PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-563
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 563
OCTOBER 1999
PS 563
3
PS 563
2
our M872-series semitrailers don’t
make good flower boxes or bookends,
so use these maintenance tips to keep
’em at work hauling cargo.
On the Table
The front container tie-down twist
locks will damage M915-series trac-
tors if you leave them down. During
turns, the lock handle hits the splash
guards.
M872-Series Semitrailers . . .
If enough
screws are
missing,
tractor
cable can
yank off
cover and
break wires
a bend, that goes a long way to explain
why 35-ft and 40-ft containers won’t
sit flush and why the removable con-
tainer locks (F pins) can’t be installed
right.
If you notice a bend or have other
problems securing cargo or containers,
let your mechanic know. Never haul
containers that you cannot lock into
place.
Can’t find a bulkhead pin in TM 9-
2330-359-14&P? Use NSN 5315-01-
270-1875. Note the NSN in Fig 48.
Side clearance lights need rubber
mounting grommets. They’re shown as
Item 10 in Fig 1.
In the Boxes
Need a new pamphlet box? Use NSN
2540-01-100-3894, and add it to the
TM.
Pamphlet box
serviceable?
Missing grommets can doom air lines
when they pass through the nose box.
If the lines get cut through, bye-bye air
pressure to the brakes. Use NSN 5325-
00-291-9366 to get the grommets.
Check out the nose box for loose
screws. Not only does this open the
box to water damage and electrical
shorts, it can lead to the box cover
being ripped off the trailer by the
tractor electrical cable.
Bed level?
Prevent damage by raising the twist
locks and locking them.
Twist-lock handles aren’t built to be
used as steps, either. If you need to
climb onto or off the trailer, use some-
thing else for a step. The rear end
protection bar works, for example.
Eyeball your trailer bed for an obvi-
ous bend toward the bed front. If it has
Twist locks up and locked?
we’ve
been left
behind
again
!
is it our
breath
?
nah
-
-
it’s YOUR
BENT BED
AND
MY
BUSTED
ELECTRICAL
BOX
!
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