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Removing Troop Seats & Fold Down Sides On M-1081!

FloridaAKM

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Tomorrow, I am tasked with picking up a mobile shop container from GP locally. In order to do so, the troop seats, fold down sides & 4 uprights need to be removed for loading the container (8 x 8 x 14) with a forklift. The fold down sides & tailgate have ss pins in them to keep from coming off, these have to be removed before the sides will slide off. The troop seats have some type of T-pin system to lock them in & are one time deals.

Has anyone had to remove this gear to work on their trucks & been able to replace it after the delivery is complete. The vertical uprights are just bolted in & should be no problem, but the rest of it is a different animal. I do understand that the container will hang out the back about 10" or so, but I just need to get the recovery done first & worry about details later, such as leaving the container on the truck!

Thanks in advance for any good ideas or tips.
 

Awesomeness

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Biggest problem for me has been removing the bolt-pin-things on the troop seat uprights that hold them to the bed side uprights. They have a slot you are supposed to be able to put a screwdriver in, and then turn the nut, but mine are severely rusted together (oddly, pretty much the only rust on the truck... probably SS + steel accelerated galvanic corrosion). When I try to turn them, the whole thing spins but the nut doesn't come loose. An impact might get them off?
 

FloridaAKM

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Thanks for the replys & coachgeo wins the award to remind me that I overthink stuff. The thread that was used for reference was how to install LMTV troop seats in a m105 trailer. Coachgeo referred me to the two bolts on the bed level that held the assembly to the truck. The center was rusted but came loose with PB blaster. The rear bolt was rusted solid, but I wore it down & got it out. The seats come out with a little extra work, but they are heavy & I pulled a muscle @ work, making this a painful experience.

The fold down fiberglas sides come almost all the way down & push out towards the front of the truck, as there is a ss pin that holds them captive till you hit the sweet spot & out they come. Solved that problem easily, by dumb luck.

Now, there is a large oak limb over the driveway that I use to lift heavy stuff, but it is too low for the LMTV & the container to pass under, so I parked under it & cut the offending part off. This is the only way into the property mind you. So I went to start the truck & move it to finish unloading the crates in it & the 120 gallon Blackhawk spare fuel tank & NOTHING. Flip the power switch & nothing powers up. It has always started with no problems, but now the gateway is totally blocked by 8 1/2 tons of dead truck.
Having seen this once before, the fuse & breaker panel was pulled & checked all the breakers & relays. F2 was noticeably warm & this is the 24v started circuit. It was swapped with its neighbor (identical relay) with no results. The swap was reversed & the F2 relay was left out to cool down. Lights still work & the batteries have been on float charge for 36 hours & they are hot. I am soaked with sweat & skeeter bit past my limit., but still have to go for the pickup tomorrow before noon. I am starting to wonder if this truck has developed mind of its own & gone to the dark side.

If it will start tomorrow, I will go do the pickup. If not, a bit more investigative work on the power system & fuses is in order. Report tomorrow as to whether success was the outcome or else. If it was the Deuce, I could @ least tow it out of the driveway for plan "B".
 

FloridaAKM

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The sides are aluminum, sorry for the misspeak, don't know what I was thinking. I swapped several of the relays with no change. I rocked all of them to make sure they had good connection & were firmly in place. As sore as I am, another attempt will be made this morning, but unless I get her running, the trip to get the mobile work shop will have to be cancelled till a later date. There is a new face @ the GP yard here & I hope he is as understanding as the last guy, Larry.
 

FloridaAKM

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Gainesville, Florida
I went out & checked the LMTV this morning. Everything was ready to go if I kicked off the large wooden crate except for operating correctly. After getting in the seat, I tried the power switch & click, it worked. I tried the starter & she started, prayers answered.

A trip to the GP yard showed more inventory than I had ever seen there before. The new guy running the place was the son of the last Guy that worked there, Larry. He is brand new on the job & tried very hard with great success to load the large mobile shop on my LMTV. He got it on with no damage & I was out of there in 30 minutes.

I am not sure of what happened to the LMTV,. but it ran great the entire trip. The fan only kicked on once while driving slowly after getting off the main road & then for just a minute. A blessed first big recovery for the LMTV, guess she is a keeper.

Thanks for all the advice & help. Coachgeo I couldn't find a truck big enough to bring this shop unit home & unload it. It had to be the LNTV or nothing.
 

FloridaAKM

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Pictures in the phone, will add them Monday. The unit is actually a mobile office unit shipped back to the US from Iraq, complete with the finest tan sand I have ever seen in the A/C. It belonged to the 3rd ID @ Fort Stewart. I am happy with it & the trip for that matter.
 

M813rc

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The other end of that bolt is in a keyhole shaped slot.
Loosen the lower bolt, and the similar one that is about level with the bed sides. Pull the silver pin back in the slot (away from the bed side) and hold it. Lift the upright straight up about 1/2" and pull it away from the bed side.

IF it isn't rusted/stuck....
And you have to hold your mouth just right, and a little cussing helps...

Cheers
 

GCecchetto

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The other end of that bolt is in a keyhole shaped slot.
Loosen the lower bolt, and the similar one that is about level with the bed sides. Pull the silver pin back in the slot (away from the side) and hold it. Lift the upright straight up about 1/2" and pull it away from the bed.
IF it isn't rusted/stuck....

Cheers
Thanks, that's exactly how I thought it should work, but those pins will NOT budge. The one in the photo has been soaked in PB Blaster for a while now and it still won't budge.
 

wandering neurons

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Side questions relating to your removing your troop seats: Are you getting rid of the uprights? Also, I'm missing one of the plates in the bed of my M1081, that covers one of the parachute attachment fittings.
 

GCecchetto

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Side questions relating to your removing your troop seats: Are you getting rid of the uprights? Also, I'm missing one of the plates in the bed of my M1081, that covers one of the parachute attachment fittings.
Yes, I’m permanently removing the troop seats and will be looking to rehome them.
 

M813rc

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Thanks, that's exactly how I thought it should work, but those pins will NOT budge. The one in the photo has been soaked in PB Blaster for a while now and it still won't budge.
I was kind of afraid of that. Can you tap a wedge down behind it maybe?

Cheers
 
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