turning an M936A2 wrecker into something even more useful

[M35A2-AZ]

M35A2-AZ, you have some snatch blocks for the wrecker for sale?

Yes I do, Pm me what you are looking for. I have a full set for the wrecker.
I have a Whiffletree and the gondola cover frame bows also.

 

[rosco]

The concept of changing all those beds around, strikes me as super ambitious. Further, what ever you anticipate the cost of the project to be, its way under, already, and you should increase it by three or four times. Its the details in the hook-ups, that will get you bogged down. Not to mention, that you will be a magnet for truck cops. Once completed, swapping a bed over, to one more useful for weekend chores, is complex lifting, and will take hours. I'm sure its doable though.... good luck!

 

[jesusgatos]

Having the ability to swap beds and boxes around between trucks and trailers is an essential part of the plan. That gotta happen. Not 100% committed to the 5th wheel tractor plates, but thought it was brilliant when I first saw someone else do it, and haven't come up with any better ideas. Doesn't really seem all that complicated to me. 5th wheel tractor plates are permanently mounted on the trucks. Everything else, all the other beds and boxes, mount to those. There will obviously have to be a couple extra attachment points, but that's easy. Then some kind of custom camper-jacks, sort of like what 59apache built, to lift the beds/boxes on and off the trucks. Maybe a small winch to lock the beds/boxes into the 5th wheel plates, as I understand they can take a considerable amount of force to engage. Okay, so maybe a bit of work initially to build all this stuff, but once it's all said and done, should be pretty straightforward, no? Any better ideas? I'm not too familiar with all the heavy equipment and different rollback setups and whatever else is out there, so... open to ideas here.

 

[Trailboss]

If you get a trailer converter dolly, you won't need to put a 5th wheel plate on a truck. Any deuce or 5-ton with box or cargo bed, even the wrecker, could pull a semi-trailer.

 

[quickfarms]

I looked into doing this several years ago and decided it would be very costly and cause issues with insurance and the CHP/ DOT.

The first issue you have is most, if not all, A2's are not old enough to be registered in California as historic.

The ability of the truck to swap the bodies will prevent you from registering it as a house car.

If the truck is not historic or a house car, motor home, you will be subject to CARB regulations and need CA numbers.

It is not legal to drive A three axle vehicle over 6000 lbs with a class C license in California.

With a fifth wheel on the frame the truck will need to be registered as a tractor.

There are basically four relatively easy ways to swap the truck bodies.

The first way is using a winch and tail roller. This is the way they do it in the oil fields.

The second way is to use a roll off like the trash companies do.

The third way is the PLS system the military uses. This is based on the European hook lift roll off.

The fourth way is European swap body setup. The body is connected to the truck with either ISO locks or special locks. Each body contains four landing legs that extend from the corners of the body. The body is removed by either raising the truck using airbags mounted to the truck frame or a combination of raising the front with airbags ad the rear with the air suspension.

 

[Old Lincoln County Iron]

I told my friend about your wrecker bed last week. I have not heard back from him but I believe
He was already thinking of how much the cost would be to aquire the bed, the commercial chasis,
And the costs to put it all together, was possibly more than he wanted pay.

 

[jesusgatos]

If you get a trailer converter dolly, you won't need to put a 5th wheel plate on a truck. Any deuce or 5-ton with box or cargo bed, even the wrecker, could pull a semi-trailer.

Trailer convertor dollies are useful, sure, but there are some limitations and compromises there too. Was actually thinking that it might be cool to turn an M103/5-type trailer into a convertor dolly that I could then mount beds and boxes on, in addition to the odd occasion when I might actually want to use it as a convertor dolly.

I looked into doing this several years ago and decided it would be very costly and cause issues with insurance and the CHP/ DOT.

The first issue you have is most, if not all, A2's are not old enough to be registered in California as historic.

The ability of the truck to swap the bodies will prevent you from registering it as a house car.

If the truck is not historic or a house car, motor home, you will be subject to CARB regulations and need CA numbers.

It is not legal to drive A three axle vehicle over 6000 lbs with a class C license in California.

With a fifth wheel on the frame the truck will need to be registered as a tractor.

All good points. Thanks for taking the time to compose such a thoughtful post, but we've done our homework and we've got the registration stuff handled.

There are basically four relatively easy ways to swap the truck bodies.

The first way is using a winch and tail roller. This is the way they do it in the oil fields.

The second way is to use a roll off like the trash companies do.

The third way is the PLS system the military uses. This is based on the European hook lift roll off.

The fourth way is European swap body setup. The body is connected to the truck with either ISO locks or special locks. Each body contains four landing legs that extend from the corners of the body. The body is removed by either raising the truck using airbags mounted to the truck frame or a combination of raising the front with airbags ad the rear with the air suspension.

Interesting. Will have to go poke around and find some examples. Thanks.

 

[LowTech]

I've got a 105 turned dolly that I'd sell.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I bought the wrecker bed from M16ty. It was in excellent shape except for the paint. And it was a royal PITA to get the bed, and then install it on another truck.

I highly recommend leaving the wrecker a wrecker.

 

[73m819]

I bought the wrecker bed from M16ty. It was in excellent shape except for the paint. And it was a royal PITA to get the bed, and then install it on another truck.

I highly recommend leaving the wrecker a wrecker.

Though in Adam's case he has experience it turning MVs into other things mainly RUST.

 

[quickfarms]

How do you plan on doing the registration?

 

[jesusgatos]

How do you plan on doing the registration?

Depends on the vehicle, but we've registered some as historical vehicles and others as motorhomes.

 

[jesusgatos]

Pulled the beds off two of our hightop M923A2's and got a 5th wheel plate from an M931A2 mounted on one of them already. Need to finish trimming-up the framerails and reinstall the read crossmember, then we can start working on converting the second truck. Also bought another A2 wrecker, so it's a little more likely that we'll end up turning one of them into a supertrucker. Maybe even plop a HEMTT or MK48 cab on there instead of a hightop 5-ton cab?

 

[Artisan]

Nice!! I use my wrecker all the time.
You need any Snatch blocks for your wrecker?

What size sheve, or maybe I should ask, what is the max cable size allowed
for the units you have sir?

 

[M35A2-AZ]

What size sheve, or maybe I should ask, what is the max cable size allowed
for the units you have sir?

I think I have a single and a double for 3/4 cable left.

 

[Hawssie]

If your going to ditch the wrecker bed and if your not going to run a large displacement winch like the one on the M936s and just a knuckle boom crane, you don't need anywhere near the size of pump set that is on transfer case of the wrecker. You could use a bit larger pump thats on the trans/pto and run it at a higher psi for a knuckle boom. The hydraulic system on the wreckers in general is a dinosuar set up. It must be do to it being a carryover design from models long before the A2 because it certainly is not early 1990s technology. Its more like the beginning of hydraulic systems. I think the open center system pressure is around 12-1500 psi. Most all modern systems are over 3000 now with a lot way over 3000psi. With a more modern knuckle boom you may even loose some performance due to low pressure. You will definitely have the flow. Lift capacity is directly related to psi and cylinder piston size, flow just allows for faster cycling. My point I guess is that you may not be gaining as much by starting with the wrecker, compared to the units extra value over a different model. But then again the way you seem to be buying more wreckers and trucks, adding to your collection why not. Like you said it has the heavy duty frame but also the suspension that the wrecker has over the M923s and the M9321s would be needed. Just compare the spring pack or lack there of one in the case of the m936.