Deuce Front End Alignment????

Before I get yelled at....I did a search and this was the closest thread I could find ---> http://steelsoldiers.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=17082

Now...for my questions....

Both of my "legal" (tagged & insured) deuces appear to not have the front wheels aligned correctly. The tires that I just pulled off of them were heavily worn on one side (of the tire)& much much better on the other side (of the tire).

Can I align them in my driveway? What tools will I need? And, does anyone have a photo step-by-step of what to do?

PLEASE use english & not grease monkey talk....

Thanks!

Great post Daniel, I've wanted to know this for awhile. Had some bad wear on my 900:20's also.

Check out my post from some time back. It may not be step by step but it might help.

http://steelsoldiers.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=221890&highlight=#221890

The above, should about take care of your "Toe-in" problem. I had forgotten that I had commented on the subject.

Lee in Alaska

Do you jack the entire front axle/tires off of the ground when you adjust this?

What bolts/etc do you loosen/tighten to fix the toe-in issue?

Is that the only thing that I need to adjust?

I love the pvc pipe trick, works great, on any vehicle

i use to put a pin in the tread, each front tire, facing foreward, then take a measurement, then move the vehicle to the rear, and the tire rolls, hence the pin moves, once facing to the rear, measure again, make sure the front is 1/8 tighter than the rear measurement

this is how i did it cheap on the jeep

but hey, that pvc idea rocks, and i will be at lowes tomorrow

dm22630 said:

Before I get yelled at...

PLEASE use english & not grease monkey talk....

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Yelled at? Why would anyone yell at you for asking for help? If you don't find what you needed with a search, there's always the Tech Manuals. They do cover this and every other procedure for these trucks. I really suggest you get familiar with them and how to use them(not so hard once you understand how they are numbered). I needed them explained to me before I became more efficient in using them. The best thing about the TM's is that every single item and troubleshooting procedure and repair is documented in them! They are also written in simple terms so there is no need to speak "Grease Monkey" to understand and use them.

Here's a great piece of advise that was shared here(SS) many times" read your TM's in bed at night"

RE: Re: Deuce Front End Alignment????

This may have been covered in one or more of the references/links above, but the fact that the rear axles are coupled without an interaxle differential causes a fair amount of tire scrub on the front tires, which makes them wear on the outside halves especially and increases the turning circle in the process. For highway driving, free up the rear axles.

RE: Re: Deuce Front End Alignment????

"Do you jack the entire front axle/tires off of the ground when you adjust this?

What bolts/etc do you loosen/tighten to fix the toe-in issue?

Is that the only thing that I need to adjust?"

Daniel, Toe-in, is the most likely adjustment necessary. There is also "Camber" (that is fixed by the king pins), and "Castor", ( the amount that the King pins lean back from vertical and that causes the truck to go straight down the road - adjusted by adding tapered shims between axle & springs). It is necessary that the "Toe-in" is adjusted with weight on the axle-hence the swivel plates, mentioned in a previous post. Tie rod ends are right & left. Tie rod clamp bolts on the ends are loosened & tie-rod is rotated, to give proper adjustment. On some vehicles, it is necessary to drop one end of tie-rod, to make adjustments. TM should be consulted, for proper procedure.

Lee in ALaska

RE: Re: Deuce Front End Alignment????

October 4th, 2008.

If my memory is correct the TM-20 on the deuce covers adjustment of "Toe In" and the proceedure is fairly simple. It will require some use of jacks capable of supporting the front axle of the duece- jack both sides. Mark the tire sidewalls with chalk 180* equidistant, then bringing each marking to the 90* point front ( mark the center of the tire tread with chalk and measure it right to left tire at the front 90* point (above ground), then rotate it 180* (to the rear 90* point above the ground contact point) and measure again at the rear position. Deduct the first from the second measurement and divide by 2, that will be the amount of toe in on each side. If the dimensions don't match toes in the manual, loosen the tie rod end lock nuts and screw in or out the required amount to get the setting right, remeasure, if correct lock the lock nuts down on the tie rods and your good to go. Most tire shops that handle truck tires of the 9:00X20" size used on the deuce can usaully align your front end for a fairly nominal fee... Just a thought, and I may be remembering the process slightly off, so do check the TM-20 for the correct tire alignment proceedure.
Good luck, stay safe,
and Happy Deuce Motoring!!!

Sincerely,

Kyle F. McGrogan

N.B. Almost every deuce 've seen that has been out of the shop any length of time, seems to have more wear on the right front tire then the left...I suspect part of it is just due to the duece's greater tendency to run down slope from the crown of the road due to it's much greater weight, the other is probably G.I.' 1,2,3,4,5, et all are not too particular about how hard they bump the curb with the deuce.....(?)

I am having the right front wear on my deuce as well. It is scrubbing out on the trailing edge of the tread, on the outside half of the tire only. I checked/adjusted toe awhile back, but still had the wear. I re-adjusted it within the past month or so, it was nearly in spec but made a very minor adjustment anyways. Then I put brand new tires on it just before last week's 350 mile round trip and I can already see measurable wear. When I drive on the streets, I have my single lockout hub and shortened axle shaft on one rear axle, so it is not binding so much. I am running 60 psi in the fronts, 50 in the rears.

The front shocks are OK as well. At least they don't show signs of leaking and when unbolted, give lots of resistance when compressed by hand.

I am starting to think a camber shim may be in order, not sure where to get one, or how much camber to remove (need to reduce camber). Might need to set a steel bar across the rim and hold my magnetic angle finder to it.

camber sounds about right

i bet that is where it is at for your truck

Ok I just went out and threw on the angle finder. Not too precise, but its all I have. If anything, the right front is cambered in maybe 1 degree, and the left front is cambered out maybe 1 degree. The right is the only one that is wearing, but its wearing on the outside half, opposite what the angle would suggest. So I think the comment on road crown may be in the right direction. The truck doesn't pull to either side, but it would probably have to be a severe problem to cause a pull on these things.

Well it's time for serious driving our Duces again with Spring just around the corner, so a front end alignment may be in order TM 9-2320-209-20-3-2 is where you find the specifics.

trying to stay on the thread here why are the tires on a deuce not straight vertically or is it just my truck?

So I got a little curious when I noticed more wear on the outside of my left front tire than the inside. The right tire is not too bad, but I grabbed a tape measure and had the wife hold the end to the right front tire and I measured to the left tire, then took the same measurement on the rear of the front tires. 2 inches of toe-in!!!!! YIKES! Now I know why the outside of the tires are wearing so much more.
Now the big questions: The front wheels were cocked just a couple inches from straight so what I wanna know is, is ackerman-steer going to screw up my measurement if the front wheels aren't perfectly straight? and is there going to be variance in the tread line throughout the circumference of the tire that might cause an inacurate measurement?
Should I measure from rim to rim rather than count on accuracy of the tire tread?
Can I align the front end without pivot plates and get a good alignment? Being that I'm a dirt-poor do-it-yourselfer, I can't afford to go out and get the front end alignment done, so I need the benefit of some other member's experience. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Redbeard,

Check out TM 2320-361-24-2. WP 190 tells you everything you are after. Believe it or not, the toe - in adjustment uses the "center of tread" and a tape measure...

Grab a copy of it in the reference section of SS here --> http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce-tms/77607-tms-deuce.html

Good luck!
Dave

doghead said:

Yelled at? Why would anyone yell at you for asking for help? If you don't find what you needed with a search, there's always the Tech Manuals. They do cover this and every other procedure for these trucks. I really suggest you get familiar with them and how to use them(not so hard once you understand how they are numbered). I needed them explained to me before I became more efficient in using them. The best thing about the TM's is that every single item and troubleshooting procedure and repair is documented in them! They are also written in simple terms so there is no need to speak "Grease Monkey" to understand and use them.

Here's a great piece of advise that was shared here(SS) many times" read your TM's in bed at night"

Click to expand...

Can someone explain how they are numbered and difference between the levels?

two.fiveM35,

Check out the "www.olive-drab.com" page on technical manuals here --> Military Vehicle Manuals Guide

With respect the the Deuce Manuals I referenced above "2320-361-24-2":

"2320" signifies "wheeled vehicle"
"-361" refers to the "serial number" of the document series (think of it as a version)
"-24" refers to "unit/general support level" (think who or how in depth the work is)
"-2" refers to the "second section" (they divided one manual into two books for very long manuals)

Happy reading....

Dave

davey8943 said:

Redbeard,

Check out TM 2320-361-24-2. WP 190 tells you everything you are after. Believe it or not, the toe - in adjustment uses the "center of tread" and a tape measure...

Grab a copy of it in the reference section of SS here --> http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce-tms/77607-tms-deuce.html

Good luck!
Dave

Click to expand...

That's what I needed to know! I was looking through the index for "Alignment" when I should have been looking for "Toe-in".
Thanks Dave!