North Texas Recovery. Wish me luck.

[biscuitwhistler37]

Thank you!! I can look further into it soon, am I correct that a bearing check would involve removing the wheels/knuckles and pulling the axles?

Not necessarily, you will have to jack the truck up enough to wiggle the wheel back and forth and in and out. There's good tutorials for checking them on YouTube, probably a couple good threads on here as well.

 

[canadacountry]

see what @msgjd literally just said about true clearances? I'm going try not bang my head here right now sir!!
(haha?)

 

[Das_Haifisch]

Not necessarily, you will have to jack the truck up enough to wiggle the wheel back and forth and in and out. There's good tutorials for checking them on YouTube, probably a couple good threads on here as well.

Thank you again!!! Brakes or something going out I can handle and manage but wheels literally falling off has me petrified. I'll be looking at the manuals for bearing Zerk locations after I'm out of this 12 hour shift

 

[Valley Rock]

... Man I'm so glad I bought a towbar that fits my Deuce, one of the best Investments I've ever made for that truck .

I can pull it with my 5 ton or a dump truck, Semi or whatever, I can pull it with my Superduty if I have to, it weighs well over 8,000 lb .

Some might say yeah well the whole truck is still on the road, BUT, I don't have to deal with the fuel tank to the output shaft of the engine, and everything in between, it just rolls along, and most importantly you don't have to even wonder or worry about the brakes until you get where you're going .

May not be as fun of an adventure, but at this point in my life I don't really need those type of adventures, it's just too stressful for my pea brain .

I admire your dedication to make it happen, and if the guy just drove it in a parade a year ago, the truck is probably just fine, as long as it starts and the brakes work just go for it .

And RIP to that ole green metal caretaker .

 

[biscuitwhistler37]

Thank you again!!! Brakes or something going out I can handle and manage but wheels literally falling off has me petrified. I'll be looking at the manuals for bearing Zerk locations after I'm out of this 12 hour shift

Good plan. Some other useful info: oil pressure should be 10-15 psi at idle at 200°f, 50-75 psi at cruising speed (2100 rpm) 200°f. Engine coolant temp should not exceed 220. Your gear ratio is 6.72:1, you're going to be running between 130 and 150hp, downshifts are your friends, speed doesn't exist, and if it gets hot, let it cool. You shouldn't have problems though, they called these convoy Cadillacs for a reason Also, keep your thumbs out of the steering wheel spokes, like literally the spokes are lava. Be sure to post pics!

 

[fuzzytoaster]

I have pretty much everything I should need minus whatever I'll need from NAPA after my pre-drive inspection. Looking like we'll be taking the initial drive through an inch or so of snow in the O.K. panhandle very, very slowly. I've got about 900 miles to go to Louisiana. The previous owner sadly passed away two weeks ago, he was a Vietnam Veteran named Jimmie. I talked to him briefly before he entered hospice care.

The truck sat for about a year, at least it's been that long since he went on a convoy with it. I know it runs strong and holds air. Given that the chassis has about 40,000 miles, axle health is somewhat a concern -- I'll be picking up GL-5 as needed and doing what I can to not wear them. I honestly don't plan on taking it over 40 until I've got factory new steering tires and am considering disconnecting the rear-most driveshaft once snow is no longer a concern.

I've got equipment to work on the truck, gas cans, water and coolant. Hoping DOT5 will be available at NAPA as needed. I'll be able to afford a service truck should it be needed I believe, but hopefully a wrecker won't be necessary. We will be passing between Dallas and OK city between the 9th and the 11th, assuming I'm confident in the truck. If anyone in the area doesn't mind being an emergency contact, it would be appreciated and compensated if necessary. A special thank you to this forum, and of course, Jimmie.

View attachment 914181

I knew Jimmie and I have a friend who helped him sell his estate MVs. If you want a closer inspection of the M109 let me know. I'm in Dallas so if you're passing through and need help I'm available.

 

[msgjd]

...am considering disconnecting the rear-most driveshaft once snow is no longer a concern.

Being an M109, perhaps it will have enough weight on its back .. I can tell you about the one time I removed the front axle driveshaft as well as the rearmost driveshaft on an M818 to supposedly reduce wear and tear on a 250-mile roadtrip.. As a result of only having one drive axle, wheel hop was an issue at rough bridge joints and when hitting uneven cracks in the road whenever the engine was laboring.. I could feel the truck hesitate and hear the engine rev / see the tach bounce whenever the tires jumped,.. If i didn't back off on the pedal i could feel it lurch forward when tires grabbed the road again.. It was at its worst when I was bobtailing ,, but it still did it on the return trip with an empty flatbed trailer, but not as bad .. Since then, I always keep both rear shafts in place .. 5-tons are a lot stiffer than deuces of course so maybe you will be okay .. But it's something you should look in to,, I never tried it with a deuce.

 

[SCM35A2]

Nice truck!

 

[Das_Haifisch]

Being an M109, perhaps it will have enough weight on its back .. I can tell you about the one time I removed the front axle driveshaft as well as the rearmost driveshaft on an M818 to supposedly reduce wear and tear on a 250-mile roadtrip.. As a result of only having one drive axle, wheel hop was an issue at rough bridge joints and when hitting uneven cracks in the road whenever the engine was laboring.. I could feel the truck hesitate and hear the engine rev / see the tach bounce whenever the tires jumped,.. If i didn't back off on the pedal i could feel it lurch forward when tires grabbed the road again.. It was at its worst when I was bobtailing ,, but it still did it on the return trip with an empty flatbed trailer, but not as bad .. Since then, I always keep both rear shafts in place .. Never tried it with a deuce.

Good info! Wheel hop + unproven tires sounds like a bad idea so I think I'll reconsider!

I knew Jimmie and I have a friend who helped him sell his estate MVs. If you want a closer inspection of the M109 let me know. I'm in Dallas so if you're passing through and need help I'm available.

We will be doing our inspection tomorrow around noon, I'm not one to refuse advice but we might have it covered. If he's in the area and feels like stopping by to help he's very welcome. We can send him back with a case of beer. Thank you for offering your assistance around Dallas. I pray we don't need it!!!

 

[eaw46]

Please be very careful driving with NDMT on any ice or slippery roads. They have no traction at all. With normal Air pressure on hard surfaces with ice or even packed snow you are only riding on the very narrow center of the tire. You are effectively piloting a huge Curling rock.

 

[M813rc]

With regard to the earlier comment about the glass inside reflecting at night, that is very true and can indeed be confusing. Most of my large trucks are hardtops, and the rear window will very effectively reflect light back onto the front windshield, thus right back at you.

If I drive at night, I hang an OD towel inside over the back window, held up by magnets. In a box truck, that window is useless anyway.
Of course, it doesn't have to be an OD towel, any dark piece of cloth or even a bit of cardboard will do.

Cheers

 

[Das_Haifisch]

So we got to the truck, gorgeous thing but someone evidently stole both th batteries and there's two junk ones, one split in half, sitting in the lot. The 5 ton at the auction is gone. So I'm guessing someone drove the 5 ton out with my batteries. Gonna try to get it wired with new ones

 

[Das_Haifisch]

Heres what I'm working with, tryna figure this out

 

[Das_Haifisch]

Heres what I'm working with, tryna figure this out

Made a couple friends got a guy who wired it up started perfect air went up right away bout to let water out the air tank and take it to buddy shop where he can help us with a back outside tire w 0 air pressure

 

[cattlerepairman]

So we got to the truck, gorgeous thing but someone evidently stole both th batteries and there's two junk ones, one split in half, sitting in the lot. The 5 ton at the auction is gone. So I'm guessing someone drove the 5 ton out with my batteries. Gonna try to get it wired with new ones

People are People and that guy with the 5ton apparently really needed your batteries, badly. I hope your new ones will last a long time and the ones in the 5ton might go dead anytime....

Sent from my SM-G991W using Tapatalk

 

[kurtomatic]

This is great, I love stunts like this so much, I just did the same thing this last weekend! Except I bought the truck in Arkansas and drove it to Texas. Everything went really well until the bearings on the right front wheel started to fail. I got within 140 miles of my truck's new home (after driving 230 mi), so at least the transport was cheaper than it would have been. Good luck, and enjoy your road trip!

 

[kurtomatic]

Not necessarily, you will have to jack the truck up enough to wiggle the wheel back and forth and in and out. There's good tutorials for checking them on YouTube, probably a couple good threads on here as well.

As someone who experienced a bearing failure OTR on Sunday, here is an interesting observation my co-pilot spotted...

I pulled off as soon as the truck started pulling to the right, and at first we were thinking brakes. While we were diagnosing, I tried pumping the brakes with the engine off to reduce air pressure. When working the brake pedal hard like that, the right wheel noticeably wobbled! The left front was completely stable. The real give-a-way was the blazing hot hub on the right wheel.

So at least for me, in a M35A3, pumping the brake was enough to show excessive play. I could have checked the hub temps after the first 20 or 30 miles, too, but it didn't occur to me.

 

[biscuitwhistler37]

Made a couple friends got a guy who wired it up started perfect air went up right away bout to let water out the air tank and take it to buddy shop where he can help us with a back outside tire w 0 air pressure

Positive side, you won't have to worry about batteries for 10 years if you maintain them, there's not much electrical draw on these. Might not be a bad idea to try and find some decent tires on wheels along the way for spares, no such thing as too many tires from what I understand.

 

[Das_Haifisch]

As someone who experienced a bearing failure OTR on Sunday, here is an interesting observation my co-pilot spotted...

I pulled off as soon as the truck started pulling to the right, and at first we were thinking brakes. While we were diagnosing, I tried pumping the brakes with the engine off to reduce air pressure. When working the brake pedal hard like that, the right wheel noticeably wobbled! The left front was completely stable. The real give-a-way was the blazing hot hub on the right wheel.

So at least for me, in a M35A3, pumping the brake was enough to show excessive play. I could have checked the hub temps after the first 20 or 30 miles, too, but it didn't occur to me.

Thanks for the tip. We did 200 miles today. I figure getting forced off the road by 18 wheelers is part of the experience so I'm choosing not to mind it lol. Starting off there was a intermittent noise coming from somewhere, seemingly a rotating mass, it may have gotten worse but I'm not sure yet. We are taking a rest for now and in a few hours I'll be hitting zerks. I discounted it initially as just old truck noises, but idk. It sounded more like generic squeaking when han real metal on metal damage but it may have become more consistent. As far as I'm aware the wheels are good, maybe a U joint. My father mentioned something about a hanger bearing but his knowledge is more general.

 

[biscuitwhistler37]

Starting off there was a intermittent noise coming from somewhere, seemingly a rotating mass, it may have gotten worse but I'm not sure yet.

Silly question, what are the chances you are hearing your air compressor turn on and off?