Jerr Dan cam locks

[Stubborn66]

Hi,

I just picked up a Jerr Dan with an HPL60 wheel lift and it has the T37 wheel grids.  The Cam locks are broken on it.  The two vertical appear to be screw in and changeable.

The horizontal ones look like the outside is part of the casting and the center pin is missing on both sides.  Do they make a repair kit? I cant seem to find it.

 

Thanks in advance 

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Check AW Direct. They carry all different sizes of barrel pins and cam locks.

[Stubborn66]

Thanks, will do.

 

I just took another look at the set up, this has the Vulcan style wheel scoops on it and the Horizontal pins that are missing don't seem to have any purpose with these wheel scoops. There are no holes in the wheel scoops to correspond with those pins.  I am now thinking those pins are not necessary with this style wheel scoops and must be for different L arm applications?

 

I am sure I need the vertical pins but with these scoops not the horizontal.

 

Is there a benefit to the other style L arms, can someone weigh in on the difference?

 

Thanks

[GRUMPS The Towman]

If it the horizontal pin holes That I am thinking of on the Vulcan grids, There is a handle that goes in there to aid in swinging the piviot head in and out that most people remove which is why yours would likely be missing. The vertical ones go through the L-arm and into the grid. those are usually these 45' angled pins that just drop in and are usually secured with a small length of little chain welded to the grid itself. This pin also drops in to the pivot head when the wheel lift is not in use to keep them from flopping around.They frequently break off and get lost. Back when I had Vulcan gear, I used to make my own out of 1/4" diameter cold rolled solid round stock steel. 

The Vulcan scoops are what is considered a "strapless system"  meaning 'in theory" you arent supposed to need to secure the wheel to the grid. Now in reality EVERY vehicle needs to be secured in a wheel lift and I am going to try and explain this as best I can with out physically showing you what i am getting at. With those Vulcan scoops, there is a way that using straps in the wrong way is actually MORE dangerous than not using any. 

If you look at the bottom of one of the scoops, You will see that the arm that slides into the pivot head has a series of pin holes all along it. looking inside the pivot head, you will see there is a little pin that sticks up. (as long as it hasnt worn down or broke off ) When the scoop is in the pivot head, the weight of the vehicle presses down on the scoop and locks it into that pin. Now the mistake many make is to secure a strap to the arm of the scoop or run it from one of the holes on the scoop head, over the tire and back to itself or to the wheel lift and crank it down. when this is done, It pulls the scoop up against the tire and can disengage that pin. Now if that happens it could slide out and you would lose the car or it will at least loosen, allowing the vehicle to settle lower and then the oil pan smashing into the crossbar becomes a problem. By design, the vehicle rides lower in the grid than most other wheel lifts. I had made a short set of ratchet straps that I would use to secure the vehicle to the crossbar via lower control arms or similar sturdy suspension components as well as safety chains. 

I hope you get an idea of what I am trying to explain. Vulcan scoops are "ok" in my book when used properly. Like any towing gear they have their ups and downs. And, Like any type of gear, It is best to practice using it in a controlled enviroment. If you are new to the industry I HIGHLY recommend formal training like some  Wreckmaster courses. It also wouldnt hurt to stop by another reputable tow company, introduce yourself, make a friend and see if they might be willing to give you some pointers. 

 

[Stubborn66]

Thanks Grumps,

I have been at it for a while and I run Vulcan now and am familiar with the "strapless" system.  My surprise here was that this Jerr Dan unit has the same style L bars in this unit as I have on my Vulcan. 

 

I ended up getting in touch with a Jerr Dan dealer.  The vertical pin in the picture attached is spring loaded and allows for the end to swing out to install the scoop and when you swing it back, it latches in place at the perpendicular position.  You will also see the "vulcan" pin at the top of the picture that the scoop latches into.

The Horizontal pin (which one is missing and why I am researching this) is a traditional cam lock.  On the traditional L bar this would engage in the sides of the L bar from what I can see.  The guy from Jerr Dan told me this is an added safety on the Vulcan style L arms I have but I don't see how this is possible because there are no holes on the sides of these L bars.

 

Am i missing something???

 

 

[Stubborn66]

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Now I will admit, I have never seen that style of pivot arm on a Jerr-Dan. It looks very similar to the Century-style one that a buddy of mine has ( And complains about non-stop ) that is of 2017 vintage. It is obviously a Jerr-Dan set up as I can see their logo on it. I personally have never seen one though. From what I can see the horizontal pin on the back of the pivot appears to be whats left of a traditional Half barrel pin set up. Those i know for certain can be purchased from AW-Direct. I purchased a pair and replaced the old screw-in style locks on my flat beds wheel lift grids with them. It is just a matter of cutting the old, broken one off, grind the area smooth and weld on the new ones. i cant say for certain because I am not familiar with that style of wheel grid but, It does appear that those barrel pins were added on by someone. maybe they were added as some sort of homemade adapter or something. Dont take my word for it though. None the less, It would be a easy replacement of those barrel pins for someone with a bit of welding experience.

[Stubborn66]

Grumps, thanks for taking the time to respond. 

 

The whole end pivot point is one piece of cast steel.  The verticle pin is a spring loaded assembly that allows it to swing out for the installation of the L arm, then it latches in place when you swing it back under the wheel on the towed vehicle.  Vulcan has a Pin that you drop into the hole for this purpose.

 

I still cant see where the side cam lock serves any purpose with the Vulcan style scoops but I have ordered the parts to replace it.

 

When I went to see this truck I was surprised to see the Vulcan style wheel scoops on it, I thought they were proprietary to Vulcan.  It also has two sets of forks for the wheel lift and 10 ton winches which is what I was really looking for.  I have to rebuild the bushing in the T bar but the other pins and wear pads are tight, replace the cables, and go through the rest of it. 

 

 

The other thing I have found is that Jerr-Dan scoops have holes on the outside of the scoop arms and they recommend Lasso wheel straps to secure the wheels to the grids in one of the parts breakdowns I found.   I am not sure how that would not work to disengage the pin on the bottom like the Vulcan's. 

I have always used a ratchet strap or a chain from the T bar to a suspension point as my "strap" but I have never had any issue.  The Vulcan scoops also have the pin holes right through so I can drop a 5/16 pin through the front side of the pivot point to ensure it cannot come out.

 

With a little work, this will make a good truck.

 

 

[ESC]

I have the T37 Jerrdan upgrade on one of my Hino Flatbeds.  I do like it, with the exception of the spoons.  Id prefer it just use the standard L arm with the pivoting head however they are not interchangeable.  We went back to the standard style on our newest truck.   The spoons always seem to get wedged in more than the L arm.   I do like how the cam locks hold the l arm where you want them on the Jerrdan

[Stubborn66]

Hi ESC,

Do your scoops have holes on the inside of the scoop to correspond with the horizontal cam lock in the picture ( lower end of the picture and this one is broken off)?  That is my confusion, the scoops that came with this unit are marked Jerr Dan as well but do not have any holes that correspond with the cam lock in this position.

 

When unhooking with my Vulcan, I got into the habit of tilting down just a touch once the causality was on the ground and it loosens up the scoop.  I really like the Vulcan set up, especially when picking them up along side of a busy road, it is very quick

 

Thanks

 

Tracy

[ESC]

Hi ESC,
Do your scoops have holes on the inside of the scoop to correspond with the horizontal cam lock in the picture ( lower end of the picture and this one is broken off)?  That is my confusion, the scoops that came with this unit are marked Jerr Dan as well but do not have any holes that correspond with the cam lock in this position.
 

When unhooking with my Vulcan, I got into the habit of tilting down just a touch once the causality was on the ground and it loosens up the scoop.  I really like the Vulcan set up, especially when picking them up along side of a busy road, it is very quick
 
Thanks
 
Tracy

I took some pics today before I left.
The cam locks do not go into the spoons. They got under to keep the spoon from lifting up and coming off the pin (same sort of locking pin the Vulcan has) but the cam lock keeps it from lifting up when the lasso style strap holds the wheel to the spoon.

I like it better than the Vulcans myself. The strap is fast and easy and u don’t have to crawl under.












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[Stubborn66]

Thanks ESC, that makes sense the Cam lock stops the spoon from coming dislodged from the top pin when the lasso strap is used.  Now I get it.

 

With my Vulcan, when I am on the side of the road, I will just get the spoons under it and move it to a safer spot to finish strapping and putting on the safety chains and never felt unsafe because of the way the the spoons grip the tire.  I am hoping this one is the same.

 

Parts are coming for the cross bar, truck should be going out for paint at the end of the week.  Cant wait to get to use this truck

 

Thanks again

[ESC]

Thanks ESC, that makes sense the Cam lock stops the spoon from coming dislodged from the top pin when the lasso strap is used.  Now I get it.
 
With my Vulcan, when I am on the side of the road, I will just get the spoons under it and move it to a safer spot to finish strapping and putting on the safety chains and never felt unsafe because of the way the the spoons grip the tire.  I am hoping this one is the same.
 
Parts are coming for the cross bar, truck should be going out for paint at the end of the week.  Cant wait to get to use this truck
 
Thanks again

This setup is just like the Vulcan but with added safety. I’m sure you’ll be happy.

It feels very solid with the straps on there and the spoons not being able to move. It’s a great setup. My preference would be the t37 Pinot on good head with just the plain Larm rather than the spoon but they don’t make them interchange. I went back to the standard style on my newest truck. The spoons get stuck too often for me. But as you said before a block under the wheel or setting down and lifting again helps.


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