Military Vehicles, April 1997,: [MV] Re: What else but DUKW's

[MV] Re: What else but DUKW's

Auke Dijkstra (auke.dijkstra@pi.net)
Fri, 18 Apr 1997 21:14:16 +0200

Jerry Coles (MS Mail) wrote:
>
> Folks
> I have just re-visited the MVPA website and found the conversations by you
> good folks on DUKW's.
> My friend Dave MacDonald has a DUKW here in the UK and I search out info etc
> on DUKW's on his behalf.
> I have some DUKW info/pics at my website: netcomuk.co.uk/~jrcoles if you
> would like to make a visit.
> Regarding leaks, we found on Daves DUKW that the lower two shackle mounts
> were leaking badly.
> This was due to the design/manufacture of the hull fitting. The rib that
> protrudes from the reccess through which the shackle pin fits forms a hollow
> tube.
> At the bottom of the tube there should be a drain hole but dirt and paint
> blocked it. This caused water to stay in the tube and rust the back (hull)
> out.
> This caused us some worries last year on Lake Windermere.
> This also significantly reduced the strength of the shackle mounting to the
> point where we dare not use it.
> A solution would be to enlarge the shackle pin hole to allow a tube to be
> welded in that would then take the shackle pin.
> This would prevent water entering around the pin into the space formed by
> the rib.
> Silicon sealant (1 whole tube) provides a seal but the damage has been done.
>
> We are off to Belgium in May for an Amphibious rally over a long weekend and
> then back again in August for a week.
> Dave is also starting to use Shell Valveta oil in the axles as this is a non
> emulsifying oil.
> After exiting the water and standing for half an hour a small drain cock can
> be opened in the diff housing
> and clean water runs out, followed by straight oil.
> Also running a low pressure air line to the axles helps keep the water out.
> Anything to keep the DUKWs running.
> Regards
> Jerry
> TrainingSpecialist (engineering)

Hi Jerry,

Sounds familiar, the problem with the shakle mounts. My brother
discovered our DUKW in Italy while beeing on a bussiness trip. He took
some pictures and was quite sure that the DUKW was in absolutely
perfect shape after standing in a field for about 10 years. After
a while the DUKW arrived in Holland on a semi-trailer, and to make a
long story short, we eventually replaced two complete sides and 1/4
bottom and 3/4 deck. The shakle mounts looked o.k. untill we pulled the
DUKW to another building and both broke. We made some new ones (not
a nice job if you want them correct). The DUKW-axle-problem is a very
common problem. We put new banjo-axles on ours, put all the
modifications on them for the propellor shaft housing seals, and forgot
the special axle oil seals. Guess what! water in the axles. We took the
axles apart, installed the correct oil seals, checked the bearings, put
special "slick-50" gear oil in the axles and there is still water in the
axles after each swim, although very little . We've heard the
air-pressure-in-the-axle-story before, and we're also planning to
install this system on our DUKW (although I haven't heard any
comformation about that it actually works). The problem with the axle is
that when you drive the DUKW, the oil in the axles runs hot and when you
enter the water, the axle cools off very rapidly, creating a vacum in
the axle, and making it easy for water to penetrate through whatever
seal comes in it's way. Creating a slight pressure in the axle should
do it, does anybody have a comformation on this????.
The main problem we have right now is that we can't remove the drain
plugs from the propellor shaft housings, they won't move and they
haven't moved ever since we got the DUKW. We tried everything: heating,
cooling off, special oil a hammer, nothing worked. We're afraid that
when we use to much force, we will damage the housings. Anybody know's
some propellor shaft housings for sale????.

Best Regards,

Auke Dijkstra
Haaksbergen-Holland

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