M915A1 recovers older brother M915

[NDT]

Another Ft Polk recovery. Couldn't have ask for better weather. Somehow I got the big heavy tow bar hooked by myself. Av8or's advice was spot on, the truck followed just fine and did not pull the rear around like the M916 did.

A huge thank you to Jeepsinker for picking up an item from Polk earlier!

This truck is a M915 slick with the Cat 7155. It came from the ECS at Ft Polk, and must have been a base-only truck. It has been very well maintained and shed-kept.

 

[Ragnarok]

Very nice prize, and as blasphemous as it may be to say on such a green-oriented site that white paint job look sharp on that truck haha

 

[fuzzytoaster]

So you got the white one! Nice score! What's the plan for her?

 

[NDT]

So you got the white one! Nice score! What's the plan for her?

First order of business is to see how far the ol' speedo wraps around at 2100 rpm. All these Wreckerman 85 mph tall tales have me wondering. It's gonna stay white with "former military" plates.

 

[av8or]

Nice looking truck, Did you pull drive shaft or axles.

 

[Danl]

Trust Me my friend these white truck will not go 85, at 64 all kinds of red light will come on in the speedo clock . If there is more speed and rpms in there , I will never Know when them red light come on I back off I like my truck and my 400 to much to wind out any more DanL

 

[NDT]

Av80r, I pulled the driveshaft (heavy bugger!) and good thing as the rear u-joint is mighty stiff. Danl, yes, the 915A1 has that red light that on mine glows at about 50 mph. The difference between the 915 and 915A1 in top speed is that the 915 has .8 overdrive, whereas the HT740 in the A1 is direct. I also won't rev my 400 past 2100 RPMs because I don't want to have to fix it if it comes unglued!

 

[Jeepsinker]

Glad you got it all done bud, anytime you need something, just ask. Happy to help all members anytime.

 

[wreckerman893]

Trust Me my friend these white truck will not go 85, at 64 all kinds of red light will come on in the speedo clock .

I beg to differ with you Sir. We convoyed in them from Fort Benning, GA, to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA.

The trucks with the Allisons will red light you at 64....the ones with the CAT transmission will pass everything except a fuel stop.

The one I drove had been turned up to 2350 RPM (the Army had them cut back to 1800 RPM) and ran like a stripped arsed ape. I was running with the big commercial trucks and they could not believe a military tractor was eating their lunch (several of us had CB's in our trucks). I was pulling a three axle flatbed with two deuces on it and the 400 Cummins didn't even know it was back there.

 

[Al Harvey]

I beg to differ with you Sir. We convoyed in them from Fort Benning, GA, to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA.

The trucks with the Allisons will red light you at 64....the ones with the CAT transmission will pass everything except a fuel stop.

The one I drove had been turned up to 2350 RPM (the Army had them cut back to 1800 RPM) and ran like a stripped arsed ape. I was running with the big commercial trucks and they could not believe a military tractor was eating their lunch (several of us had CB's in our trucks). I was pulling a three axle flatbed with two deuces on it and the 400 Cummins didn't even know it was back there.

I'm with you wreckerman. My unit was a M915 unit and the trucks we got back from rebuild would run 85mph. I believe they were the A3s. Commercial guys were mad when we topped out at 63 but they were even more pissed when we got the rebuild trucks and were passing them.

 

[av8or]

I'm with you wreckerman. My unit was a M915 unit and the trucks we got back from rebuild would run 85mph. I believe they were the A3s. Commercial guys were mad when we topped out at 63 but they were even more pissed when we got the rebuild trucks and were passing them.

So what got changed when they got rebuilt?? M915's returning as A3's ??

 

[Al Harvey]

From what I remember is that the governor is electronic in the transmission and it was never reset to the army standards after the rebuild. I also recall a soldier trying to bypass the governor and he ended up frying the tranny.

 

[wreckerman893]

The trucks I referred to were the original M915's that had the 400 Cummins with the 16 speed Cat semi-automatic transmission in them. Not sure what the gear ratio in the rears were. The later trucks had the Allison 5 speed and were gear bound by it. The last incarnation had the Freightliner cab and an Alison with more creature comforts. I never drove the last two in the Army. The three M915's I've owned had the Allisons in them and I hated the slow speed.

 

[Danl]

Danl

I beg to differ with you Sir. We convoyed in them from Fort Benning, GA, to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA.

The trucks with the Allisons will red light you at 64....the ones with the CAT transmission will pass everything except a fuel stop.

The one I drove had been turned up to 2350 RPM (the Army had them cut back to 1800 RPM) and ran like a stripped arsed ape. I was running with the big commercial trucks and they could not believe a military tractor was eating their lunch (several of us had CB's in our trucks). I was pulling a three axle flatbed with two deuces on it and the 400 Cummins didn't even know it was back there.

I stand corrected, I was unaware of the CAT tranny, But I still like My slow strong Allie

 

[av8or]

NDT will you report in with your findings when you get yours on the road. I found my 1979 M915 that I just got will get into the 82/83 range but it has a hd 4500 sp Allison push button. Very smooth shifting.