M929 Dump Truck flexibility?

[gdk771]

I live in the Metro Atlanta, GA area and own a 104 acre farm 60 miles south of Atlanta in Concord, GA. It was a formerly owned by a forestry company and has several logging roads on it. I plan to put down gravel on the roads but I would need around 18-20 dump truck loads of gravel to cover all of them. I have a friend in Atlanta who owns a demolition company who will provide me crushed concrete very reasonably ($7/ton). I was wondering if it would be cost effective to purchase a surplus M939 and haul it myself? I looked into hiring a dump truck to haul it for me but it would cost more to haul it than the cost of the load ($65/hr). Leaning towards owning a truck I would then have a one I could keep on my farm for hauling my equipment with as a bonus (once I get a trailer). My questions are:

1. How much can you haul with a M939 realistically? I own a Cat 955K track loader which is around 28,000 lbs. Is this too heavy for this tuck to haul?

2. How much gravel / crushed concrete can you haul in the bed? Can you increase this by adding sides to the bed? I was hoping to be able to haul at least 15 tons per load.

3. What sort of fuel economy would this truck get? (5 mpg?, 8 mpg? 10 mpg?). Does it matter if it is empty or full?

4. How hard is this to insure with in Georgia? I have USAA for my insurance and they are great with my standard vehicles.

5. Is automatic better than manual? I would prefer an automatic unless there is some reason not to go that route (higher maintenance costs, reliability, etc.).

Thanks for any info you can provide. I can get a agriculture CDL to drive within 150 miles of my farm so I am OK as far as distance is concerned.

I am trying to look at this realistically and see if I can make the math work. It may be cheaper to just get a local dump truck carrier to get some gravel for me but it will almost triple my cost per load if I go this route ($325-$350) from the quotes I have gotten.

 

[jedawson1]

Better buy a civi truck for hauling your loader. Yes it will do what you ask, but every weight you listed is well over 5tons.
I hauled 25k lbs worth of crusher run without adding sides. I wouldn't do that to my truck again. Civi dump can haul twice as many yards even if you overload a m929

A trailer with airbrakes would be a must, you're over the rated limit for the truck towing capacity by quite a large number. Your track loader is heavy enough to push you all over the road If the trailer brakes go out.

I think you would be inviting Mr. Murphy in to your home.

 

[bchauvette]

Fuel mileage??? If you have to ask ..........

 

[GeorgiaIron]

A single Axle F750 can carry at least 10 to 12 tons per load. Most all the military specs are for loads over rough off road conditions. If you get a newer truck with the full air brake setup it is better for stopping and it should stop just as well as a civi truck. The tires do not bite the asphalt as well as street tires. I have heard that your mileage would be about 4 to 6 miles per gallon. You can only weight in at 51,000 lbs on the interstate scales. SO a 22,000 lb truck limits you to about 14.5 tons max, even if in a civi truck, if you go through a weigh station. You can have more weight on secondary roads. And no more than 20,000 lbs per axle.

The DOT loons ride around and look for dump truck with Humps in their beds, if you see a load humped up with smaller sized rock or clay you can bet they are over weight

 

[GeorgiaIron]

.The 5-ton load limit rating of M939/A1/A2 series vehicles does not mean
these vehicles are limited to 5-ton payloads. A vehicle rating only indicates the
maximum amount of cargo weight the vehicle axles and frame can withstand when
operating under the worst cross-country conditions

Specs
Vehicle Empty Payload Towed Load Pintle

M929 25,888 10,000 15,000

M929A1 25,065 10,000 15,000

M929A2 23,820 10,000 15,000

The M932 is rated to pull a 5000 gallon fuel tanker 5th wheel, limited to 3000 gallons in
worst cross-country conditions Now that is some weight.

 

[Suprman]

With my 931a2 I dragged a sled with 32500 pounds of concrete on it. It didn't skip a beat I could have pulled significantly more. I think these trucks are grossly underrated. There was a full sized semi truck that tried to do the pull it couldn't budge it.

 

[wreckerman893]

Five ton dumps are great for short hauls and off road use. My buddy hauled the red clay with his 800 series 5ton that was used to build my dam. They are slow on the road and if you have the 250 Cummins they are loud. You will roast in the summertime. Windshield wipers and defrosters are marginal. Fuel milage will be about 3-5 MPG loaded and around 5-7 empty. If you hire a semi-truck/trailer he should be able to haul as much in one load as you could in 5-6 loads with the 5 ton.

 

[m16ty]

I have a friend in Atlanta who owns a demolition company who will provide me crushed concrete very reasonably ($7/ton).

1. How much can you haul with a M939 realistically? I own a Cat 955K track loader which is around 28,000 lbs. Is this too heavy for this tuck to haul?

What does crushed limestone cost in your area? I can get crusher run for $7 per ton here.

I routinely haul 18 tons of lime on my M939 spreader truck. The truck holds the weight up fine but the engine struggles on steep hills. I don't think you could get 18 tons of rock into a M929 bed without modification.

 

[gdk771]

I need to get at least "57" size stone...

Crush and run would just wash away on the hard red clay roads I have. I need at least "57" size stone. wreckerman893 what sort of semi dump truck are you referring to? The largest load I was told a dump truck could hold was 15-18 tons max. Thanks for all the info everyone.

What does crushed limestone cost in your area? I can get crusher run for $7 per ton here.

I routinely haul 18 tons of lime on my M939 spreader truck. The truck holds the weight up fine but the engine struggles on steep hills. I don't think you could get 18 tons of rock into a M929 bed without modification.

 

[harvf16]

I've have a M817 that I have hauled 10 ton of 57 limerock to my tree farm in Alabama. I have extended the sides of the bed by nearly 20 inches and she is maxed out in volume. The cost here for 57 stone is $14 per ton and $8 per ton delivery about 35 miles each way. So $80 savings per load minus $56 for fuel..... Insurance thru USAA about $580 per year for the M817 on a Goat Tag ( Farm tag). The only real challenge is the time factor it takes for a round trip at about two hours to drive/load/return dump. My plan now is to have lime rock delivered and run the M817 strickly off road hauling clay and sand on the property.

 

[wreckerman893]

wreckerman893 what sort of semi dump truck are you referring to?

Either a 3 axle straight dump truck or a tractor trailer dump. I bought a tri-axle of small limestone and it would have filled my buddy's 5 ton dump three times. A semi-trailer would haul a lot more. Look for one that can pull a three axle trailer. A good driver can set the tailgate and spread the stone as thick or thin as you want it.

 

[m16ty]

A tri-axle dumptruck can haul 20-25 tons in TN (depending on empty truck weight).

 

[rmgill]

Jeff, you can run 5 tons off road, and 10 tons on road. That's what they're rated for as a matter of routine. Doing more is possible but I would not do so on the highway or anywhere that speeds were remotely above 15 mph. Doing so is asking for trouble. 15 tons would be asking a lot for the truck.

 

[Mike Wryley]

.The 5-ton load limit rating of M939/A1/A2 series vehicles does not mean
these vehicles are limited to 5-ton payloads. A vehicle rating only indicates the
maximum amount of cargo weight the vehicle axles and frame can withstand when
operating under the worst cross-country conditions

Specs
Vehicle Empty Payload Towed Load Pintle

M929 25,888 10,000 15,000

M929A1 25,065 10,000 15,000

M929A2 23,820 10,000 15,000

The M932 is rated to pull a 5000 gallon fuel tanker 5th wheel, limited to 3000 gallons in
worst cross-country conditions Now that is some weight.

Cargo capacity of these older military trucks,,,
Back in the early 80s when I still farmed I had a 1966 deuce and a half multifuel cargo truck. (newer than some of the Iowa Guard stuff at the time).
I put 4 foot extensions on the sides, installed a used hoist and a 24 volt motor and hydraulic pump, and used it to haul corn to the elevator, not fast, but
warp speed compared to an 18 mph tractor and unstable towed wagons. It hauled over 400 bushels of corn, or 22,400 pounds.,(a 2 1/2 ton truck remember) and would crawl out of any field condition. I don't know what that frame was made of, but it looked like it would twist 30 degrees when going through a low spot. Used it for several years, never had a mechanical failure with that machine.
I know this thread is dated, but also FWIW, crushed concrete is like walking on ball bearings, I don't care how cheap it is.