1954 Rear Crossmember Design

[mike_l]

Greetings all,

I have a late style pintle on my 1954. Now, by late style, I mean the pintle hook and pivoting shaft are one piece instead of two piece as on the early M37s. I had always thought those were the B1 style pintle so they wouldn't have been used before 1958. So, I found an early style (two piece as in the TM) but I wasn't able to swap them out. The hole pattern is the same-1 large hole in center, 4 holes around the center for the back 'flange' plate. The difference was my holes were smaller and I had an additional 4 hole pattern around the 'flange' plate holes where a reinforcing plate is bolted on. It would not physically fit. I'll try to get photos posted this weekend.

Rather than just drill the holes out larger to fit the old style pintle, I first wanted to ask if anyone else who has a '54, has noticed this. I talked to another M37 owner and he said his '54 had the later pintle on it until he drilled his holes out to fit the earlier pintle. My delivery date is March but he couldn't remember his. Is it possible there was a production change in '54? I had also thought that maybe the crossmember had been changed out at some point. Seems like a lot of work but I suppose it would have been something depot could have done rather than scrap an entire frame.

Production change or a depot repair - any ideas?

[Cal_Gary]

I have the exact problem on my '54 so I removed the pivot flange and affixed the pintle directly to the crossmember using the existing bolts. Can't pivot but can at least pull a trailer.
Gary

[mike_l]

Thanks for the feedback. That's interesting. Gary, what is your delivery date on your truck? So, at least three '54s are known to have the later style pintle/crossmember configuration.

Don't know why they would change them unless they found the pintle design shared with the M38A1 & 1/4ton trailer wasn't strong enough for the 3/4ton trailer loads. But, there was no refit/MWO to change trucks already delivered was there?

And, can we presume those with non-pivoting pintles are running the same configuration as Gary's truck-early style pintle hook bolted directly to a late style crossmember?

It might be too early but I smell a production change.

[DAP]

I have 3 rear cross members for sale that I have removed from 1950s trucks not the newer 1960s models when I scrapped out some M37s. 1 of them has the smaller hole for the "fixed" pintle hitch and the closer spaced 4 holes. The other 2 have a bigger hole for the center shaft and the 4 bolts are spaced out further for the reinforcing plate that goes on the foward side. I wish I had tracked the serial numbers closer.

[Cal_Gary]

Mine was delivered in April '54. i considered drilling out the center hole, then noticed that the pivot nut would have been extremely close to my fuel tank, so I didn't do it.
Gary

[DAP]

The one I had installed had about 1/2" clearance. You had to slide the shaft part way in and start the nut and tighten down. At the end there wasn't enough room to get a box end wrench over the nut and clear the fuel tank so you have to use an open end. But it does fit without hitting the tank.

[mike_l]

That's how I put mine back on - partially in and keep feeding it in until the nut was seated. I have about the same clearance.

Thanks for the info, more '54s with late style pintles!

[Milsurp]

I just went outside and looked at mine and, it is a non-swivel Pintle. It is bolted directly to the cross-member. Also, when you say swivel-type, are you referring to it rotating clockwise? Because mine does not. It "opens" by pulling the small lever on top and that is how it opens up.
Also, the delivery date of my M37, was 26-Jan-54

I hope this helps.

[mike_l]

Milsurp,

Yes, by swivel I meant rotating. The pintle should rotate 360 degrees, clockwise or counter. The ones that are bolted to the frame are the early style pintle hook without the adapter (rotating shaft that passes through the frame) bolted straight to the frame crossmember. The adapter may have been taken off for some reason (damaged?). Another reason may be the crossmember is a later style and the early adapter won't fit so the pintle hook was bolted directly to the frame. I'm starting to lean toward the latter.

Check your holes on the crossmember to see which pattern they fit. I posted a sketch up in my album here.

[06boblee]

My build date is 2-11-54. Mine has the swivel type pintle. The pintle is the one piece type.

[Milsurp]

Milsurp,

Yes, by swivel I meant rotating. The pintle should rotate 360 degrees, clockwise or counter. The ones that are bolted to the frame are the early style pintle hook without the adapter (rotating shaft that passes through the frame) bolted straight to the frame crossmember. The adapter may have been taken off for some reason (damaged?). Another reason may be the crossmember is a later style and the early adapter won't fit so the pintle hook was bolted directly to the frame. I'm starting to lean toward the latter.

Check your holes on the crossmember to see which pattern they fit. I posted a sketch up in my album here.

Excellent sketch and diagram, Mike. I went outside and checked, and sure enough, the original holes are there which coincides with the measurements of your drawing. However, where my pintle is secured, the distance between the bolts is 3 1/2" x 1.5"

[Milsurp]

this is what mine looks like, only it is OD Green, and the wire clip thing is not on mine. Plus, mine has zerk grease fittings.

[maxim]

12-20-51 delivery date WOW/Ord Dept. Swiveling pintle. No evidence of different holes.

[Sal]

This is the one that was on my truck . And the Delivery date is 4-12-54



Sal

[mike_l]

Milsurp,
Yes, that sounds like it would be the early style pintle hook without the adapter being bolted straight to the crossmember.

Sal,
That is the one-piece/late style pintle that is on my truck also.

As an update, I sent emails out to all the '54 owners in the registry. Every response except one has been they have the one-piece/late style pintle. The earliest truck I've heard back from has a delivery date of 23 January and it also has the one-piece/late style pintle. Is it possible these were in service as early as late '53? I'm finding from the responses, they were certainly common to the '54s. It really is starting to look like a production change.