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My New Knuckle-Boom Deuce Thread.

M37M35

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Yes, we love updates and pics, you got them both!



If the outriggers are hydraulic, you could use them to "modify" the fuel tank! Your idea was probably better though...
Yeah, the fuel tank had already been modified! See post #33. I straightened the mount but there's still a nice circular dent in the tank. The outriggers are hydraulic up-down, manual in-out.
 

gimpyrobb

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It already had a pryo but I wanted to add a boost gauge. I made a mount for the steering column, put the boost gauge there, and moved the pryo there from the dash. I had another fuel gauge laying around so I put it in the dash to fill the hole.

Pulling an ~8,500# trailer up a hill at 2,200 rpm in 5th gear, it just touched 1,200* and made 13 pounds of boost. Okay? Not okay?


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Perfectly fine, but not a touch more!
 

M37M35

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I needed to be able to pull trailers so I installed a Curt #15400 2" receiver hitch.

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I wanted it even with ends of the frame rails so I made some 1/4" spacers to clear the rivets that hold rear crossmember.

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There was a huge hitch welded on the back at one time, so I had to do a lot of cutting and grinding to clean off what was left of that before I could mount the Curt. That was a pain!
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M37M35

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To make the 12V trailer lights work on the 24V truck, I made up a relay system. The 24V relays are energized by the right turn, left turn, and tail lights. When the relays close, it sends 12V to the trailer plug for the appropriate function. Right now I'm getting 12V from a cheap 24V to 12V converter, but I'll add a 12V alternator and battery later. The relays fit nicely in a 4" weatherproof electrical box I mounted in a crossmember.



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M37M35

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Trailer brake controller and extra deep-cycle battery for the coming 12V system. Picked up that battery at a garage sale for $0.50 and it turned out to be good!! That made my day!:D



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M37M35

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Couldn't just put omni-volt lights on the trailer?



Looks good anyways!
Thanks!

That's not practical for me. I have more than one trailer I want to pull, and I want to be able to pull any civilian trailer. Plus, I think it was actually cheaper and quicker for me to put the relays together than it would have been to swap lights on just one trailer.
 

M37M35

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Every time I drive the deuce, I check the brakes by holding firm pressure on the peddle for several seconds to make sure they're holding and not leaking down. I do this every time I start it up and occasionally at red lights, etc.

The other day I was leaving a friend's house with the deuce, pulling a trailer with his truck on it. A couple miles from his house is a steep hill. I stopped at the top of the hill to check the brakes, and they sank to the floor. :shock: I got out to look and there was brake fluid on top of the first rear axle. There was no place to turn around with the trailer so I had to back up about 200 yards to an intersection to turn around, and drove slow back to my friend's house. You can't see it very well in the pic, but there's a pinhole leak about 4" up from the crimp.

I left the deuce there and had him drive me home. I searched SS and the internet for new brake hoses. I wanted to put braided stainless hoses back on it instead of rubber, figuring there would be less chance of failure. One place online that could make them wanted 2.5 times the cost of rubber ones! After some phone calls and driving around, I found a hose shop that had the end fittings in stock and made braided stainless hoses while I waited, for not a whole lot more than rubber.

I replaced the two rear hoses at my friend's house, bled the rear brakes, and drove it home without further issues. I would like to eventually convert to a dual brake system to make sure I'll still have brakes if something leaks/fails again. I just don't like not having a backup system.

The stainless hose is US made. The old rubber one said "Japan" on it.


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gimpyrobb

dumpsterlandingfromorbit!
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A "good enough" back-up plan is to carry pipe plugs with you. If a leak occurs, detach the brake line from the system and plug it. That will allow you to get to a place where you can service the system.
 

M37M35

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A "good enough" back-up plan is to carry pipe plugs with you. If a leak occurs, detach the brake line from the system and plug it. That will allow you to get to a place where you can service the system.
Good Idea. I'll find some plugs that fit and keep them handy.



Sometimes the hydraulic pump for the crane would whine when I first engaged it, especially if the weather was cold. I suspected the pump was being starved for oil, so I replaced the hose from the tank to the pump with a bigger one. The pump has 1" ports but the hose and fittings were only 3/4". I had to drain the tank to replace everything, which led to another problem. (See next post.) I replaced the 3/4" valve and fittings with 1", and the hose with 1 1/4". I also routed it differently so it didn't hang so low to the ground.


Old.
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New.
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M37M35

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Location
East Central Oklahoma
Before I refilled the tank, I decided to take the inspection plate off the top and see what the inside looked like. This is what I found...

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The in-tank strainer had completely fell apart and there was sludge and water in the bottom, so I had to flush the tank out. This is how short projects become longer ones...

After getting all that sorted out, it does seem to work better. The pump isn't as noisy and the crane moves faster.
 

M37M35

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Location
East Central Oklahoma
Some action shots...


Hauling a friend's truck.
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Taking down an old antenna tower. Just the tower was 44' tall. The antenna and rotator was about another 4'.
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M37M35

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Been awhile since I updated this thread...

I've been using it for miscellaneous lifting and hauling projects around the place and for friends, but don't always remember to take pictures of the action.

It started to get diesel in the engine oil, so I've been working on that.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...t-else-should-I-look-at-while-I-m-fixing-this

Used it to help cut down a dead tree next to a couple buildings. We put a chain around the branch to support it, then cut it off and lowered it to the ground. Worked great!

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M37M35

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
572
648
93
Location
East Central Oklahoma
Deleted cause it won't post right... :mad:
 

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M37M35

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Location
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Well it's been awhile, but I had a few problems...

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showt...-Small-amount-of-antifreeze-in-oil&highlight=

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showt...lightly-melted-What-to-do-about-it&highlight=

Got that all fixed, finally! (I hope)

So here's some more action shots...

View attachment 694109
Unloading a small storage building. I moved it from a trailer onto the bed of the truck, drove to where I wanted it, then unloaded it.




My dad had been looking for an enclosure to put his big upright air compressor in outside of his shop. He wanted it outside to keep the noise down, and on the off chance that the tank happens to blow up. A friend of mine happened to mention he had come across this big oil tank that was being scrapped, so I made him a deal on it. We figured it would make a bulletproof air compressor enclosure!
It's 1/4" thick plate and weighs about 4,200 pounds!

I used the deuce to unload it off the trailer, rock it over on it's side, and set it in place next to the workshop. The open side faces out towards a field so if the air compressor tank ever ruptures it should minimize the chances of bad things happening.
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