ETS DITY Move with M932 Fort Benning, GA. to Oregon

[agazza2]

We are getting ready to pull the bed. Should I look at just running a 931 fifth wheel or a lower civilian fifth wheel? What about getting a 931 fifth wheel and buying lower stands? Are there any real handling benefits to being lower? Do I run a risk of not having enough range of motion running a lower fifth wheel on a truck this tall? I have never drove a tractor/trailer this tall before.

Is your 925 running super singles or duals. With super singles I would strongly recommend a civilian 5th wheel to keep the height of the trailer level. Also before you mount it, check the clearance between the wheels and the landing legs at a tight turn angle. Also you will need to make an adapter for 24volt to 12 volt for the trailer lights, unless you put all 24V light bulbs in the trailer.

I would not recommend a 53' trailer on a dolly, as you would be over the max trailer length of 53' allowed in most states. Plus the turning radius and going around some tight corners when you go into towns for gas may be a problem. I am in Austin, TX, and if you have any problems when your nearby, I can help pull you off the freeway with my M915Al with tow bar. PM for my contact info to add to your list.

 

[unoriginal]

Is your 925 running super singles or duals. With super singles I would strongly recommend a civilian 5th wheel to keep the height of the trailer level. Also before you mount it, check the clearance between the wheels and the landing legs at a tight turn angle. Also you will need to make an adapter for 24volt to 12 volt for the trailer lights, unless you put all 24V light bulbs in the trailer.

I would not recommend a 53' trailer on a dolly, as you would be over the max trailer length of 53' allowed in most states. Plus the turning radius and going around some tight corners when you go into towns for gas may be a problem. I am in Austin, TX, and if you have any problems when your nearby, I can help pull you off the freeway with my M915Al with tow bar. PM for my contact info to add to your list.

agazza,

With the super singles, there is just no way to put a civilian dry van on top of my frame. Had to scratch that idea and re-explore dollies. May look at running doubles since I will be effectively giving up the ability to back up with a single pup on a dolly anyways.

 

[TehTDK]

Good luck on your endeavours, but since I am not accustomed to the abbreviations you use I am sitting here scratching my head. So I hope some are willing to help me out with them

ETS
DITY
ETP
ADOS
NGB
PPM

I mean I have some rough guesses at what some of them might mean, but I would rather be 100% certain to get the right meaning rather then simply guessing.

 

[ABN173]

Good luck on your endeavours, but since I am not accustomed to the abbreviations you use I am sitting here scratching my head. So I hope some are willing to help me out with them

ETS
DITY
ETP
ADOS
NGB
PPM

I mean I have some rough guesses at what some of them might mean, but I would rather be 100% certain to get the right meaning rather then simply guessing.

ETS: Expiration Term of Service
DITY: Do-It-Yourself (move)
ETP: Exception to Policy
ADOS: Active Duty for Operational Support
NGB: National Guard Bureau
PPM: Personal Procurement Move (new term for DITY)

 

[unoriginal]

Wreckerman893,

I have never pulled doubles before, or anything with an MV before. Can you please explain situations where I owuld wnat a hand valve?

Regarding the current valve on the dash, if I understand correctly, this is only to spring-overide the air brakes in low air situations where you still need to get out of Dodge, (like under fire), correct? What would happen to the trailer air when this is in either position? Is it worth adding a hand valve for hookup/unhook etc.?

 

[unoriginal]

Dollars and cents!

ALCON,
Just a quick session of beer math for anyone else looking at this option int he future.
M925A2 $7908.00
Con Gear, (Dolly) $1150.00 each
28' Pup trailer $2500.00 each
Fuel at 4.5 MPG $2120.00 Empty
Fuel at 3.75 MPG $2600.00 With load
DITY Pay out $9,980 O3 w/dependants 2650 miles

Will I brake even? No! But I will have a substantial chunk of my truck and trailer paid for. One more DITY move and I will brake even and have the truck and trailers for free, (at least it makes sense in my mind)!
May try to consolidate to one dolly and pup, then buy horse trailer for horse, two dogs, and 4 wheelers...unless both pickups sell.

 

[unoriginal]

Double post.

 

[CARNAC]

You forgot to factor in that you will still have the equipment that you could conceivably sell off.

 

[wreckerman893]

I have never pulled doubles before, or anything with an MV before. Can you please explain situations where I owuld wnat a hand valve?

If you see the rear trailer wandering you can apply air with the hand valve (very slightly). If the brakes are adjusted properly where the brakes on the rear trailer are slightly tighter than the front trailer it will pull it's self back in line. If you are attempting to back them up and they get crooked you can roll forward and apply the hand valve and they will straighten back up quicker than just rolling forward. Professional drivers call double and triples "wiggle wagons" for a reason.

 

[73m819]

I believe that a hand valve is REQUIRED (or a separate trailer control ) for ANY trailer over a certain weight, I have seen TWO hand valves on tractors that are dedicated double/triple pullers, you may also may have a problem pulling TWO full trailers (dolly and 26' van x 2), doubles are one semi trailer and one full trailer, this puts weight on the pulling truck (tractor) providing better control of the whole rig, pulling TWO full trailer puts NO weight on the Pulling truck, hence less control, this might not fly with the DOTs from point A to point B.

Also there might not be enough compressor to keep up with ALL the air tanks ( at least 6 and most likley more) during multiple braking.

 

[unoriginal]

I like all my junk too much to sell it. Thats why I need so many cubes to move!

 

[unoriginal]

Plan on putting car in back of 925. Do you think this will be enough weight? This truck already weighs 24K empty. Not sure about air demand, but it seems to run 53s from sand to highway PSI reasonably quick. Anyone else have thoughts on this? Also assumed two pups on dollies would be okay since there are triples on the freeways.

 

[unoriginal]

Tongue mod

I sure would like to just weld a tongue and lunnette on the front pup to just drop it on my pintle.

 

[Shoprat 19th Engr]

You might try to buy a 40ft Shipping container and a chassie would work then when get to Org. you have a place to store stuff (put it on the ground ) and sell the chassie and recoup some funds

 

[CARNAC]

I think tandems towed by a M925 is way too long. I initially thought you were going to do a single 26 foot trailer behind a M925 using a converto (which is risky enough considering the distance and terrain). Now I understand you're talking about a M925 and 2 trailers?! Is this the case? If it is, I think you need remedial training in risk management.

 

[juanprado]

You might also consider that a civy dolly will probably have the smaller eye and you will need a new pintle hook arrangement.

 

[73m819]

Plan on putting car in back of 925. Do you think this will be enough weight? This truck already weighs 24K empty. Not sure about air demand, but it seems to run 53s from sand to highway PSI reasonably quick. Anyone else have thoughts on this? Also assumed two pups on dollies would be okay since there are triples on the freeways.

With TWO full trailers, it will tend to push the pulling truck going down hills UNLESS the driver is on top of it 120% of the time, just a touch of get-away could be a disaster, triples have a trailer weight of the first trailer on the pulling tractor, drivers that pull triples have pulled doubles for years BEFORE pulling triples.
The air demand for multiple braking at one braking event is by far more than airing up 53s though the ctis.

I drove tractor trailer (either lowbed or special trailer for long beams) as part of my crane op job before I went into the service, drove in the service, got out and got a job driving a hay rig (doubles), thought no big deal, boy was I WRONG, had a real learning curve QUICK with the help of some super drivers, pulling a full trailer as WN has said is NOT for the faint of heart letting alone TWO full pull trailers.

In other words, in my HUMBLE opinion this a very bad and dangerous idea for a bunch of reasons, some have been stated already, I just don't want to see you or anybody else getting hurt, you may get away with this plan, GREAT, but if not, things WILL turn BAD quicker than quick

 

[unoriginal]

Yes, I have reevaluated my CRMW, and decided doubles would not be a good way ahead. Thank you all for keeping me on azimuth. I had considered applying for long load permits and just running a single longer, (longer than 28' pup), trailer, but that won't work either.
Oregon does not seem to care as long as it is under 80'. That is either crazy, or the gentlemen did not understand the mental picture I was trying to paint for him.
TX Motor Carrier Division was kind enough to enlighten me that you cannot get a long-load permit without a Unified Carrier Registration number unless you post a bond. It cost $150, then $61 for the permit.
Bottom line-I must stay under 65' total and avoid over length issues all together. Too bad my 925 has such a long bumper on it. 65' - 27' (M925A2 length), - approx 5' for converter = 33' trailer max. There are no 33' trailers available right now, so I am pretty much stuck with a 28' pup.
Hopefully all of this info helps save someone else a considerable amount of time in the future, (barring all the time they spent reading about my crazy ideas in this lengthy thread).

 

[73m819]

No not a crazy idea, just a idea on what to do, Thank you for RETHINKING this,

 

[unoriginal]

Registration and Insurance
I should be getting my Arizona title from Gov Liquidation next week. I intend on registering and insuring the truck as an RV. I am posting this in a public forum because AFAIK it is completely legal/ethical. I have read of many racers doing it with their semis. I am contemplating between two options here;
Register truck only as RV and pull trailer, (with extra insurance on trailer IOT ensure adequate coverage), or register truck and trailer together as RV. If I register the truck only, I will likely have to put a bed, stove, fridge, and toilet on it somehow, i.e. ad a shelter or something to house this. If I register the truck and trailer as an RV together, I lose the option to sell the trailer separately down the road. Could I just ad a shelter and re-register the truck as an RV by itself when I decide to sell the trailer?

Any other thoughts?