M939 is ownership practical in SoCal?

[lordsporkton]

I'm looking into the practicality of a 923a2 in socal.

Ive looked around and so far as I can tell there is no real reason that it should be an issue, i understand the insurance, registration, storage, driver license, overall cost.

I checked the roads for weight limits, turns out there are a lot less restrictions than I had thought in that department.

I cant help but feel like im missing some big issue that is going to screw me over. Mostly i think im just paranoid because i live in socal and they will pull you over for anything it seems. Also I have never in my life seen even a deuce on the road much less a 5ton

Is there any reason anyone can think of that owning and driving a 5ton in LA wouldnt work? Is there some reason I cant just drive down the street like a box truck would?

Thank you,
Lawrence

 

[dmetalmiki]

No, just buy buy it, check it over, make sure EVERYTHING is "tickety boo" and you should be good to go (enjoy) But..of..course check...the..>dreaded HOA< keep us informed with pictures of course. Good luck.

 

[Scar59]

CA EPA Clean Diesel requirements?

 

[lordsporkton]

Humm. I had assumed no diesel issues due to diesel laws really only starting as of 97 but good point. I heard there was some retroactive rules so I should check.

 

[JohnnyBM931A2]

^^^ What he said. Just make sure there are no restrictions regarding parking large vehicles at home, if you decide to keep it there. From some posts I have seen on here, certain areas consider these trucks to be commercial vehicles due to the weight, even though you are probably only going to use it as a personal vehicle. And check with your local DMV about what type of license you will need to acquire in order to drive it legally. Other than that, in should be no issue driving it in an urban environment. Just remember that you are driving a LARGE vehicle that takes a lot more distance to stop, etc. Other drivers are not your friends. Don't trust them to make intelligent choices, and assume that they are going to do something stupid.

 

[lordsporkton]

Wow I think that clean diesel rule does apply to me. So far it does look like I would have to replace the engine

 

[71DeuceAK]

Maybe get one, park it for a few years, then register it as historic? I wonder about the same thing: M923A2 as a daily driver in California? (Planning to move back to CA eventually). But maybe you can get it registered as non-comm since it's a personal daily driver?

Or how would an engine replacement in a M923A2 go? I could see doing it there, but not to a multifuel Deuce...

 

[JohnnyBM931A2]

Wow I think that clean diesel rule does apply to me. So far it does look like I would have to replace the engine

I thought all diesels made before 1993 were exempt from emissions laws? Or maybe that's just in my state..

There are plenty of guys here from Cali, and I have not heard anything about them having to replace their engines.

 

[m16ty]

Somebody from CA can correct me if I'm wrong but I think you need a CDL for a 5-ton in CA.

 

[Karl kostman]

As long as your ONLY going to use it for PRIVATE USE ONLY and nothing, dont try, dont even think about ever getting it licensed as a commercial vehicle!!! The DMV will be very short when they tell you NO! If you stay using for your own non-commercial use I know of no problems!
KK

 

[71DeuceAK]

That's what I was hoping to hear! Great news!

 

[Piper Cub]

Register it as a historic vehicle and there will be no smog issues, but there are some restrictions on use like no trips from the jobsite to Lowes and back. Historic plates are $81 a year but commercial plates would have been close to $2500 and I'd probably still be trying to sort through the contradictory emissions laws.

 

[71DeuceAK]

That probably only works with an -A1 at this point...(historic)
Will they still let you have it as a daily driver/errand runner? I'd like to do that, and my own work/hauling...it'd be my workhorse too. But worst case I'd go historic and just take it for Sunday drives, joyrides, etc. Does yours have a mileage/year cap/limit?

 

[quickfarms]

CDL required for three axles over 6,000 gvw in CA. Yes 6,000 gvw and not the 26,000 that is federal, but a 5 ton is over 26,000.

Carb rules apply if not registered as historic. This means a new engine.

There is no longer a way to register a truck without paying weight fees except historic. To many people were cheating so they got rid of this method. Historic is just that and no commercial use, if you get caught the fees and penalties go back to the day you first registered the vehicle. I went through this nightmare a couple of years ago.

Even though this sounds bad there are a lot of exemptions. A lot of this is federal and CA went to court to fight it and lost so now the Feds have the ability to require every state to enforce the rules. Why do you think Caltrans is now putting up exit numbers on there signs like the rest of the country.

What do you plan to use it for?

What year is it?

 

[71DeuceAK]

I thought an (empty) 5 ton was like 22,000?

Anyone successfully swap the engine in an M923? If so with what?

 

[Piper Cub]

It is 22k empty but what they're looking at is the gross rating.

 

[JohnnyBM931A2]

CDL required for three axles over 6,000 gvw in CA. Yes 6,000 gvw and not the 26,000 that is federal, but a 5 ton is over 26,000.

Carb rules apply if not registered as historic. This means a new engine.

There is no longer a way to register a truck without paying weight fees except historic. To many people were cheating so they got rid of this method. Historic is just that and no commercial use, if you get caught the fees and penalties go back to the day you first registered the vehicle. I went through this nightmare a couple of years ago.

Even though this sounds bad there are a lot of exemptions. A lot of this is federal and CA went to court to fight it and lost so now the Feds have the ability to require every state to enforce the rules. Why do you think Caltrans is now putting up exit numbers on there signs like the rest of the country.

What do you plan to use it for?

What year is it?

Add that to the list of reasons why no one should live in California. Every time I think we have it bad here in Illinois, someone brings up something that is going on in California

 

[JohnnyBM931A2]

It is 22k empty but what they're looking at is the gross rating.

For what it's worth, they wanted the actual weight of my truck here in Illinois when I registered it. Same thing when I had it insured. However, I am sure they would have proceeded differently if I intended to use the truck for commercial purposes.

I mean.. My A2 tractor is rated to pull something like 37,000LBS. So the GVWR of my truck would be 57,100LBS then? (20,100 actual weight + max load that can be pulled.) Or do I have that wrong..

 

[Castle Bravo]

For what it's worth, they wanted the actual weight of my truck here in Illinois when I registered it. Same thing when I had it insured. However, I am sure they would have proceeded differently if I intended to use the truck for commercial purposes.

I mean.. My A2 tractor is rated to pull something like 37,000LBS. So the GVWR of my truck would be 57,100LBS then? (20,100 actual weight + max load that can be pulled.) Or do I have that wrong..

GVWR for a tractor would be curb weight + payload, just like any other truck. In this case, the payload is the weight on the fifth wheel. The 57,000 lbs number is the gross combined weight rating, (GCWR) which is the tractor curb + trailer total.

 

[Bucho]

I bought one recently and shipped it to AZ.
I had to do a limited emissions test because mine has the EPA exempt sticker on it.
I went to register as commercial since I put it in a company name and plan to use it as such.
No problems here, other than they were not sure what a BMY was. They had to actually do a Google search to figure out what that was. Once they looked at, and $380.00 later I had a year's worth of fun ability. I also had a Florida title for mine which helped.
I think the biggest thing for me is that over the years and countless odd things that I have registered, I have learned which DMV'S to go to and which ones to stay away from. Not that I am doing anything wrong, but they are not exactly hiring the smartest tools in the shed.
I remeber I sat at a DMV one time for 1 hr and 45 minutes to be turned away from renewing a registration because the guy wanted to me to prove that there was no longer a lien holder. I tried to argue that I was not wanting to change ownership, but just renew the expired registration and whether or not there was a lien holder for the truck didn't matter but he wouldn't hear of it. I went to another DMV office the next day because by the time I was done with him they were closing. 30 minutes later I had my new registration.
I know CA is not the same, but I guess my point is that if you invest the proper time to know what you are doing, that is best. A lot of times you need to point them in the right direction and stop them when they are going done the wrong one, otherwise once they start to head down the wrong road you can't pull them back because they don't want to look like a fool.