XM791 Recoveries

[doghead]

OF, One bit of advise, if you will. When we use our tow bars, It is best to keep all of the pin heads up(with the lynch pins closest to the ground). That gives you a slight safety factor if you have a lynch pin failure. In your pictures I see you have the lynch pins on top, if you had a lynch pin failure, your pin will simply fall out(as opposed to keeping the head of the pin on top so that the pin will not just fall out if there was a lynch pin failure).

We have seen lynch pins fail/come off. In one of your pictures (post#18, pic 5) I see the safety chain touching the lynch pin(on top). That could be all it takes to pop the lynch pin over, releasing it.

You should have 5 pin heads up, when using your tow bar.


Nice looking trucks, hope you enjoy them.

 

[Danger Ranger]

It doesn't look like you guys are hurtin for a loader, forklift, or ripper tractor, 4855? pretty nice

As to the MVs, nicely done, amazing that there were so few, good luck!

 

[camp9]

I've seen some laugh on this site about how someone buys a big hunk of scrap, but I think you got such a cool project. Enjoy, and thanks much for all the pics and story, I love it when there is a recovery story like this to read.

Camp

 

[jollyroger]

Good advice DH on the towbar. We are rookies with respect to tow bar etiquite. WillCo. In fact I will flip the pins before we take the tow bar off. It came that way from GL. Not a good excuse in not paying attention to it. Thank You.

From all the research I have done I can't find where the M-4 Expansible van bodies were made of aluminum. It would make sense that they would be seeing as though the rest of the truck had major "lightweight" components made for it. All the nomenclature I can find says a "modified M-4 van body". But who knows what the modifications to the van body were unless they were working with the trucks. And we are trying to find the historic track of the trucks.......Just in case we can find where the bodies were removed. It's a long shot but you never know.

http://pershingmissile.org/PershingDocuments/manuals/OR13.149.pdf

At this point I think we want to get the 0001 truck running. Unfortunately the steering gear box was broken off by a ham handed forklift. It's aluminum. It looks like it had the winch from the git go and it's only showing 422 miles on the clock. The LDS-2 looks brand new, cause it is. We know we are missing a lot of pieces. But we may be able to get the truck running and driving without too much trouble. Looking good is a totally different story.

We totally saved these trucks from the scrap yard. We had two differnt guys come over and ask us what we were gonna do with them. When we told them the history of the trucks they looked at us in disbelief. Both of them said they were gonna take them directly to the scrap yard. We told both of those guys not to ever go directly to the scrap yard. At least get on SS and attempt to sell some parts or the whole rig. Cause you never know how rare or important these trucks are. At least do some research before you throw something away. I'm just sayin'.

 

[jollyroger]

It doesn't look like you guys are hurtin for a loader, forklift, or ripper tractor, 4855? pretty nice

As to the MVs, nicely done, amazing that there were so few, good luck!

4955. I love that tractor. All 40,000 + lbs worth. It's my big mean green machine. We have the old 2950, a 250 skid steer and the "antique" 620 grandad bought new in 57'. You can say I have a double strain of the green disease in my blood.

We will need all the luck we can get with these 791's. But we will .

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Good find. Nothing like two incomplete model kits to make a good one! You'll need a bit more JB weld now..

 

[jollyroger]

Good find. Nothing like two incomplete model kits to make a good one! You'll need a bit more JB weld now..

I don't think we have enough JB weld yet.....Maybe we need to buy stock in the company. I usually like to get more complete projects.

I was just looking at the trucks for the LDS motors originally. I knew the trucks were a bit on the rare side but did not think there was enough to put Humpty Dumpty back together. So I get a hot rod motor for my deuce and someone else get's the residue to make a good truck better. We all win right?

I looked at both of them at the sale and noticed they had an LDS-2 but didn't think much of it. Then we find out the -2 was specific to those trucks and had special stuff to run with the Allison 6 speed auto trans etc. So probably not the right hot rod motor for my deuce.

Now with the provenance of the trucks we can't take them apart.......And I get to learn more about these than I ever wanted to know.......But they are already growing on me.

 

[camp9]

Looking at your pics I see you don't have a US DOT# on your truck that I can see. There really raking us over the coals over our way for duely trucks with duely tandem trailers with no #. If you don't I'm glad to see their leaving some folks alone.

Camp

 

[fuzzytoaster]

I looked at both of them at the sale and noticed they had an LDS-2 but didn't think much of it. Then we find out the -2 was specific to those trucks and had special stuff to run with the Allison 6 speed auto trans etc. So probably not the right hot rod motor for my deuce.

Wait wait wait.. LDS with an Allison? Could it be dropped in an A3? This peeked my curiosity.

 

[Oldfart]

Wait wait wait.. LDS with an Allison? Could it be dropped in an A3? This peeked my curiosity.

Or could the Allison be dropped in an A2?

 

[Karl kostman]

Thanks for the pics guys and I will say again absolutley GREAT SAVE this is a piece of history that is going to live on thanks to you! Trememdous history on this trucks please keep the pics and info coming you have a tremendous project in front of you and I am sure these will be works of art when your done!
Thanks again
KK

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Or could the Allison be dropped in an A2?

There's plenty of threads on that already. My memory is a bit fuzzy, pardon the pun, but it has something to do with the size being slightly off (placement of tranny on frame), LDT having less HP than the CAT, and mismatching flywheel assembly. I could be wrong about the last part but i remember the first two.

 

[doghead]

And the alternator issues too...

 

[jollyroger]

If I understand correctly the Allison tranny in an A3 is the AT 1545 P which is a four speed automatic non overdrive. The transmission in these XM791's is an Allison 200 six speed. I don't think they are the same dimensionally but anything can be made to fit.

More importantly I don't know the difference in length between the two transmissons. So I don't know if you would have to relocate the transfer case in an A2 deuce or not. And I don't know why you would want to multifuel an A3 even if it was with an LDS. I mean 2800 rated RPM with the LDS motor in an A3 might get you a few MPH but at what cost. The AT 1545 P is still 1:1 in the high hole. you would be better off going to a 395 tire rather than the LDS motor in the A3 IMO if speed is what you are looking for.

Otherwise the LDS-2 motor is pretty rare. I would hesitate to put it in anything other than the trucks they came in.

 

[jollyroger]

Looking at your pics I see you don't have a US DOT# on your truck that I can see. There really raking us over the coals over our way for duely trucks with duely tandem trailers with no #. If you don't I'm glad to see their leaving some folks alone.

Camp

So far as a farmer we don't have to go with USDOT or FEDWAH #'s on our farm trucks yet because we are not for hire. I say yet. And we still have grey areas on what total GCVW we can haul as farm. But you all know how that goes........And all of these trucks are farm trucks don't ya know. The State Patrol and CDOT get uppity about tandem dual trailers and pickups every now and again.

I got a ticket once, I say once in Denver proper for not having a CDL with the trailer and crew cab and improper load strapping....... The super nice LEO that pulled me over in a construction zone durring rush hour and read me the riot act about not pulling over onto an on ramp that was filled to capacity with cars just didn't want to listen to me about being a farmer and having FARM license plates on the truck. The ticket got thrown out all except the load strapping part. Had to get me for something.

 

[wilber]

Those are sweet looking trucks. I wonder how one would look with a modified cargo bed?

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Those are sweet looking trucks. I wonder how one would look with a modified cargo bed?

Answer: (IMHO)
Like someone bastardized a RARE piece of HISTORY that shoulda/coulda been RESTORED as one- or two-of-a-kind example(s) of an uncommon Historic Military Vehicle.

 

[Elwenil]

There is one person you may try to contact here on these. A fellow by the name of Tom (if I remember right) from Maryland had an M791 that I think he built from other trucks. He may have some insight on putting the expansible body on as I think he took one from another style truck but I may be off on that as it's been a long time since I communicated with him on it. I believe he is a member here and has some upgrade parts for sale for M35s. Someone will certainly know who I am talking about, maybe Bjorn will know. I remember his email was something like "TomFastestM35". Sorry Tom if you read this, my memory isn't what it used to be.

I do have a pic of his truck I saved:

 

[doghead]

There is one person you may try to contact here on these. A fellow by the name of Tom (if I remember right) from Maryland had an M791 that I think he built from other trucks. He may have some insight on putting the expansible body on as I think he took one from another style truck but I may be off on that as it's been a long time since I communicated with him on it. I believe he is a member here and has some upgrade parts for sale for M35s. Someone will certainly know who I am talking about, maybe Bjorn will know. I remember his email was something like "TomFastestM35". Sorry Tom if you read this, my memory isn't what it used to be.

I do have a pic of his truck I saved:

Sounds like your talking about m-35tom .

 

[Recovry4x4]

Sounds like your talking about m-35tom .

That is exactly who it is. Before the van body it had an M36 cargo body on it.