Wheel chocks?

[Artisan]

Because ship happens...

 

[Shirehorse]

Throwback to the military for me. They madated wheel chocks, so that's what I did. Old habits die hard, and I still chock my wheels no matter where I am when parking.

Cheap insurance from an expensive/fatal headache.

 

[Another Ahab]

Do not forget operator error/accident. In the military you sometimes spend a lot of time waiting, eating, and sleeping (living) in your cab. It is relatively easy to release the parking brake. It is cheap insurance in case you snag something on the brake lever when jumping out and there is still air in the system. Just think if you somehow released the parking brake while sleeping, you could wake up rolling down a hill into a tree or worse over the Commander.

Well, depends on the Commander, doesn't it!?


https://youtu.be/gE_4iq8Dgsg

 

[70deuce]

I found some 56 inch wooden chocks surplus that the part number shows they were used on B-52s. Cut them down to 18 inches and they make great wheel chocks for the M936A2. Also, you see most fire departments chock their trucks anytime the are in place for anytime even at the grocery store.

 

[Another Ahab]

I found some 56 inch wooden chocks surplus that the part number shows they were used on B-52s. Cut them down to 18 inches and they make great wheel chocks for the M936A2. Also, you see most fire departments chock their trucks anytime the are in place for anytime even at the grocery store.

Just knowing where they came from makes them pretty special. That's great.

 

[jasonjc]

I remember seeing some wheel chocks or track chocks made out of "C" channel. I'd like to make some of these , does any one here have any??? I could use a pic or 2 and some measurements.
Thanks.

 

[Another Ahab]

Here's an assortment of Wheel Chocks I've run cross that rate pretty solid:

- Just for anybody looking


View attachment Wheel Chocks I.pdf View attachment Wheel Chocks II.pdf View attachment Wheel Chocks III.pdf

 

[paradeduty]

Just an FYI for anyone interested - I found some pretty nice and fairly good size stiff rubber wheel chocks at Tractor Supply. They are normally about $13.00 or so and they had them on sale for $10.00 one time so I ran with it. They look to be very very similar to the military rubber ones. Almost exactly the same size - even come with the eyebolt in one side for the rope or chain if you wish.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/buyers-heavy-duty-rubber-wheel-chock-8-in-w

 

[MyothersanM1]

I have two of these. I found one used on eBay for a decent price. It doesn't show on the webpage, but it has a slot on the back side for easy handling and to run a chain through if you need to secure them. They work nicely with 11.00R20's.

https://www.chocks.com/product/hwc7

 

[tjwareusmc]

I want to revive this old thread to share a little story about my experience last night. Reading through the previous posts I see a common trend, kids accidentally releasing the parking brake. Yesterday My wife and I took our kids off-roading in our M925A2. The truck performed great and we had a blast. Since we all couldn't fit in the truck on the way there and back my wife followed me in her van with some of the kids. On our way home we stopped by some friends' house to see them and show them the truck. Their street has a significant slope/incline. I parked in front of their house and my wife parked about 12 feet behind me. I put the truck in Neutral as usual and set the parking brake which holds great, even on an incline. I shut the truck off and we all got out and talked with our friends on the sidewalk next to the truck. My wife left our 1 year old in the van in his car seat and the van was running.

We had only been there a minute or so and I see the truck suddenly start rolling backwards. I'm a calm thinker in an emergency so I fly up the steps, open the truck door and am surprised to see my eleven year old son in between the drivers and passengers seats. Before I could push the brakes or pull the parking brake "SMASH" the truck rolled backward into my wife's very nice, recently paid-off van. I reset the brake, got out and surveyed the damage. The van was pushed back about 15 feet, the grille was smashed, the hood smashed but the air bags did not deploy. Despite there being 10 kids outside the vehicles BY THE GRACE OF GOD none of them were behind the truck or in front of the van.

I soon learned that my oldest son was "showing off" in front of the other kids and grabbed the spare tire lift pole and flung his legs into the cab through the back window of the soft top. He must have landed on the parking brake lever and that was that. No, they're not supposed to be in the cab without me but kids do things we don't expect sometimes. No, I didn't have a set of chocks and up to that moment it didn't seem like a big deal to me but that changes today! I'm making a good set of chocks and using them religiously in the future. I'm blessed that it was only my van that was smashed and that I'm not planning a funeral for one of my kids.

I'll add that in the Marine Corps I had a 5 ton and 7 ton license and I don't even remember having chocks, although all of my licenses (except forklift) were obtained in-theater which meant a hasty overview and instructions on how to operate and how to permanently disable the truck if it may fall into enemy hands.

I am sharing this not because I'm proud of what happened, because I'm not- I'm actually very embarrassed but this post may help another member avoid a similar or even worse disaster in the future. I think because of the nature of these trucks and the fact that there is no park gear, they really should be equipped with wheel chocks and they should be used for the safety of everyone downhill.

 

[Another Ahab]

Really glad that nobody was hurt (except a little pride maybe, but what's that anyway).

Thank you for the post; it paints a picture everybody can learn from.

 

[Artisan]

DO NOT buy wheel chocks that are the black rubber
kind with the HOLLOW center. They FAIL.

I bought a couple from e-trailer some time back and they
might be ok for for vw, not much more. Make sure whatever
you use is SOLID material, not hollow.

 

[tjwareusmc]

I just put this set together, I'm almost glad this happened to show me their importance.

 

[98G]

I want to revive this old thread to share a little story about my experience last night. Reading through the previous posts I see a common trend, kids accidentally releasing the parking brake. Yesterday My wife and I took our kids off-roading in our M925A2. The truck performed great and we had a blast. Since we all couldn't fit in the truck on the way there and back my wife followed me in her van with some of the kids. On our way home we stopped by some friends' house to see them and show them the truck. Their street has a significant slope/incline. I parked in front of their house and my wife parked about 12 feet behind me. I put the truck in Neutral as usual and set the parking brake which holds great, even on an incline. I shut the truck off and we all got out and talked with our friends on the sidewalk next to the truck. My wife left our 1 year old in the van in his car seat and the van was running.

We had only been there a minute or so and I see the truck suddenly start rolling backwards. I'm a calm thinker in an emergency so I fly up the steps, open the truck door and am surprised to see my eleven year old son in between the drivers and passengers seats. Before I could push the brakes or pull the parking brake "SMASH" the truck rolled backward into my wife's very nice, recently paid-off van. I reset the brake, got out and surveyed the damage. The van was pushed back about 15 feet, the grille was smashed, the hood smashed but the air bags did not deploy. Despite there being 10 kids outside the vehicles BY THE GRACE OF GOD none of them were behind the truck or in front of the van.

I soon learned that my oldest son was "showing off" in front of the other kids and grabbed the spare tire lift pole and flung his legs into the cab through the back window of the soft top. He must have landed on the parking brake lever and that was that. No, they're not supposed to be in the cab without me but kids do things we don't expect sometimes. No, I didn't have a set of chocks and up to that moment it didn't seem like a big deal to me but that changes today! I'm making a good set of chocks and using them religiously in the future. I'm blessed that it was only my van that was smashed and that I'm not planning a funeral for one of my kids.

I'll add that in the Marine Corps I had a 5 ton and 7 ton license and I don't even remember having chocks, although all of my licenses (except forklift) were obtained in-theater which meant a hasty overview and instructions on how to operate and how to permanently disable the truck if it may fall into enemy hands.

I am sharing this not because I'm proud of what happened, because I'm not- I'm actually very embarrassed but this post may help another member avoid a similar or even worse disaster in the future. I think because of the nature of these trucks and the fact that there is no park gear, they really should be equipped with wheel chocks and they should be used for the safety of everyone downhill.

View attachment 600410View attachment 600411

Tha k you for sharing your experience so that everyone can learn from it.

When parking a vehicle equipped with full airbrakes and springbrakes, it is a good practice to dump all the air from the system. If all the air is dumped, it won't matter if the park brake is inadvertently released as the springbrakes will hold the vehicle until it is started and builds air.

 

[rumplecat]

Wheel chocks are your friend! I was over at the Oklahoma forestry yard picking up a M715, as I waited my turn I was watching the forestry guys trying to pull a truck out of a line of trucks for a buyer. They are sometimes less gently than they should be and as they moved one truck it bumped the one in front of it just enough maybe a foot total and it bump started! There was quite a show after that since it was a five ton with no running boards. Chocks are good!

 

[JohnnyBM931A2]

Sorry to hear. Like you said, the important thing is that no one was hurt.

As a side note, I always chock my wheels on any kind of incline (especially my driveway.) I keep a pair of chocks in the truck at all times.

 

[Another Ahab]

DO NOT buy wheel chocks that are the black rubber
kind with the HOLLOW center. They FAIL.

Thanks for the heads-up here, Artisan.

Is the failure from the chock sliding on pavement? Or does the chock actually collapse and end up crushed under the load of the wheel?

 

[JohnnyBM931A2]

Thanks for the heads-up here, Artisan.

Is the failure from the chock sliding on pavement? Or does the chock actually collapse and end up crushed under the load of the wheel?

I believe that is the type that I have, so I am curious as well. Maybe I should build my own set of military style wood chocks as others have done.

 

[TsgtB]

I keep 2 each 20" 6x6 blocks and a couple of 2x6s (nailed together) for wheel chocks (and to put under a bottle jack).
Just square 6x6's tossed between one of the rears (with 395s) works for me, flat ground with parking brake.

 

[98G]

I keep 2 each 20" 6x6 blocks and a couple of 2x6s (nailed together) for wheel chocks (and to put under a bottle jack).
Just square 6x6's tossed between one of the rears (with 395s) works for me, flat ground with parking brake.

Last summer TsgtB and I watched my unchocked M35A2C roll away and into the bushes. No springbrakes on those.... and don't leave them in gear because then they'll bumpstart and get away under power like rumplecat mentions...