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M936a1 and driveways?

gstirling

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Question? have been reluctant to drive/park on anybody's residential (~4 in concrete) driveway for fear of cracking it. any experience out there? assuming the driveway is sound, is 4 in sufficient to support the extra weight of the wrecker? i do drive it on my paver drive way with no affect (but think if done routinely it would create some settling in the wheel path). i have supersingles.

residential asphalt drive way???

thanks
 

simp5782

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Question? have been reluctant to drive/park on anybody's residential (~4 in concrete) driveway for fear of cracking it. any experience out there? assuming the driveway is sound, is 4 in sufficient to support the extra weight of the wrecker? i do drive it on my paver drive way with no affect (but think if done routinely it would create some settling in the wheel path). i have supersingles.

residential asphalt drive way???

thanks
No. Itll bust it after awhile. Like several times of parking on it. 6in reinforced does fine.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

juanprado

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How is your water table? Is the ground underneath packed or
rocky underneath?

Where I live the ground and watering table have accelerated cracks but to be fair it is already started. Your wrecker is twice the weight of my 5 ton. Take it easy and slow might help.
 

Valence

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I had an M816 wrecker on my 4" unreinforced concrete for about 18 months, no ill effects besides a lot of oil and brake fluid stains. Though the truck mostly just sat, not much driving around (The truck has driven up and down my driveway maybe 1/2 a dozen times). It had 11.00x20 tires on it for about the first year and then 395 tires.

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?132200-quot-Rescued-quot-M816-Wrecker

IMO, the concrete can easily handle the weight, if it's properly supported underneath - but that's the part you don't know and can't see.
 
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gstirling

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thanks for the input, keep them coming, you all have mostly reinforced my concerns -- it's questionable for any given standard residential driveway of a 4 in pour. just wanted to make sure i wasn't being overly cautious staying off other peoples drives as that can be rather inconvenient at times.

i figured at 34000 lbs/6 tires =5666lbs/per tire, and a tire contact patch of 12 in. x 6in. = 72 sqin. per tire, its about 78lbs/sqin, which seemed ok. but i guess total point load per tire is the problem with the support under the concrete not being perfect in most cases.
 

simp5782

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M936A1s weigh 38,155 empty according to the TM. I dont think that even counts all the Bii. So if you shed 4000lbs thats good. A dual tire 11.00 truck is around 1000lbs heavier.
 

74M35A2

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23,500# M925a2 on residential 3.5" concrete, driving right on the driveway edge, sometimes tire is only 60% on the edge, zero issues. I know this is not what was asked, but it is simply another reference point. On the contrary, this particular piece of concrete seem uncannily tough. M936xx is 50% heavier of a vehicle.
 

porkysplace

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4 inch is light for a truck that size , you can probably get by with 6 inch reinforced but 8 inch is what you should have.
The 2 main things with concrete are properly compacted and leveled base ( think laying a piece of glass on a smooth compacted area of sand and stepping on it and the set a piece of glass on a uneven area of sand and step on it and which breaks faster. The other thing is the strength of the concrete used and whether curing compounds are used to prevent shrinkage cracking that shows up later.
 

71DeuceAK

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Fascinating thread! Gstirling, you daily driving this thing? I'd like to get an M936A1 and in addition to an income source I'd frankly make it my daily driver.
 

gstirling

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Fascinating thread! Gstirling, you daily driving this thing? I'd like to get an M936A1 and in addition to an income source I'd frankly make it my daily driver.
NO - I have a small sawmill (hobby) and the wrecker and M1061 trailer now allow me to go get logs I had to pass up before. I've had it about a year and half, its been 50-50 repairs or in service....LOL ...doing all the dog bones now - this thread was due to going to other peoples houses and having the choice of the drive way or the yard.... easy to fix yard, don't want to have to fix a friends driveway.

While I have never driven a straight 5 ton, I will caution you about the 936---SLOW, really slow, same power as a regular 5 ton, 50% more weight unloaded. learn to like 25/35 mph on grades... and while i'm no expert, no real way to up power very much with out risking the drive train.

Still, I do like it, several other things I did not see coming when I got it. it takes two to run the winches (I usually work alone), the crane is slow, powerful, but slow. it does not have a long reach (17 ft from pivot point). the boom can't pull (hard) sideways as the end sheave is fixed (a major flaw in my book). but hey I still like my truck....

View attachment 732777
 
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simp5782

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NO - I have a small sawmill (hobby) and the wrecker and M1061 trailer now allow me to go get logs I had to pass up before. I've had it about a year and half, its been 50-50 repairs or in service....LOL ...doing all the dog bones now - this thread was due to going to other peoples houses and having the choice of the drive way or the yard.... easy to fix yard, don't want to have to fix a friends driveway.

While I have never driven a straight 5 ton, I will caution you about the 936---SLOW, really slow, same power as a regular 5 ton, 50% more weight unloaded. learn to like 25/35 mph on grades... and while i'm no expert, no real way to up power very much with out risking the drive train.

Still, I do like it, several other things I did not see coming when I got it. it takes two to run the winches (I usually work alone), the crane is slow, powerful, but slow. it does not have a long reach (17 ft from pivot point). the boom can't pull (hard) sideways as the end sheave is fixed (a major flaw in my book). but hey I still like my truck....

View attachment 732777

Alot of the wreckers have modified pumps and some are tuned very nicely. A good many of them were gotten ahold of by motor pool guys and ran pretty well. I have seen a few of them keep pace with normal cargo trucks even on hills. Some of the 816 and 819s would roll pretty well too.
 
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gstirling

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Alot of the wreckers have modified pumps and some are tuned very nicely. A good many of them were gotten ahold of by motor pool guys and ran pretty well. I have seen a few of them keep pace with normal cargo trucks even on hills. Some of the 816 and 819s would roll pretty well too.
i need to meet up with one of those motor pool guys and see if mine is running well or is dogging it. i have no reference point, so no idea if mine is running well or a dog... it runs smooth - both at idle and under load, starts like a champ, little to no smoke. but it will go from 55/60 on the flat to 25 on the hill in a flash. Do you know of any knowledgeable guys over in the knoxville area? none show on the SS map. i did stop buy a national guard post but most of the guys are not 5 ton fluent.
 

gstirling

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knoxville tn
i need to meet up with one of those motor pool guys and see if mine is running well or is dogging it. i have no reference point, so no idea if mine is running well or a dog... it runs smooth - both at idle and under load, starts like a champ, little to no smoke. but it will go from 55/60 on the flat to 25 on the hill in a flash. Do you know of any knowledgeable guys over in the knoxville area? none show on the SS map. i did stop buy a national guard post but most of the guys are not 5 ton fluent.
oh i just had my pump rebuilt (it was leaking at the shaft) but all stock to my knowledge.
 

simp5782

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i need to meet up with one of those motor pool guys and see if mine is running well or is dogging it. i have no reference point, so no idea if mine is running well or a dog... it runs smooth - both at idle and under load, starts like a champ, little to no smoke. but it will go from 55/60 on the flat to 25 on the hill in a flash. Do you know of any knowledgeable guys over in the knoxville area? none show on the SS map. i did stop buy a national guard post but most of the guys are not 5 ton fluent.
There is not anyone over that way that I know of that has a heavy wrecker. If when you had your pump rebuilt and they didn't drop your button and up the metering on it than you do have a gutless pig. Sometimes wreckers will have #18 or 20 buttons over some trucks has 22/24s. If you do not have the dual fuel line kit you need to get that done as well it will help a lot. Also the air cleaner mod or make your own underhood ram air system. This will help with the wrecker especially running at high rpms without moving. The stock intake is pretty restrictive. Plus that allison is just gutless when it comes to pulling hills. I took my 923A2 on a haul the other day and wow. it wouldn't even break 60 on some places. I was like yeah don't remember this.

In retrospect to hill climbing. I can climb harriman hill out your way at around 48/50mph loaded at 65k. That hill on the south side of Knoxville coming up on 75 right before the weigh station gets me down to about 40mph at the same weight. My 923 weighs in around 28,800 with two full tanks, Empty trailer is 12,200. Only other hill in that area that gets me down below 45 is the hill right up there at the 81/40 split.
 

71DeuceAK

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Fairbanks, Alaska
NO - I have a small sawmill (hobby) and the wrecker and M1061 trailer now allow me to go get logs I had to pass up before. I've had it about a year and half, its been 50-50 repairs or in service....LOL ...doing all the dog bones now - this thread was due to going to other peoples houses and having the choice of the drive way or the yard.... easy to fix yard, don't want to have to fix a friends driveway.

While I have never driven a straight 5 ton, I will caution you about the 936---SLOW, really slow, same power as a regular 5 ton, 50% more weight unloaded. learn to like 25/35 mph on grades... and while i'm no expert, no real way to up power very much with out risking the drive train.

Still, I do like it, several other things I did not see coming when I got it. it takes two to run the winches (I usually work alone), the crane is slow, powerful, but slow. it does not have a long reach (17 ft from pivot point). the boom can't pull (hard) sideways as the end sheave is fixed (a major flaw in my book). but hey I still like my truck....

View attachment 732777
Funny you should mention a sawmill, as that's a situation in which I could use one here, as we have one! I have beachfront property and an M936 would be great for dragging logs up the hill/beach.

Re: repairs, I believe it! These trucks often "sat" in their military service and thus developed issues that take awhile to resolve. That said I've also heard it said that if well taken care of they are extremely reliable.

I definitely don't anticipate going fast at all, I expect it being heavy, slow crane, etc but I love the 5 tons in general for what they are, not what they aren't. Thanks for all the extra input though!

I can't see your attachment for some reason....

Feel free to PM me if you like; I'd love to learn more about the wrecker versions from their owners in terms of the little quirks and issues they have.
 
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gstirling

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knoxville tn
71deuceAK
over all i'd say I got a good solid truck, bought from the army thru gov planet. but it is around 30 yrs old so as you stated running it brings out the weak points. so far new alternator, shutterstate, fluids, filters, t-case interlock (that's a super bitch on the 936 to get out), muffler, fuel pump rebuild, dog bones (even worse that then t-case interlock). lights, fuel senders, brake diaphragms. and 85 gallons of hydraulic fluid (the army kept theirs!!!! it showed up empty, but had it when they video'd it for auction... lol).

the attachment failed, will try again.
Resized_20170917_182107 truck.jpg

quirks, not many, but like I said it will not pull sideways from the end of the boom, the cable will pop over to the next sheave and ruin/crush the cable in the process. and you can't see it happening depending on angle (opps live and learn, and there went 200$ for a new cable, the crane cable is only 90 or so feet long, for logging that's a bit short, but there is not a good way to increase it other than reduce max load and run it with one wrap to the hook).
a mod I am looking into is i'd like to hang one of the pulleys that come with the truck off the boom hook so when dragging a log out of the woods it has an up angle and not plowing the but into the dirt which is what happens if the winch pulls directly to the log. but the winches do not have a fairlead (roller) on the top, thinking of adding one to see how that works, other wise the cable will cut on the top bracket.


I got a remote control for the rear winch haven't added it yet, next project. it is made by lodar, there is a thread in SS on it. that should allow me to pull the end out to the log and run the winch.
and I am not brave - they seem top heavy with the crane, so I wimp out in the woods and run up or down hills, not across.

 
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gstirling

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knoxville tn
Simp5782 - thanks, I may consider upping the button a notch and the dual fuel line, I do feel the need for speed, but I would like to keep speed up just a tad on the grades as I spend most of my time on 2 lane back roads and gravel/dirt.

is a button swap easy? do you have to pull the pump or do it on the truck?
 
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