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Steel Soldiers MV of the month 2024 - May VOTE HERE!

Please vote for MVOTM


  • Total voters
    50
  • Poll closed .

patracy

Administrator
Staff member
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Welcome to the MV of the month poll sponsored by Consolidated Press. If you need decals, magnets, stencils, or anything printing related, please give them a call!


Now, onto the vote! Please vote for MV of the month! Feel free to campaign in this thread, but please keep it here and not via PM.

1. Migginsbros



2. ToddJK




3. msgjd



4. hike



5. hrbergeron

 

hike

—realizing each day
Steel Soldiers Supporter
525
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93
Location
Texas Hill Country
Another sh-- eating grin thanks to the M1078A1's aura—

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A family friend: we met 'Bill' in 1973. My wife and I have had Thanksgiving almost every year since 1976 with him and most of his family. If you could see his eyes you'd still wonder what he is thinking.

In the wild, deserving military vehicles cast a spell on folks. Whatever that is, ours rushes a smile to those affected—
 
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hike

—realizing each day
Steel Soldiers Supporter
525
828
93
Location
Texas Hill Country
When we picked her up she looked good though had been neglected for some time.

We started simple on old electrical, cleaning up the PDP, replacing old relays, hunting down bad components.


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Found the resistors in the bundled diagnostic circuits (J1939/J1708) melted.

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The remote disconnect relays were inoperable and needed to be replaced.

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She was only 20 years old though needed some attention and appreciation. NOS parts and tools started arriving.

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When we installed the M939A2 CTIS unit we the CTIS still didn't function as intended. After cleaning up and rebuilding all the wheel valves, replacing bad hoses and kneeling valves we started going through the M1078A1 and M939A2 schematics. Which led to having to rewire a part of the diagnostic harness in the M1078A1's CTIS branch.

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With the CTIS working we started on the main electrical system: pulling out the Niehoff dual 14/28v 100a alternator and replacing it with a Leece Neville 28v 200a one better sized for the electrical system's four batteries.

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Modding the existing mounts, pulling out the LBCD and remote disconnects; then replacing the 12v feed to the PDP with a Victron 24/12v 70a DC to DC.

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Plenty of power for the large battery bank.

Most recently we pulled the CAT 3126b's ECM to have it bench flashed to 330 horses, enable cruise control and fix the speedometer.

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She is a big tinker toy providing more smiles per mile than any other vehicle we've had—
 
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msgjd

Well-known member
1,046
3,204
113
Location
upstate ny
msgjd, your wrecker looks like one of those MVs that if it could talk what stories it could tell! Love it. :cool: Looking forward to your campaign! [thumbzup]
the wrecker indeed has stories to tell , it has been around since fall of '53 , just a bit longer than i have been .. it hasn't had an easy life with its PO (a mountainous town highway dept) nor with me, but I'd like to think it at least now has an operator that actually has the MOS to properly show it the respect and patience an old M39-series should require .. it's campaign brochure will be coming soon !
 

Migginsbros

Well-known member
2,148
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Location
Berlin-Germany
Back to the Unimog Freightliner FLU419 SEE. We purchased this kind of a swisss knife in August 2013 from a guy in Nürnberg. He got it out from the post by auction and we got a title of release. We know that these Unimogs are shipped as bare mashines to the states. In the states they were equipped with the Schmidt (usa) front loader and a modified Case C35 backhoe. So it was very usefull for us that this one find his way back to Germany for duty.

In 2013 we don´t had our MAN F2000 , so we hire someone to deliver the SEE.

Last year we had to change the seals at one main backhoe cylinder, We ordered seals at FOX seal I remember, and it works. Great that we have the hydraulic impact from the HMMH in stock . This bolt was hard to get off. We heated the bolt , all threads were full of Loctite super , i think.

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msgjd

Well-known member
1,046
3,204
113
Location
upstate ny
M62 wrecker was a gasser, and got the A2-rebuild treatment in the 1990's, unfortunately.. The only good part is it also received a new M809-series front axle with true power steering during the MWO... It was turned in Code-A Serviceable from its final Unit and transferred directly to the US Forest Service.. It still wears the tin inventory tag riveted inside the door... No idea of its history there but in time it was transferred under freebie loan directly to a small town (pop <1000) fire department on top of the northernmost hills of the Berkshire mountain range near its boundary with Vermont's Green Mountain range.. It's a logging and farming region, the majority of the town roads are "dirt" and negotiating steep rugged terrain.. It's a good thing the truck kept its 5th-direct tranny during the rebuild .. Having been there myself, i doubt it ever got into 5th gear high range :LOL:

As desolate as that area is, the M62 certainly did not feel abandoned or alone because it had plenty of family to lounge with.. That particular little fire department with its "federal surplus freebie" status managed to amass almost a company-sized Combat Engineer motorpool of military dumps, tractor/trailers, D7 dozers, gravel screens, graders, etc. for free.. Of course the FD did not use most of this stuff thus it was "on loan" to their highway dept.. It sure would've been a great place for myself or other older vets to work with this "vintage" equipment.. Starting in 2013 or so they began to turn in the oldest equipment thus I purchased the M62 direct from the US General Services Administration but loadout was on town property.. I believe GSA is the only gov't-direct surplus vehicle sales venue since the days of the DRMO.

While on the town, the M62 was outfitted with triple-chains in winter and a set of singles on the front.. the chains are still in one of the bins.. It certainly performed recovery for snowplow and firetruck mishaps in winter and no doubt pulled out stuck dumptrucks and equip in other seasons.. It also worked year-round for removing/loading trees from roads during storms, and likely performed hoisting work to put up and maintain their equipment storage sheds.. The wrecker and the other 6x6 trucks in that town most-certainly performed crucial duty during the big ice storm of December 2008... It took a week or more for National Guard and other gov't support and FEMA to arrive to help towns hit hard in the mountains of western Mass, and the aftermath required months of cleanup in some areas. I recall the town bragged to be independently cleared and opened up by the time outside "help" arrived ..

On a lighter note, I heard a rumor the M62 out-pulled everything when hooked to the tractor-pull sled at the local fair. With its weight (>34000#) i do not doubt it... Although its LDS is getting tired (or maybe it's just because of its weight) , all of the mechanicals had always been kept up to snuff and the winch & hoist cables meticulously cared for, lubed, and covered.. The truck came with something I had never seen before on any wrecker, a top and bows from a 2-1/2T for protection.. Just a note, the "05A" USA number on hood is there only for a personal significance.. The truck is a 1953 thus it actually has numbers-only regis starting with a few zeros... For those very observant to detail, I painted the stars by hand , added a NOS surplus pre-cleaner, and installed a set of M809-series fender supports to fix the problem of air cleaner fender sag.. Other than some hose replacements done and regular maint, it needs nothing but paint ..

DRESSED FOR WINTER:

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Next, a series of TASKS, starting with it's earliest days with me:

1st Day on Job .. Hmmm, will it reach high and far enough to build the other (missing) half?
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"Maybe not, but it makes for an expensive swing!" she says

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Roof Removal 101

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Swing roof swing,

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Yes, it even swings at night .. Just don't look into the boom disco balls or there goes the night vision !

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Expensive post-setting apparatus,, that will...

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...De-rock your world,

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De-limb you,

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Flip your lid,

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Makes log entries for you, (btw, that's member "wreckclues" truck now)

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Skins your cat ,

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Yanks anybody's chain,

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Helps a sick partner,

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Quietly helps babysit,

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Performs post-storm underbody car wash duty and heavy-duty garden hose hanger , not made in China,

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Helps a jeep fly,

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Sleeps around with friends,

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Visits older IHC relatives on a regular basis,

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Transforms into an 18-ton Austin-Western roller,

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And is always first in line, ready for duty ;)

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In closing, this truck has performed many tasks too critical to stop for a photo op, and a bit requiring outriggers and cribbing.. It most-likely will be the last piece of heavy equipment I part with
 
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Migginsbros

Well-known member
2,148
6,421
113
Location
Berlin-Germany
FLU 419 SEE
We bought this great machine in good shape. The hydraulic concrete breaker came with her. Hydraulic tools are great for sparkfree drive and underwater use. We collected the missing tools to complete the whole equipment .

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The impact wrench is an add on from the HMMH. :cool:

Impact wrench is verry usefull for tire change.

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:jumpin::driver::cool::cool:
Cheers, Migginsbros
 
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msgjd

Well-known member
1,046
3,204
113
Location
upstate ny
FLU 419 SEE
I recall the first time I ever saw a SEE and immediately saw it was a "WTF is that?! " A confusing See-Saw moment :p ..

(early-1990's , 131st Engr VTARNG , the most-deployed NG engineer unit perhaps in history, starting with developing quarries and building roads in the central highlands, vietnam .. By the mid-90's they apparently had finished turning in their dozers, earthmovers, 5T and 20T dumps, a few remaining 10T tractors and 20T tracs, and C-HETS to become light-mobile )
 
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hike

—realizing each day
Steel Soldiers Supporter
525
828
93
Location
Texas Hill Country
What cool rigs to be competing with this month! We are enjoying learning more about each one.

We have been replacing items like the worn out cab air suspension and removing the 2:1 wheel reduction hubs to increase the M1078A1's drivability without reducing her capability. Here is a link to our attempt at a youtube video [since I don't understand how to add videos here]

Thank you to those who blessed us with your votes, hopefully more folks will be encouraged to join all y'all—
 
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