M816/936 etc Stabiliser leg security

[zebedee]

OK - silly question time.
Front stabiliser - "L" pin retention. On my 816, I cannot see how the L pin and the retainer clip are supposed to stop the L pin from falling out of the 'U' bracket, then free to fall out of the stabiliser leg. There is a weld lump for the end of the chain, but as said, there isn't any locating holes to trap the L pin in the U bracket.

I could detatch the chain and reweld it INSIDE the front tool lockers, which is where the end of the L pin appears, but this is not totally practical and also means the U bracket has no purpose. There is a hole in the U bracket, the clip fits, but in that position, it does not 'retain' the L pin.

... and yes, the TM does not differentiate between front and rear legs - just says remove clips then pins then legs and there are no pics of the front setup.

OK - I'm all ready for the 'duh' answers...


Thanks in advance. Simple drg attatched (simpler right now than a photo).

 

[nf6x]

My M543A2 has that vertical hole like you have drawn, and it doesn't seem to do anything useful on my truck, either.

My M936A1 has a horizontal hole going through both sides of the U- bracket, though, and that works as expected. I'm at work now, so I can't take pictures at the moment. I think it would be tricky to drill a hole edgewise through the thin U bracket while it's on the truck. It'd probably be easier to weld on a new piece with a horizontal hole drilled in it to retain the L pin.

I can't tell whether my M543A2 might have once had a horizontal hole that is now plugged with rust/paint.

I could take pictures this weekend, except that I am almost certain to forget.

 

[zebedee]

Is this what you have? Maybe I need to go poke something....

 

[nf6x]

Yes, that is how the front pins are set up on my M936A1. On my M543A2, it's like your first drawing.

 

[zebedee]

Hmmmm - that bracket seems way too thin for that... But a little weld on tube (just big enough for the pin) would work....

Thanks.

 

[nf6x]

Yeah, that's why I suggest welding something on for a retrofit. I was surprised to see such a thin piece of metal drilled that way. It's doable with a drill press, but would be challenging with a truck welded onto it.

 

[nf6x]

Here are pics from my M543A2 and M936A1.

 

[1958 M274]

Here's a couple pics of the pins and chains on our M816. As you can see, one end of the chain is welded to the bed, and one end is welded to the pin so that the pin can't be lost. When the pin is placed into the hole with the bent end in the "U bracket", the chain is pulled across the opening and secured with the clip. The pin can not fall out.

 

[nf6x]

AHA! So that's how the vertical hole is supposed to work. Doh!

 

[zebedee]

"Verical hole - BRILL-EE-ANT" (said with heavy Irish accent.)

Well I guess that would work! My pins must have been replacements then, as the chain is not welded to the body or the spring clip fastened to the second(or third) link from the end of the L pin. But I can do that.


Thanks a bunch all!