnesium bed and axle housings with a four cylinder engine, four wheel drive and four wheel steering. The later M274A2, A3, & A4 had a magnesium beds and axle housings, four wheel drive, four wheel steering and a two cylinder engine. The last production model, the M274A5 has an aluminium bed and axle housings, with four wheel drive and two wheel steering.
The first Mechanical Mules, the M274 & M274A1, had a magnesium bed and axle housings with a four cylinder engine, four wheel drive and four wheel steering. The later M274A2, A3, & A4 had a magnesium beds and axle housings, four wheel drive, four wheel steering and a two cylinder engine. The last production model, the M274A5 has an aluminium bed and axle housings, with four wheel drive and two wheel steering.
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It may be easier to bolt a repair panel in, then weld magnesium, if you can't find a shop to do it. If you can't find a shop that does mag locally, do not attempt yourself. You will end up with a pile of molten Mule if you do.