desire nicer riding LMTV when empty

[olly hondro]

So I'll try the combination of lowering tire pressure to XCountry + ditch the giant rear sway bar. Will report results.

 

[snowtrac nome]

lower tire pressure at highway speeds will equate to blown out side walls for what it is I think the lmtv rides pretty good. mine rides better than my companys t-300 kenworth trucks. besides take a ride in a duce or 915 and compare it to your lmtv.

 

[Suprman]

You will get an overspeed error at a lower speed when you are in a lower ctis pressure mode. The lmtv is by far the most comfortable military truck I have driven.

 

[simp5782]

It rides better than the m35, m809, m939, m915 trucks. Let's just reiterate this point I tell people about a rough riding military truck. It is a cargo truck with no cargo in it . What would you expect? Get you a 1/2" steel.plate that is 4ft x 8ft and tack it to the floor. It will ride better.

 

[mkcoen]

Have you verified the cab air bags are inflated?

 

[olly hondro]

Highway speed? Whats that?

I have owned an M109A3 and M35A3, and yes, the LMTV rides nicer and has better road manners.

Of course it rides rougher empty than loaded. I will never use it to haul 5000 lbs of anything, so I am OK modifying the suspension or whatever.

I'll check the cab airbags, thank you.

Some are wondering why I bought the truck. It was unplanned. Recall I started a thread titled "I want a yeller CAT". I wanted a donor vehicle with a 3116 + Allison to put in the CUCV Blazer. Some choices were TopKick, Kodiak, school bus, delivery truck, then heeeeeeey this LMTV thing is already 4WD, I'll just buy one of those. So here I am.

I have visions of a Dakar Rally truck clone. If you stretch your imagination, you can see the possibilities. An aluminum or fiberglas skin won't weigh enough to compress the springs. So maybe I need to change them.

 

[Awesomeness]

I wanted a donor vehicle with a 3116 + Allison to put in the CUCV Blazer.

How would that even work? The 3116 + Allison + t-case weighs more than the Blazer.

 

[Third From Texas]

I'll check the cab airbags, thank you.

Oddly enough, I've been rather shocked at the number of owners I've read about (mostly new of course) who simply didn't know about or didn't check the knob. My neck would scream bloody murder if those bags were down. LOL

I have visions of a Dakar Rally truck clone.

Heh, you know those trucks are pure shell and DOM tubing on top of independent front and four-link rears. More dunebuggy than truck.

Not to say they are not awesome, the LMTV offers a LOT of build potential. Sadly, "race" isn't on that list though....

If you want to really make an LMTV race/play truck get a cab, a fab shop, and about five million in sponsorship (US ARMY?). You'll want about 1500HP (me too)!

 

[Third From Texas]

How would that even work? The 3116 + Allison + t-case weighs more than the Blazer.

I remember the first year we watched Dakar on cable.

My GF asked "who the **** races garbage trucks in the desert?"

 

[Katavic918]

I'm thinking about building a frame to fit 4 55 gal drums in the bed of my m35a2. That way it's easy to load and unload when needed. Just a thought.

 

[olly hondro]

How would that even work? The 3116 + Allison + t-case weighs more than the Blazer.

The interweb has several examples of that combo in a chevy C10 and dodge p/u. With a torch + welder you can do anything you want.

 

[olly hondro]

Oddly enough, I've been rather shocked at the number of owners I've read about (mostly new of course) who simply didn't know about or didn't check the knob. My neck would scream bloody murder if those bags were down. LOL




Heh, you know those trucks are pure shell and DOM tubing on top of independent front and four-link rears. More dunebuggy than truck.

Not to say they are not awesome, the LMTV offers a LOT of build potential. Sadly, "race" isn't on that list though....

If you want to really make an LMTV race/play truck get a cab, a fab shop, and about five million in sponsorship (US ARMY?). You'll want about 1500HP (me too)!

Oh, I'd never race it. It would be a ~200 HP clone/poser/wannabe.

 

[olly hondro]

I'll start a new thread on just that topic: LMTV-->Rally Truck clone/poser/wannabe.

 

[Awesomeness]

The interweb has several examples of that combo in a chevy C10 and dodge p/u. With a torch + welder you can do anything you want.

Have a link? I tried finding an example, but couldn't. I can't imagine what that even looks like - that drivetrain is 4' tall, and 10-12' long. Is there still room for people inside?

 

[aleigh]

I think my M1078 rides pretty nice already, at least on the highway. No complaints, but my air bags work. What I do notice is when wheeling' it, it kind of tends to lift wheels, presumably because they are not "squished" down. I find having some weight in the back helps with that. I joke about wanting a road plate or a jersey barrier to drop in the back as needed. There might be a bit of a safety aspect to this though, because, man does an empty 1078 like to oversteer, especially in poor traction conditions. Mine goes sideways in an instant if you are careless or having a bit too much fun. Maybe some weight in the back would help even it out. Bringing one down a steep icy slope especially with a trailer is a nail biter, but then I guess when isn't it. Related is that item like eight thousand three hundred ninety five on my LMTV todo list is to check the air system to see if the proportioning valve is working, but I think it probably is...

 

[olly hondro]

Have a link? I tried finding an example, but couldn't. I can't imagine what that even looks like - that drivetrain is 4' tall, and 10-12' long. Is there still room for people inside?

The added length of the 6-cylinder configuration does intrude into the cab, in the examples I have seen on the interweb. Search "CAT 3208 in Chevy Pickup" to start.