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Articles
NEWS | June 15, 2022

Trailers: Inspect the Coupling Systems in Inventory

M105A2 Cargo Trailers
Photo courtesy of TACOM

Warfighters, according to Ground Safety Action Message (GSAM) 22-012, you’ll need to inspect the coupling systems on your trailers. In September 2019, a batch of coupler drawbar rings, NSN 2540-00-999-5584, also known as pintle or lunette rings (we’ll use the term pintle ring in this article), were delivered to DLA that didn’t have the proper heat treating, which made them brittle and prone to failure.
        
DLA issued an alert notification to remove nonconforming parts from inventory, but some may have already been installed on trailers or been placed into supply inventory.
        
These non-conforming pintle rings could fail, potentially causing separation from the trailer. Although there are safety chains to prevent the trailer from separating from the prime mover, the trailer could become unstable and adversely affect control of the prime mover, leading to a collision or rollover accident. This may result in injury or death of vehicle crew members or pedestrians.
        
The models affected are listed in the table below.
 
Model LIN
M149A1 water trailer, 400 gal, 1-1/2 ton W98825
M149A2 water trailer, 400 gal, 1-1/2 ton W98825
M1112 water trailer, 400 gal, 1-1/2 Ton W98825
M103A3 cargo trailer, 1-1/2 ton YF3011
M105A1 cargo trailer, 1-1/2 ton W95811
M105A2 cargo trailer, 1-1/2 ton W95811
M105A2C cargo trailer, 1-1/2 ton YF3004
M200A1 generator trailer, 2-1/2 ton E02807

Field-level maintainers must inspect all pintle rings, both those in inventory and those on trailers (listed above) installed after September 2019 (parts received or installed prior to September 2019 have no identified issues). Visually inspect them for missing casting marks and a dull finish on the shank that indicate improper heat treatment. Casting marks that vary from those shown in the attachments (see links below) are acceptable. Casting marks on installed parts may be on either the upper or lower surface, depending on how the coupler drawbar ring is mounted to the trailer.
        
Use the attachments found at the following TULSA links to aid in your inspections:
 

Identify and replace suspect or nonconforming pintle rings. Units should input a funded requisition to order a new part and file a Product Quality Deficiency Report (PQDR) to receive credit for non-conforming parts. The PQDR reporting info and instructions can be found HERE.
        
For more info or to download the TULSA attachments, see GSAM 22-012.
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