Ready to test the new configuration

[olly hondro]

Bed removed, spare tire elevator removed, batteries relocated to behind the rear axle, air tanks & dryer top side, spare rearward, fuel tank outta the way. Lots of details.

 

[Third From Texas]

Lots of clearance.

What's next, you going to frame and skin it like a race truck?

 

[olly hondro]

Lots of clearance.

What's next, you going to frame and skin it like a race truck?

Possibly. Need to put some hours on it to expose weaknesses. Need to put it on the scales to see how front/rear bias has been affected. More CAT yellow paint. Stickers: Goodyear/Meritor/Allison/CAT. Need to mock up a roll cage before committing to 1000 lbs of steel. Upgrade the little Goodyear 46's to the 53's w/out runflats. I suspect there is no end

 

[Reworked LMTV]

Are you trying to get max. clearance?

 

[olly hondro]

Yes, I want the case to be that if I clear an obstacle with the front tire then I am good all the way back without tearing stuff up.

 

[Reworked LMTV]

Be careful with moved center of gravity and weight carried higher.

 

[coachgeo]

thinking of weight balance.. maybe a scrap Mack truck engine block or something and put it back where the spare is sitting or at the spot you have the crane storage box . Put it slung as low as can between chassis rails?..

 

[Reworked LMTV]

Actually members of a particular political party make great dead weight. Heck, you don't even have to strap them down. They automatically attach like leaches.

thinking of weight balance.. maybe a scrap Mack truck engine block or something and put it back where the spare is sitting or at the spot you have the crane storage box . Put it slung as low as can between chassis rails?..

 

[olly hondro]

Be careful with moved center of gravity and weight carried higher.

Recall the bed, at 50 inch height, is absent. Low COG is best, clearly. Moments are important also in this application. Imagine viewing the truck from the rear. Inscribe a circle, say 4 ft diameter. The engine, transmission, and all the stuff on the frame rails might fit inside that circle, an imaginary tube you might say. But keep the ideas and observations coming as surely I have not thought of everything.

 

[olly hondro]

thinking of weight balance.. maybe a scrap Mack truck engine block or something and put it back where the spare is sitting or at the spot you have the crane storage box . Put it slung as low as can between chassis rails?..

I understand. The toolbox has the HF crane and a bunch of tools, maybe 300 lbs. The batteries are between the frame rails behind the axle. The spare is rearward of stock and the heavy spare deployment elevator is absent. So, let me get the truck to the scales to see where we are before "weighing in" on this

 

[olly hondro]

Front axle= 9100 lbs, rear axle= 4560 lbs. Total 13,660. Net loss of 1340 lbs front, 1680 rear = 3020 lbs reduction. Gonna replace the springs with custom as it drives like a 7 ton basketball.

 

[coachgeo]

hmm.... so you also lost 320lb between front and back. Unfortunate. As of now front to back weight ratio is yikes 67% front / 33% rear; though a second spare back there will help bring that back up closer to OEM of 63/37. guess you will need a huge ballast in rear (around 4500lb) for optimum 50/50. With these calculations sounds like you may have been better to just add rear ballast to OEM configuration? Wellll then maybe not... cause adding ballast to get to optimum in your new configuration makes you only 1500lb heaver than OEM while ballasting the OEM configuration would make you way heavier than OEM.

maybe cut your old bed in half and mount it on the rear half of the truck?

 

[olly hondro]

Considering moving the drivetrain rearward. I need to log more hours on the truck first, to get some empirical data. Tomorrow is my goal to post a video from last saturday of a 3 point turn in a narrow wash. Well, more like a 17 point turn

 

[olly hondro]

Here is a part of the check out ride: <deleted>

 

[coachgeo]

Here is a part of the check out ride...... YOUTUBE

nice quality in video.... too bad the camera person turned the thing wrong direction while filming. Just tell camera person to always keep the camera eye on back at 12:00 and all will be good.

 

[olly hondro]

thinking of weight balance.. maybe a scrap Mack truck engine block or something and put it back where the spare is sitting or at the spot you have the crane storage box . Put it slung as low as can between chassis rails?..

Hmm, another drive axle back there might work.....don't get me started