Working on the M1078 LMTV

[mkcoen]

With M813rc at Ft Hood

 

[DanM7890]

Good looking trailer. Let us know how it pulls!

 

[Another Ahab]

Good looking trailer. Let us know how it pulls!

Agreed; that is a winning combination right there.

 

[DanM7890]

Maybe the tires on the trailer aren't aired up completely but it looks to be shorter than the bed on the lmtv. I thought they were the same height? I do see the you have different tires on the trailer than the truck too.

 

[Tinwoodsman]

You going to paint it before you leave Ft. Hood?

 

[M813rc]

That left trailer tire was actually pretty soft. We aired it up before we moved off the lot.

Interesting note - there are no taps on the LMTV air gladhands. We were having a devil of a time trying to get air to go through the hose, it turns out you have to push down the air supply to trailer switch, and release the truck parking brake! With the truck brake on - no air. So, airing up a tire is pretty much a two man operation (two person for the politically correct out there).

Towed really nice on the road. You could feel it back there, and it slowed you a bit on hills, but pulls well.

Now I have had two of those trailers on my place, and both went away. I think I will have to get one for myself.

Cheers

 

[aleigh]

Jelly. I really want one but the CDL requirement is sort of keeping me away.

 

[Another Ahab]

Interesting note - there are no taps on the LMTV air gladhands. We were having a devil of a time trying to get air to go through the hose, it turns out you have to push down the air supply to trailer switch, and release the truck parking brake! With the truck brake on - no air. So, airing up a tire is pretty much a two man operation (two person for the politically correct out there).

Cheers

???!

What possible reasoning could there be behind THAT procedure: to ensure a heightened degree of stress in combat situations!?

 

[NDT]

Every modern tractor-trailer is set up like that. You are supposed to pull on the trailer before pressing the red charge valve to make sure the coupling is secure.

 

[M813rc]

True. But it sure makes it aggravating if you are using the gladhand as an air inflator source!

Cheers

 

[mkcoen]

Made it home about 1330 (after leaving home at 0430) and all went fairly well. Turns out the new trailer didn't have a crank handle so we had to improvise with a Phillips screwdriver. It actually worked fairly easily both up and down. The IV cable was a bear to get in but once in place all the lights worked just like they're supposed to work. I had no problem towing at 50-55mph until you would get to the most barely perceptible hill and then you could just watch the speed bleed away. It wasn't too big a deal until I was down to 38 in a 70mph zone. I was very glad I had a whoopee light on the rear bar of the trailer. Backing it up the curved driveway was fun too. It backs like any other short wheelbase, single axle trailer - lousy. I finally managed to get it in place and shut down.

Only thing Murphy showed up for was to mess with my AC. I'm not sure if the fuse for the compressor blew or what but it was cranking out 98° temps at the vent. Most of the trip was fine but towards the end (when I was hitting every single stop light in Marble Falls, TX) the temps in the cab were at 103°. That has to be fixed before another trip of this length this time of year.

I also want to thank M813rc for riding (and driving) along to get the trailer and NDT for being available to answer my question as to why I couldn't get any air out of the gladhands. More reasons why this is such a great site!

You going to paint it before you leave Ft. Hood?

Sorry Kent. Forgot my rattle cans

 

[mkcoen]

Jelly. I really want one but the CDL requirement is sort of keeping me away.

Move to Texas and get a DL here. You can get a Class A Non-CDL that'll let you play with all these kinds of toys without having the commercial crap. Plus then I'd have someone to go LMTVing with.

 

[DanM7890]

Glad it was a safe and successful trip, but sorry to hear about the AC.

 

[mkcoen]

Good eye on the height Dan! Truck deck height at tailgate is 61 3/4" and trailer deck height at tailgate is 58 3/4". Not much but 3" is 3".

Forgot to mention that the Emergency Air line looks like an easy fix. Rory said it looked like they drove off with the line still connected and just broke the glad hand off. Since they tossed that part into the trailer I should be able to take it apart, trim the end of the hose, and just reattach it. With luck that's the only reason the brakes were caged.

Anyone know what this is? It's at the right rear of the trailer. It had a yellow cap (like a pipe plug cap) that just fell apart when I tried to remove it. The cap that's hanging there looks like it goes on once this thing is taken off.

 

[mkcoen]

Had a friend come over today and we got the new shoes put on the truck. Now it matches the trailer!

Only real issues we had were me knocking one of the Schrader valves off the CTIS while moving the tire and deflating it and one of the other CTIS setups was so rusted on the new wheel that there was no way we were going to get it to work so changed out the whole setup. Fortunately I have about 20 mounted tires in the driveway so had plenty of extra parts to choose from.

Following up from yesterdays questions about the height of the vehicle - it did not change at all with the new tires. The bed deck is still at 61 3/4".

 

[DanM7890]

I like the goodyear tires a lot better. Since you've had both does ride quality or road noise change at all?

 

[mkcoen]

I like the goodyear tires a lot better. Since you've had both does ride quality or road noise change at all?

Well I can't say yet. By the time we got the tires changed it was around 1:30 and we decided to split for lunch and haven't had the chance to take it for a spin yet. I'll do that this weekend and report back.

 

[agazza2]

Good eye on the height Dan! Truck deck height at tailgate is 61 3/4" and trailer deck height at tailgate is 58 3/4". Not much but 3" is 3".

Forgot to mention that the Emergency Air line looks like an easy fix. Rory said it looked like they drove off with the line still connected and just broke the glad hand off. Since they tossed that part into the trailer I should be able to take it apart, trim the end of the hose, and just reattach it. With luck that's the only reason the brakes were caged.

Anyone know what this is? It's at the right rear of the trailer. It had a yellow cap (like a pipe plug cap) that just fell apart when I tried to remove it. The cap that's hanging there looks like it goes on once this thing is taken off.

Mark, That is the ABS test connector for the trailer.

 

[M813rc]

I was glad to help out Mark. I enjoy these kind of trips, so long as not too much goes wrong.
And now that you've changed the tires, it is a perfect excuse for me to bum another chance to drive your truck, to help you evaluate handling differences.

Cheers

 

[mkcoen]

I like the goodyear tires a lot better. Since you've had both does ride quality or road noise change at all?

I only went for a couple of miles this morning but the GoodYears are much smoother. The Michelins had a tendency to "hop" a bit and that's gone with the new tires.