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Wreckerman's M927A3 cargo/tractor truck

wreckerman893

wreckerman893

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The weather forecast was for rain today but it held off so I continued to work on the modified M927.

I set the plate that the 5th wheel will ride on and did all the measuring for the holes that will need to be drilled to mount everything.

I hope there is enough room for the trailer to maneuver when the truck turns, if not all of this is for naught. Once I get everything bolted down I'll back under the van trailer and see if Murphy is going to get a laugh out of my endeavor.

Here are the promised pics.
 

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Ford Mechanic

Ford Mechanic

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Great project! Do you think it will pull weird with the hitch so far behind the axle? Or push the tail of the truck during turns? If it works well will this be a permanent modification?
 
Recovry4x4

Recovry4x4

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I'm thinking you are going to be short on real estate. As mentioned in an earlier post, a simple stretch of the tape on the M275A2 would have told you. The M373 clears the cab by only a foot in turns. I've owned more than a couple of the short porch boogers and my eyes says no fittto.
 
wreckerman893

wreckerman893

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:tigger:
Might need a duece bed, that swing clearance looks mighty close.
Click to expand...
If I had used a deuce bed (which I had just sold) the end of the bed would have been between the tandems and looked weird.

If the trailer can't make the turn I have a cutting torch and am not above doing some redneck engineering.:burn:

Great project! Do you think it will pull weird with the hitch so far behind the axle? Or push the tail of the truck during turns? If it works well will this be a permanent modification?
Click to expand...
As front heavy as the truck is (and the bed will be loaded with trade goods), and as light as the van trailer is I don't foresee a problem.

As for the duration of the mod I guess I'll wait and see how it pulls and how it's manners are.

If I have time before the rally I'm going to take it to the pump shop and have it turned up to around 375 HP and see how it does.
 
466Navastar

466Navastar

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Wreckerman - looks like your mods will do the job for a lightly loaded trailer - but you might want to either paint that rear frame some bright /reflective color or add some kind of warning lights (side and rear)......even a 2x4 hanging out of a pick up bed needs a red flag - so someone doesn't run into it....the rear extended frame on that rig looks like a liability issue on public roads - might want to check with DOT on how to make it safe

I had a chassis cab plow truck with DOT reflective tape from the cab to the rear tip of the frame and chassis cab tail lites with side lite panels and some woman hit me and said she didn't see the truck because there was no bed....cop agreed with her and MY insurance paid......

I have to add this bit of info - this happened even though I had a full size amber strobe light bar on the roof of the cab and it was flashing
 
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Robo McDuff

Robo McDuff

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seano11 said:
I'll have to come down and teach you some day. I do it 7 days a week with a tri drive body job tanker and a quad wagon set up
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Could you do that on the Rally? I never managed that either (but my experience with those combo's is very limited) Few yards straight back I managed, but for all maneuvering I took the trailer "on the nose".

Wreckerman, that contraption would almost certainly be not legal in Europe. Fifth wheels should always be above or in front of the rear wheels. More important, you really should install a permanent solid underride bar (also known as Mansfeld Bar). You have an inconspicuous but very solid part of truck sticking out way behind the visual "end" of your truck and your rear tires. In this case, with the bar I would also install skirts behind the rear tires toward the underride bar. Without the trailer behind it, if you make a sharp turn or somebody else makes a stupid mistake because the end of the truck is much further backward than expected, and you have somebody caught between the tires and the underride bar. Without underride bar, you can be sure that one day you will have the bumper of car against your tires and its roof being stripped backwards by the pintle hook.

Having said that, its weird but ingenious. Another trailing axle way in the back would solve all those problems.
 
wreckerman893

wreckerman893

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:tigger:

Since not being at the rally isn't an option, is there a back up plan?
Click to expand...

No...if this don't work I'm pretty much screwed.

Well, actually I can still pull the converter dolly but the intent was to do away with that onus.


Without underride bar, you can be sure that one day you will have the bumper of car against your tires and its roof being stripped backwards by the pintle hook.
Click to expand...
That problem exists even with the long bed on there. I have thought about installing a DOT bumper back there since a car could run all the way to the rear axle given enough momentum and driver stupidity. I'd hate to deprive some deserving moron of his Darwin Award but it is probably something I will address to negate liability. As long as there is a trailer back there things should be fine.
 
Recovry4x4

Recovry4x4

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wreckerman893 said:
:tigger:




No...if this don't work I'm pretty much screwed.

Well, actually I can still pull the converter dolly but the intent was to do away with that onus.
Click to expand...
Look at the bright side. If it doesn't work, you can slide the bed all the way to the back and have room for an S318 shelter (Maybe S250) between the bed and the cab. Point the door curbside and you can brew up tunnel boxes where the bottom steps in.
 
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wreckerman893

wreckerman893

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:tigger:

I got the 5th wheel mounted today and backed under the trailer to check for clearance.

The trailer clears the tailgate by a gnat's whisker in a sharp turn.

Tomorrow I'll make sure the lights work and that I can hook the air up.

I intend to make some extended jumper wires and hook the lights on the short bed to the wiring harness that powered the lights on the long bed. If the weather cooperates I may add some lights on the back of the frame like on a regular tractor but as long as there are lights on the trailer I'll be fine while pulling it.

Again, depending on the weather, I may take the rig to "First Friday" in Gadsden tomorrow evening. They block off the main drag and have vehicle displays, food vendors and bands playing.

It would be a good excuse to give it a shakedown cruise to see how it handles going down the road.

Here are some more pics.
 

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