The next Project an ASMH

[msgjd]

Did I miss any smoke signals?
Awfully quiet on the 5 ton wrecker channel.

I think he is still working on the mess he inherited on the winch ... If the museum yard is as congested as it looks in pics, he will need to find at least a dozen snatch blocks to string that mess out ... He could use that Huey's mast as a bobbin, though ... I actually do feel for him, I have inherited a few messes like that and it's usually accompanied by some strong language directed at the unknown person(s) responsible

 

[msgjd]

The front mount set up is funky, the isolated mount on the frame has two isolators between the isolated plate and the engine mounted mount AND the engine mounted mount is an isolated trunion mount. WHY?

I will have to look at my M51 next time I am home to see if it has same setup you describe... The weird mount might just be an M62 thing but I can't help you with that because some fool in command somewhere in the 1970s decided my M62 should be re-motored with a multifuel .. Ugggg .. But I will look at the M62 anyway, just in case it retained something from better days, but likely not

 

[WillWagner]

I will have to look at my M51 next time I am home to see if it has same setup you describe... The weird mount might just be an M62 thing but I can't help you with that because some fool in command somewhere in the 1970s decided my M62 should be re-motored with a multifuel .. Ugggg .. But I will look at the M62 anyway, just in case it retained something from better days, but likely not

I got ot. Just had to loosen/remove the front bolt and things came apart. Belts went on easy, notes are in the books so if it ever needs things again, it is documented. Still had to drop the generator to get the belts on though, so the numbers in the spread sheet are incorrect.

 

[WillWagner]

Did I miss any smoke signals?
Awfully quiet on the 5 ton wrecker channel.

Nope, took a bit of a break due to some swollen discs. Decided to go to the dez with the grand daughters, try out the new to me trailer and watch the oldest girl try a motorcycle!

 

[WillWagner]

OK, I know it has been a bit, but we are still working on the wrecker. I got the front winch loosened up. I decided to try and mechanically try to loosen it up. The shear pin did it's job and sheared off, so, I was hoping that the gears were OK. Only way to find out is to try it out, right?

I did a no-no. I shoved a 5/16 bolt in the shear pin hole, put the winch PTO in R....for RACE....and gave the engine a crank S L O W L Y letting the clutch out, and the next thing ya know, there is slack at the level wind! The spool is still all birds nested up, but the tension is gone and it should be a cake walk to un spool it when we move the beast out of the shop.

I also found out the rear winch is in the same condition! NICE.

I did have someone come out and measure hoses, they never got back to me. I think that looking up into the rotating area where the hoses go up into the slip ring scared them away. Don't blame them, had me feeling defeated too.

In the mean time, volunteers have been chipping away at it body work wise, since I had been gone. Dunno who had this, but they did some messed up stuff. There were places that had 1/2 inch of bondo on it. Why? It is a military wrecker! No primer under the paint, the last coat is peeling off pretty easily and revealing shiny OD. Sanding, priming and spot paint has been applied. Bumper and out rigger pads have been sanded, primed and painted.

 

[WillWagner]

Here is the winch with slack in it!

 

[WillWagner]

The hydraulic line thing has really been bugging me. I am not usually the kind of person that lets things kick my arse. So. I decided to try and figure out how to get to the lines up in the center that go to the slip ring, but, with the boom down, I couldn't really look at things.

I decided to TRY and lift the boom with the forklift and use the short braces to support the boom in a more upward position. First had to make sure the braces were free, surprisingly, they moved easily! Second, had to make sure that the top and bottom mounting points were secure, i'll be working under it, so no chances will be taken that I can f myself up.

We were missing 1 collar for the top mount, so, making a new one was in order. The scrap pile pays off yet again! Found a perfect sized OD piece of round stock that already had a hole started in 1 end. Only needed to remove about an inch if material!

 

[WillWagner]

Those were from a week ago. Today I went in, punched a hole through the new spacer and checked fitment. Good enough for me!

Did some work on the braces and extended them as far as they would go.

Positioned the forklift under the boom, put the braces on the boom, one of us held the boom up lever and the other lifted the boom to the correct height, the pins were installed and the boom is now locked, safely, into a position that allows work to be done at the manifold! The spacer ring works great!

After the boom was secured, I needed to find out what I am in for. Looked through all of the TM's we pulled out and none has anything about the wrecker boom itself. I had ZERO idea of even what this was/is. I took out the google-fu and after a short amount of time, came across a guy that did a walk around of an M62 at a place in Ky. He referenced a manual, TM 9-8029. Google-fu directed me to a few places, a couple of which were here on SS, a post from @gimpyrobb, one from @doghead, and I think one from Ron, but still no PDF, only a hard copy. Then I got to thinking, if the library we have at the Museum might have a copy.

5 minutes later, a hard copy in hand! And it is an Austin Western, Tulsa winch equipped unit. The unit that had it before or the one that did the "body work" sanded all of the data plates, so they are all hard to read.

I'm figuring 100' of #16 hose, 20 or so adapter fittings from the funky compression fittings to regular fittings, 50 feet of #10 and fittings, some new o-rings and fluid and we will be GTG......6k? Maybe time for a "Go Fund Me" for the Museum. We will struggle with this expense, but it is needed to do other projects.

Now, just need to figure out how to get the drain plug out of the hydraulic tank, that thing is TIGHT

And, Just moving the boom/carriage with the forklift made the lines leak more than they already were, so, yeah, they need to be done so we don't make a giant environmental mess at the compound, it is Army COE land. Glad we didn't fire it and try the hydraulics.

Anyone got a line on data plates? Especially for the wrecker controls.

 

[msgjd]

I did have someone come out and measure hoses, they never got back to me. I think that looking up into the rotating area where the hoses go up into the slip ring scared them away. Don't blame them, had me feeling defeated too.

I too am dreading the day for replacing hoses up inside the hoist tunnel of mine.. Hopefully I will be dead before that day comes

 

[WillWagner]

After looking at the TM, it looks easy....yeah right....just gonna be messy. However, after removing the panel over the boom controls, there are numbers stamped in the fittings/hose ends at the valve body and pipe wrench marks on the compression fittings, so, that usually means that someone has been here before. I am concerned that things will be, how you say, way tight, just because people tend to think that if something is difficult to get at, "we better make sure it don't come loose" mentality has taken over.

 

[flyfishtrailer]

Would you have a use for one of these for this project (NSN 3940-00-899-1352). I live in Northern California and have one of these taking up space. I don't have a use for it, but the price was right so I bought it until I could find a use for it or a good home. Let me know and we can figure out how to make it travel.

 

[WillWagner]

View attachment 913610

Would you have a use for one of these for this project (NSN 3940-00-899-1352). I live in Northern California and have one of these taking up space. I don't have a use for it, but the price was right so I bought it until I could find a use for it or a good home. Let me know and we can figure out how to make it travel.

Thank you VERY much, however, there are 3 of those in the bed of the wrecker and a few more around the compound. Are you in need of a heavy tow bar? I know where there are a few of those too!

Again, thank you, but we will pass.

 

[WillWagner]

I too am dreading the day for replacing hoses up inside the hoist tunnel of mine.. Hopefully I will be dead before that day comes

Hey, you are in the middle of winter there. Come on out and give me a hand in just a bit of rain...no snow! Bring shorts, we'll go to the beach!

 

[msgjd]

After looking at the TM, it looks easy....yeah right....just gonna be messy.

My problem isn't with any mess or tight working space .. The problem is being able to get my head, arms, and hands to move into the positions needed after i get up in there .. Joints don't cooperate like they used to. . And then there's the "oh sh-- , got everything in here but the inch and sixteenth wrench!" Again, i hope i am dead before it has to happen.. Good luck, Will

 

[msgjd]

Hey, you are in the middle of winter there. Come on out and give me a hand in just a bit of rain...no snow! Bring shorts, we'll go to the beach!

Sure ! I would love to help ! I will be the one walking to/from the toolbox and listening to all the cussing and fuss-tration coming from inside the tunnel

 

[WillWagner]

Sure ! I would love to help ! I will be the one walking to/from the toolbox and listening to all the cussing and fuss-tration coming from inside the tunnel

Hopefully, there will not be too much happening up in the tunnel. The TM shows the upper manifold coming off, the lower coming off with the hoses attached to the lower manifold.


Here's some begging.

I have recently taken on admin duties for the Museum website and added a PayPal donation button. This project is gonna be expensive when it comes to the hydraulic stuff.
I try and change things up on the website, mostly on the "news/what's new" page, bi monthly. I want to start linking some of the videos I have made of the different things we have done onto the website and I am trying to figure out how to delete the YT channels the Museum has, no videos or followers, incorporate my stuff and add new stuff directly to both the tankland and my YT channels. What a mess.

But if you can, go to the website, check it out, bookmark it, and if you feel generous, go to the "donate to the Museum' page and hit the PayPal donate button. If 200 people from this site donate 20 bucks, that would put us 2/3 the way there on the hydraulic refurb.

I post all, well most, of what I do at the Museum, here. So some of the stuff I put up on the Museum site will be duplicate, but, there is ALOT more stuff there that cannot be displayed because it needs to be in a building. To have a building accessible to the public requires the building to have a restroom and be handicap accessible. Not gonna happen. My goal is to highlight, if you will, some of the un seen stuff on the website, but only if Heffe approves!

Check it out,

The American Military Museum – Preserving our Military History to educate future generations

tankland.com

The Deputy Director from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library actually told me yesterday that it looked good!

 

[msgjd]

..... there is ALOT more stuff there that cannot be displayed because it needs to be in a building. To have a building accessible to the public requires the building to have a restroom and be handicap accessible. Not gonna happen.

ADA-compliant Porta-Potties are available , with running water as an option .. Of course local codes dictate yes or no

 

[WillWagner]

ADA-compliant Porta-Potties are available , with running water as an option .. Of course local codes dictate yes or no

Yeah, we had a rental handicap accessible commode before covid, but turned it in after 20 or so years, but LACO says that the handicapped room of rest needs to be located inside the building that is being visited. The "buildings" are dual entry office trailers that, IIRC, came out of the Navy yard at Seal Beach. Nothing in them except cubical space and power. Doors not wide enough for wheel chair use.

My fault, but we are getting a bit OT.

 

[msgjd]

Yeah, we had a rental handicap accessible commode before covid, but turned it in after 20 or so years, but LACO says that the handicapped room of rest needs to be located inside the building that is being visited.

It figures that some AHJ (authority having jurisdiction) would mess it up ...

I know the following example doesn't apply to your current situation, but certain lunacies happen.. Case in point, an ADA restroom inside a 60x100 unpartitioned public market"warehouse" versus an ADA porta-potty sitting outdoors next to a 10x20 farmstand/snack bar shut down because there was no room for an indoor.. Certain AHJ's are of the logic it's totally okay to wheel yourself a farther distance in a big indoor space full of obstacles (people, displays, etc), versus a small building that has a porta-potty within pis*ing distance right outside, pun intended ..

I spent some time in a wheelchair, and some of the things encountered were totally ridiculous yet ADA-approved.. The ADA made good things mostly, but there are plenty of stupid Square peg in round hole situations .. Pun intended there too.

 

[msgjd]

The first shirt told one of my guys to get the 4K fork lift, and move them. "NOW!! "So off he went, at speed. Dropped the forks, stuck the pallet and lifted it up. Shifted into reverse, and sped off. All the sudden the door to the porta potty flew open, and out jumped a female soldier. M16 in one hand, and grasping for her pants down around her ankles with the other hand!

on a construction site after my active army stint, a similar situation entailed but someone knew the porta potty (sitting on a pallet) was occupied by a certain joker loving to mess with peoples lunchboxes, tool belts, whatever, and apparently it went too far... Someone tied a rope around the thing and from where we stood we could hear the hollering and see the door being hit hard from within before they got the Lull got under it .. At one point we thought the occupant was gonna tip it over but they wrapped another rope around it to secure it to the fork uprights... Then up it went 10 feet and Lull was shut down .. They ignored him for about 30 minutes.. which just happened to be his entire lunch time.. He stopped yelling halfway through that time and was not given another lunch break. I don't recall seeing him at the site again after that day