FLU419 SEE HMMH HME Owners group

[The FLU farm]

I recently added a mechanical thumb to the backhoe on the see and seem to have trouble getting the boom to over travel to the lock position. I would assume the additional 300+ lbs would assist once it is moving, but it just won't quite swing over.

Mark, I've been giving serious thought to adding a thumb recently, but the one I considered is about half the weight of yours.
If you don't mind, what make and model did you get? And maybe more importantly, what length is it?

 

[peakbagger]

With respect to stowing the boom, I have about a 50/50 success using the recommended overtravel approach. Sometimes I will get it first time usually after using it for several hours but rarely does it work if I am just showing it off. I have had some success latching the boom using the overtravel approach by doing it with the dipper rotated up. If you look at the physics, rotating the dipper arm up effectively changes the rotating inertia on the boom when it swings back. It works most of the time but seeing that boom swing back with the dipper arm up at high speed while sitting in the seat takes some getting used to.

I expect my optional ripper bucket weighs more than the stock bucket and it still has the problem latching. Going back to the physics, adding weight to the bucket is not really as helpful as adding weight to the top of the boom. The reason is you want the distance from the pivot point to the additional weight as far as possible. The bucket is quite close to the pivot pin while the top of the boom is quite far. What gets the boom to overtravel is rotational inertia and that is controlled by the speed of the arm, how much weight is being rotated and the distance from the pivot point to the center of gravity of the weight. The distance is important and the rotational inertia increases by the square of the distance of the center of the weight.

As we all have learned, getting the bucket to latch requires full throttle, I think that's the standard rookie mistake to try to do it slowly. I have read of many SEEs where the throttle linkage is misadjusted and the remote throttle air cylinder is not fully speeding up the throttle so some folks don't realize that the boom isn't traveling fast enough. Hydraulic fluid (or motor oil) is thick when cold and the hydraulics travel slower when the fluid is cold so that another factor especially for folks in colder climates. This supports my observation that when I am using the backhoe and the oils heats up until the fans are running that I have a better chance of succeeding.

It would be interesting as an experiment to add a weight to the top of the boom and see if it changes things. In the meantime If mine doesn't latch, I use the stabilizer.

 

[The FLU farm]

Okay, this is odd, peakbagger. Doing it "by the book" the first time, and before having learned that the backhoe works just fine at much lower rpms, I thought it was scary as all **** to have that mass of steel heading right for me.
Logic told me that the components are made to take it, but that same logic (and experience) also tells me that machines last longer if treated gently. Since my operator skills can't keep up with the hoe at 1,800 rpm, I started running at 1,100 to maybe 1,300 rpm.
So far, the only thing I've found that doesn't want to work well at low rpm is raising the backhoe into travel position. Of course, by then I have then engine and hydraulics in "cool down mode", at 800 rpm. That's also about the only time I use the switch, to momentarily raise the rpm until the hoe has tilted forward about 15 degrees. From then on it works at 800 again.
Not saying that running low rpms is any better for the system, but being a low rpm/low noise person I nearly always use less rpm than most, in drill presses to race engines.

Anyway, it seems odd that your SEE won't latch reliably at high rpm while mine does - except for when I'm overly cautious with the speed. Yes, temperature is definitely a factor, but we're not exactly comparing the Antarctic and Sahara here.
Either way, I would've probably never thought to try the (correct) over-center approach, had I not read about it before getting the SEE.

 

[Mark1954]

Mark, I've been giving serious thought to adding a thumb recently, but the one I considered is about half the weight of yours.
If you don't mind, what make and model did you get? And maybe more importantly, what length is it?

I bought it at an auction, here is the installed picture, it was actually for another model backhoe, but the price was worth the risk we would have to modify it.
I didn't, as the booms are all similar, just had to grind down welds on boom first.
Picture should give idea as to size. Really helps when pulling stumps or moving large rocks or loads of branches.
In the lowest position, it still folds the dipper to within 1/2" of that elegant protector web on the bottom of the main boom. I thought it might have to be removed or trimmed, but everything worked fine. Just need to figure stowing speed again.

I plum forgot about using the stabilizer leg to ease it into place. May try that if momentum doesn't work. I had RPMs up, but just wasn't 'feeling' the timing I guess. The old gal just doesn't feel as road-worthy with the boom up.

 

[BigBison]

Forget about LiFePO4 batteries, unless you're doing home solar or some other stationary application with a predictable temperature range. If you insist, forget everything you know about lead-acid batteries, and go with LiFeYPO4 or LiFeMgPO4 chemistries, which are much better for vehicle applications; the former in cold climates, the latter in hot climates. The battery chemistry is the same, the Yttrium or Magnesium are used on the cathodes (which don't "replace" Iron as I've seen claimed, still says "Fe" right there in the formula).

The most popular myth about these new lithium batteries, is they can't be charged below freezing, which gets repeated ad nauseum on the cyber. Actually, it's a matter of reducing the charge rate (i.e. current) as the temperature drops below the max-charge-current threshold, which is indeed 32*F for LiFePO4 (LFP), but is -4*F for LiFeYPO4 (LYP) formulation.

The next-most popular myth is they rapidly degrade at temps above 90*F. Well, yeah, this is true of all fully-charged batteries, but we're not talking lead-acid here which will degrade even more if not kept fully tip-top charged -- L*P batteries will be fine, provided you don't top 'em off when it's hot. This is why LiFeMgPO4 (LMG) is increasingly popular for marine applications, you can (allegedly) fully charge them even if they're located in a hot engine room.

(Segways and other electric vehicles use LMG, Tesla I believe uses LFP, but Tesla uses liquid thermal control; some RVers are heat-sinking their LFPs to the freshwater tanks. Also, storing LFP batteries fully charged cuts their shelf-life in half, stored at 50% they'll still be good after a decade.)

Which brings us to inverter-chargers... my new high-end unit has all the bells & whistles for lead-acid, including a battery temperature sensor, but it does not have a voltage sensor. While it has a low-voltage disconnect (I installed three other LVDs on my crane-service body yesterday), it (and my service body) has no high-voltage disconnect. Chargers designed for lead-acid want to "float charge" constantly, lithium chargers shut off when finished.

Just like an alternator, unless you modify/replace the voltage regulator. I'm still pushing forward with my feasibility study for the FLUs, which don't really get much benefit from LFP, except I want to plug 'em in to the motor home to use as house batteries charged from the solar panels. In addition to the jumper cable, temperature/voltage sensors need to be hooked up, which adds complexity which may kill this project for a few years until (hopefully) these lithium batteries cost less.

My real reason for pushing forward with L*P is my upcoming Scirocco "Voltswagen" conversion. It is not a myth that LFP batteries have twice the usable amp-hours at 20% of the weight of lead-acid batteries. This is so full of win for an electric vehicle conversion! Stuffing it full of golf-cart batteries and an AC motor would make my '77 Scirocco weigh as much as a truck, requiring major suspension & brake improvements.

What's difficult is doing a cost-benefit analysis. Like I said before, these LFP batteries are starting to get cost-competitive with AGM, but it's an apples-and-oranges comparison as lead-acid doesn't cost $300 to modify the alternator and another $300 for LVD/HVD protection, these being the inexpensive DIY route vs. purchasing a full-blown Battery Management System. Failure cost also needs factoring in -- any little thing goes wrong (especially a full discharge), LFP batteries go *poof* instead of degrading.

 

[Another Ahab]

What's difficult is doing a cost-benefit analysis. Like I said before, these LFP batteries are starting to get cost-competitive with AGM, but it's an apples-and-oranges comparison as lead-acid doesn't cost $300 to modify the alternator and another $300 for LVD/HVD protection, these being the inexpensive DIY route vs. purchasing a full-blown Battery Management System. Failure cost also needs factoring in -- any little thing goes wrong (especially a full discharge), LFP batteries go *poof* instead of degrading.

Great info here, BigBison, thanks for the summary.

Ummm, about that full discharge...what's it like to be standing next to a battery that goes *poof"; does it maybe make you blink a little bit?!

 

[The FLU farm]

I bought it at an auction, here is the installed picture, it was actually for another model backhoe, but the price was worth the risk we would have to modify it.
View attachment 660641
Picture should give idea as to size. Really helps when pulling stumps or moving large rocks or loads of branches.

Wow, Mark, that's a manly thumb. If/when I get a cheapy version, being smaller and thinner it should fit fine. Thanks for the info.

 

[The FLU farm]

Ummm, about that full discharge...what's it like to be standing next to a battery that goes *poof"; does it maybe make you blink a little bit?!

Probably a bit like welding on a gas tank. Except then you know it'll go "poof" at some point.

 

[BigBison]

Nope, these don't go *bang* or cause airplanes to crash. Boeing grounded the Dreamliner a few years back due to battery issues, but those were formerly-state-of-the-art Lithium Cobalt formulation. LFPs "poof" out their containers when overcharged, they don't explode and/or boil. This inherent safety, and narrow operating range temperature-wise, has led most RVers, boaters, and shops to install LFP house batteries in the living space -- although done wrong, they will smoulder & smoke, but that's the packaging not the battery chemicals. I'm sure the Dreamliner, released in 2008, would've been designed around LFP had the technology existed anywhere outside a lab earlier this century, or Hydrogen fuel-cells ever lived up to their hype, because smoke's better than fire on a boat, in a plane, or out in rough, arid backcountry with a motorhome & Unimog harvesting firewood!

http://constructionmanuals.tpub.com/14273/css/Alternator-Operation-49.htm
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/lifepo4_on_boats

Further reading, is the next few pages from the link in that chapter on alternator operation. The other link's spot-on about why it's snake oil when charger manufacturers add an "LFP" program to their existing gear, meaning it'll still float etc. as if your battery *is* lead-acid. What's needed for LFP is a charger capable of high-amp flood charging until done, or low-amp trickle charging until done if it's cold outside, where "done" is actually a full charge in winter compared to say 85% around here at the peak of summer. Not variable voltage settings, only one charging voltage is required for LFP.

Another fact about LFP, is their output doesn't drop off in the cold, like lead-acid. Just their recharge rate. I've got all those various heaters on my HMMH, but no electric battery-warming blanket. Having batteries that don't care if it's 40 below, is the last piece of that puzzle.

 

[Another Ahab]

Ohh, so it really IS a *poof*! That's nice feature, because nobody likes getting hurt.

I thought maybe you were making a funny (like the *poof* really being a "ka-BOOOM").

 

[BigBison]

I studied Chemistry in college, a science which hasn't really undergone much change since then. New battery chemistries are applied science, I fancy myself someone capable of applying science. Basic electronics hasn't changed either. But, taking a look at how my motorhome's whole wiring concept is obsolete (as opposed to just having rotten wires) after 40 years has been educational...

https://www.bluesea.com/resources/101

Once it quits snowing long enough to put down the shovel, I can get back to re-wiring the service body and install the inverter/charger. Cross-connecting the AC and DC grounding is something I was taught not to do back in my machine-shop / circuit-board-stuffing / cable-making days. Which was actually before inverter/chargers came along! The GMC motorhome has a converter/charger setup.

https://www.bluesea.com/resources/577

Cross-connecting AC and DC grounding and other changes have come about through practice, not theory. That's interesting how marina drownings have been traced to as little as 5mA of stray current passing through a swimmer, causing muscle paralysis. Seeing as how I don't own a boat, I don't need to worry about having galvanic isolators + isolation transformer on my AC/DC truck.

https://www.bluesea.com/resources/547

There's another new trick from the marine world. Putting a small, glass-cylinder fuse on the ground lead from a relay, isn't something that ever would've occurred to me. But it's why the latest circuit-breaker and fuse panels in the marine marketplace, have one fuse/breaker not connected to the panel's positive bus. You can still use it as positive, you'll just need a little jumper lead.

My service-body project is simple enough to deal with this problem by paying stricter attention to wire ampacity. I have 16-gauge wire on the relay I'm using to prevent the off-road lights and such being turned on without the parking lights. But if 60A of current back-feeds through a short in the large relay, it'll melt the 16-gauge wire before the fuse blows. Solution? Several inches of 10-gauge wire even if it looks wrong. Yeah, that'll toast a $12 relay, but I'll take that over a vehicle fire any day!

Next time the sun's out I'll take some fresh pics to post. One will be under the hood of the GMC (the motor's under the floor, not the hood), where you can see the big ol' corroded relays, and some wire-arounds to new relays (all of which will be coming out, of course), near a totally fried length of wire with surrounding scorch marks. After looking into this "negative fusing" business and reading that last link, it's now obvious to me that the GMC almost burned down to the chassis & rims at some point in its life when exactly this problem must have occurred.

If I'd figured that out myself due to being somewhat capable and having the knowledge in my head, I'd have called it an epiphany. Instead, it was a revelation to read how this turned out to be the cause of multiple boat fires. Those need investigating, whereas so many things can torch a motorhome there's not even any requirements to prevent any of it. I want my wiring jobs to last the rest of my life, but it would be arrogant to assume they'd last forever, because mankind's practical application of science keeps motoring forwards.

I just hope that, where my own work's concerned, it goes obsolete before it rots away or torches a FLU. I'll tackle my FLU wiring after the pickup & motorhome.

 

[BigBison]

Which I'll need to do. The wipers work on my SEE, but not the washers or defrosters, or the cab heater for that matter. All fuses good. I will likely replace the electric cab heat, with diesel cab heat. Ideally, the hydronic heater goes in the cab so its waste heat doesn't, well, go to waste. The only place I see to do that on the SEE, is behind the passenger seat. But, if I ever want suspension lockout like the HMMH (or otherwise), there's not much room to install anything in the cab other than behind the passenger seat so I have to be sure before I begin.

I don't have any signs of rat infestation on either FLU (although the SEE has umpteen wasp-nests, literally everywhere I poke around, glad last winter up here killed 'em off). But that hardly means the 30-year-old wiring is in much better condition than the even-older GMC! Want pristine wiring that old, look at my '76 BMW R90/S and the craftsmanship that went into that little bit of wiring, if only the clock still worked or I could find a NOS replacement from a long-gone manufacturer!

I'm pretty sure the last owner of my SEE re-did some wiring on it, because I have lots of oddball white wiring, where other owners report all black, and my HMMH is all black. Those old relays and fuseblocks under an ill-fitting hood, are as suspect as the wiring, now. All needs re-doing on the SEE within a year or two, hopefully the HMMH can go without for a bit longer, I need my FLUs to build my place so I can repair my FLUs...

I think it's awesome that all the old, disconnected & burned-out wiring on my GMC got left in place, instead of removed & thrown away. Not only do I have a strong hunch what happened, but I also have a visual reference of what GMC was thinking, which doesn't come through so well on just diagrams. Not that I recommend leaving burned-out wiring intact to confuse the next person working on it, but there really is a lot of room under the hood of the motorhome to leave it there for reference, that in this particular case I'm OK with it as it's helped me learn something new about DC wiring at age 47, just when I thought I had that licked!

 

[Another Ahab]

If I'd figured that out myself due to being somewhat capable and having the knowledge in my head, I'd have called it an epiphany. Instead, it was a revelation to read how this turned out to be the cause of multiple boat fires. Those need investigating, whereas so many things can torch a motorhome there's not even any requirements to prevent any of it. I want my wiring jobs to last the rest of my life, but it would be arrogant to assume they'd last forever, because mankind's practical application of science keeps motoring forwards.

A childhood buddy of mine, who is now an estate lawyer, told me once in idle conversation that legally "forever" is approximately 20 years (it has a lot to do with Final-Will-and-Testaments, in connection with precedent).

Apparently, through practice of the Law, attorneys have figured out what science might never ultimately nail down.

 

[BigBison]

Oh, I fixed that hissing air-leak noise on my SEE earlier today. Just a sticky bleed valve on that larger air reservoir. The bleed valve on the smaller one has rotten away, so the SEE won't build over 60psi of air pressure (according to the dash gauge) even if it isn't hissing. I'm taking a wild guess here, but I believe the smaller air reservoir is just for the hand splitter. Because I have brakes, and after refurbishing the leaky valve, I can now operate 4WD/diff-locks, which I couldn't do yesterday.

Driving the SEE around town & country earlier in about 4"-6" of snow with those crappy "X" radials, it's really easy to spin any of the four wheels with just 4WD engaged. Today's been a real diff-lock day! Plowing won't happen until first thing in the morning, so my neighbors were pretty happy I was helping to pack down the road for their cars/sport-utes/whatever anything is anymore. I'm waiting for a deep-snow event to get a really good feel for how crappy the stock tires are on the SEE.

For making a 2.5-mile round-trip into town for cigarettes, booze, and food... Ideally I get my daily driver back from the body shop soon (not upset, I get two photo-updates per week of the WIP, wish his paint booth was heated though because we're mostly sitting around watching paint dry), but if it a) had batteries b) ran well, I'd so much rather trundle about in the HMMH in terms of driving a truck. There's such a difference in turning radius on two identical trucks, because one has folded-up forklift hooks and the other has this huge front-loader bucket assembly.

The pedal placement is also different. I'm really wedging my right foot down between the brake and the throttle, to the point that wearing pac-boots this time of year, it's hard to release the throttle and go to the brake, because I've never been a left-foot braker as I've almost exclusively driven manual trannys in life. Also, whatever's wrong with the SEE's high-idle switch for the backhoe isn't related to the air, it's a physical thing. I'm actuating the throttle with a combination of my right foot and right hand -- the hand throttle will stick at wherever you push the foot-throttle.

It looks to me like the vinyl applique on the doghouse cover peeled back enough to impede the hand-throttle lever. The response was bending the hand throttle, now it sticks, so decelerating requires full mental engagement given the low air pressure (60psi max on the SEE, whereas the HMMH hits 120psi). I'm not sure the brake pedal on my SEE is the brake pedal on my HMMH, even without having to work my right foot around the hand throttle, which on the SEE misses that stepped stop-block to the left. My HMMH, the first step is idle, the second step shuts 'er down, all guesswork on the SEE particularly as the hand & foot throttle are stuck together. Almost undriveable.

 

[BigBison]

Apparently, through practice of the Law, attorneys have figured out what science might never ultimately nail down.

Meh. I think they've figured out how to hold folks liable for not being Einstein, is all. Even he was wrong about something once in a while, just took a century to figure out what precisely!

Easy enough to convince a jury that a smart person's somehow negligent for not being God. Like, nobody was wrong about Asbestos until it was learned how bad that stuff is (yet we still use it for brake pads, if not building insulation anymore). What's indefensible is, after learning this sort of thing, a person/company does NOT do anything about it other than hiring pricey lawyers to cover their... erm... forum rules... BUTTS. I'll resort to attorneys myself if push comes to shove, but I don't need to call mine when threatened with libel for posting a negative review online, even though I will cut "experts" a whole lot of slack for only knowing what they've been taught, not what's come about since then.

Kinda why I like my oddball vehicles, they lead to oddball owner's groups where everyone's working together to the same ends, based on the Karma principle. You help me & I'll help you, even if sometimes neither one of us learns anything unless what we first try, fails utterly. The ultimate way of blocking progress, is suing people for being wrong, because failure is the most potent motivator of learning. Failure due to negligence, is actionable in my book, not failure due to being even dumber than Einstein!

I still need to set up my sig here, with FLU Farm's quote of hey, you go ahead and try it, if it works I'll copy you!

 

[BigBison]

FLU gearing...

Without air to drive the hand splitter, I'm reduced to six forward gears on the SEE instead of sixteen. Theoretically, I should have eight forward gears working. Practically, the gap between 2 direct and 3 direct in high range, is simply too wide in 4"-6" of snow to keep from stalling without being able to split to 3-under. Trying to make that shift to 3 direct, if you don't have 3-under to shift through. Speaking from experience, it is possible to go from 2-direct to 3-direct on a cleared highway, but only if you redline in 2 direct before shifting to 3 or she'll bog. Fuhgeddabout 4-under & 4-direct, if you don't have 3-under you'll not be able to go any faster (not that FLU Farm cares about this, especially in powder-snow conditions ).

If the air to your hand splitter fails, your top speed falls from what, 55mph down to about 20mph? Simply impossible to get into the upper gears on a FLU without 3-under. Maybe in clear conditions yesterday, but not today with a bunch of fresh snow. Priority repair!!!

The red light on my dash for air pressure on the SEE, doesn't switch off. Not sure what PSI it requires, but thankful I disconnected that darn buzzer or it woulda been going off every time I've used the SEE the past few days. Anyone know the proper air pressure to get the dash light / warning buzzer to shut off? Alls I can say is it's somewhere between 60psi and 100psi.

 

[The FLU farm]

Driving the SEE around town & country earlier in about 4"-6" of snow with those crappy "X" radials, it's really easy to spin any of the four wheels with just 4WD engaged. Today's been a real diff-lock day! Plowing won't happen until first thing in the morning, so my neighbors were pretty happy I was helping to pack down the road for their cars/sport-utes/whatever anything is anymore. I'm waiting for a deep-snow event to get a really good feel for how crappy the stock tires are on the SEE.

Chains, Bison, chains. Last winter I used a pair of basic square link tire chains (a $60 yard sale find for 4-1/2 pairs) on the rear of the SEE, and they made a world of difference. Yes, I still managed to get stuck, but dug much deeper holes trying to get out of than would've been possible without them.
Those chains will go up front once I have figured out how to best cut down a set of really nice Pewag chains (choprboy has lots of them, and for cheap) to go on the rear.
The Pewag chains are industrial strength, but made for quite a bit larger tires than 12.5R20s, and being of a far more elaborate design it'll require a bit of careful measuring and thinking to cut them down correctly. From the looks of it, they'll end up going at least halfway down the sidewalls.

The air warning light should go out when needle is pointing straight up, or close to it. That's 60 psi, I think.

Is the heater electric?? Mine doesn't start working until the engine temp is up a bit so I took for granted that the heater was a basic coolant version. Also, I thought the knob was a valve to regulate the coolant flow. Not that I ever traced any hoses to find out, but I believe I've seen/read about them leaking...and it wasn't electrons dripping out.

 

[BigBison]

Chains, Bison, chains. Last winter I used a pair of basic square link tire chains (a $60 yard sale find for 4-1/2 pairs) on the rear of the SEE, and they made a world of difference. Yes, I still managed to get stuck, but dug much deeper holes trying to get out of than would've been possible without them.

Hasn't snowed deep enough for chains this winter, yet. Or if it has, the wind was howling that day, so down here where I live it just blows everything flat. Up at my property's another story with the drifts I'll have to deal with (thankfully & hopefully) myself next winter. The first thing a FLU owner needs to sort out is tires, before purchasing chains. If one wants to stick with the stock "X" radials, one will need "basket" type low-pressure-radial chains, or so I've been told. Old-school chains are perfect for those other tires I'd rather have on my FLUs, which is a sore subject at this point because honestly, those "X" radials need either soft dirt or a few inches of snow for my marshmallow FLUs to even track straight above 5mph, so I doubt chaining 'em would be any improvement! I was driving over on the shoulder of the road today, running my malamute alongside, widening out the track, and it's the happiest I've been with the "X" tires -- at the same time, that's prolly only 'cuz they're crap to begin with. I'll buy appropriate chains once I've bought tires, and make do as best I can this winter, in the meantime.

The air warning light should go out when needle is pointing straight up, or close to it. That's 60 psi, I think.

60 psi's 10 o'clock for me, 90's high noon where the HMMH quits whining in terms of buzzer & dash light, last I had hands on my SEE it hit 120psi as well. I figure if I could shut off the smaller air tank instead of it leaking so bad it doesn't even hiss, I'd have more braking power, which doesn't really matter if the top speed's 20mph for lack of air to run the tranny! My experience, FWIW, is it takes at least 60psi to engage 4WD/diff-lock. I've got that, and some brakes, just can't split gears at that low a PSI.

Is the heater electric?? Mine doesn't start working until the engine temp is up a bit so I took for granted that the heater was a basic coolant version. Also, I thought the knob was a valve to regulate the coolant flow. Not that I ever traced any hoses to find out, but I believe I've seen/read about them leaking...and it wasn't electrons dripping out.

All I know at this point, is my HMMH cab heater works, while my SEE's doesn't. I'm the kind of guy who drives around in a freezing-cold cab with my window down in winter, so I can shout instructions to the scout-malamute I've deployed. She gets a bit carried away running about the county on powder days. Regardless, that cab heater's a pathetic little thing which can't possibly keep up with my SEE's lack of a passenger-side vent-window latch, or damper for that footwell air inlet the snow drifts into, even if it was tip-top functional. Diesel cab heater? Wouldn't matter I drive with my window down until about 20 below.

I love that I can operate my FLUs with my thick winter gloves on!

 

[BigBison]

I'm just happy to have two FLUs to compare & contrast various systems, owning two oddball tractors is a luxury that's new to me in this life. Prolly need a third FLU for parts & experimentation at this point. It's so obvious without discovering no pressure in the smaller air tank, that the hand splitter on the SEE doesn't work, even without letting out the clutch and being hands-on disappointed vs. how my HMMH drives. Because there's no air hiss when actuating the hand splitter. Having one that works, so I know the other one doesn't, is seriously worth months of poring over the manuals. Which would be a different story if these weren't my first trucks with any, let alone many, critical air systems -- in which case I'd have the practical knowledge to understand right off, that theoretically, my SEE's brakes, 4WD, and tranny just aren't gonna work right with any sort of air leakage.

 

[BigBison]

Quonset hut construction continues, but let's face it, that's a cold, dark cave with a sketchy floor. So's the semi-derelict old garage I'm renting in town, I'll be using the SEE bucket to transport a pellet stove there from my shed here. Both FLUs will be getting entirely new air & fuel lines. Hydraulic lines actually can wait, prolly all that military paint mopped onto 'em, and we'll get to all the major/minor cylinder leaks come snowmelt.

Conceptually, those darn fuel lines are obsolete. They're all coming off both FLUs in favor of bog-standard, modern American stuff can be worked on at any truck stop without spending thousands of dollars for specialized tools & training to deal with 30-yr-old cutesy-tootsy proprietary Mercedes stuff. Hopefully the air lines are less of an issue? My two employees can handle that while I re-wire at least the battery primary cables.

I tend to get in over my head by continuing on and re-wiring the whole truck. In this case, just the primaries will suit me fine. Those milspec battery-post terminals are better used with the clamping bolt, rather than soldering in the cable. Both my FLUs, now that I've been hands-on with their batteries, have ultra-stiff and crackly short-cables between the batteries. Because those terminal clamps are simply too big to solder properly even with a propane torch -- even if you don't melt the insulation on that wire, you'll wick far too much solder up into the cable.

I couldn't close the battery box after swapping in the civvy batteries from my dead Dodge, not because that serial cable was the wrong length, but because it couldn't be flexed without breaking it. The solution was simple, several inches of 2AWG wire and a pair of temporary, clamp-type terminal clamps, for now. The batteries are in "T" formation, there's plenty of room in the box but the dimensions are all wrong regardless of how much wire you give yourself to work with between batteries. This is after removing the OEM battery tray & clamp, which need some cleaning up, rust removal, and re-painting before I put 6T batteries back in there, which could take a while...

The state of the primary battery wiring on both my FLUs is horrific due to improperly soldered cable termination. But that's a ridiculous soldering job to begin with! I solder my lugs onto my wire, then bolt 'em onto the milspec battery-terminal clamps, using silicone dielectric grease, and cover all that tin-plated copper up with rubber booties. Yeah, I shoulda taken pics of all the work I did on my dead Dodge before I scavenged its batteries for the SEE!

It isn't so much "there's a right way and a wrong way" to terminate battery cables, so much as I just can't fathom how the military decided soldering was preferable? I also don't know if these are original cables, or were part of the rebuilds at Red River? Either way, did they have proper equipment to heat up so much metal for soldering, or was it more they didn't have rosin-core flux available so they used acid-based flux meant for solid copper plumbing not stranded cable, and the stiff/brittle quality is more from corrosion over time than improper soldering leading to wicking?

If the vehicle is meant to be serviced in remote combat zones, let alone dropped out the back of a C-130, then it's even more unfathomable that the cable terminations are soldered into the clamps. If you terminate your cables with compression lugs, you can melt heavy-duty, adhesive-lined shrink tubing around it. Which you can't do if you solder cable directly into the terminal clamps! So that'll always be where your wire starts to corrode. Especially after 30 years, hard to say if all my FLU battery wires are this bad after 10 if they were rebuilt? Either way, maybe not wrong per se, but totally wrong for my FLUs.

So, my first priority on both my FLUs, is a three-way tie between fuel lines, air lines, and battery cables. All just horrific on both Mogs.