My new M936A2 Wrecker

[TNriverjet]

Very nice score SouthJL! I followed your transport thread and have subscribed here to learn more as you get it serviced and ready for action.

By the way, it's not weird at all to lay underneath and study the workings. My wife has learned to leave me alone when I get in that zone.

 

[Suprman]

Nice truck. Get rid of those tires they are bad news especially on a heavy wrecker.

 

[Jbulach]

Nice truck. Get rid of those tires they are bad news especially on a heavy wrecker.

Can you elaborate on what's wrong with the tires? I frequently run heavy on the same tires...

 

[Suprman]

Those tires have a nasty habit of disintegrating sidewalls and blowing out. Sidewalls get weak and wavy. There are other threads discussing it. On a cargo truck I usually say dont run them on the steer axle. But the wrecker is real heavy. Most of those are older tires there will be a date code on the side wall 4 digits say 2706 will be 27th week 2006. The older goodyears do not seem to suffer the same deterioration that the older michelins do. The newer michelin xzl do not have this issue nor do the similar looking michelins on the LMTV.

 

[Jbulach]

OK thanks, I will search it up and do some reading on them.


M925A2 with dump hoist

 

[TNriverjet]

I guess that begs the question for me... Can you effectively switch to super singles on a wrecker? Is one particular tire/wheel super single combo best for the weight range and application?

Edit: found one here. Looks pretty good!

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Suprman is correct about the Michelin XLs, they are questionable tires at best. From experience, the 11's are nice from a stability/lifting stand point but 395s seem to be the best "super single" for a wrecker due to their wider width, thicker side walls, bolt on ability, and you still get better speed/mileage than the 11's. I know when my XZLs dry rot I'll be doing that swap to 395s. The height difference between 14's and 395s is 2" if not less. At roughly $150-$250 for a like new 395 on rim it's the way to go when they finally go!

 

[wreckerman893]

How do you know? JK! I've read the little on this site about licensing/insurance and know that is a completely different battle that I'm not quite ready to take on. I would really like to take it out and show it off occasionally. But even if I never take it on the road, I'll still get plenty of work and play out of it here.

I've owned a M816 5 ton wrecker and I'm currently baby sitting an M936A2.

I have insurance on all my MV's on a semi-commercial farm policy with Progressive.

When I went to insure the M816 and told them it was a wrecker the lady told me that they would insure it as a "boom truck" only and if I filed a claim for a wreck while towing anything but a cargo trailer they would deny the claim and cancel my policy.

To legally tow with it you have to have commercial tow insurance and you don't want to know what that costs.

You may also have to have a Commercial Drivers License since it has air brakes and weighs over 30K.

That being said if you own some type of business that would allow you to write off the cost of commercial insurance then you may be able to use it for it's intended purpose.

In most of the units I was in while in the Army we seldom used them for anything other than flat towing unless the towed vehicle had damage to the front end. They did get a lot of use as a boom truck for moving heavy loads.

They are a cool toy and very handy to have around but they can end up being a money pit.

You may have problems with the fuel system if she has sat a long time. The usual suspect is the switch valve under the drivers seat that switches fuel flow from one tank to the other. The O-rings and rubber fuel lines dry out and you will get air sucked into the system.

I have that problem now with the M936A2. I can idle it up and run the crane all day long but if I try to drive it down the road very far it will die.

Another major expense is the large hydraulic hoses on the crane. If you blow the wrong one you'll empty that large tank on the crane and replacing it will make you set your wallet down. The last hose I replaced on the M936 cost me around 150 bucks and that was a bargain since I know the guy.

Make sure you know how to engage the PTO and follow the instructions in the TM for running the crane and winching.

You will find yourself looking for ways to use her.

Have fun with it.

 

[Suprman]

I cranked up the fuel on mine it moves pretty well. When lifting anything heavy I have to put the side legs out the singles have too much give. I know someone with a m936 his duals are much steadier and have less give under load. It's a neat toy. I don't use it that much. In theory the super singles should be aired up to 90psi on a wrecker. I wouldn't do that with older tires though. I like the idea of the slightly smaller lmtv/mrap singles.

 

[red]

I've owned a M816 5 ton wrecker and I'm currently baby sitting an M936A2.

I have insurance on all my MV's on a semi-commercial farm policy with Progressive.

When I went to insure the M816 and told them it was a wrecker the lady told me that they would insure it as a "boom truck" only and if I filed a claim for a wreck while towing anything but a cargo trailer they would deny the claim and cancel my policy.

To legally tow with it you have to have commercial tow insurance and you don't want to know what that costs.

You may also have to have a Commercial Drivers License since it has air brakes and weighs over 30K.

That being said if you own some type of business that would allow you to write off the cost of commercial insurance then you may be able to use it for it's intended purpose.

In most of the units I was in while in the Army we seldom used them for anything other than flat towing unless the towed vehicle had damage to the front end. They did get a lot of use as a boom truck for moving heavy loads.

They are a cool toy and very handy to have around but they can end up being a money pit.

You may have problems with the fuel system if she has sat a long time. The usual suspect is the switch valve under the drivers seat that switches fuel flow from one tank to the other. The O-rings and rubber fuel lines dry out and you will get air sucked into the system.

I have that problem now with the M936A2. I can idle it up and run the crane all day long but if I try to drive it down the road very far it will die.

Another major expense is the large hydraulic hoses on the crane. If you blow the wrong one you'll empty that large tank on the crane and replacing it will make you set your wallet down. The last hose I replaced on the M936 cost me around 150 bucks and that was a bargain since I know the guy.

Make sure you know how to engage the PTO and follow the instructions in the TM for running the crane and winching.

You will find yourself looking for ways to use her.

Have fun with it.

Your agent must not be familiar with these trucks used for non commercial, limited use. My 816 is insured as a tow truck with no towing restrictions for less than $15 a month. Full coverage (mileage restriction) and they know what the truck is and the weight, didn't slide one by them.

 

[wreckerman893]

Your agent must not be familiar with these trucks used for non commercial, limited use. My 816 is insured as a tow truck with no towing restrictions for less than $15 a month. Full coverage (mileage restriction) and they know what the truck is and the weight, didn't slide one by them.

Since I dropped that money pit (M816) like a bad habit I didn't do much more research on insuring it with anyone else.

I've been with Progressive a long time and have full coverage on my M927A2 at $12,000.00 replacement value for $600.00 a year.

Glad to see there is reasonable insurance out there that allows you to use it for it's intended purpose.

 

[SouthJL]

Don't think I've given up, just haven't had much time to do what I wanted. Real life job has been keeping me busy, and planning a family vacation.

Worked on the horn, as it wasn't working and I wanted to hear how bad or good of sound it made. (Also would be a nice safe guard when backing up). Follow through the TM, ended with multiple issues. First, the horn button ("new styled") is just flat out missing the spring, and the cable was just shoved down into the steering column. Manually shorted it out to ground and got a really big puff of dust out of the horn. Then just the sound of air. Took the horn off & apart, then cleaned the diaphragms. There was a bunch of something all built up on the inside. Might have been a bee or wasp nest of some sort, maybe just corrosion. After cleaning it up and putting it back together, I took my compressor and blew some air through it and got a nice little honk out of it. Put it back together, but got nothing when I shorted out the ground from the cab.

Hmmm... climbed up to check and heard a small electrical arc when I touched the horn. That really got my attention. Well, the rubber boots on the solenoid don't just protect the connectors from the weather, they also appear to isolate the connectors from the metal casing of the solenoid itself. In the process of disconnecting the wires, the rubber boot got knocked loose they were so weathered and cracked. So, I need a new horn kit and maybe a new solenoid. Going to look at it the possibility of getting some appropriate sized rubber washers to put on the terminals of the solenoid. As I can carefully put my ohm meter leads on the connectors, and as long as they are not grounded out it registers 15-16 ohms which I believe should be normal. I just can't hook up the actual leads 25 & 26 to the horn as the weight of the lead itself causes the connector to short out. Not done yet, still working on it.

I haven't taken the horn solenoid back off yet, but can any one comment on how big the spring is that pushes the "silver bullet" back after voltage is removed? Like many have found out, it fell out when I took it off. But there was a spring still there, just seemed to be quite small.


The brass?? diaphragm on the left looks much worse in the picture than in real life


The horn solenoid with the rubber boots completely removed.

I took the last two old military batteries out of the battery compartment and properly cabled up the two new group 31 batteries. Winter here in NC is not too severe, and this is not a life or death vehicle for me, so I'll take my chances with the reduced capacity. I have plans to cut/build some wooden blocks and use the existing battery hold downs to keep everything in place. I'll post some pics when that is done.

I also got a set of tow bars from Trailboss, whom just happened to be driving through NC last week. Of course my family pointed out they were the wrong ones, because they were green instead of tan.

 

[SouthJL]

07/09 Update

Still learning my way around a big truck... need to buy a bigger wrench set.

I'm going to celebrate the little things... got the horn working... partly. The horn button is still missing the spring, so I have to hold the button up against the steering wheel nut and then push the button. I put some rubber washers on the terminals to keep them from grounding out to the solenoid casing, checked w/ the multi-meter and verified they were isolated once again. Started the truck and waited for air to build up... nothing. Test it out again per the TM, and this time when I ground out the solenoid with the battery on it doesn't click. It was clicking originally. Drain the air and take it apart again. Previously when I put the solenoid back on the horn, the spring got out of position, so it wasn't allowing the valve to open. Luckily I didn't lose the spring like some. I made sure to put it back together properly this time. Start it up, wait for pressure to build... then HONK! It works!

(left terminal has the new washer)


The air/water separator under the dash was leaking air, so I took that apart and cleaned it out. There was a lot of crud in it. But now its not leaking. One air lead down, one more obvious air leak to go.



The ST-3 air protection valve (Bendix 284142) was also leaking, I tried the same thing. Take it apart and clean it. But I think it's just shot, almost looks like it has started to corrode or rust in side. After I cleaned it, it leaks even worse. Apparently all the crud was helping to seal it shut.



And finally, got the batteries held down securely. Used some boards I had lying around along with four of the existing battery hold down J-bolts. Not the prettiest thing, but it works.

 

[Pipeliner]

My new Wrecker

I picked it up and drove it home from New Boston Texas. Glad I got home yesterday. Would be driving in an ice storm today. I am looking for equipment that should be on them. May have to fabricate a lot of it. I met someone that worked at the base there. He told me that everything gets thrown off and into a pile for scrap. So if this stuff is anywhere it most likely has been saved by scrapers or melted down already.

 

[Pipeliner]

My 1987 Humvee now has over 400,000 miles on it.
New Addition to my fleet M936a2 wrecker

1987 Humvee
1971 M818/ w M146 trailer
(2) 1973 Firetrucks operational and use
1971 M35A2
M101A2. M101A3/ Shelter on it. M1101.

 

[Pipeliner]

I have to find every single thing. It was completely stripped when the depot took it. You were very lucky. There is a lot of stuff that is suppose to be on these trucks. It's a shame they have to do that to us. What do they think we are money trees?

 

[Pipeliner]

Since you have the poles for heavy lifting and and the chock. Could you send me demeans ions of everything on them. I can fabricate them for my truck. Would need the pipe thickness for all the pipes and lengths.

 

[Pipeliner]

If you can send me dimensions on the whiffetree I would be thankful. My nephews has a cutting table that can cut the pieces and I can weld them together. I do believe there is a lot more there then comes in the list for on the truck. Chains and snatch blocks I can et from my sling and chain supplier. All my chains on my serve truck have to be certified and I am going to keep the same standard on my personal trucks. They have to have tags on them in order for me to use them on any jobs. If I grab one off of my wrecker to use somewhere I do not want to e fined.

 

[Scar59]

I have an extra set of mud spades. They need a little paint but they are straight and no bends in the spade.

 

[Csm Davis]

I picked it up and drove it home from New Boston Texas. Glad I got home yesterday. Would be driving in an ice storm today. I am looking for equipment that should be on them. May have to fabricate a lot of it. I met someone that worked at the base there. He told me that everything gets thrown off and into a pile for scrap. So if this stuff is anywhere it most likely has been saved by scrapers or melted down already.

Okay Pipeliner I am not jumping on you as I see you are new. But you need to start your own post about your new to you baby. And once you get that going give me call I have most off the BII you are missing from the wrecker.

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