Just Picked Up the M816 Wrecker!

[joestewart]

I've had it at my place for one week and the neighborhood kids have already thrown rocks at the windshield and cracked it. Out of the GL yard at Camp Beauregard which is only about an hour from here. I'm excited about getting it started up and running. It appears to be complete. I was hoping there would be some goodies inside all those steel tool boxes, but they were all empty, save for a lonely grease gun. I'm trying to charge the batteries now, but I'm uncertain if the batteries are salvageable. Any advice appreciated.

 

[nf6x]

The truck looks great! I wish my M543A2 looked even half that good!

Do you know which specific kid(s) threw rocks at it? If so, I think it's time to have a talk with their parents about the cost of window glass. And if they don't take care of things, then it's time to call the police.

 

[EZFEED]

NIce score bub! Where in Lafayette are you?

 

[joestewart]

I live near Acadiana Mall. Truck is on the northside. The patrolman that handled the vandalism incident has a pretty good idea who the kids are. They are in the twelve to fifteen year old age range. They didn't stop with the army truck unfortunately. They also broke out two of the roll-down windows in one car and all of the glass in the cab of a farm tractor on the premesis. Then they took a pipe and rammed it into the windshield of a car. Investigation continues. Hopefully, after I get this beast started, I can pull it into the barn so it will be protected from the weather and in that location, it will recieve some measure of protection from the neighborhood kids.

 

[EZFEED]

That sucks Joe...
I now live in Branch, LA 32 miles from Lafayette but I work in Lafayette and stay at my parents home sometimes during my work week to save on fuel. Their place is off verot school and I work over here off corporate blvd at the Halliburton corporate office. We need to meet some time, I have some misc 5 ton parts including an extra transmission.

 

[steelandcanvas]

Very nice wrecker! Can I play with it when you're done?

 

[MilitaryRestoration]

Nice wrecker!!! could use one of those all the time seems like...maybe one day And as for the kids, if I had a wrecker and I caught them, i'd show them how the wrecker works and how high it goes by hooking them by their briches and letting them 'hang around' for a day or so.

 

[Gamagoat1]

Nice, you're gonna love it!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Offroadfabworks]

nice wrecker

 

[bugei]

wrecker batteries

i got a wrecker a few weeks ago, and i had the "maintenance free" type batts with the fillers still there. i went to the auto parts store and got 2 quarts of battery acid and toped off each one. i have a pretty big charger with an "automatic maintenence free" charging mode, i used that mode on 2 amps for 24 hours each and they zapped back happy as a battery could be. this mode hits for a few bit, then backs off for a few seconds, then hits again.

 

[M543A2]

I predict you will be like my son and I - we wonder how we ever got along here on the farm and repair shop without one of these!
I have added a sketch of a couple of channel irons we welded to the bottom boom support anchors at the rear of the bed. They make it SO much easier for us, especially when operating the truck by oneself, to get the boom supports into the proper location to put the pins in place. You just get the boom low enough to place the ends of the support rods into the channels, then lower the boom, letting the channels guide the support bars until they just touch the bed between the pin brackets. The pins can then be inserted with very little problem.
Regards Marti

 

[halftrack]

Nice Score. Enjoy your new toy.

 

[M543A2]

For the picture lovers, here is a photo of one of the channels in place.
Regards Marti :

 

[Lorax]

Better go lecture your horses, and tell them to stop playing on the wrecker. One of them left their shoe prints on the floor plate in front of the drag winch (pic 020).

 

[timntrucks]

very nice truck. i go to lafeyette some as daughter is in college there, im over east of baton rouge in ponchatoula. drop me a pm and give me your address and next time ill come n look you up . i too have a wrecker and man cant do without it now Tim

 

[joestewart]

As for the horse prints, those were made by a couple of lifting shackles that the military had left there - the kind that are on the front bumper of the truck. I had just picked them up and those were the rust prints that were left.

Hi Tim, PM sent. Next time you come to Lafayette you can stop by and give me some pointers.

The batteries that came with the truck look pretty good externally and they appear to have adequate water in the cells, but when I put them on a trickle charger overnight, they get pretty warm and they are making a hissing noise as the charger is operating. There's also a smell of sulfer in the garage where the charging is taking place. I guess they are not salvageable. I'll buy some civilian batteries and try to start it this weekend, hopefully.

This wrecker came with four batteries. Can I wing it with just two?

I'm meeting with the police investigator tomorrow regarding the vandals.

Thanks for all the comments.

 

[bugei]

joe, try or borrow a more agressive charger, the trickle charger did nothing, neither did the 40 amp a$$ kick charge, we even tried a round at 200 amps. it was the maintenence free 2 amp that kicked mine into happiness.

 

[EZFEED]

As for the horse prints, those were made by a couple of lifting shackles that the military had left there - the kind that are on the front bumper of the truck. I had just picked them up and those were the rust prints that were left.

Hi Tim, PM sent. Next time you come to Lafayette you can stop by and give me some pointers.

The batteries that came with the truck look pretty good externally and they appear to have adequate water in the cells, but when I put them on a trickle charger overnight, they get pretty warm and they are making a hissing noise as the charger is operating. There's also a smell of sulfer in the garage where the charging is taking place. I guess they are not salvageable. I'll buy some civilian batteries and try to start it this weekend, hopefully.

This wrecker came with four batteries. Can I wing it with just two?

I'm meeting with the police investigator tomorrow regarding the vandals.

Thanks for all the comments.

Aww dude you passed up a prime opportunity to tell them how you taught your horses to crew the truck!

 

[Bolt]

What a prize! A great ride by all accounts. Will you be using it as a wrecker or as a grocery getter?

 

[madsam]

Nice wrecker. I have done stuff with min sense I got mine. Can't live without it now.