M116A3 Jack Leg repair

[zebedee]

Recent acquisition of former generator trailer - found mangled jack leg in the ground rod storage locker.

Nearly all of the individual components were bent, broke, distorted or combinations there of.



Bevel gear shaft was bent and distorted bushing housing on one side. Bigger hole was drilled to remove bevel gear locating pin. Cuts on either side were only way to remove bent shaft by cutting into 4.
Bevel gear shaft bushing had to be warmed to straighten
Pivot tab (attaches to trailer) was broken off and twisted. Too heavy to straighten on the thin upper leg section so offset V groove weld and ignored distortion on upper part.
Retaining yoke for winding handle had been pushed in bending the thin wall upper leg section stopping the inner section from retracting all the way.

Layout of components
New bevel gear shaft next to old bent one cut into 4 to remove
Lubed up and turned over - still need to find a handle or fab "Nut" that raises/lowers the lower section was broken into 7 parts. Fortunately cast steel can be welded. Two retaining pins already straightened
Repaired "nut" sitting in top of lower leg section
Threaded shaft had to be straightened - used bots in pin recesses so as not to damage repaired outer flanges.

 

[zebedee]

But I do need a winding handle or a good pic of one, as 'mine' was missing.

 

[tommys2patrick]

good recovery/rebuild. considering what you had to work with impressive. thanks for sharing. I was missing my handle as well. Made one out of long grade 8 bolt and a thin wall steel tube. would like to cover it in something like and old bicycle handle bar grip or similar. probably not exactly what was on it originally though.

 

[zebedee]

Yeah - I'm trying to figure out what the original handle looked like considering what room you have to operate it, where it would be when stowed and how it fits into the "R" pin keeper on the lower portion.... Pictures please existing owners!!!

 

[FloridaAKM]

I have two of the M-116A3 trailers, but no original handles or even some stand in tool. My landing legs were folded back into the deck & that is why they are still there.

Great write up on repairing your grenaded landing leg & how you repaired it.

 

[M813rc]

Here is the original handle that came with my M116A3 based HSTRU trailer.

They are pretty simple, and would be easy to replicate, I think. I can measure it up for you later today (a frog strangling rain was beginning as I headed back to the house with the pictures!)

Cheers



Cheers

 

[BKubu]

I believe CUCVFAN has some repro handles. PM him if interested.

 

[zebedee]

Here is the original handle that came with my M116A3 based HSTRU trailer.

They are pretty simple, and would be easy to replicate, I think. I can measure it up for you later today (a frog strangling rain was beginning as I headed back to the house with the pictures!)

Cheers



CheersView attachment 793121View attachment 793122View attachment 793123

I didnt consider that it could have been a simple detatchable deal - I was conjuring some hinged device!! Cheers.

 

[zebedee]

So, next fab info/dims/pics needed is retaining pin for rear steady leg...

 

[zebedee]

So - from your pics and the size of both; the handle stowage retainer (with "R" pin) [1/4 thick & 1" from pin center to leg - using your pic I didn't use below] and my hand (let's assume that is a reasonable guess, these are the dims that seem to scale. Let me know if this is close enough!

The 6.5" length of the engagement tube seems off vs the dia (to go over 1/2" bevel gear shaft).. I'll check pixels and calcs.... Maybe nearer 7"??? Maybe hand part is 4 1/2"....?

...

 

[M813rc]

Your estimates were pretty close! Attached are the actual measurements.
I neglected to add to the picture the measurement of the slots on the fixed side, they are 1/2" deep x 1/4" wide.

What is, I imagine, obvious is that the 'hand' part of the handle is pipe that rotates around a fixed center post.

Cheers

(PS - It occurred to me after the fact that a smart man would have brought the handle back for measurement the first time, rather than going back for it later.... oh well....)

 

[gringeltaube]

.... where it would be when stowed and how it fits into the "R" pin keeper on the lower portion....

The only pic I had (on file...) and after blowing up the handle detail:

So, next fab info/dims/pics needed is retaining pin for rear steady leg...

Not sure which retaining pin you mean?

 

[zebedee]

Your estimates were pretty close!

Thanks for the info - Actually, for me, I was way off!! And if I had gone my route, there would have been skinned knuckles for sure! I will time the build to see what $$ it would cost to reproduce. The "R-pin" idea is pretty sad, so I am sure that there will be travelling losses in the future!

 

[M813rc]

Thanks for the info - Actually, for me, I was way off!!

Well, I'm still impressed.

I never thought highly of that retention method for the handle, though with the leg in the stowed position it probably borders on almost adequate.
The potential for it taking an unauthorized walk with whomever might choose to pull that pin is another consideration.
Since we can't just wander by supply and get a new handle, mine lives inside the HSTRU box. If mine were an open trailer, I'd probably have to fabricate a better bracket on the front of the bed.

Cheers

 

[Guyfang]

Well, I'm still impressed.

I never thought highly of that retention method for the handle, though with the leg in the stowed position it probably borders on almost adequate.
The potential for it taking an unauthorized walk with whomever might choose to pull that pin is another consideration.
Since we can't just wander by supply and get a new handle, mine lives inside the HSTRU box. If mine were an open trailer, I'd probably have to fabricate a better bracket on the front of the bed.

Cheers

Indeed. This is why the handle belongs to the top 10 items missing. Its there for all the world to see, and it has ten legs. walks away every time.

 

[zebedee]

Found some 1 1/4 x 1/4 and some 3/4 bar stock. I tried it on the repaired leg and it actually worked quite slick - I made the female slotted end a pretty snug fit so no wobble when operating.... though the stowage design does not inspire much confidence for longevity.


Since it's only a repro - I thought I'd throw in a little knurling on the handle for giggles. [Not sure if the handle needs a little oil/lube to stop the two rusting together]

The things you do when you are short an inch on your bar stock! Make a bit more out of 1".


Gringletaube - this is the rear stabiliser leg on mine - looks a little different to the TM pic in your post #12.

 

[BKubu]

Looks great, Howard!

 

[gringeltaube]

..... this is the rear stabiliser leg on mine - looks a little different to the TM pic in your post #12.

Looking at those brackets it seems like it only needs a simple Ø5/8" L-shaped pin to secure that leg in both positions? But sure enough you want the exact stock dims for it, to replicate one... Can't help you with that one, sorry. Because all of the ones I got - which had served as generator trailers - had exactly that adjustable length rear stabiliser shown in my post above (TM 9-2330-202-14&P).

I can only conclude that there are multiple versions of the M116A3-chassis, depending its application and manufacturer.

 

[Guyfang]

You are correct sir. There are as many variations as there are states of the union.

 

[juanprado]

One of the ways to distinguish rear legs is the shape of the landing pad. Most I have seen are round.

I use the stock mount for the front handle and it is robust. If pin is ok, it won't go anywhere without human intervention. I have 10,000 miles towing mine all over the states.