Just drank the MKT kool-aide, my new MKT-75

[Cookerguy]

Hi all,
I've lurked a while looking over your great threads on the MKT since I wanted to buy one. Well yesterday I pulled the trigger and one an MKT-75 in decent shape. I only have the link to the auction pictures but when I bring it home I will definitely post a bunch of questions and pictures.

I think it is okay to post the link to the auction since it is closed but I will wait for someone to confirm this so I don't start off on the wrong foot with you guys. I read the forum rules already but if there is something else I should do as a new member please let me know so I can abide by forum etiquette.

I did have a chance to preview the trailer before I bid so I know that it does have the screens (at least some of them). 2 ranges with pots inside and pans under the covers on top. The griddle is gone which is a bummer, really wanted that. No MBUs or cables or converter . About 5-6 cambro cooler things and 3-4 of the water/juice/coffee jugs. Tent poles, stairs and some misc stuff that I am unsure of their use (pics to follow). I'm sure I will learn the proper terminology for all of this as I go.

Few questions to start off with:
I have access to a rather large truck I can use to haul it back to my house but it does not have a fitting to tie into the MKT's air brakes. The truck is more than capable of stopping under its own braking power with the trailer attached. Is there a way to disable the MKT's brakes for towing safely? I am assuming here that the default state is brakes engaged when not pressurized.

Any ideas about what I should do about the griddle? Fabricate one, wait for one at auction (do they appear very often?).

Thanks for having and supporting such a great forum and any help you can provide.

 

[RodUSMC1962]

Congrats and welcome!

 

[timntrucks]

good buy is you need burners and a inverter shout my way. i have 4 burners with inverter for sale

 

[timntrucks]

i tow mine with a f250.. the brakes are not air brakes so no unlocking. just need a high hitch or a large bumper jack to get it on your truck. pulls great behind a pickup with no brakes hooded up but dont forget temp lights

 

[Cookerguy]

The breaks are not air brakes!! This would be such great news. Not sure where I read that they were air brakes, thought it was somewhere on this site. Does it have electric or hydraulic brakes or none at all?

 

[clinto]

The breaks are not air brakes!! This would be such great news. Not sure where I read that they were air brakes, thought it was somewhere on this site. Does it have electric or hydraulic brakes or none at all?

It has air over hydraulic.

Pressurized air from a gladhand pressurizes an assy., which applies mechanical pressure to a standard master cylinder, which then applies hydraulic pressure to the wheel cylinders. So it's a typical hydraulic brake system, but it's activated by air versus mechanical means.

In short, if you want the brakes to work, you're most likely going to end up pulling it with a truck that has gladhands or swapping the axle to a modern one with electric brakes.

 

[Cookerguy]

Okay well that will solve my immediate problem if I understand you correctly. Just to confirm, without any air hooked up the trailer will pull freely. correct?

 

[timntrucks]

yes i move my 2 around the yard with my tractor and brought them home with m250 with extra length safety chains and temp lights

 

[mkcoen]

Welcome to the MKT craziness. Don't post a link to the auction even though it's closed as 2 years from now someone looking at this thread won't be able to access it. You can right click on the photos from the auction and "save picture as" onto your computer and then upload those photos here. Lots of MKT folks roaming around on the site so if you have questions just ask.

 

[Cookerguy]

pics from the auction listing (already closed)

here are the crappy blurry pics from the listing. Better ones to follow once I get her home.

 

[mkcoen]

here are the crappy blurry pics from the listing. Better ones to follow once I get her home.

Travel cover looks like it's in good shape. Also a couple of condiment trays (good trading material as they're often missing).

 

[FloridaAKM]

Welcome aboard & enjoy your stay; there are plenty of very knowledgeable people here on any subject you need to know about with military vehicles & stuff. Have fun with your new to you MKT-75. Now you need to find a Deuce or a 5 ton to pull it with @ some time.

 

[SCSG-G4]

Do a search for "MKT Thumb Drive", the most recent iteration has the Ft. Lee booklet on how to open up and close down an MKT, along with a bunch of other info, including all the recipes that the Armed Forces use. Free if you send me a 4GB (or larger) USB drive to load the info onto.

 

[Cookerguy]

What are these?

Got her home and opened it up. Most of the things I could figure out but there are a few parts I'm not sure what they are. Could anyone help identify these items and tell me their use?

 

[Cookerguy]

I have also started a list of things I am missing. Could anyone chime in with how difficult any of these will be to find (please oh please don't say unobtanium...)
-(4) of the corner supports that hold up the corner aluminum walking planks
-(2) of the jacks that raise the roof. I do have one but it won't crank up, seems to be in neutral. May get it to work by opening it up and seeing what's wrong
-(2) corner tent poles
-(4) middle tent poles
-some railing poles (I have 8 of the full sized ones). Are there also smaller ones?
-Kickout poles for the bottom vent of the canvas sides (is that what is in pic #5?) I have 2 of those
-Skylight vent crank (seems easy to make if hard to find)
-Port doors for one field stove
-Lights
-3 MBUs, cable to connect and power source. Only MBU thing I have is a cable running from one side of the kitchen, underneath to the other side

 

[MWMULES]

#1 divider for ice chest
#2 goes in the roasting pan to support mermite food containers
#3 Hangs on end of cabinet for knives
#4 ?
#5 hold outs for the bottoms side curtians
# 6 steam catcher , hooks on the 15 Gal pot lid
#7 top of a Lister bag water holder

 

[timntrucks]

i have some of that stuff your looking for

 

[SCSG-G4]

I have also started a list of things I am missing. Could anyone chime in with how difficult any of these will be to find (please oh please don't say unobtanium...)
-(4) of the corner supports that hold up the corner aluminum walking planks
-(2) of the jacks that raise the roof. I do have one but it won't crank up, seems to be in neutral. May get it to work by opening it up and seeing what's wrong
-(2) corner tent poles
-(4) middle tent poles
-some railing poles (I have 8 of the full sized ones). Are there also smaller ones?
-Kickout poles for the bottom vent of the canvas sides (is that what is in pic #5?) I have 2 of those
-Skylight vent crank (seems easy to make if hard to find)
-Port doors for one field stove
-Lights
-3 MBUs, cable to connect and power source. Only MBU thing I have is a cable running from one side of the kitchen, underneath to the other side

Corner floor supports are merely aluminum poles with a 1/4 inch tip on each end. They can be made out of a solid piece of aluminum or very thick walled pipe.
Roof Jacks - I got one last year from Beltfed34 (on e-bay), maybe he has more - he has 4000 items up at a time.
Roof Canopy poles are all the same size. The corners simply have an extension coming out of the roof to make up the extra distance.
Railing poles can be made from aluminum tube - I got some six foot ones at Lowes and cut them down. They are slightly smaller and thinner than the GI ones, but they will work. There are not supposed to be any small ones as they would block the fire exits/cook's ladder.
Bottom vent poles - I've never used mine, but they are stainless so they could be fabbed up. You only need six more.
Skylight vent crank - make one using a piece of electrical conduit and a bolt with the correct sized hex head.
Replace the entire oven door with one of the ones that Clintogf is selling, should be under the Georgia listings.
Lights - a couple of the two foot long florescent ones would be ideal (what I have now) - I started out with four small (cheap) plastic florescent light sets.
MBU's come up on GL auctions, just have to bid high enough to win them. If you have the crossover cable then you are only missing the two outlet and the four outlet ones (two cables). The inverter is another matter - working ones bring decent green ($200-300+), but you could find an inverter that will make 24-28 volts out of 115 AC and use it - needs to be able to supply 1500 watts at the rated output voltage. I used to have four outlet cables, but other SS members that came before you snapped them all up. There is a cable which hooks into the deuce slave port that could power the burners. I've only seen a few and they are (whoops, you didn't want to hear that word).