M813A1 Bed Tie Downs

[rumplecat]

The 813 I got last month has in bed tie downs along both sides of the bed, it also has lashing hooks welded to the outside of the bed, I know the lashing hooks are a field addition but were the in bed tie downs a unit addition are were they factory, I have seen beds both ways more without than with the tie downs.

 

[Westech]

you mean the cargo cover tie downs?

 

[Castle Bravo]

As far as I know, the bed tie downs are a unit added thing and the cargo cover tie downs are a factory thing.

 

[jaxsof]

Supposedly, dropside (A1) beds got them, while the rigid body units didn't. Deuces included.

 

[rumplecat]

The lashing hooks I am talking about are added hooks that have been welded to most of the in bed tie down points, I know they were unit added just by the look of the welding, But I have been pulling up some of the photos I have of 813A1s and most seem not to have the bed tie downs? There were two A1s up for bid when I got mine and the other truck did not have them?

 

[Stalwart]

I think you'll find the lashing hooks were stock, they are cadmium plated and it will interfere with proper (clean) welding.

 

[Squirt-Truck]

The bed tie downs, at least the ones on your truck have been added either by the unit or at overhaul. My M54 has the added tie downs from the overhaul in 91. The outside lashing hooks are for the cargo cover as stated.
Newer beds have the internal tie downs installed as part of the bed build contract.

My understanding is that the tie downs were part of a bed MWO (Wish I had the number) that was for heavy cargo. Just think about it, crates, boxes and such that do not FIT the bed, how do you secure them for transport. They are a modification that is many years late.

 

[FM5332FF]

My M813a1 has the tie downs, it looks like a monkey with a stick welder installed them.

 

[emr]

the cargo well and hooks on the drop sides are possibly not factory meaning when purchased by uncle sam, they were possibly added later by a depo rebuild i would guess from what others are sayin, its a late model bed for sure, the cargo cover hooks on the outside of the drop side are like said cargo cover ty downs, should be pop riveted, but can be welded, also as i say the bed is a late model we must remember these trucks and the M 939 series that came with these beds with the factory well ty downs were made side by side, the M939 series 5 tons during the last contract run of the M809 series that your truck belongs to, so they very well may be alot that came from the factory with those beds, one thing we learn fast when dealing with uncle sam, there is never a time to say they didnt do that, only I think they only did that,

 

[LanceRobson]

My 1966 M35A2 and 1971 M813A1 both have what seem to be factory installed tie downs.

The 1966 truck has two coats of camo CARC added at or after it's complete overhaul in 1989 that have the original semi gloss olive drab paint showing through the scratches on the tie downs on the tie downs.

The cargo cover lashing hooks on your truck were factory installed. They were fastened with heavy steel rivets that had the heads peened over. The lashing hooks made from folded over sheet steel and bolted on are generally added after manufacture.

Starting in the mid '80s the DOD decided to follow Department of Transportation regs for the blocking, bracing and tie down of ammunition items. The regs apply to public highways and on some installations the route from the ammo supply point (ASP) to the ranges includes driving on some roads that are either actual highways or are at least open to non-duty related traffic. Even though the DOD was exempt from the requirements they decided to conform to them.

That caused every unit that had to transport even a few cases of small arms ammo to have to install tie down points in the trucks they used to haul ammo.

At the time I was the battalion ammo chief for a mechanized infantry battalion. My platoon had twenty two five ton trucks and one deuce (for hauling our tools and general cargo). Every truck had an M105 trailer. Since used we every truck (and sometimes more) when we moved ammo for the whole battalion we had a mad scramble to install tie downs since none of the trailers or trucks had them.

We tried using holes saws to cut the holes to keep them neat but they burned up pretty quickly and it was so slow that we'd still be drilling holes today. We switched to a cutting torch but it still took a long time (and a lot of tanks of oxygen and acetylene) to cut all those holes.

I've got tie down kits to install in one of our M101 and in one of our M105 trailers and I'll either use a plasma cutter and hole template or rent an electromagnetic based low RPM drill at the local industrial tool rental. Those nasty torch cut holes gave me a rash then, they'd give me a worse rash if they were on my own trucks and trailers.

Lance

 

[clinto]

Supposedly, dropside (A1) beds got them, while the rigid body units didn't. Deuces included.

It's more of a time issue (early vs. late) than a model issue.

Witness the non cargo tie down equipped deuce dropside:

Deuce old style Dropside bed - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

 

[rumplecat]

Lance:
Your idea makes sense about the ammo transport with my truck since it came from a NG training camp in Florida, it has a 1970 manufacture date but looks like it went through a rebuild in the not too distant past. I need to get it home to give it a good going over.

 

[jaxsof]

8 July 1989 TB 9-2300-280-30 gave instruction as to which, where they were located, and how many tiedown anchors were to be applied. If I could put the document into the archives, I would. Short of that, I can e-mail it to anyone who would like a copy. It is 30 pages and 30k pdf. M813's were supposed to get 24 of the anchors.

It does state that the anchors were only required if the vehicle was used in support of certain weapons, sensitive or nuclear loads.