Huge mistake. I won a GP auction…. Cali FMTV Project “ ‘Merica”

[Third From Texas]

"I’m assured that the forklift operator was careful and used both his cane and his seeing eye dog."

I've seen GP Complaints (on FB) where the vic was undamaged in the auction photos and then damaged after the sale.

The GP response is always "tough s***"

Seems they are not responsible for ANY damage they cause even post-auction.

 

[TOBASH]

$610 clams to retube the driveshaft. I’d love to find the fork lift operator and give him the bill.

Cold today. Gonna concentrate on work on the trail M1165

 

[Ronmar]

mine had the property transfer document(ticket to DRMO) showing the original cost taped to the dash when I got mine. Found a telephone emergency contact sheet for a base in South Korea when I pulled out one of the crew boxes

 

[TOBASH]

Driveshaft will be done Wednesday.

Batteries are out. They are all from 2020.

Two so far are taking charge. Two have not been connected to the charger yet. I will use them to get things started and then look at new batteries when she is roadworthy.

Shocks just arrived. Gonna see about installing.

Manual pump isn’t opening lifting the cab. What am I doing wrong vs. where is the hydraulic fluid fill site and what fluid do I use. I started ratcheting and as soon as the top started to lift I lost power with loss of back pressure on the jack.

 

[Ronmar]

You only need (or want) 2 batteries. 4 are too much load for the 60A/40A alt.

there is an Allen head plug on the passenger rear corner of the hand pump. Fill it and replace the plug(it must be sealed). You also need to put some up in the air op pump reservoir between the spare and the air filter. The hand pump does not contain enough fluid to lift the cab and it is designed to draw fluid from the AOP reservoir as its reservoir pulls a vacuum, so it must be sealed…

They specced some av hydraulic oil(numbers in the operator manual, i don’t remember it). I replaced mine with Aw-32 hydraulic oil as the original fluid was all water contaminated.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

MIL-PRF-5606H Aviation "red" fluid. It has better thermals, better moisture resistance and is better filtered and lighter in weight than normal tractor fluid.

If you are going to swap it out though, it's not particularly easy to flush the various components without removing them.

5606 is RED though it IS NOT automatic transmission fluid so don't think it's been swapped with that - it hasn't.

The stupid check valves in the cab and tire rams are sensitive to changes in fluid viscosity and 5606 is VERY thin. In very cold environments operating with fluids that don't have similar thermal properties and are starting from a higher viscosity the check valve springs might not hold against the AOP pressure causing the cylinders to jam. This is speculation but I have seen the cylinders lock up and it's usually when they are cold in the winter. I don't really want to test out the theory so I just use 5606. It's not that hard to source.

You can find 5606 at any aviation shop at most airports.

 

[Ronmar]

Have had no issues with AW32 at any temp I have tried it, it does thicken at very low temps. Both are considered ~10wt hydraulic oil at typical temps...

the only cylinder checks I have ever seen jam are for the tire crane and only in the lower direction, and I think that is entirely due to their position and perhaps the nature of the control valve. If air gets in the system and finds its way to the tire cylinder rod/lift end, it cannot exit. If you then compress that side this air acts like a spring, and when you cycle the control valve it may allow a brief high flow which locks the check and the stored pressure holds it there Lust like it is supposed to if you blew a line while lowering or raising a tire.

I think the way to unlock them is to pump the tire crane in the raise direction which should release the safety check, but will add to the pressure stored in the air. Then without touching the control valve, very slowly crack the hose fitting on the cylinder to release the pressure very slowly without locking the check ball. That or remove the hose, adapter, clip, mesh screen and slide a thin steel prob in to push the check ball off the outer seat(did a video on this) To release the stored pressure.

once you get the check ball free, disconnect the rod end of the cylinder, stand the cylinder straight up and cycle the cylinder all the way in and out a few times to purge all the air, and don’t run it out of fluid again

 

[TOBASH]

Thank you one and all!

 

[GeneralDisorder]

I had my cab cylinder lock out once in the up position. Had to wait for a bit and it eventually unlocked on it's own. That was before I changed out the cylinder for the cab lift ram upgrade kit.

I'm of the opinion that the check valves in the tire crane ram are silly and I'm in favor of deleting them just so long as everyone is comfortable with not laying down in the strike zone where the tire will fall if a hose gives out. Especially the check valve that keeps the tire from "falling up"

I am still undecided on the cab cylinder check valves. I think I'm going to delete all of them except the one that would stop the cab from falling from the raised position if a hose blows out. But I installed the new reinforced cab cylinder so I haven't had any issues with either of mine and I use them both pretty often so

 

[TOBASH]

Monroe Magnums, because for some of us on Steel Soldiers, only a Magnum is big enough to fit.

 

[MatthewWBailey]

Monroe Magnums, because for some of us on Steel Soldier, only a Magnum is big enough to fit.View attachment 942019

I have those on there at present.

 

[Ronmar]

I had my cab cylinder lock out once in the up position. Had to wait for a bit and it eventually unlocked on it's own. That was before I changed out the cylinder for the cab lift ram upgrade kit.

I'm of the opinion that the check valves in the tire crane ram are silly and I'm in favor of deleting them just so long as everyone is comfortable with not laying down in the strike zone where the tire will fall if a hose gives out. Especially the check valve that keeps the tire from "falling up"

I am still undecided on the cab cylinder check valves. I think I'm going to delete all of them except the one that would stop the cab from falling from the raised position if a hose blows out. But I installed the new reinforced cab cylinder so I haven't had any issues with either of mine and I use them both pretty often so

Ok yours is the first cab cylinder I have heard locking. I have gotten mine to start to lock lowering the cab too fast since my manual system allows me to control that speed with a dial/needle valve(starts bouncing as the ball locks and releases).

Then there is the one that didn’t lock and closed the cab on the owner when he opened the latch leg of the hydraulic circuit without being over the balance point or cab braced…

Must have pumped some air into it. by the drawing they look like they are supposed to self release via some micro bypass passage but I could see that possibly clogging over time.

the problem with the tire is the controls are right under it. But you can still remove that lock prone safety, simply put the flow control up at the cylinder port. That way if something in the plumbing lets go the tire will simply “fall” at normal speed…

you could do the same with the cab lift, put the flow control at the cylinder. When working on my manual system i found a restricted orifice on the rod end port of the cab cylinder. Come to find out, this was to keep the cab from lurching as it passes over the balance point and shifts from compression to tension and starts to push out the fluid on the rod end from the last time the cab was pulled back over the balance point to lower it…

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Yeah the check ball seats act as orifices and can be removed. The plugs on the opposite side of the cylinder from the ports appear welded or pressed or something but are actually threaded and can be removed with a left hand drill bit and extractor to reveal the check valves that prevent fluid from leaving either side of the cylinder if it tries to flow too quickly. They can then be replaced with grub screws and loctite or just welded solid. That's what Acela does to all of their cab and spare tire cylinders and they delete the orifices since the orifices and the check valves prevent their electric hydraulic pump from moving the cab as fast as it wants to go with as much fluid as it moves.

 

[Ronmar]

Yea the outer seat looks like it was put in like a helicoil and would take an extractor to remove it. The checks don’t provide all that much resistance as the cab can move pretty darn(scary) fast before the check ball seats

the RO in the rod end port on my cab cylinder was an Allen head setscrew with perhaps a 1/32 hole drilled into it. I noticed with my larger than OEM hand pump i would start to feel a lot of resistance just as I reached the balance point when raising. That was the fluid in the rod end left from the last lowering, being forced thru that orifice helping to keep the cab from lurching between the balance point and full rod extension.

 

[TOBASH]

Turret cover with liner has been delivered. Will install when I have time to work on the truck in 2-3 weeks.