Installing New Bows & Cover on M-35A2C

[FloridaAKM]

I have a question for you learned folks. After getting 4 crates of tan bows & covers, I went to install the opened crate. The staves went in first, but the front & rear ones stick up much higher (10" to 12") than the center three units. The staves are the fiberglas ones & they are all the same length. My question is do I cut the front & rear staves down to match the center ones in height or is there another trick to this part of the installation. The cover is another deal, but the search function provided that info, just nothing on the staves...

This truck came with the wooden troop seats already installed.

 

[SignalNco]

I have the same exact Deuce. It came with the staves and bows already installed but the cover was all torn up. I put a new cover on last weekend and all my bows are at the same length, don't remember any being higher than the others. Mine has troop seats like yours also. I am new to owning a Deuce so I don't have all the answers, perhaps one of the more experianced members could shed some more light on this.
A friend of mine who is former Air Force did point out to me that the bows can be stored and fastened under the truck crossways to the bed above where the spare tire mounts and the staves fit in the "sockets" attached to the front head board.

 

[eagle4g63]

Take a flash light and look down the pockets in the bed that you are trying to add the staves to......there might be some pieces of the old wooden bows in there...another thing to look for is any bolts that were installed in the bed pockets for some reason, the staves might be hitting them.....I had one of my old wooden staves start to rot out and left pieces in the pocket when I went to change them out.

But yes all staves should be the same length and should all go in the pockets the same....don't cut any of them.

 

[tcruwithme]

PIN: SIDE RACK LOCKING on M35A2C

Look at the outside of the stave pocket while standing on the ground looking at the outside of your bed wall. There is a bolt/pin on all four corners of the bed that slides through a hole in the stave. I think this bolt is only on the drop-side trucks. I can never get that bolt to line up correctly, so mine is disengaged (not pushed in). This is probably what is causing your staves to not seat all the way down in the four corners.

This bolt or pin can be seen in Figure #173 of TM 9-2320-209-20P. It is PN# 10937498 and called "PIN: SIDE RACK LOCKING."

 

[FloridaAKM]

Yes, the truck does have drop down sides. I figured that something might be blocking the staves, so I left them that way last night. Its easier not to have to find a way to reconnect cut material that was mistakenly chopped up due to, "I didn't know that"! Thanks guys, tomorrow the truck will get the staves(blockage problem)fixed & the top cover on.

 

[TacticalTruck]

The pins are there so your troop seats don't end up on the ground when you drop the sides.

 

[FloridaAKM]

The pins are locked in place right now & when I have dropped the sides, they didn't fall off; so you are correct. Again, thank you all!

 

[FloridaAKM]

Okay guys, after getting home from work; the side locking pins were checked & they were locked as described. I unlocked the rear sides & the vertical staves dropped into place (Duh) & lined up with everything else. They were then measured, peened to mark where the 1/2" locking pins would go thru them & drilled with a 9/16" drill bit to allow the locking pins to lock them & the sides in place. Thanks again for all your help on this matter! Tomorrow will be the day to install the cover & the super cord I keep hearing about.

 

[TacticalTruck]

Well, guess that's ok but you aren't suppose to drop the sides with the bows installed so you just leave the pins out until you remove the bows. Eventually some one will tell you to read the manual but when not in use the uprights w/ corners are stowed in the pockets in the head board and the top bows go underneath the bed floor across the front.

 

[FloridaAKM]

It may not be the way the military does it, but I like the idea that the 4 pins are all locked in. The only problem now is when I go to remove the staves in a year or so & can't figure what has them stuck . Getting old is fun & full of surprises.

 

[FloridaAKM]

One last post on the cover installation for a vinyl tan cover. The manufacturer ink stamp goes inside the cover cargo area in the front of the cargo area. The shiny side goes out as well as the upper vents & the welded in vinyl tie downs for rolling up the sides. The super rope is starting to go bad after 9 years of storage, but is strong enough to hold the cover for few more years. It was an experience for the first installation, but not as hard as I thought it might be. I have three more complete kits to deal with in case the truck goes thru a low bridge or something. Thanks again for all the help.
,

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

 

[Aussie Bloke]

G'day everyone,....


Anyone got pics of the bows and staves stored?
And what do you do with the cover, do you just leave it folded in the bed?
I'd like to see it.



Aussie.

 

[cattlerepairman]

G'day everyone,....


Anyone got pics of the bows and staves stored?
And what do you do with the cover, do you just leave it folded in the bed?
I'd like to see it.



Aussie.

The Canadian version of the M35 has a carrier rack over the cab roof for exactly that purpose. If you want to build yourself one, sketches with measurements are available...ok...I did a search....here: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?101939-CDN-MLVW-Roof-Rack-M35-related