M109 Front End Alignment

[islandguydon]

My passenger side tire is wearing uneven.The tire is wearing on the outside.

I was doing some research for the correct way to align this. I guess I should just take it in to the big truck shop and have them do this for me.

Oddball gave me 2 new tires and wanted the front done before the tires get mounted.

The big truck shop is expensive and I was wondering if anyone ever did this at home..?

 

[Darwin T]

bad shocks can do that to. i have had to replace the shocks on 2 of my deuces (my M109a3 and one of my M35a2's). as far as an alignment i have no idea i have a great mechanic .

 

[hoop]

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/44255-deuce-alignment-specs.html

 

[cattlerepairman]

Yes, this is being done at home. I do not have time to search for you this morning, but a guy used two PVC pipes that slide into each other. He placed them on the inside between the front and the back of the tires (measured twice) and marked the distance with a marker. That way, he had a measurement of how the front edges of the tires relate to the rear edges.

If you search for alignment postings, you'll probably find it.

 

[RAYZER]

Hi Don. My front tires were cupping real bad before i adjusted the toe in,here's what you do.
Put both sides of the front axle on jackstands with tires about 1/2" or so, put a small piece of 2x4 on the ground in front of tire with a white grease pencil held down on the top of the 2x4 and touching the center of tire while giving the tire a spin, this gives a nice even center line.
Measurement should be taken from the ground the same distance up,front and back,and should be about 1/8" less across in front than the back ,hope i sprained it clearly enough, check for the proper specs though, i can't look them up right now.

 

[islandguydon]

Thank you gentleman. I do appreciate all your help. This is a pretty straight forward procedure.

 

[FL_Frank]

Not much I can add - I use the same alignment method for my deuce that I use for my old F150. Use (2) 3' pieces of heavy aluminum L channel that I support off the ground a bit with a block against both tires, centered. Then, grab one of the kids to hold the tape measure on one side while I measure to the other for both the front and back. If I have to tweak it, I'll roll the truck back a few feet, then forward and measure again to let the adjustment take effect.

Yeah I know it's primitively simple, but has saved me a ton vs. having a shop do it. Maybe one day I'll get really fancy and use those alignment roller trays for the tires so I don't have to roll the truck back/forth after every adjustment.

-Frank