M916A1 'Recovers' V12 COE Peterbilt.

[zebedee]

For a change, here's a thread where the ex-mil truck does the recovery of a civi one...

Just had some mates over and got to play with the winch on my '16A1.
For those that are interested, this Pete is a little special as it has a factory Detroit 12V71 - twin supercharged V12 2-stroke diesel. One of three "muscle trucks" Pete built in the early 70's with big engines.

Pulling onto the trailer - this "highspeed" switch is just crazy! (Engine rpm, not high flow valve)
Deciding where to set the tandems - trailer deck too short.
Tugging off of the trailer, front drive axle, drivers side wheels seized.

More pics to follow.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Wow Howard, the V12 Pete is wicked cool.

 

[wreckerman893]

Wow Howard, the V12 Pete is wicked cool.

Otherwise known as the "buzzinn dozen".

Years ago when I ran west coast my boss put me in a long nosed Western Star with a 400 Cummins and a 15 speed double overdrive in it. That rascal would run 110 MPH all night long (and often did out in New Mexico and west Texas).

One night I was cruising at 100 (you know to save fuel) and bragging on my truck on the CB radio.

A few minutes later a long nosed Pete pulling a cattle trailer passed me like I was backing up.

I caught up with him at the next fuel stop and he had the V-12 Detroit and a 5/4 transmission in the Pete.

He said the top speed was 145 but he never ran over 120 because the tires couldn't take it.

I think he killed more cows than Hormel.

I love the sound of a screaming Driptroit but only in short bursts and not if I'm sitting on top of it.

 

[61sleepercab]

Our local bakery used to run GM tractors with Detroit Diesels in them and you could hear them for at least a mile winding up and down for road turns at about 10:30pm each night some 50 feet from my front porch. What a noise to make the white tail deer run?? Mark

 

[Mach Style]

Subed for later. those old petes are wicked cool.

 

[zebedee]

Engine start 2 weeks before we picked it up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlYckFOw5OY

 

[Mach Style]

sounds good and healthy. Surprisingly quiet as well.

 

[wheelspinner]

Howard when is that going on the big pond? I hope to get down there to see it before.

 

[zebedee]

Pat - Don't know yet, just measured for "cube" tonight. May happen in a hurry, may not.

 

[Shark Bait]

Awesomeness!

 

[Karl kostman]

A few years back I was at a tractor pull watching all the divisions and during a break in the tractors they had an exhibition of a guy with a 12V Detroit in a cab over truck pull the sled, the part that just amazed me was the amount of frame FLEX on the truck when he got the front wheels in the air! This truck was not modded in any real way that I could see to strengthen the frame but I would bet it flexed between 6 and 8 inches! How many times can you do that before the frame lets go?
KK

 

[zebedee]

More pics..
Lined up for a gentle up hill pull onto the trailer over the rear wheels.
Pushing down really hard to hide the civi trailer on a high military fifth wheel. Also the Pete is 10' tall.

 

[turnkey]

Great pics and pick up..

 

[zebedee]

Some more. (NB. All "duh statements" included for neubs reading thread in the future.)
Service line to trailer disconnected, it crosses winch line path. Note scrap wood 'gunplank' on tail of trailer and tail of gooseneck (pic 3) to protect winch cable.

Needed dunnage/wood just incase the fuel tank got close to the trailer deck infront of the trailer wheels.

Have also decided that braced covers over the trailer wheels would be a good mod.
(M870's did this going to the A1 model.)

Problem noted for self unload - with snatch block on last cross member of the trailer; since the winch top loads and the cable path is over the fifth wheel and therefore over the gooseneck, it will be too high to get under the loaded vehicle, to then go back to the snatch block for return to vehicle to pull it off the trailer.
The British 'Seddon Atkinson' LET has an underload winch (mounted in the same location) that pays out under the fifth wheel and through the gooseneck down towards the deck. HOWEVER that trucks' trailer has landing legs and is not an RGN therefore hooking the trailer is totally different to the M870 'Folding Gooseneck', which needs a top load winch.
Scratch head moment...
Load Kings' solution; load/unload winch in deck ahead of the first trailer axle with pony motor for hyd self fold goose neck. Roller behind winch used to pull on vehicle when hooked to rear of vehicle. Load King made some of the M870's.

 

[ReoRider]

Howard- nice recovery, great to see the military rig loading the civilian one! The Freightliner rear winch(45,000 lb.) is awesome with its finger tip control.

Most lowboys have the same winching issues you raised. The original metal wheel cutout covers were missing from my M172A1 (prior owner said they were too heavy to ever use and scrapped them) so we made up two fitted wooden plank versions to use when loading wheeled vehicles. Remove them after loading and strap them on deck with the ramps.

Other issue with the winch line hitting the front or rear of the trailer can be solved with a fairlead from a 5 ton winch. The one shown here is attached to the rear end of the tongue, though I've used two on other trailers depending on the fit with the tractor winch. It generally helps keep the cable well behaved and off the deck.

 

[Castle Bravo]

Thats a really cool idea, ReoRider!

 

[wreckerman893]

I pulled those lowboys at Fort Benning with a M916. They are good trailers but those steel cover plates would take off a finger in a heartbeat if you got careless. The loading ramps that came with it were a ball buster too. The best way to change tires on them was to pick the back end up with a 10k forklift so you could push down the axle you were working on. They are also kind of wide but that made it less nerve wracking when loading something onto it. If I remember right you can flip the kingpin and pull it with a 5 ton tractor. I had a chance to snag one cheap a while back and let it get away from me.

 

[ReoRider]

Roger on the cover plates- went with wood and now only risk a splinter. The ramps are killers- loading time is best with 4 on the corners, but the crew has learned to rather help look for a few good men when the call goes out. Got a good lead on an aluminum ramp company from Castle Bravo and will report on how they work out this show season. The company salesman in describing how good their ramps were said they even make them for the military to load tanks. I waited for two beats and said that's what we're going to do with them.

The extra width (9 1/2 ft.) is a real plus, don't get pushed off the edge when doing the prep/chaining and centering the load is much easier. The reversible king pin gives you another option to go back to a 2" size and recover the rig with any standard tractor. Amazing long life for the trailer in service- mid 60's start and some are still being released now. The short length made it very handy and there has not yet been a replacement. For the M916A1 it is one of two types authorized that are called out in the manuals.