goldneagle's M923 recovery and modification thread

[goldneagle]

Looking good sometime in the future I would love to do this to my truck. Lets hope I can do it sooner than later! Are you going to make it removable or permanant?

Thank you. Depends on you definition of permanent. It will be bolted on. So it is possible to remove it. Basically no different than any other bolted on Class III or Class V hitch receiver. I am working with another member on this so the final design may vary a bit. I think i need to add a back view of the design.

 

[goldneagle]

I tried to scrub and powerwash the cargo cover on my truck today. I even used a 15 degree tip on a 3000 PSI pressure washer. Got some of the mud stains off, but the cover still looks dirty. The green areas look OK, but the black and brown look dirty! Looks like I will need to repaint the black and brown areas if I want a nice looking cargo cover. That red mud just wont go away!

 

[350TacoZilla]

I'm looking into a class V receiver that bolts to bottom of frame rails and just turn the pintle to clear it for towing, I would almost get rid of pintle but you just never know what your next trailer will be.

 

[goldneagle]

I'm looking into a class V receiver that bolts to bottom of frame rails and just turn the pintle to clear it for towing, I would almost get rid of pintle but you just never know what your next trailer will be.

I don't know how you are going to get it to work. The 5 ton frame is so high off the ground the Military had to lower the Pintle down to match the heights of their trailer. Unless you have one heck of an offset hitch to attach your ball height will be way too high. That is why we are trying to design a custom hitch for these trucks.

 

[350TacoZilla]

the one I am looking at is for (I believe) a ford f450 and drops pretty far but I was going to probably space it down from frame some + I have a 12" drop hitch. I would be interested to see your setup done and hear a price on it. I was just checking to see what i could come up with local from off the shelf parts.

 

[goldneagle]

the one I am looking at is for (I believe) a ford f450 and drops pretty far but I was going to probably space it down from frame some + I have a 12" drop hitch. I would be interested to see your setup done and hear a price on it. I was just checking to see what i could come up with local from off the shelf parts.

Do you have any spec's on it and maybe a picture?

 

[350TacoZilla]

here is what I have been looking into since I have a company local to me that carries alot of the CURT brand. I'm leaning towards the rv one since it is made to be adjustable and i could probably drill/bolt and weld it to frame rather than just welding like they spec.

I have also considered the dump truck style hitch plates, just doing away with the factory pintle and getting a receiver mount style pintle.

Curt class 5 for 350-550

Specs:​

• Carbide Black Finish
• 2-1/2" Receiver Tube opening
• Gross Trailer Weights (GTW) & Tongue Weights (TW) vary by application.​
• Never exceed vehicle weight rating.​
• Hitch Ball and Ball Mount Sold Separately.​
• Limited Lifetime Warranty to original purchaser.​

Maximum Weight Carrying Capacity:​

Gross Trailer Weight (GTW) : 20000 lbs.​

Tongue Weight (TW):2700 lbs.​

Maximum Weight Distribution Capacity:​

Weight Distribution (WD):20000 lbs.​

WD Tongue Weight: 2700 lbs.​

Notes:​

Drilling Required​

Main Body Exposed​

This Product Fits The Following Vehicles:​

1999 - 2012 Ford F350, F450 or F550 Cab and Chassis With 34" Frame

​

Or Curt class 5 universal weld on for RV applications.

Specs:

• Great for use with utility boxes​
• Heavy duty Class 5 rating​
• 2" receiver tube opening​

Maximum Weight Carrying Capacity:​

Gross Trailer Weight: 15,000 lbs.
Tongue Weight: 1,500 lbs.
​

Notes:​

Welding Required​

13.5" Drop​

43" Max Width​

18" Min. Width​

This Product Fits The Following Vehicles:​

Universal Weld-On Receiver




​

 

[goldneagle]

Since the LA Rally is at the end of the week i decided it was time to spruce up the truck. The cargo cover still had the mud stains on it after I pressure washed it. I got my Repco paint cans out and painted over the black and brown spots. Outcome was better than i expected! See the pictures.

 

[goldneagle]

I got the drawings back from Pete and verified the measurements using a full scale cardboard model. I also decided to make a 3D model out of it just for the heck of it. Here are pictures of the 3D model. The oval cutout holes for the safety chains were not adjusted to the new measurements because it was not critical to the fit. (so don't bring it up).

The hitch will not be available to members due to liability issues. These pictures are strictly for show. Duplicate them at your own risk.

 

[goldneagle]

One more picture of the model on the truck:

 

[jcappeljr]

Your truck looks good.

 

[juanprado]

Zev,

You are even good with cardboard!

 

[goldneagle]

Zev,

You are even good with cardboard!

Thanks, but if I had glued it it would have looked nicer. I just wanted to see how it would look when finished.... Pete did a great job on the design. Not available for resale or duplication.

 

[goldneagle]

I got a quote today from a local shop for laser cutting my trailer hitch parts. They quoted $200.66 for the work. That does not include welding the pieces together. i may look for another shop to see what they will quote. Also need to find a welder that will weld the pieces into a hitch for me.

 

[Piper Cub]

I know this is an old thread, but your truck came out really nice goldeneagle! I think I may borrow your ideas for the marker lights in the cab and fuel cap lock.

 

[goldneagle]

I know this is an old thread, but your truck came out really nice goldeneagle! I think I may borrow your ideas for the marker lights in the cab and fuel cap lock.

You are welcome to do so. That is why I posted all the info. Glad you think it's good enough to duplicate.

 

[goldneagle]

I gave up on the idea of adding the trailer hitch to the truck. Now that I have a M1008 I can use it to tow civilian trailers.

I got a deal on 7 new super single tires for the truck. I also won 8 new wide rims from OKC GL site. My friend Juan also got a set and he will be recovering both sets at the end of this month. I also got 7 four piece run flats for these tires. Here are pictures of the the tires:

 

[goldneagle]

Today we started to mount the new tires on the new rims. the valve stems required are 13/16" hole size. I got some Heltec stems for my rims. A lot cheaper that they are asking for the military ones. We found 3 o-rings that were damaged beyond use. They were packed in a plastic bag with the nuts that assemble the rims. The bags slid under the rim edge during transport and crushed the o-rings. Lucky for me the tire guy had additional o-rings in the service truck. We got all the tires mounted on the rims this afternoon. We will get them mounted on the truck tomorrow morning.

 

[goldneagle]

As I was cutting up the plywood from the crates that held the new rims for my M923 my tire guy showed up to finish the installation. He started by removing the Goodyear 11.0.-20 G177 tires on 5 ton rims from the rear right side of the truck. Once secured he replaced the front tire with the new Goodyear 395/85R20 tire on new wide 5 ton rim. Here is a picture after he finished the right side of the truck:



Next came the front left tire and then the 2 rear tires. Here are 2 pictures I took during installation. This one compares the size of the 11.00 tires (middle axle) and 395/85R20 (rear axle):



Here is a picture that shows that the tracking of the dual tires and super single is the same. (the outer walls line up):



Here are some pictures of the truck after the job was complete:

 

[papabear]

That truck is beautiful. Hope I can see it one day Bro.