M10A International Harvester Rough Terrain Forklift

[Scrounger]

If you can’t find the TMs online or Mike doesn’t have them handy, I have them as a PDF in my computer. It is definitely not a machine to play with. Having the TMs are a must.

When it came time to pick mine up from Ft. Meade, I had a local company move it for me. I have a trailer that it will fit on and the weight wasn’t an issue. I don’t have a lowboy trailer and I would have been around 14’10” to move it with the trailer that I have that could handle the weight.

 

[fasttruck]

It doesn't show in the pics in post 20, but on the left side of the machine there is a link which when installed locks the machine up so it can't articulate. This is mandatory per the DOT when hauling a center steer machine on a truck. Without it you can't keep the chains tight going down the road. Many of the machines at Letterkenny are missing this part. If yours is njot there they shouldn't bee too hard to fab one up.

 

[Scrounger]

The later models have a bar that is placed under the front lift arms when working on the machine for safety. The lockout on the left is for the same purpose. I’m not sure about whether the side lockout bar is necessary for DOT transport. However, whenever one is moving a piece of equipment that articulates it must be secured in the middle.

As an example. Since this machine is over 10K there must be one chain and binder on each corner. It can’t be one chain passing over from one side to the other with one binder. Then there needs to be chains and single binders in the middle. One way to think of it is four points on the front of the machine and four on the back. Then because there is a lifting part, the forks, that needs to be secured also.

And all of the chains and binders have to be rated for the load. For stuff this big I prefer ½” group 70 transport chain and binders.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Got all fluids in her today and she runs smooth. All gauges nominal except fuel which is pegged out full (we can dream). I've got 2 minor leaks from dry seals on hoses: one on the main lift cylinder and one on the right lift cylinder base. Air pressure was a bit high at 135 psi and at the end of the 2 hour run time after putting in the arm lift pins I drained the air tanks to have a nice quart of gray sludge make it's way out. Yay..

Now when I was servicing the front diff I saw the air line into the front air tank was disconnected with black oil on the brass coupling and it gave me an indication of what to expect. Compressor is pushing oil into the air system. The left air drain I'm assuming is the wet tank but the other two were dry so that was minor good news from the bad.

I'll source a replacement compressor, take care of the seals, fix some of the front lights, and put some fans in the cab.

Found someone who has the full set of manuals > https://www.militarymanuals.com/B/0...Dresser_MHE-236/Forklift_Dresser_MHE-236.html Then realized the MVCSC has a Dresser forklift/bucket combo, but it's painted a 'faded' yellow, not OD green. I think the club has some of the commercial Dresser manuals, so I will look when I go to the meeting on Wednesday.

Sweet, I was looking into attachments. As I tell all the trucks that I plan to keep..

I got one off GP last December. They are nice units to have around the house. I was lucky in that the government did a full service, fluids, filters, air filters, and what not. They were even nice enough to install new tires and lights on it, then parked it for a year. It is nice to see our tax dollars at work. When I picked it up the engine oil was still clear. Needless to say, I was happy about its condition.

Some of the differences between the early and later models, SN 2000 and below are early, are the later models have full glass cabs with wiper blades. A heater in the cab to the right of the controls. The ones with the heaters have two fans for the driver or to keep the glass clear from fogging. The early exhaust was vertical with a flapper type rain cap. The later models have an angle exhaust to keep the rain out. They added valves to draw fluids for testing on the later models.

The model is based off of the Dresser 530 Payloader. I have been trying to find a bucket for mine. The hydraulic lines on the lift arms have quick disconnect fittings and the electrical connection for the fork control is a simple plug. The rest is the pivots pins. They made it somewhat easy to switch from forks to bucket and back.

There is a master electrical switch. It on the left side behind the cab next to the fender mount. When the forklift is parked for the day that switch must be off. If not, the batteries will drain. There is a relay somewhere in the engine compartment that is energized when the master switch is on. I haven’t bothered to figure out what it activates. I suspect the relay powers the cab, run, and starting circuit.

They use two 4D batteries. If you need any, they are NAPA part number 7266, ask me how I know. They had left the master switch on when parked and the batteries on mine were done. All and all I’ll take two dead batteries for not having to do anything else on the machine any day.

Good info and I was debating on getting one above the 2000 S/N but down here I don't need a heater and the glass will likely only make the cab hotter. I saw 4 more units with low-low hours sell recently but they were rust eaten and that's something I don't want to have to deal with. Correct batteries are on the list and remembering the battery disconnect is already ingrained into me thanks to the A1R FMTVs.

If you find the time would you let me know where the cab fans are tapped into? I will need those for sure.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

If you can’t find the TMs online or Mike doesn’t have them handy, I have them as a PDF in my computer. It is definitely not a machine to play with. Having the TMs are a must.

When it came time to pick mine up from Ft. Meade, I had a local company move it for me. I have a trailer that it will fit on and the weight wasn’t an issue. I don’t have a lowboy trailer and I would have been around 14’10” to move it with the trailer that I have that could handle the weight.

I've got all the TM's on hand though some seem a little thin.. but I'm used to seeing 1700 page PDFs for the FMTVs haha.,

It doesn't show in the pics in post 20, but on the left side of the machine there is a link which when installed locks the machine up so it can't articulate. This is mandatory per the DOT when hauling a center steer machine on a truck. Without it you can't keep the chains tight going down the road. Many of the machines at Letterkenny are missing this part. If yours is njot there they shouldn't bee too hard to fab one up.

My machine has a locking bar and it was ready for transportation. This was a very clean job by the unit before turn in. I just wish they kept better track of the bolts and u-joint ends for the rear shaft when they dropped it (idk why they dropped it either).

 

[Scrounger]

Good info and I was debating on getting one above the 2000 S/N but down here I don't need a heater and the glass will likely only make the cab hotter. I saw 4 more units with low-low hours sell recently but they were rust eaten and that's something I don't want to have to deal with. Correct batteries are on the list and remembering the battery disconnect is already ingrained into me thanks to the A1R FMTVs.

If you find the time would you let me know where the cab fans are tapped into? I will need those for sure.
[/QUOTE]


I have been remiss in looking this stuff up.

The two fans are made by Bergstrom and the model number is 756550. The NSN is 4140-01-223-6079. They have a three-position switch, low-off-high. Pictures in a flat green cab are challenging. There is only a positive wire feeding the fans, they ground through the mount. The left rear fan has a bracket with two tubes about 2” long that space it away from the side for motor clearance. The power wire is fed behind the panel that runs along the top rear cab.

The front right fan is mounted in the corner and the power feed is through a hole in the ROP behind the windshield. Both of the holes for the power wires have nice rubber grommets. The dark wire in the second picture is the power wire.

I couldn’t see where the wires pulled the power from unless I pulled the dash apart. When the master switch is off, nothing works. When the master switch is on the fans work, even when the ignition switch is off. I think the fans are getting power from the same source. If I were going pull power I would pull if off the front of the ignition switch.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Update on my unit (thanks for the bump Scrounger):

The compressor was indeed at fault for putting oil in the air system. I was fortunate that a local compressor place could order a Haldex replacement compressor for a reasonable price ($370) with a 1 year warranty. It wasn't an exact replacement as some fittings were different but the base, pulley distance, etc were perfect. The rear driveshaft that was pulled had been beaten to death by a previous operator and needed to be repiped and splines ground down to slid correctly. All of the hydraulic leaks were due to missing o-rings...sabotage? I need to do some minor electrical work next and probably install fans while I'm at it. Overall I'm a happy camper with this unit.

 

[Guyfang]

If it were mine, I would PM forum member KREDD. He is the man. He worked rebuilding them in Vielseck Germany. Rebuilding. Top too bottom.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

If it were mine, I would PM forum member KREDD. He is the man. He worked rebuilding them in Vielseck Germany. Rebuilding. Top too bottom.

KREDD has been a source of good info. He speaks highly of these units despite the military's abuse of them.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Quick updates.

I replaced the air compressor with a newly rebuilt one and that unit ended up having an oil leak.. so i traded an internal leak for an external leak. It had a 1 year warranty so I swapped it out and am insanely quick at the process now. If only other M-series trucks were this easy.



The rear drive shaft that was removed had been squished and had impacted splines. It didn't need to be dropped since they removed the parking brake pin but ugh.. it is what it is. I sent it off to get retubed, new u-joint to be safe, and reinstalled it. A few electrical gremlins have surfaced but were very minor: fuel gauge pegged out (since self corrected), oil pressure gauge doesn't rest at 0 when off but works when on, and some exterior lights don't work. I'll be swapping the lights out with the 7" route clearance lights eventually. Otherwise she's mechanically sound and been earning her keep.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Upgraded the front lights today with the 7" MRAP route clearance lights. It took a little drilling but they fit almost perfect.

 

[Threedoor]

I got one off GP last December. They are nice units to have around the house. I was lucky in that the government did a full service, fluids, filters, air filters, and what not. They were even nice enough to install new tires and lights on it, then parked it for a year. It is nice to see our tax dollars at work. When I picked it up the engine oil was still clear. Needless to say, I was happy about its condition.

Some of the differences between the early and later models, SN 2000 and below are early, are the later models have full glass cabs with wiper blades. A heater in the cab to the right of the controls. The ones with the heaters have two fans for the driver or to keep the glass clear from fogging. The early exhaust was vertical with a flapper type rain cap. The later models have an angle exhaust to keep the rain out. They added valves to draw fluids for testing on the later models.

The model is based off of the Dresser 530 Payloader. I have been trying to find a bucket for mine. The hydraulic lines on the lift arms have quick disconnect fittings and the electrical connection for the fork control is a simple plug. The rest is the pivots pins. They made it somewhat easy to switch from forks to bucket and back.

There is a master electrical switch. It on the left side behind the cab next to the fender mount. When the forklift is parked for the day that switch must be off. If not, the batteries will drain. There is a relay somewhere in the engine compartment that is energized when the master switch is on. I haven’t bothered to figure out what it activates. I suspect the relay powers the cab, run, and starting circuit.

They use two 4D batteries. If you need any, they are NAPA part number 7266, ask me how I know. They had left the master switch on when parked and the batteries on mine were done. All and all I’ll take two dead batteries for not having to do anything else on the machine any day.

View attachment 802507
View attachment 802508

I have been looking for a bucket for mine as well. So far I have found one in BC and one at FP Smith Equipment in California. Komatsu took over manufacturing in the early 90s overseas. The later WA380 has a 3.5 yard bucket with 3 1/4" pins vs the 3" pins on the Dresser. the arm spacing is 41 to 41 1/4" so making this bucket work is doable without reinventing the wheel.

I spoke to one of the parts guys at FP Smith and he said that the lower link is different between the M10A and the 530. He said the 530 link is longer. So far I cant find one but am looking. When I get one or get a center to center length I'll post the information.

The Army misplaced the mirrors and battery door off of mine. Thankfully that's all they lost.

 

[Threedoor]

Lower links are unobtainable as well as the bushings according to FP Smith. For both the 530s and M10As.

 

[CSUENGR]

Morning all. I have a potential customer who wants a bucket made for their M10A. The pin on dimensions they gave me do not match our drawings for a Dresser 530, other than pin size. Is their a difference between the two models?

If you guys don't mind me asking, I have a few questions. One, are the dump stops and rollback stops in the tilt linkage or on the attachment? Two, would one of you be willing to provide me with some dimensions? Specifically center distance of the lift arms and with of the arm bushings at the attachment end. Also the distance between the lift arm pins and center pin on the attachment.

Many thanks if ya'll an do this for me

Don Weber
Rylind Manufacturing

 

[Threedoor]

Dump stop is on the Z bar.
Rollback stop is limited by the cylinder.

Pins are 3” diameter.
Arm bushings are 4” wide
ID Spacing between arms is 41”
Center to center would be 45”
Vertical spacing between pins is about 20”

The factory bucket was 106” wide as far as I have found. I don’t have one but have found two.

 

[Threedoor]

Morning all. I have a potential customer who wants a bucket made for their M10A. The pin on dimensions they gave me do not match our drawings for a Dresser 530, other than pin size. Is their a difference between the two models?

If you guys don't mind me asking, I have a few questions. One, are the dump stops and rollback stops in the tilt linkage or on the attachment? Two, would one of you be willing to provide me with some dimensions? Specifically center distance of the lift arms and with of the arm bushings at the attachment end. Also the distance between the lift arm pins and center pin on the attachment.

Many thanks if ya'll an do this for me

Don Weber
Rylind Manufacturing

I’ve saved several pictures of 530s. Ive found that show the linkage. I’ll post them. I’ll post attachment of the forks as well.

The standalone bucket is one that Gov Liq had sold and was advertised as being for the M10A. Obviously a modified quick attach bucket. Hopefully it gives you some good reference for your potential project.

 

[CSUENGR]

Thanks guys. That helps a lot. My drawings (24yo hand drawings BTW) show the vertical distance between the arm pins and the center pin at 15". I now have two measurements that say 19" to 20". I hate our old hand drawings.

 

[Threedoor]

Thanks guys. That helps a lot. My drawings (24yo hand drawings BTW) show the vertical distance between the arm pins and the center pin at 15". I now have two measurements that say 19" to 20". I hate our old hand drawings.

My new to me Komatsu bucket just showed up. I thing it’s going to do the trick with some smaller bushings and a line bore to make it the same as the M10.

Not bad at all for $1500 and shipping. I also got a battery door and a rear view mirror from a 530.

The previous owners welded in an eyelet for a clevis in the bucket. I would have done that as well. Saves me a little work down the road.

Vander Haags was great to deal with.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

My new to me Komatsu bucket just showed up. I thing it’s going to do the trick with some smaller bushings and a line bore to make it the same as the M10.

Not bad at all for $1500 and shipping. I also got a battery door and a rear view mirror from a 530.

The previous owners welded in an eyelet for a clevis in the bucket. I would have done that as well. Saves me a little work down the road.

Vander Haags was great to deal with.

What was the model bucket and etc? I'd like to make one as well and know my neighbor wants one as well.

 

[Threedoor]

My bucket is off of a WA380

Komatsu Buckets interchange from models 380, 400, 420, and 430.

The WA 350 would be a better fit for the M10/530 because the pins are smaller and the bucket could be bored larger but they were only made for a couple of years and are much harder to find.

The Komatsu dealers have the info on the M10 as they also made them at the end of the production run. Modern Machinery 1-800-292-0925 used parts in Missoula MT got me the interchange information on the Komatsu buckets. Overseas Komatsu kept making the 530 for some time.