gun ring cab damage

[volver]

I have been researching the m66 and m49 gun rings. Some say, the that with the proper cab reinforcement plates damage will still occur. This is due to the length of the legs creating to much torque, the weight of the ring, or the recoil from a .50 BMG. The m49 is lighter. Less weight would cause less force while driving, but there would be less weight to absorb the recoil.

Is there a way to install a gun ring and a M2HB machine gun (semi auto) on an M35a2 without destroying the cab?

 

[hndrsonj]

If I was going to add one I'd do the M49. I had two M66's and they are massive.

 

[M1075]

I have some of the cab reinforcement kits (NIB) if anyone needs one. Send a PM

 

[hndrsonj]

I have some of the cab reinforcement kits (NIB) if anyone needs one. Send a PM

Regardless of which one you choose, you need to install one of these kits.

 

[mkcoen]

I also have New In The Box cab reinforcement kits if anyone is interested. Shipping is pricey ($50-$80 depending on location) so if you can, local pick-up is advised.

 

[M2Guy]

Question: to install one of these kits and then ring on a deuce with a hard top do you need a hard top with a gunners opening? Or does the required stuff to make the opening come with the kit?

 

[hndrsonj]

Kit has nothing to do with the top. It only has the plate/brackets/rivets.

 

[paradeduty]

There most probably is a "military approved" adapter kit that can be grafted to the hard top of your cab. I have seen many privately owned and current military conventional cabs that have been adapted with the cab roof "gunner's opening" plates for the Oshkosh HEMTT family of vehicle cab types. They pop up here and there once in a while. Basically just a flat steel panel with a small steel channel shaped into a full circle and welded to the panel with the center cut out. This can then just be placed on your roof, caulked to your flavor, fastened using the 30 some holes, cut out the middle and WALAH you have a hole in your hardtop roof. The Army used a round vinyl cover to "seal" the cutout with a bowed support for across the middle and an elastic border to secure it. The Marines version of the HEMTT hatch for their LVS's was a lot more refined, but would be quite the project to adapt on all but a perfectly flat (in all directions) roof.

 

[volver]

Ditto! Even with the plate installed in the cab, there is a lot of flexing of the cab with that heavy ring up there. You will tear up your truck for sure if you don't have the plate installed.

I don't know if you actually plan to fire a "Ma Deuce" from your ring but I can tell you from personal experience that it will cause long term damage.

When I was at Fort Benning we had a 800 series 5 ton with a ring mount on it. We took it to the 50 cal. range and fired over 50,000 rounds through several 50 cals. I was in an ammo unit and we were firing bad lots of ammo to get rid of them.

The cab was litterally beaten to pieces (it had the plate installed).

When we got back to the Motor Pool we found that the glass in the passenger side had been cracked as had the right front windshied (we did night fire so the damage was not seen until the next day).

There were several stress cracks in the sheet metal of the cab tub and the passenger door would not shut completely.

I have a ring mount that I intend to install on one of my trucks but I will prob not do a lot of firing off of it. I go to a machine gun shoot twice a year and there are guys there that want to fire their 50 cals off a vehicle.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?84598-1968-amg-m35a2-m66-gun-ring-install-help

 

[volver]

Anyone else have first hand accounts of a gun ring destroying a cab? i am looking for advice such as "don't do it will make the truck no fun to drive." or 'don't do it because the ring will rip the cab off" or "Go for it. A MV has to have guns equipped."

 

[gunboy1656]

Yes there is a thread about a can being ripped apart from the ring. I have it saved on my laptop, but not home at the moment.

 

[taylordc15]

I had one on mine, installed the cab reinforcement and had no problems but I never drove it off road and I was shooting a 1919 off it not the M2. I put a soft top on in order to use it but was lucky enough to find someone on here building a crewcab that traded me hardtops for one with the gunners hole, even with the cover it still leaked when it rained.

 

[camoyj7]

I made my own version of the HEMTT /LVS's hatch. Works pretty nice.

 

[rustystud]

Looks good "camoyj7" !