Wrecker bed modification

[Csm Davis]

I will tape the drum tomorrow, also will tape a m62 drum as well. My drum only has a single layer, I will also check the clearance.

I have 26' of boom, I will tape the fall from boom tip to ground with full boom, full boom up.

Ron how much cable is on the 819? you or doghead posted it awhile back on a different thread about the cables.

 

[73m819]

Well I went and taped the 819 cable, man do I like running this truck,

1--with full boom, max. boom hoist and just before 2 block, there is 24' to the ground from the hook, with the hook all the way down it is about 6" above the ground, this is with a empty drum (no wraps on drum), and a 3 part line.

2--31' of cable on boom from boom tip center line to the drum center line (fully extended).

3--18" from block center line to boom center line at 2 block again 3 part

4--16'3" of cable on top of boom with crane closed up for travel, plus a FULL drum, (from drum center line to boom tip center line).

5--a bit more cable length needs to be added for the sheave circumference, (do not know the standard add on for these small sheaves, most cranes have a 2' (BIG cranes even more) add on for each cable going over a sheave)

6--m819 drum-approx.11"x17", m62 drum-approx. 10"x17"

Hope somebody out there in SS land finds this interesting.

 

[zebedee]

Well I went and taped the 819 cable, man do I like running this truck,
....6--m819 drum-approx.11"x17", m62 drum-approx. 10"x17"

Hope somebody out there in SS land finds this interesting.

Going by the drum dimentions alone, assuming 1/2" cable... M62 has drum capacity of 89' and your 819 has 98' - not enough of a difference in my mind considering the added height of the manual stick.....

 

[73m819]

All I can say is the above is what I taped today. ????

 

[zebedee]

I know. Quite the mystery...

Something like this?
Your #'s 1 & 2

 

[Csm Davis]

I think the total length on 819 was 115' and 816 was 98' but just my memory.

 

[73m819]

I know. Quite the mystery...

Something like this?
View attachment 467166Your #'s 1 & 2

Would be #'s1,2,&3

 

[Mullaney]

As to a break in the cable put your land anchors on top of your boom and they will be out of your way and protect the operators. And I have seen lots of M936 wreckers and none have had hydraulic outriggers, but that would be great mod.

Would you mind snapping a picture of the top of your M936 boom? How specifically the Land Anchors are affixed to it is my interest. I have seen a LOT of the spades up on top - but no decent pictures of the brackets. I am getting PD tired of climbing over mine - and all I am doing is replacing hydraulic hoses. I can't imagine how much more irritating they would be laying in the bed if I was actually USING the wrecker as a wrecker...

Sad part is the boom doesn't come down over the side of the truck where I could reach the spades if I needed them. Off the truck, no big deal. Back on the truck is gonna suck. And hoisting them up on top of the boom - with no "Soldier B" just may not happen at all.

Maybe I need TWO wreckers. The second one could stack the stuff up on top of the boom

 

[simp5782]

Would you mind snapping a picture of the top of your M936 boom? How specifically the Land Anchors are affixed to it is my interest. I have seen a LOT of the spades up on top - but no decent pictures of the brackets. I am getting PD tired of climbing over mine - and all I am doing is replacing hydraulic hoses. I can't imagine how much more irritating they would be laying in the bed if I was actually USING the wrecker as a wrecker...

Sad part is the boom doesn't come down over the side of the truck where I could reach the spades if I needed them. Off the truck, no big deal. Back on the truck is gonna suck. And hoisting them up on top of the boom - with no "Soldier B" just may not happen at all.

Maybe I need TWO wreckers. The second one could stack the stuff up on top of the boom

Spades only weigh about 8 or 12lbs so throw em off. They are secured by 2 pieces of steel with a top pin and a pin for the other end

I secured mine under my bumper

 

[Mullaney]

Spades only weigh about 8 or 12lbs so throw em off. They are secured by 2 pieces of steel with a top pin and a pin for the other end

I secured mine under my bumper

That "under the bumper" mounting is a really SLICK idea!

Funny how it works... I had no idea about weight. They looked big and heavy, so I just kept walking around and stepping over them. Over-thinking it I guess. I presumed ground anchors were made out of the same heavy pipe as the boom supports.

Tomorrow morning I will sling them off the side and start smiling big time!

 

[zebedee]

Thanks for refreshing this thread - had forgot all about it. Just reread from the start. Damn I miss the banter with Ron, he was such a wealth of information and knowledge. Weldersam also has left the fold.

 

[nf6x]

Thanks for bumping this thread and posting pictures, y'all. I've also always wondered how the boom-top mounts were made. Was there ever any MWO, PS Mag article, etc. about boom-top mounting? Or was it just tribal knowledge? I also like that under-bumper mounting idea.

 

[Mullaney]

Thanks for refreshing this thread - had forgot all about it. Just reread from the start. Damn I miss the banter with Ron, he was such a wealth of information and knowledge. Weldersam also has left the fold.

I was pretty excited when I discovered it. It was an old thread, but I got plenty of good from it! There definitely are an awful lot of helpful people here...

 

[Csm Davis]

Best mounting points I have ever seen were along the outside of the frame, under the bed from the rear, with a hole drilled in the foot of the spade and a wing nut used to hold it to the body of the truck.

 

[Mullaney]

Thanks @Csm Davis ! I had tossed the spades overboard yesterday upon recommendation of @simp5782 . They were a LOT lighter than I expected.

I walked out back and gave your idea the evil eye... Seems like a heck of a plan! The only thing that I see as a possible "aww crap" are the wires to the tail light fixtures hanging down in that space. Don't imagine that is right and closer inspection makes it look like I can tuck those wires up and out of the way. The front of the spades will be above the axle springs - but it appears there will be plenty of clearance. Definitely good to get them down at ground level and out of the wrecker bed!

I do need a set of pins if you happen to have them. I imagine they would really nice to simplify extracting the spades from the ground after use. Maybe I can picture it up in the next few days...

 

[Mullaney]

Thanks for bumping this thread and posting pictures, y'all. I've also always wondered how the boom-top mounts were made. Was there ever any MWO, PS Mag article, etc. about boom-top mounting? Or was it just tribal knowledge? I also like that under-bumper mounting idea.

I can't swear to it, but these wreckers seem to be the exception in the military fleet. I feel sure there is some sort of inspection that gets done - but most of these trucks seem to have been lightly customized to the (by the?) crew that operated it.

I haven't seen any with a 5 Disk CD changer built into the dash, but lots of convenience things in the pictures I have found. On my truck, somebody decided that a small piece of flat metal welded across the opening out the back (picture below) would make "pack it up and go" faster and easier. With that in place, nothing could slide out the back of the truck. It isn't even an eighth of an inch thick - but the spades and snatch blocks could be thrown onto the deck without strapping them down.

I feel sure it all had a place for inspection - but operationally they could get more done with less effort with a $20 fix. Or so it seems anyhow.

 

[zebedee]

Ground spades slid in from the rear, down the sides of the frame rails ........ a la WWII M1A1 Ward La France heavy wrecker.

Body ends capped off for bed containment ...... a la '70's Australian M816 med wreckers.


Anyone who has studied, nay, just 'noticed' features of military wreckers over the years will have seen most modifications used at one time or another. Jeff, you will be able to verify whether "Hotel 8's" in the US army/USMC had/have enough free reign to mod as they saw fit. REME and RAEME 'wrecky mechs' pretty much do what they need to assist with improving their trucks so long as the mods don't take the truck out of operational service for too long.

NB. This is not a "do your homework" dig, just a pointer to historical info that can be expanded if your truck can be improved for you, without reinventing the wheel when you have an idea - it may have been done before and bugs worked out for you!

 

[Mullaney]

Ground spades slid in from the rear, down the sides of the frame rails ........ a la WWII M1A1 Ward La France heavy wrecker.

Body ends capped off for bed containment ...... a la '70's Australian M816 med wreckers.


Anyone who has studied, nay, just 'noticed' features of military wreckers over the years will have seen most modifications used at one time or another. Jeff, you will be able to verify whether "Hotel 8's" in the US army/USMC had/have enough free reign to mod as they saw fit. REME and RAEME 'wrecky mechs' pretty much do what they need to assist with improving their trucks so long as the mods don't take the truck out of operational service for too long.

NB. This is not a "do your homework" dig, just a pointer to historical info that can be expanded if your truck can be improved for you, without reinventing the wheel when you have an idea - it may have been done before and bugs worked out for you!

Thanks zebedee !

It is a nice "sanity check" to hear that somebody else has observed what I am seeing. It is definitely obvious to me that these trucks were different than the others.

I have done an amazing amount of digging. Trying to find pictures that aren't somebody selling a wrecker are a little more difficult to find. Back in the day there were a lot less SELL on the Web and an awful lot more information SHARED... Guess that is where SS comes in.

 

[J4Jenius]

M936 named FLUFFY. Please make any modifications your heart desires. I removed the spare tire to make room for a cab extension. I wanted more room for air ride seats. I would of made it a 4 door, but I wanted room for tool boxes.

 

[Mullaney]

M936 named FLUFFY. Please make any modifications your heart desires. I removed the spare tire to make room for a cab extension. I wanted more room for air ride seats. I would of made it a 4 door, but I wanted room for tool boxes.

Oh wow! I love the seats!! Air Ride is a MAJOR upgrade from the bench seat for Soldier 2 and the spring seat for the driver... Need more pictures too. It looks like some major adjustments have happened behind the cab. Like the name too... Fluffy. Ha!