Question for off-road experts

[Jones]

If that's the type of load it was designed to move then "off-road" or "rough terrain" might have meant unpaved roads.

 

[bustin]

all the ideas above are great ones. and all the notices are something to take heed to. If the shock doesnt pull off a mount then it could pull the cyl thru the housing also. Limiting straps dont have to be confined to straps either. you can use that grade 80 chain as a temporary till you save enough money to alter the suspension to handle the ups and downs of the trail. mount as if they were limiting straps and see from there what your gonna need to be successfull on the trail.

 

[BFR]

of course this style suspension means you could probably use longer bumpstops on one axle to limit droop[ on the other.

 

[gimpyrobb]

If you do decide to go with different bump stops, there are hydraulic ones available that act as progressive rate springs. I would look into a set of those.

 

[Autofabwelding]

you definately need the limiting straps. using the shock as the limiter will wear the shock out fast having this happen on occasion with normal size axles isint too bad but with the weight of our monster size axles its very bad

 

[cranetruck]

It's better without the shocks, so that's the way it'll be. Thanks for all helpful hints! Learned something new and that's always fun.

 

[Coldfusion21]

Sorry for more pestering but after looking at your truck i always have questions. Whats with the cage like things surrounding the hubs on the front two axles? I see they are only on the front.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Sorry for more pestering but after looking at your truck i always have questions. Whats with the cage like things surrounding the hubs on the front two axles? I see they are only on the front.

Steps to get in easier.

 

[vinny-socom1]

I know this is off topic but thats a really cool looking truck!!!! with or without shocks!!!

theres one locally here but the motor is missing and I dought theres a title for it too.


Vinny

 

[gimpyrobb]

Ohh Vinny, I know someone thinking about getting that truck. Don't let the cat out of the bag so quick!

 

[cranetruck]

There are a few around, prepare to pay extra because of the extensive use of aluminum and since they are rare, parts are hard to come by....I'd love to see more of them saved, one reason for posting images of my 757, actually.
This one in Northern FL (image by Jim Henderson).

Oh, BTW, these were built by Ford, all 1969 except for several prototypes.

 

[duncan]

CT: thats a massively nice 8 wheeler! got some movies of it? would love to hear the sound and see it roll!

 

[maybefixit]

One point to consider: on some suspension systems, the shock is needed to contain parts of the suspension system. The rear suspension of a lot of GM cars 1982-2000 were set up this way, with a large C-shaped rear axle, and coil springs buried in the corners of the "c".

To remove the rear springs on that setup one disconnects both rear shocks and lowers the axle (or raises the car) until the springs can be pulled out.

For most on-road applications, the shocks don't bottom out fast enough to break, or often enough to fatigue. Limit straps will make sure you don't have an airbag or spring pop out of position and possibly go through something else.

Of course, I don't have direct experience on a 757, and the CUCV / Deuce suspensions are designed so that the shock is not a structural component (removing them won't let stuff fly apart). I'm not sure about the air suspensions on the rear of tractor trucks, it always looked to me like removing shocks on those might let the axle fall away from the airbag suspension system (or let the frame rise away from the axle, from another perspective).

 

[cranetruck]

Maybefixit, the cargo version runs without the shocks, so there won't be a problem removing them in this case.

Duncan, how far is this place from you (see caption for image below)? About making a video, yes, eventually, but this is a hobby and fortunately no dead lines.....

 

[duncan]

If by "nimegen nl" you mean Nijmegen, Netherlands, then its a 2 hr drive. If you can get a more specific location I could check it out for you. There's some major highway routes passing there that I drive down quite frequently. It looks like a backyard full of rusted goodies

 

[cranetruck]

Duncan it's not my photo/caption, just one from my files collected over the last several years....it shows one of the m656 8x8 trucks retired from the service in Europe and possibly available to someone like yourself interested in restoring it. Less than 500 were ever made and 90% of them stationed in Germany from 1969 to about 1991.

 

[duncan]

I think I found it: All military and civilian equipment you can find at Reomie

Location: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=51.85...51.859979,5.943711&spn=0.001965,0.006528&z=16

Should see if I can hop by there some day

 

[cranetruck]

Good deal! Keep us posted.

 

[duncan]

Well what do you know, I'll be near that area tomorow Will ask the boss for permission to take a small detour and an hour off or so to shoot some pics. Hope he agrees

 

[spicergear]

Bjorn, the cargo may not have the shocks since it would have the weight of the bed to damped suspension movement where the tractor style is real light (so to speak) bobtail with only the frame weight and an uneven tire would stand more of a chance of getting a bounce if the weight's not there to hold it down better. I wouldn't bother with the limiting straps. Are they 1410's? You can go a decent amount on those before you'll bind the joint.