M105A2 Loadout

[ecostruction]

Went to Mechanicsburg today to load out my first M105A2. Was purchased at Mechanicsburg Navy Depot in PA. As always, trip was not without excitement. About halfway into the trip north (only about 30 miles) the low air buzzer comes on and my air pressure was dropping to below 60 lbs. It was raining pretty good, so I turned the wipers off and went the manual route. Got a little better. We were on the highway at this point. Truck was running really well. Steady at about 2600 RPM and about 57-59 MPH. So was not too bad. Hit traffic and pulled off quickly to see about air problem. Was holding steady about 65 lbs. but thought I could hear an air leak over engine idle. We were running late, so thought I should try to make it to the base before I was turned away. Got the pressure back up to about 70 lbs. Enough to make the buzzer go off.

Got to the yard at Mechanicsburg and they used a big tow motor (forklift) to remove from it's space and sit it in driveway. Got everything hooked up and figured out how to operate landing gear. I previewed the trailer so I knew what I was getting, sort of. All trailer lights worked well. Then hit the brakes and a big rush of air came from the trailer. Seems to be somewhere around tank on the trailer. Come to think of it, might be a frozen release valve or something. Anyway, had some pressure in trailer brakes. Then turned engine of deuce off to diagnose where leak is on deuce. Found it instantly once engine noise wasn't drowing out the air leak. Copper line coming off compressor had rubbed against headlight surround support bracket and caused a nice hole. So we insulated the tube and covered the hole the best we could. As long as I was on the highway the pressure stayed up. So we made it home ok. Buzzer was off most of the time. Backed it into the driveway (boy that was fun in a deuce). Quite larger than their M101 sisters. Looks big in the driveway.

Few pics attached from the load out.

 

[hndrsonj]

Not meaning to sound harsh but you do realize the M35 brake system is not a split system and relies on air to stop? Driving one with ANY problems is an accident waiting to happen. Having a hole in any line should have made the M35 immediately parked. A copper line with a hole will very easily break leaving you in a 13,000 pound vehicle with zero brakes. I would consider yourself very lucky that nothing bad happened.

 

[steelandcanvas]

There is a part on the air tank of the 105 that hangs down below the frame. This part gets knocked off when some unsupecting fork lift operator lifts the trailer. I can't remember what the name of the part is...maybe someone will chime in. I learned this from KaiserM109 when we picked up his trailer last week.

 

[chevycrew]

with zero brakes.

Zero is not correct..

You will have very poor, but will still have a little braking...

 

[ecostruction]

Not meaning to sound harsh but you do realize the M35 brake system is not a split system and relies on air to stop? Driving one with ANY problems is an accident waiting to happen. Having a hole in any line should have made the M35 immediately parked. A copper line with a hole will very easily break leaving you in a 13,000 pound vehicle with zero brakes. I would consider yourself very lucky that nothing bad happened.

Not harsh. Being safety wise is not harsh. Had I not had pressure, I would have stopped. I made sure I had at least 60 lbs. of pressure the whole time. To my knowledge the M35 has an air assist brake system so that it is possible to operate the master cylinder manually. Not to say stopping without air is easy or even possible, but there is some braking ability. I do feel lucky we had no other problems along the way, but I was prepared to pull over if the pressure dropped below 60 lbs. We had four eyes on that needle. Truck is now parked until I fix the leak.

 

[ida34]

The air is just a boost to the hydraulic brakes. You would still have brakes but you would need to stand hard on the pedal to make them work if you were going fast. I also would not worry about running the brakes on an empty M105.

 

[hndrsonj]

I know the air is an assist. I have driven mine from front yard to back yard without the air assist and it seems like you have zero brakes. I could not imagine trying to stop a truck and trailer in an emergency without the air (I don't think you could). Also the -10-1 specifically states 65 is the minimum for forward motion.

 

[beaubeau]

Hey guys, lets not forget about an Emergency Brake!! I have had to drive a truck with strait Air Brakes before with No air! As long as U know U have No brakes, U can Compensate! There is such a thing as An emergency situation. Its a lot easier repairing some things at home instead of on the road. So letsd get home and make repairs!!. Nice trl !! Phil

 

[ida34]

The parking brake on a deuce is just that. A parking brake. The are not emergency brakes and do not do a good job of stopping the vehicle.

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

Glad you got home safely and it looks like a Steel Soldier in the making there in the blue coat. Nice looking truck and trailer. I know the safety issue is critical and always ensure my tires, brakes and mechanicals are the best I can make them.

Things like a rub through happen but good PMCS is supposed to catch them early. I do not always do the by the TM PMCS but it sure made my life easier as a transportation officer making sure all the drivers did before we took off.

A good on the road fix is better than nothing and it should not take too much to repair and keep it from happening again. Enjoy the M105 it is perfect for the deuce. Plus going from York to Mechanicsburg is not like a cross country jaunt so I applaud your quick fix to keep it on the road and finishing the mission.

 

[ecostruction]

I totally agree on the pre-trip check. I do this all the time. But my "new" eyes just didn't catch this. First thing I did when everything was home safe...I checked my other truck for the same situation. Before this one was even done idling and cooling down.

Great advice for new owners of 30+ year old deuces and other green iron. Just the other day I was driving 'ol number two back to the office after getting it inspected. Was in 5th pulling a long hill (haven't really had enough time with this truck so I was testing to see how well it pulled in 5th going below 40 mph). When I got the top, the accelerator didn't back off. Tried taping it, didn't work. Tried lifting it with my foot, didn't work. I'm on a back road now exceeding 50 mph. Had to work with the engine stop to make it to a field to run into. It was also getting dark. So I didn't want to leave this thing in the middle of the road where some young gun hard on the gas could come up behind and not see it in time. Turned out to be the throttle return spring. Caniblized the one from the truck above for a day to get it home.

It's the surprises like a stuck accelerator that suck. My mission was done until I knew where the leak was. Once I knew where the leak was and that I could keep pressure, I felt better. Armed with that knowledge, I thought I could safely bring everything home. A bad wheel cylinder is not something I can manage (actually, that's not true as I just bought some wheel cylinders "in case" to keep with me.). A brake fluid leak "somewhere" is not something I can manage. Marginal air pressure I can keep track of. Planned my return route accordingly as well. If the pressure dropped too low, I would have just pulled it over. My entire route home was loaded with places to pull over. I was not planning on going the route I did either.

Lots of great advice though and I do truly appreciate the outlook on our safety with these rigs.

Kindest Regards,