Emergency rescue operations M929a2 prep

[mstepchinski]

Hello,
i just bought a 929a2 for high water rescue operations and would like to know what I need to do to enable it to go through high floodwaters (4+ft.). I've heard of fording kits, but is there a checklist somewhere that I can go down that detail all modifications I need to do to make sure water does not get into places it should not? I need to make this one ready for the rapidly approaching hurricane season. I'm hopeful I made the right choice in purchasing a 929 as I read max water depth is 30 inches. That's not going to cut it in these Texas floods the way they've been the past few years.

 

[Two Stroke Madness]

Ummm.... about two foot of lift, and bigger tires?

 

[mstepchinski]

Ummm.... about two foot of lift, and bigger tires?

So this truck is not capable of 4-6 foot water rescues? I'm on an emergency call detail (voluntary) and travel around Central and Gulf areas during high water events.

Nothing I can do to this truck to get through water up to the doors with the exception of a lift and bigger tires?

 

[Two Stroke Madness]

Not impossible by any means, but if this is going to be a dedicated high water rescue vehicle then I would suggest going for more of a custom built unit. I recently saw some videos on YouTube of big mud trucks rescuing some military trucks from the flood waters.... I doubt you want to be the one being rescued.

 

[mstepchinski]

4 plus feet would be an extreme situation and not the norm. However, I'd like to be able to get to a family in high water if needed. What does a fording kit include and what are the limitations? If I can't get into 4 feet of water occasionally, I've bought the wrong truck.

 

[Two Stroke Madness]

The 5-ton trucks I've seen with the fording kits all had air lines in place of the vent valves on the axles, transmission, and transfer case. I can't remember if it was taking pressure from the crankcase, or the air system, but it was putting positive air pressure in the drive train to help keep the water out. And you want to make sure the seals on the intake system are all air tight. 1600r20 tires would be preferred too.

 

[mstepchinski]

The 5-ton trucks I've seen with the fording kits all had air lines in place of the vent valves on the axles, transmission, and transfer case. I can't remember if it was taking pressure from the crankcase, or the air system, but it was putting positive air pressure in the drive train to help keep the water out. And you want to make sure the seals on the intake system are all air tight. 1600r20 tires would be preferred too.

Thank you. I will start looking into the fording kit components. I'm surprised they didn't include fording kits as standard equipment on these.

 

[Two Stroke Madness]

Oh and you're also going to need to make sure your front axle boots are the solid ones and not the zipper type. After you come out of the water you need to drain out any residual water that may have made it into the drive train, and also clean and repack all the wheel bearings.

 

[mstepchinski]

Oh and you're also going to need to make sure your front axle boots are the solid ones and not the zipper type. After you come out of the water you need to drain out any residual water that may have made it into the drive train, and also clean and repack all the wheel bearings.

Appreciate the additional info.

 

[NDT]

You did not make the right choice. If you want to help in the hurricane affected zone along the coast, you need a flat bottom boat. During Harvey, every rescue we did, our high water military trucks could not get to the houses, but boats could. The trucks ended up being ineffective transfer vehicles from dry land to shelters.

 

[swbradley1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnT7thvsPM4


Choose wisely

 

[Ajax MD]

Let's be realistic here. At some point, you need a boat. In that video, the water was literally over the driver's faces. When the vehicles finally stalled, there was enough current that the last vehicle was drifting, being pushed to the right, after it stopped.

In moving floodwaters, even a 5-ton will be pushed like a toy if it is submerged deep enough. 2018 saw record-breaking rains for Maryland and Virginia and all of our first responders (Fire, EMS, etc) kept telling everyone that floodwaters will sweep away even the heaviest rescue vehicles, so all the guys who think that their lifted F-SuperDuty can blithely drive though, are just putting first responders needlessly at risk.

During the kind of flooding that the OP is discussing, the realistic plan is to react early, use the trucks while you can, then switch over to boats when the waters rise past a certain depth or are moving faster than a certain pace that puts the trucks at risk. Is it realistic or even necessary to modify trucks to stand 20 feet tall with a 15 foot fording capability? Sounds more like "fun engineering" rather than a serious attempt at developing a high water rescue strategy.

 

[SCSG-G4]

In Sarge's Katrina Story, he drive a Deuce through water so high that was coming in the cab through the holes in the floor. So it CAN be done, however the wisdom of knowing WHEN to do something like that is in great demand. USMC and Seabee's generally have vehicles that can go through surf up to four feet and keep trucking. Look at their modifications to get ideas. But if the water is moving, as it would be in tidal areas or most inland flooding, don't go above the axles. Then there is the high possibility (probability) that the road you think is solid has actually washed away and you will go from three feet deep to 12 feet deep in a matter of inches. Boats, if it's deep enough for them to float, usually don't care how much deeper it is.

 

[mstepchinski]

I saw many deuces and such going through high water. Maybe they were destroying their vehicles without knowing. Guess I will ha e to buy a flat bottom boat to go in the back of the 5 ton. 30 inches is the limit on these?

Yes, the gulf coast areas are what I travel to in addition to central Texas floods.

Thank you for your reply.

 

[Ajax MD]

They weren't "destroying" them as long as they operated the trucks in accordance with the established procedures in the manuals and performed the required PMCS after driving in high water.
There's no "free lunch."

Rigging a bracket for a flat bottom boat to carry along isn't a bad idea at all.

 

[simp5782]

It all depends on what you are comfortable going thru and putting your truck in... I wouldn't put my truck in anything above the drivers step. Mostly because someone isn't going to replace what i have into it. Which is a lot more than just a standard cargo truck has into it.

If you want to be like those one idiots with water coming thru the windshield then go for it. Just make sure to post the video of what happens when the water moccasin comes in thru the windshield as well. That 923 they were in was basically useless afterwards regardless of the maintenance they did to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzsJZQi1FnI

 

[Ajax MD]

Stunning.
If nearby lives were at risk and seconds counted, I might sacrifice the truck for that. If folks were sitting on their rooftop and I had time to call in a boat? No way. Do it for fun? Not a chance.

 

[eaw46]

You need one of these they are available in the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoxlYrSO4m4

 

[mstepchinski]

That's fair advice. I will start looking around for a flat bottom boat and figure out how to attach it or haul. Thank you.

 

[74M35A2]

The water coming through the windshield videos is what made me buy my truck to begin with. They can do it, but then the amount of work needed for maintenance to do it again reliably several years later is just completely astronomical. Most things on the truck will work underwater, but are not waterproof.

I’d also side with a launchable flatty aluminum boat in the truck bed with a newish outboard that starts quickly and easily. Small bed crane and away you go.