Re: 2 1/2 ton Question on Axle


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Posted by Arthur P. Bloom on Sunday, July 27, 2003 at 11:44AM :

In Reply to: 2 1/2 ton Question on Axle posted by Willy-N on Sunday, July 27, 2003 at 0:27AM :

On M-series 2.5-ton military trucks, there is the possibility of excessive drag, due to the fact that the two rear axles are permanently tied together. There is no power divider or other differential-type apparatus between them, hence the importance (talked about ad nauseam on other military forums) of keeping rear tires within close diameter tolerances.

Our friend David Doyle, one of a few true experts on large military trucks, recommends the following way of distributing the rear eight tires, for minimum drag:

Measure each tire, and then number them one through eight, one being the smallest, and eight being the largest.

Forward rear axle: Install tires 1 & 2 on left side, 7 & 8 on the right side.

Rearward rear axle: Install tires 3 & 4 on left side, and tires 5 & 6 on the right side.

My company, www.M35products.com, which initially brought out lockout hubs for the front axles of these trucks, is now developing an air-activated inter-axle disconnect, and rear lockout hubs. In combination, these two products will eliminate the uneven tire drag problem.

If anyone from this forum is interested in learning more about these trucks, and their strengths/weaknesses, feel free to contact me off-list. If I don't have the answer, I can direct you to experts who do.

As far as weight-handling capabilities, the Rockwell axles used on the 2.5-ton cargo truck (M-35 series) are also used under the M108/M60 series of wrecker/crane. These trucks, while based on the M35 series chassis, have beefed-up frames and springs, and have a MGVW of over 26,000 pounds.



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