Sourcing M35 Cargo Cover Kit

[kurtomatic]

Hey all,

While I am waiting on a few other things to come together, I want to start making plans for using my Deuce out at my property, which is currently still 100% raw land without utilities or even driveway access. One of the things I am considering (after I dismount the water tanks), is using the truck bed for overnight camping on the property. But before I can go there, I need a cover, because right now all I have is the standard Deuce truck bed.

So I will need the whole shooting match: cover, stands, corners, and bows. Did I get that all right?

I would appreciate recommendations on canvas vs vinyl, taking into consideration I'll be sleeping in there, possibly running heat or air with a generator/battery station.

Also, a source vendor or other purchasing strategy, and is there anything else I should be looking for? Does the standard cover include the back curtain, or is that separate?

Thanks,
Kurt

 

[NDT]

Options:
Canvas, no longer available surplus, must purchase new from supplier such as WeeBee Webbing or or New life Canvas, the end curtains are separate.
First generation vinyl, same pattern as canvas, has separate end curtains, hard to find surplus items
Second generation vinyl, has the end curtains integrated, this style is most available gov't surplus
JATONKAM35s.com has the bows.

LOL I did live in a cargo bed for weeks like you are proposing. When I was young and couldn't afford a $29 hotel room.

 

[kurtomatic]

LOL I did live in a cargo bed for weeks like you are proposing. When I was young and couldn't afford a $29 hotel room.

LOL, thanks for that info, very helpful.

I can afford a hotel room, but dang that will add up fast. I am totally good investing in a new cover kit, because I feel like that is an investment, whereas a hotel room feels like an expense.

Plus, I am only thinking of camping in the truck for 2-3 nights at a time.

 

[kurtomatic]

I guess I should also mention that "military reproduction" (in terms of exactness with color, treatment, etc., for a restoration) is not important for this truck. Not that I don't appreciate the restorations, but my truck is well past whatever original appearance it had, and I am adapting it to be a personal work truck. So I am actually not looking for a camo cover at all, if that makes a difference. The solid khaki color is ideal.

I like the idea of investing in canvas, but the lead times on the custom made stuff is daunting for me at this time. Based on @NDT 's info, I'm thinking that looking for a deal on 2nd gen vinyl is probably where I should start.

 

[sigo]

I found camping in the back of my deuce to be pretty comfortable in fair to cool weather. I didn’t enjoy it in hot weather, a fan is a must at a minimum to move air through the bed. I used a standard military cot in the back and used a parachute on the inside of my vinyl cover as kind of a tent liner to help with the condensation. I also had a 12v fridge hooked up to my deuce‘s independent 12v charging system and battery. With a solar panel on the cab roof charging the 12v battery it could run the fridge for days without running the truck.

There are a few threads on here about modifying 809 or 939 5 ton covers for a deuce. They’re longer and need to be cut down and glued back together, but 5 ton covers seem to be more available than 2.5 ton covers. I think a few guys here have even modified LMTV bows and covers to fit their M35 beds. More work and not original, but could be cheaper with better availability. I don’t keep up with LMTV parts, but I’ve seen more of them recently than I have M35 bed covers.

It wouldn’t take many nights in a hotel room to pay for the truck bed cover and bows. Best of luck with your set up, it sounds like a good plan.

 

[NDT]

SECO has the second generation vinyl available in tan color. A bit pricy but that is the going rate.

 

[kurtomatic]

SECO has the second generation vinyl available in tan color. A bit pricy but that is the going rate.

Thanks, I just saw that! SECO has been turning up in a lot of my searches for various items; is this a vendor I should take seriously?

There's a guy on Ebay out of Tennessee (hdps_corp) that has the complete, in crate, NOS kit with all required hardware. For $2K. I'm seeing mid-to-high teens for kits in general.

 

[NDT]

SECO has been in the surplus business since basically day one. Completely trustworthy.
Those crated kits cost a fortune to ship. I would piece a kit together.

 

[kurtomatic]

SECO has been in the surplus business since basically day one. Completely trustworthy.
Those crated kits cost a fortune to ship. I would piece a kit together.

Copy that. I will call SECO tomorrow.

The JATONKA wood structure seems like a great deal, but shipping this stuff appears to be the biggest challenge with it, LOL.

 

[HDN]

I think a few guys here have even modified LMTV bows and covers to fit their M35 beds. More work and not original, but could be cheaper with better availability. I don’t keep up with LMTV parts, but I’ve seen more of them recently than I have M35 bed covers.

I think the LMTV bows, stakes and covers would be nice because they're taller than the deuce covers. I've never been under one, but perhaps you can actually stand up under a LMTV cover?

 

[kendelrio]

I use my 5 ton for camping, and has been mentioned, air circulation is a must to avoid condensation inside unless you have a good mosquito net/bug barrier.

I also invested in an inflatable air mattress and made a "mosquito net" out of sheer curtains. $40.00 solar LED light kit from Amazon takes care of lighting without the need for a generator.

Here's my setup for sleeping:



As far as sourcing "non original" canvas for the deuce, there's no sense reinventing the wheel. BuY one thats made for it and you'll have less trouble in the long run.

I also invested in some military crates to load my gear in for easier packing/storage:



Some 5 gallon water cans to provide water, a shovel for cat holes and a solar shower should set you up nicely for roughing it.

Here's the setup with some overlanding friends of mine:



The nearest civilization was 30 miles from us, so what we needed, we brought in.

 

[kendelrio]

Oh, and one thing people often forget about...

Invest in this if you're *really* away from civilization:

 

[kendelrio]

Oh, if you have any type of accessories to your truck (I have spotlights etc) and want to keep your batteries hot without burning fuel, invest in one of these:



It's a bit pricey, but it has saved my butt more than once.

I modified mine to where I could "unplug" it and store it rather than hard mounting. That also allows me to move it with the sun for maximum charging.

Here's the link for it.

Best of luck and if you need any more advice, reach out!

 

[kurtomatic]

I want to thank everyone for some amazing responses today, I really appreciate it!

I am very intrigued by the LMTV adaptation and I did some reading on the various approaches. I feel like that's a project I could do given a little time.

However, it looks like I'm going to be able to close a deal with a member here for an unopened M35 cover crate at a very good price. Good enough to offset the shipping cost, I think. In order to validate that idea, I want to get a shipping estimate for this crate. Going by the labeling I am seeing in pics of these crates online (ebay, etc.), I get the following:



218 LB, 78" L, 24" W, 14" H

Does that seem correct?

 

[NDT]

I want to thank everyone for some amazing responses today, I really appreciate it!

I am very intrigued by the LMTV adaptation and I did some reading on the various approaches. I feel like that's a project I could do given a little time.

However, it looks like I'm going to be able to close a deal with a member here for an unopened M35 cover crate at a very good price. Good enough to offset the shipping cost, I think. In order to validate that idea, I want to get a shipping estimate for this crate. Going by the labeling I am seeing in pics of these crates online (ebay, etc.), I get the following:

View attachment 916397

218 LB, 78" L, 24" W, 14" H

Does that seem correct?

Yup. Let us know what cost you get.

 

[Guyfang]

Do not forget to try a "Parts wanted" thread. Some of it may be had from others here in the forum. Might be cheaper then getting it commercially. Never know.

 

[sigo]

Thanks, I just saw that! SECO has been turning up in a lot of my searches for various items; is this a vendor I should take seriously?

SECO prices are sometimes high, they primarily deal with commercial customers, but they’re good people. I went to their place in Augusta, GA more than a couple of times. They were always fair, and good to work with. Picking parts in their yard was a lot of fun. I wouldn‘t hesitate to buy from them.

 

[kurtomatic]

Ok, now it's my turn to bitch about oddball crate ripoff shipping prices. Here I go: YOU!

This has to be a pretty common problem with trading going on in a community like this. I mean, when the "30-day rolling average" for a 200 lbs crate is nearly 3 times the fuel cost for me to drive my own damn truck out there and pick it up my own damn self, something just 'aint right.

Ironically, it appears to be way more cost efficient to break heavier deliveries down into lighter deliveries. So, if that's the way they want it, that's the way they'll get it.

In this case, it turns out a cargo cover kit crate is just about the dumbest thing you can try to ship somewhere. Since it looks like I'll be making a deal with a reasonable human being and fine outstanding member of this forum, I'm thinking we can come up with a shipping scheme that divides this up into parcels that the typical retail shippers will deal with.

The limit at UPS, FedEx, etc., is 150 lbs. UPS will deliver parcels up to 9 ft long. The only pieces that really benefit from the crate that I can tell is the bows. So we find a big enough, sturdy enough box for them that isn't made out of sawdust and glue. The vinyl is easy to package by itself, and the stands shouldn't be too difficult to box. Shipping those 3 parcels, as expensive as that will be (it's still 200 lbs of stuff), will pale against the freight shipping gouge.

I know I'm not that smart, and somebody here has tried this before. Knowing what's in one of these crates, how would you divide up it's contents to produce 2-6 reasonably boxed parcels under 150 lbs each? It looks like I'm shopping for boxes now, OMG.

 

[NDT]

Told ya. It’s the 78” that’s the killer, that is two pallets worth of space in the trailer. Motor freight got stupid when YRC went tits up.

 

[flyfishtrailer]

I think the LMTV bows, stakes and covers would be nice because they're taller than the deuce covers. I've never been under one, but perhaps you can actually stand up under a LMTV cover?

I am 5-9 and I can walk under my LMTV top with room to spare.