M1010 for my daughter the field biologist

[Tow4]

I would get the highest load rating you can afford or in this case, easily handle weight wise. You will almost always need more winch than you have and will probably need a doubler anyway.

I don't know about sand, but in mud, the load from the suction and the weight of the material you are stuck in adds significantly to the line pull required to get the truck out. Not to mention you need to find another good anchor point (tree, rock, etc) so you can use your doubler. You will also need a lot of cable to use a doubler. Not necessarily all on the winch, but in pieces that can be added and removed as required.

If you expect to use the winch a lot, I would go with a 24V version.

 

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Plan B mod complete. M1010 now has happy, healthy DUVAC-free electrical system, thanks to SS for the solution and Hillbilly Wizard for the implementation!

Now to flush fluids, replace rubber, inspect bearings and brakes, rustproof, etc.

The IRS took a much bigger bite than expected, so capital-intensive items like winches, trailer topper, and A/C mods will need to wait a while. Near term focus will be on things like cleaning and lubing contacts and grounds, getting all the lights working, upholstery, and general TLC.

 

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Part taxi

Planning a road trip with the M1010 late May - early June, moving my daughter's stuff to her new home. So far, we're planning to visit 4 SS members to drop off or pick up parts. It's only an M1010, no trailer, so we won't be moving any big, heavy items, but if you need something moved along this route, please PM me. I'm certainly receiving help from others with part transportation, so I want to contribute too.

 

[Another Ahab]

Road Trip:

- Safe Travels (and of course eyes-on-the-road, hands-on-the-wheel).

 

[Tow4]

Looks like your route takes you down I-80. Set a couple of hours aside to visit the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington, Nebraska. Exit 237 off I-80. I've been there twice, they have a lot of interesting military equipment and vehicles.

Have a good trip.

 

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Head and plumbing

Not wanting to hack up an as-issued M1010, I went with very simple, removable head and plumbing.


This head is somewhat rustic, but it's capacity can't be beat. I have large athletic people in my life. Imagine Vince Wilfork without all the talent. If you take someone like that with an active lifestyle, and corresponding appetite, and have them sit in a vehicle on a long road trip, they can become somewhat irregular. The resulting output will completely defeat any cassette toilet, and many normal household toilets as well. This toilet has basically a heavy-duty trash bag under the seat, with multiple redundant layers and zip-locks. The bag contains the same kind of absorbent silica beads as a baby diaper. Imagine if you threw a baby diaper at the bottom of a doubled-up contractor-grade trash bag, with killer zip locks, you have about the same thing. There is no plumbing involved, and no apertures to prove inadequate. You dispose of the bag it like a dirty diaper. You can set it up inside the vehicle, or in a little tent outside. The bags cost about a buck with shipping.

This is not something you'd want for everyday use, but it's a great way to always have a clean toilet available that can't be clogged. Also highly recommended for anyone transporting a pregnant female.

I've had very bad experiences dealing with blackwater tanks in very hot weather, and with clogged travel toilets. This is rustic, but it avoids all those issues. It works for me.

 

[Another Ahab]

Not wanting to hack up an as-issued M1010, I went with very simple, removable head and plumbing.

View attachment 558777 View attachment 558778
This head is somewhat rustic, but it's capacity can't be beat.

I have that exact same portable toilet, and use it for my canoe camping. It's the most stable model on the market (and that's one reason I bought it; the modified 5-gallon bucket concept "just ain't cutting it").

There is also a hand-washing adaptor you can get for the water cooler (holds the spigot open, so you can get both hands under the spigot at the same time). If I can find the link about it, I'll post it up here.

 

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Holy Blind Spot Batman!

My daily driver is a crew cab dually C3500 with a utility bed. I have large truck-style towing mirrors on each side, with additional concave mirrors for the wide angle view. I can back that thing into very tight quarters with no trouble. The crew cab means I can look over my shoulder and see out the rear passenger windows.

When I first drove the M1010, I was shocked at the poor visibility to the rear. The little tiny mirrors leave me absolutely without confidence. My C3500 is longer and wider than the M1010, so I expected the M1010 to be easier to drive. I totally failed to anticipate the lack of rearward visibility

So, now I'm looking into cameras. I'd like to be able to see the trailer hitch to facilitate hooking up the trailer, but the main thing I need is to be able to see to my right rear when changing lanes or negotiating traffic circles.

I've read the threads on this. I'm currently leaning toward the RDV360. It uses 4 fisheye lenses to get 180 degree coverage front, back, left and right. It then digitally combines these to produce a mildly distorted birds-eye view of your vehicle and its immediate surroundings. With this, I figure anyone can park and/or change lanes with confidence.

 

[Another Ahab]

There is also a hand-washing adaptor you can get for the water cooler (holds the spigot open, so you can get both hands under the spigot at the same time). If I can find the link about it, I'll post it up here.

Here it is:

- Called the "Scrub n Go Cooler Hand Wash System

http://stormins.vstore.ca/







​

 

[frank8003]

Here it is:

- Called the "Scrub n Go Cooler Hand Wash System

http://stormins.vstore.ca/


View attachment 558788

​

that link did not work for me this one does
http://stormins.vstore.ca/product_info.php/products_id/10818/osCsid=0a844f92a7efe61b9fedcccd652f5a4f

I remember times when I would have given 10 bucks to wash up good ...................​

 

[Another Ahab]

I remember times when I would have given 10 bucks to wash up good ...................[/INDENT]

When I was a younger buck, i walked with my buddies on more than a few wilderness trips that ran 2-3 weeks:

- Unquestionably one of the biggest pleasures of those trips was the chance to clean-up and bathe (but Oh, Lordy that mountain water was SOOOO cold)!

 

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NBC Cable insulation failed. Scary.

The M1010 is finally in the driveway. John at Hillbilly Wizards replaced the rubber, fluids, filters, batteries and a fried alternator. He checked out all the systems, particularly brakes, steering, etc. I wanted a pro to go over the truck before I hand it over to my daughter. It starts with the slightest touch of the key. Pretty cool.

Now it's my turn. I'm going through the wiring, cleaning grounds, etc. I found some scary insulation failures on the NBC power cable, by the distribution blocks on the firewall. I thought I'd post pictures, in case others still have this cable installed. I removed mine, along with the NBC rack. I'll put them in the classifieds shortly.

 

[Another Ahab]

Now it's my turn. I'm going through the wiring, cleaning grounds, etc. I found some scary insulation failures on the NBC power cable, by the distribution blocks on the firewall. I thought I'd post pictures, in case others still have this cable installed. I removed mine, along with the NBC rack. I'll put them in the classifieds shortly.

View attachment 578284

I'm thinking "Nuclear/ Bacteriological/ Chemical" when you say NBC (just old school acronyms from back in the day). But that's not what you're meaning here, is it?

 

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Stair Latch Problem

The stair latch seems ineffective. If someone knows how this should be, I'd appreciate some guidance. The plate that the hook engages is too far forward to engage the hook, so someone bent it back. Now it engages the hook, but it's at such an angle now that the hook slips off. The only thing holding the stairs in place is friction. Should I try to move the hook forward? Should the stairs slide further back? Should I move the plate backward on the stairs?

 

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galvanic corrosion prevention?

The litter carriers have steel rivets holding sheet aluminum to a steel frame. I presume this corrosion is at least partly due to dissimilar metals. What's the best way to stop this kind of corrosion, and to prevent it from recurring? Naval jelly followed by rust reformer?

 

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Litter support arm clips

The supports for the upper litters fold into the ceiling. Clips hold them in place. Several of those clips have a broken arm, picture below. If anyone knows a source of replacements, I'd appreciate any pointers.

 

[Another Ahab]

The litter carriers have steel rivets holding sheet aluminum to a steel frame. I presume this corrosion is at least partly due to dissimilar metals. What's the best way to stop this kind of corrosion, and to prevent it from recurring? Naval jelly followed by rust reformer?

View attachment 578287

Don't know the best way to clean up the discoloration, but isolating the dissimilar metals with neoprene or nylon washers will prevent any galvanic action (you don't want the dissimilar metals making any contact with one another). Painting the sides of the drilled hole in the aluminum (hobby enamel, or even nail polish) will also help that).

 

[Another Ahab]

The supports for the upper litters fold into the ceiling. Clips hold them in place. Several of those clips have a broken arm, picture below. If anyone knows a source of replacements, I'd appreciate any pointers.

View attachment 578295

A good Marine supply store (like www.westmarine.com) often has some similar hardware that might serve you there.

 

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M1010 A/C troubleshooting

I was running the A/C and the fan quit. The 30A fuse below the dash is intact. I'm digging through the troubleshooting docs. If anyone is familiar with troubleshooting the M1010 A/C system. I'd appreciate any words of wisdom.

 

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I'm thinking "Nuclear/ Bacteriological/ Chemical" when you say NBC (just old school acronyms from back in the day). But that's not what you're meaning here, is it?

Yes. I was told that the mount and power feed at the passenger's feet of my M1010 were for NBC detection gear, sensors that were supposed to alert the occupants if there were dangerous chemicals, biological agents, or radiation in their environment. I thought NBC stood for Nuclear/Biological/Chemical threats. The M1010s were designed to have special air filtration to protect patients from exposure, though I'm told that equipment was rarely installed in the field. The NBC detection gear was supposed to tell you when you needed to use the protective gear.

Perhaps I was misinformed. Here's what I know for sure. The truck came with a heavy metal mount at the passenger's feet. It looks like it was intended to mount electronic gear. The heavy cable fed it directly from the power distribution bus on the firewall. The cable has 4 conductors, 2 positive and 2 negative. You can see the mount and the cable in the third picture in my post #112 above. I removed the cable and the mount, since they serve no purpose for me and they were in the way.