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tire wearing uneven

46powerwagon

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wilkes-barre,PA
tires

Non Directionals or NDTS...NDCCS are soft compound tires to begin with. You will not get 50,000 miles out of them like civilian tires,forget that concept right from the beginning. These tires are meant for mainly offroad with limited hard road usage,notice the heavy side lugs on the tires,for mud and snow. Go around a corner get out,go back and look at the rubber that is laying on the road. If you want more durability you need to upgrade to radials. Just like the military started doing in the late 80's. Remember that these types of tires have their roots before WWII when pure rubber was all that was available not the synthetics of today. When I bought my first deuce back in the early nineties the date code on my tires were early fifties. It is very common to only get about 4-7,000 miles out of these tires before they are shot. I know,I was in USMC back in the very early 80's and was an 0811...artilleryman and truck driver. Went to driver traing school at Camp Pendleton,we took deuces where I though they wouldn't go but then again I was 18,how much did I know. Part of our routine maintenance was PM our howitzers and vehicles. Which almost always consisted of changing,rotating,fixing flats,greasing,etc.
Also not much you can do with the front end as far as adjustments,change shocks,maybe toe in/out. Camber and caster is already built in to the knuckles. You can check and replace if worn, wheel bearings,tie rods,(check for bent drag or center link),knuckle bearings,steering linkage,front suspension (cracked leafs) its all part of your routine maintenance on the deuce now that you own one.
Military wanted easy of maintenance on these trucks thats why some things are permanently set. Remember they are mainly off road trucks,you never encounter wheel shimmy when your going 10-20 mph offroad,I wonder why? Your truck is shake,rattle and rolling due to tires wearing uneven because of high mph which generates heat which wears soft compound tires at a faster rate. Keep rotating them front to rear until all 10 had a chance up front. Then go buy some more,they are cheap right now until surplus dries up, you can even get them with new rims for about $50. Again these trucks and equipment are all exmilitary,not civilian,two different animals when it comes to using them in the real world. Most people that buy these trucks are going to drive them on hard surfaced roads for most of the rest of their lives which really they were not designed to do. The military doesn't care about the wearing of the tires at a fast rate because there is a whole echelon of maintenance facilities to take care of that. Plus you the taxpayer pays for it. When you a private citizen buys one,you are on your own for maintenance and yes breakdowns on the road which will cost you a hefty towing fee.
Also these old tires are a safety hazard on hard surfaced roads as there are no rain grooves in them. And most of you guys are going to run them till the side lugs are even with the rest of the tire (basically slicks). You get a little water or snow on the road and don't even mention ice and these tires will have your deuce hydroplaning and doin 360's. When it comes to winter driving take extra caution and give yourself plenty of room in front of you. As more of the trucks come into civilian hands there are going to be more accidents involving deuces due to drivers not being properly trained to drive them. Then see what happens to the insurance co's. that insure them. Take it for what it's worth.
 

hellrayzor1

Member
75
3
8
Location
peoria/ Az
Thanks for all the great information people. Am going down to Napa after I post this and order a new set of front shocks and then rotate a tire from the back up to the front and see how that goes. I checked the toe in and tire pressure and all is to spec. I'm headed up north again in 2 weeks so will be able to see if the shocks took care of the problem or not. Will post after I get back to let yall know. Have a great day!!!

Mark
 

Karl kostman

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Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Fargo ND
Great thread folks I drove me Deuce about 250 miles one weekend this summer and after I got home looked at my front passenger side tire and it was doing EXACTLY what you guys are talking about castor/cambor were all I could think of and had that all checked and it was as it should be, I would have never suspected shocks, I will be ordering mine tomorrow and thanks again for the info!
KK
 

randini

New member
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Location
salt lake/utah
Thanks for the thread. Mine look just like that. I always wondered about it. I replaced my shocks with the above monroes. It helps, but tires are still like the image.
 

JOEDEUCE

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Location
richmond va
I have a vibration at 55 mph.. I can run 50-53 mph with no problem. I put brand new tired up front and checked my front end, its nice and snug. I know I could probably use new shocks. Tires that were on the front looked to be wearing evenly... they were just a tad lumpy from sitting.... last thing I have to check is toe. If anybody has any insight please feel free to chime in. I realize these trucks weren't meant for highway cruising ... I just want to k ow if what I'm experiencing is normal or what.
 

phil2968

Active member
2,591
18
38
Location
Lakeland, Florida
I had tire cupping on my M109. I found the toe in to be way to much. I adjusted the toe in to 1/16 of an inch measured at the center of the tread. It does not sound like much but the truck still drives and steers great but with no tire cupping after a 1500 mile recovery trip!
I hope this helps you out.
 

littlebob

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Location
Baton Rouge LA
I like this thread, it makes us discuss all of the things that could be causing a problem. It could be more than one issue with any given problem and diagnosing it first would be the most cost effective way to do it. My first answer would be the shock absorber, but I would take them both off and compare the resistance while compressing and extending. I would also look for oil on the lower part of the shock to tell me that the shock is leaking oil and has lost some or all of its effectiveness. Check all of the suggestions because most of these old trucks could have multiple issues.
 

JCKnife

Well-known member
1,367
46
48
Location
Kentucky
It is quite commmon for passenger side front tires on a deuce to wear like that,especially on W/W trucks due to the extra weight. The right front tire on my A2 W/W was really wearing badly. Someone recommended new shocks and I absolutely did not believe that could be the cause. My alignment was perfect. I replaced both front shocks with Monroe 34787 shocks from NAPA. The NAPA number for the 34787 shocks is 76787. I couldn't believe the difference. My tire wear and cupping disappeared and I got a better ride to boot.
Tagging this thread for the above info--thanks!
 

Coal Cracker

Member
469
2
16
Location
Weatherly, Pa.
Don't allways look at the front I.E shocks , Toe , Camber etc. Look to the rear, if you have a mismatched set of tires or a bent/bad dog bone the rears could be thrusting/tracking toward the right side of your truck, and the rt. front tire may be taking the brunt. Start by looking at the tires on the left side, are the diameters taller that the right?

If you take a single axle with a bigger tire diameter on either side, the side with the taller tire will roll more.

I work and repair alignment equipment for a living, and constantly train on alignment theory, I decided to totally align my Deuce this summer, and I've noticed more power , easier steering and a much reduced tire temperatures.

I will post a writeup on my total deuce alignment when I get cabin fever this winter. I would look to your rear for your right front problem , it sounds like your pushing on the right front if it was toe I would suspect wear on both tires.
 

Karl kostman

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Location
Fargo ND
Hey guys Like many of you I was experiencing the same weird tire wear issues as you were Well I put my new shocks on yesterday which stinks because the truck is now essentially parked for the year because of salt on the roads for winter BUT come next Spring I will let you know if the shocks changed my problem and of course Happy Holidays Folks!!!
KK
 

seano11

Active member
878
103
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Location
Edmonton Canada
Hey guys being in the trucking world for awhile but Just getting into the 6x6 world. So not sure If I'm correct here out not but shocks wouldn't make a difference on a solid axle. Its mostly independent front suspension and the mcpherson strut system that have tire wear when the shock or strut is bad. I'm not sure if the m35 is a king pin set up or a ball joint knuckle. But that is where I'd be looking and not at the shocks. I've had tires on my gravel truck wearing real bad on one side and looked everything over everything looked good but the tie rod was bent so little you couldn't tell that it was bent. Any ways that my 2cents And sorry for the ****ty sentence structure I'm a trucker not a english teacher :razz:
 

rolling18

Active member
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Location
Portland, OR
add me to this list with this type of tire wear problem. (NDT)
I now have the Goodyears 395 85 20's (I do not want to wear these monsters unevenly!! the contact patch is easily 10x as much as NDT's and that's 10x the resistance for steering alignment to fight against (over inflate)

I don't think some people should say "Its not the shocks" when for many people it clearly IS the shocks/ bushings.. when the bad wear stops AFTER replacing the shocks.

My shocks seem OK, (any way to test?) after much searching, most of the results I find are pointing to the tie rod.
i would like to know how you adjust it for ONLY the pass. side tire??? :confused:
 
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seano11

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Location
Edmonton Canada
It could very well be the shocks on a m35 I`ve just never had a chance to see the setup on these trucks. From my experience if its a solid axle then the leaf pack connects the axle to the frame and the shock is just there to smooth out the bumps. Correct me If I`m wrong please but if this is the set up I can`t figure out how a bad shock affects the tire wear.
 
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rolling18

Active member
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Location
Portland, OR
It could very well be the shocks on a m35 I`ve just never had a chance to see the setup on these trucks. From my experience if its a solid axle then the leaf pack connects the axle to the frame and the shock is just there to smooth out the bumps. Correct me If I`m wrong please but if this is the set up I can figure out how a bad shock affects the tire wear.
i agree, shocks only control up/ down movement

i have had older dodge diesel trucks w/ leafs and no shocks didnt affect wear just ride
 

seano11

Active member
878
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Location
Edmonton Canada
If they were running bia`s ply tires they tend to do stuff like that. Will wear funny for awhile then smarten up and wear perfect. At least thats what I've noticed with big mud tires on trucks and Atv tires. I could be totally wrong just my 2cents
 

jonesal

Mission Specialist
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Location
Brookings, SD
The NAPA numbers listed elsewhere on this site (several other threads and the parts list) is 66903. The gent who posted the NAPA number earlier - have you installed your 76787's yet? Do they fit? Do they bottom out?

Please see my edits/technical info below. I'm trying to figure out the best fit to stock.

Thanks,
Allen

Edited:

For NSN 2540-00-294-6336, Part Number 7539007:

PISTON END NOMINAL SHANK LENGTH - 2.813 INCHES
PISTON END NOMINAL SHANK DIAMETER - 0.438 INCHES
PISTON END NOMINAL SHANK UNTHREADED LENGTH - 1.875 INCHES
CYLINDER END NOMINAL SHANK LENGTH – 2.813 INCHES
CYLINDER END NOMINAL SHANK DIAMETER - 0.438 INCHES
CYLINDER END NOMINAL SHANK UNTHREADED LENGTH - 1.875 INCHES
NOMINAL EXTENDED LENGTH - 20.531 INCHES
NOMINAL COMPRESSED LENGTH - 12.281 INCHES
Operation Method: Hydraulic

From NAPA's Prolink web site:
Napa 66903
Shock Compressed Length : 12.75"
Shock Dust Shield : Yes
Shock Extended Length : 21.75"
Shock Parts Pack Part # : Two P1134
Shock Travel Length : 9"
GAS

Napa 76787
Shock Compressed Length : 14.25"
Shock Dust Shield : Yes
Shock Extended Length : 23.25"
Shock Parts Pack Part # : Two P1167
Shock Travel Length : 9"
GAS
 
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hellrayzor1

Member
75
3
8
Location
peoria/ Az
I replaced the shocks and rotated the tires and have since made 2 trips up north in Az (about 300 mile round trip each) Tire wear is even now and am not having the choppy tread wear I was having before. One of the shocks I took off (driver's side) was almost completely froze up. Also the truck now rides sooooo much better, especially when on rough roads or over speed bumps in parking lots. I can't remember what the part number was for the shocks, they are from Napa and come stock in bright yellow. I will look up the reciept in the morning and get the part number.
 
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