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LME maintenance tent erection

coachgeo

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When Losing Becomes Winning / It's All Perspective.

Losing- As reported- One end cover tarp-- badly torn..
Losing- Maximum-ish 500 bucks to fix/ Minimum around 350 bucks??
Winning- Very first bundle of tarps unpacked had this in it..... giving time to start looking
Winning- 2 options found and on the table to deal with it
Winning- Got next bundle moved to field and unpacked. Second end piece right on top of the bundle!! Unpacked it... its a win.. She is in real good condition.

So far Three to Two, puts things with Win's ahead....:clinto:

About to start unpacking next wall/roof Tarp. Will keep you posted.

Place your bets.... :carnac:Pretty good, Usable, Minor Repair, complete :poop: ....
It's all unpacked so what's your bets? is wall/roof tarp: Pretty good, Usable, Minor Repair, complete :poop:.......... :carnac:

Jumped on an Ebay solution just now to replace the end piece. Was vewy vewy painful. Tit over 500 smackaroos. Guess it is still a win.. got the whole LME SIGNIFICANTLY less than what they sell on the market. Heck there is just a frame on ebay that is listed at (even without shipping) lot higher than what I bought the whole thing for. With shipping.... Significantly higher.

Got the LME local too surprisingly.
 
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coachgeo

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lighting plan in place and purchased . some of it delivered. LED stuff

replacement end wall arrived.

Waiting on a welder so can add 3ton winch to cherry picker.

hmm.. what else...

plan as of this moment is - cross of previous plan but bundled close to what @swiss did

Tarp rolled up resulting in a corn dog (starting with outside of material facing up) :
> from the two 16' far ends toward center, around a centered 12' x 2x6.. maybe 1x6. (these not really carry weight.... just hold it rolled up) and .. several ratchet straps or strap and rope combo across the whole span of this 16ft of each tarp roll . The reason the 12' is as straps gets cinched tight... it will force a around 1' of fold over the end of the wood since it is 16ft tarp. This helping lock it in place a an unplanned - unroll. does not happen
> ratchet straps oriented with ratchets at end of both rolls, at end of roll that would face far end of frame. (this way I can reach it easy to unlatch the ratchet.
> stop the roll up so it leaves center of tarp (grommets for peak pins) foot or two off center between the rolls. This way as lowering it in place, at peak with cherry picker can manipulate the grommets over the peak's pins. The cherry picker when at full height will be just behind center help with this too.

Spreader bar
- put a 2x6x16 spreader bar UNDER the 16' span of tarp. Clamp welding vice grips to it (saw idea somewhere) to help hold it where want it to be.
_ ratchet strap around this whole bundle at each end so it becomes a giant corn dog with a 16'x 2x6 in side.

> Spreader with shackles from LMTV at each end and lifting straps joined in center for winch to attach too.
> bundle/corn dog laying on ground next to feet of frame.... from one end toward center.

Orientation
> Cherry picker... (having put it back up on truck box top after voting grocery shopping getting lumber etc.) placed with:
A. boom of C. Picker facing outward toward a side of frame and truck... the boom just beside the (center) of two frame sections. Boom head raised to be above peak height.
B. Truck and Cherry Picker on box top... oriented so boom head ends up placed couple feet behind the ridge beam facing one side where bundle/corn dog lays.
C. Cherry Picker tied down to all corners box and tied down so not wanting to tilt, sway, rock or fart.

Lifting/aligning/placing
> pull whole bundle/corn dog up, sliding along frame with winch attached to C. Picker (6000lb winch, 50ft rope.... Cherry picker is at minimal a 3ton-ner)
> once raised to peak height... lower bundle to micrometer above peak and slowly release ratchet straps around the whole bundle/corndog at each end of spanner bar, allowing the two end rolls to each lay out on their perspective side of the ridge beam of the frame (hence why both ends not rolled all the way to center.)
> adjust height of C.Picker in attempt to align grommets over 3 pins at peak. AKA- Guide/wrestle/Swear/jump up and down in frustration, etc. till looks like can get at least two grommets aimed at pins.
> lower till full weight of tarp on frame and slide out spreader bar. While wrestling grommets over pins. (sounds easy.... likely to be royal sketch PITA) to get it out. seems best to remove it toward other half of frame?? though am sure it will likely just slide off frame wildly out of control. I better stand on the correct side so its does not take me with it.


Setting roof/walls
> Once it is hanging on at least two peak grommets.
> undo ratchet strap across one rolled up end and nudge the roll open fully till it hangs in place from peak to ground.c
(hmmm... wonder if I should attach ropes to each end of 14ft spreader bar.. that I can pull from ground outside of frame to facilitate this???... maybe my 16'ft ladder placed just to one side just beyond frame center/end of tar? )
> Repeat for other side of tarp till whole thing is laying loosely in place.

> Unstrap then disassemble the Cherry Picker... (for the uptenth milltioth time. Will be heavier with winch on it though)
> while there tug more the tarp to help align all pins.
> move truck around to stand on to struggle with Eaves pin/grommet fittment.

wash rinse repeat.... between on and off rain

Rolled up more like @swiss suggest will help with battle with wind. Compared to earlier plan.. this seems will have less time when there is a big sail unfurled and flopping in wind trying to dismount me off the roof of truck box. Have plenty of experience dismounting from hights..... but that is landing on mats.. and lot younger bones/joints. Will be heavier for C.Picker and winch but 3ton ummph power think it will be fine.
 
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coachgeo

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North of Cincy OH
Heater. Acquired a 1950's? coleman drip diesel heater (non military). Uses same carburetor/fuel regulator as the old military ones. Also plan to drip waste oil into the same burner pot to extend burn time per dollar.

The flue pipe comes out the back of the Coleman.

Any ideas on where should have the flu pipe exit the tarp and how to do that will least amount of damage to tarp.... nor burn the whole thing down. Am guessing best to cut hole thru a window?

like the one below
 

coachgeo

Well-known member
5,147
3,463
113
Location
North of Cincy OH
Heater. Acquired a 1950's? coleman drip diesel heater (non military). Uses same carburetor/fuel regulator as the old military ones. Also plan to drip waste oil into the same burner pot to extend burn time per dollar.

The flue pipe comes out the back of the Coleman.

Any ideas on where should have the flu pipe exit the tarp and how to do that will least amount of damage to tarp.... nor burn the whole thing down. Am guessing best to cut hole thru a window?

like the one below
hmmm..... didn't consider the exhaust vents in lower walls cause they are lower than the flu output on heater..... but wonder if stuffed a small galvanized trash can into one with interior covered in insulation .... ran the stove pipe to that along with an exhaust fan in the path... hmmm. heat in flu then not as lost to outside air.. hmmm.. maybe later cover it with dirt to make a smidge of mass radiant heater effect some ...... hmmmm...... hmmm..
 

coachgeo

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Location
North of Cincy OH
sneak peak
Operation: no Purple Pill LME-E
(Light Maintenance Enclosure- Erection)


Goes live 15min from this post publish (8:15pm)

PS- May Marine Corps have many more honorable years forward of its Birthday Today. Enjoy your Marine Corps Ball those who served and thank you. Oorah.
 
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coachgeo

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Location
North of Cincy OH
Well... can't find a welder who can anytime soon mount a winch to my cherry picker soooo have to go to a modified plan. Do have a different sucky winch that has portable mounts. Will use that hanging off the end of the C.Picker hook. Adds complexity but gotta do what gotta do. It has cable not synthetic rope so going to split some PVC pipe in half and put it around a purlin w/ duct tape. Large enough pipe where it will roll around purlin like a bearing . Do this for all Purlins the where cable will touch.
 
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coachgeo

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Location
North of Cincy OH
PS- Its also been raining... so took that time to improv (I think) the video on preping the site. Little less sucky now. Nver said knew what was doing. Let me know on youtube if it is better with the tweaks (some music, shortened intro) , if music picked helps/hurts. etc. etc.

Thankx.

 
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coachgeo

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Location
North of Cincy OH
@swiss orr??

The pin on the Eaves that the Tarp goes on (12ft height? approx). How do those function?... pivoting wise.. Trying to picture in my head this.. seems they fold down.. but that makes no sense..... then they would not help support hanging walls... but then again maybe they are intended to support more the roof. such as if wind was blowing into the interior wanting to lift roof...

Main thing though .. want to clarify if they fold down toward ground... cause that affects how to wiggle things into grommets.

Thanks.
 

coachgeo

Well-known member
5,147
3,463
113
Location
North of Cincy OH
@swiss orr??

The pin on the Eaves that the Tarp goes on (12ft height? approx). How do those function?... pivoting wise.. Trying to picture in my head this.. seems they fold down.. but that makes no sense..... then they would not help support hanging walls... but then again maybe they are intended to support more the roof. such as if wind was blowing into the interior wanting to lift roof...

Main thing though .. want to clarify if they fold down toward ground... cause that affects how to wiggle things into grommets.

Thanks.
answering my own question... yes the fold down. When frame arches are assembled they do not fold down tight. They stick out some horizontally. They hit a stop point in direction of Peak/Ridge Beam. Stop is at Vertical. Hmmm....


As to what they do when tarp in place... guess they are not to hang some of the wall weight on.. but more to keep roof pulled tight across the span.
 

coachgeo

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Location
North of Cincy OH
No but you will have to lift one end to put on the main pin on top.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
was reviewing the TM's and just realized what you meant by this answer.

Is there enough flex in the material if Walls/Roof section (WRS)* is across the frame whole, and hanging down on both sides, and w/ Evave pins and Ridge Pin grommets all set in place? Curious if you think in that weighted situation if one would even be able to lift WRS's grommet up/off that pin at Ridge Beam, in order to stuff the End Piece's Ridge grommet over the pin then stick the WRS grommet back over it again? ,

or do you think it would be best in this "all hanging out situation" to NOT poke the Eave pin and Ridge Pin on the outermost Arch into the grommets of WRS until AFTER End Piece is in place... THEN... pull/lift the Ridge and Eaves grommets of WRS over the pins ?

hmmm.. actually guess that adds a question.... Is there/or not Grommets for Eaves pins in the End Piece as well; that will need tucked under the WRS too?

*Military has labeled what I'm calling the WRS as the "Intermediate panel" which IMHO is a useless name.

Also while looking at TM's discovered the need to ensure the smallest of the access holes down by the ground (used for wires) in WRS, ends up oriented next to the far end of the frame. PHEWW. I'd be pissed at myself if had a whole WRS hanging on the frame and THEN discovered the wrong edge of WRS was next to the end of the frame...
 
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coachgeo

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Location
North of Cincy OH
@swiss

other than above questions.... any hints on getting End Piece installed. Just laying on the ground that piece of material (triangle) at the top above the Garage Door material has my brain twisted like a Pretzel. Can't make heads or tails of it when End Piece is laid out flat on the ground. It seems all twisted up.

Does the base of that triangle cup over the top of End Header or attach to the outer face of it?

That and, what really carries the weight of End Piece's material hanging down... the End Header as well as however it affixes along the long rail of Arch on each side??.... resulting in the Ridge Beam grommet over the pin just sorta holds that small section above the door up to keep rain/wind out. .... orrrrr.... does that Ridge Beam pin of the End piece really hold a lot of the weight of the End Piece too?

Thanks again for all your help on this. Hope this even makes sense. Likely won't for anyone who has not experienced erecting one of these.
 

coachgeo

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113
Location
North of Cincy OH
Tarp according folded.
Spreader bar built
Spreader bar installed
Filled with rain water
Attempt to lift to drain
Tarp becomes an Amazon White Crocodile dragged to the wild animal Zoo
Spine pulls from Crock.... sad day but Croc. Survived
Tarp makes it next to its Zoo cage.... I mean LME Frame.

Video soon.
 
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