Tow bar workings

[steelandcanvas]

...but reading those manuals are boring to say the least, when they tell you how to tighten a bolt with two wrenches on one complete page its hard for me to keep interest. is the tow bar tm included with the deuce stuff? I didn't notice it.

You have to remember the TM's are written for people that may not be as educated as most, I'm sure the writers wanted to make sure everyone concerned could understand the text. No, the Towbar TM is not included with the Deuce TM's. The TM is: TM9-4910-593-12&P Medium Tow Bar, keep a copy of it in your glove box. The link to that TM file has been posted twice in this thread, in post #8 and post #20.

 

[bigbird1]

Thanks , I found it in the Misc section, any way to put a copy in the Deuce tm's ?

 

[doghead]

Your best option is to save all the TMs you think you may need on your own computer.

 

[emr]

As for turning right or left, It is all the same, Like someone said above, Right turns are usually sharper, that is the only difference, I have a few thou miles under my belt, Deuce to mule deuce to deuce, 5 ton to deuce , deuce to 5 ton, 5 ton to 5 ton. M 38 to Mule.There are a few times I had an M 38 in the back of one deuce and a mule in the back of another so I had enough vehicles to make the contract for a parade, more than once, Once I needed 2 drivers, That never stopped me before, i found 2 retired French Colonels once at the parade set up area and one drove a mule and another a deuce, My son had a deuce and I had the M 38, Tow barring is fun and safe if you do NOT do unsafe things, NEVER speed, always practice, stopping hard and turning BEFORE going out on a road. Hooking up brakes when 5 tons are concerned are the only way to do it, There is a reason they have glad hands in front and that is it, NEVER listen to guys who bragg about bad situations, Peoples lives and the future of the Hobby are at risk from those who take chances. Good Luck

 

[3dAngus]

Glad you reminded me. I have seversl of these official military tm's that fit in the glove box I need to put in the classified tomorrow when I can get a picture and post from a computer. They will be $8 and $2 shipping. I keep a copy with my deuce as they are almost pocket size

It is free on this site though. It's the 593-12&P manual.

In the -10, there is a segment on towing them with a tow bar.

There is also a medium tow bar manual available here on the site.

TM 9-4910-593-12&P

 

[cattlerepairman]

I'm glad I wasn't on the roads near you. Being that unsafe is just plain irresponsible. No offense, but it is. I don't consider a "thrill" at the possible expense of someone else's life to be commendable.

I don't blame you and the event is out of context - I was towing a friend's disabled 816 from a dangerous to a safe place off the road. I'm with you on safety. Leaving it where it was would have been desaster.

 

[sandcobra164]

I don't blame you and the event is out of context - I was towing a friend's disabled 816 from a dangerous to a safe place off the road. I'm with you on safety. Leaving it where it was would have been desaster.

That was a case of operating "outside normal parameters" and it happens. Most all of us think about Safety as a primary concern as we don't won't to be involved in a huge mishap. In the military, we have done the same thing. We can't leave a truck behind, it has to make it back to the motorpool for maintenance and we do what we have to do to get it there. I've pulled similar loads with my Deuce and while it's slow going, we creep to our destination and get the job done. A wrecker can break down as well and another capable truck, capable is read with a wide range of interpretation in the military, can bring it back as well.

Back to the original point, If you're thinking of towing a Deuce, please tie the steering wheel off in the straight ahead position. I've towed quite a few and if you leave the steering wheel un tethered, when you make a sharp or regular turn onto a different road, the wheels will lock in the opposite direction that you're trying to go.

 

[phil2968]

...,please tie the steering wheel off in the straight ahead position. ...

You got that right. I pulled an M35 out of Jacksonville and the wheels weren't tied quite straight and I could only get up to about 45mph. I stopped and fixed that real quick!
You also should tie the brakes together on a deuce to deuce hook up if you are doing a long tow. It is not hard to do.
This was a fun tow home of about 900 miles in August.

 

[phil2968]

I did not hook brakes up for the 8 mile pull of the bobber with a regular deuce. This gives you and idea of towbar placement and safety chain attachment. The steering wheel was tied however.

 

[sandcobra164]

Phil, you'll have to show them how to plumb into the air pack to make them understand how to "tie into" the brakes on the Deuce being towed. I'm fortunate you showed me first hand.

It's simple enough, Phil has a custom "J" pipe that he has equipped with an air chuck, an air line that fits it and he fits it into the input back of the air pack and connects it the the "Service" line of his truck. It works and he's towed a pile of the M35's out, I'm sure he's open to post his knowledge and I might actually have some of it incorrect but I'm pretty sure that's how he did it.

If I just spoke Chinese to anyone, research the TM's and learn how the brakes work on a Deuce and it will make perfect sense.

If you don't know what the "J" pipe is, you've got some more reading to do. I'll add that these trucks take BFS or Brake Fluid Silicone, and it does not mix well with DOT 3 Fluid. You're local Harley dealer has DOT 5.

 

[phil2968]

Just remember that "J" pipe only works with the long air pack. If you have short pack you have a "L" pipe that is only threaded on one end with an o-ring slip fit on the other. That requires a fitting (1/2 Inverted male thread to 3/8 male pipe thread) to put a quick connect air hose into the back chamber of the airpack. That fitting is tough to find local but is on the net.
The M109 hook up had brakes on all 6 axles. Stopped like a sports car. Started off like locomotive!

 

[whatadeuce]

Hello phil2698, I notice a jack stand being used in those tow bar hook up pictures. Where you connecting your tow bar alone? Is that the need for it?

 

[sandcobra164]

A jackstand can be used to help connect a towbar if you're by yourself. I've not had that luxury. What I do when I'm by myself is position my truck close, hook the tow bar to the disabled truck, remove the pins from the legs, connect the lunette ring to the pintle on my truck, back up till I feel a thud, and then pull forward about an inch. I then leave my truck in neutral, park brake off and line up the holes on the legs and insert the pins.

 

[phil2968]

It was just me and my brother. It was a high lift jack. In a M109 you cannot see solider b holding up the tow bar. We did not have a solider c so we supported the tow bar at the right height and my brother could stand in my view and give guidance to hook up.

 

[M35A2-AZ]

Phil2968 and sandcobra164, Do you have any pics of what you did to the L pipe on the short airpack?
I did the mod on a long airpack but I have not tried to do a short air pack. But I have a truck I need to
do it to.
Thanks,

 

[cattlerepairman]

I second that - a little writeup with a few pics for both would be a cool addition to the "HOW TO" section!

 

[doghead]

There is already a thread or two on that.

 

[M35A2-AZ]

I have the one for the long airpack book marked but I could not find one for the short airpack. That is why I asked for some pics on how people did it with the short airpack.