Gearing up my M998 for Alaska

[Duster06]

What are some required upgrades you'd recommend for my M998 to operate in Fairbanks Alaska? What are some nice-to-have upgrades?

 

[TOBASH]

You need insulation setup if the vehicle is soft top with soft doors. I would upgrade the blower and might consider auxiliary heater core setup. They make 24Volt models.

Consider a Webasto.

You will need a block heater and battery blanket warmers.

Synthetic oils sludge at -35 degrees F, making them preferable in cold climates. Regular oils sludge closer to -5 degrees F IIRC.

Synthetics for tranny, transfer case, differentials, and gear boxes won't hurt.

Consider upgraded batteries with Odyssey solid state.

Buy tire chains.

I hope you like mosquitoes and mud.

 

[DREDnot]

Id find some arctic tops and doors.

https://www.hmmwvinscale.com/hmmwvwinterizationkit.htm

 

[Milcommoguy]

Don't know what they use for fuel up there... But you might check that or carry some cold weather additive.

Fuel gels and your really stuck, CAMO

 

[Wire Fox]

Don't know what they use for fuel up there... But you might check that or carry some cold weather additive.

Fuel gels and your really stuck, CAMO

+1 on the fuel gelling. The emergency technique of building a small fire under your fuel tank to just allow the heat to liquify just some of the fuel is normally very risky... It's way riskier with the HMMWV's plastic tank. Now...a portable oil pan heating pad or portable personal heater would be a far, far safer alternative....

Actually, forget the fire, just use the right additives and the reasonable heat sources, as necessary.

Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

 

[BKubu]

Tire chains are a must if you will be up there during times when snow is likely. Honestly, they would be helpful even in mud.

 

[diesel dave]

Fuel distributors in northern climates “cut” their diesel with kerosene to combat “gelling”. The further north,the more kero is mixed. In all my years with heavy trucks,I never had any problems running the “cut”fuel available. However,with that said,I always added anti gel additives if the temps were forecast to go below 0. So,imho,above 0 you’re good to go with what’s available at the pumps. Below 0,I’d use an anti gel additive.
As far as chains go,I’d take a set. But if it’s bad enough to need them,you really shouldn’t be on the road. I’ve read several posts on how bad hmmwv’s are in snow. A couple of years ago,we had 15” of snow in hunting season. I had NO problems driving the unplowed forestry roads without chains. However I encountered several 4x4’s not having a good day.

 

[Coug]

Fuel distributors in northern climates “cut” their diesel with kerosene to combat “gelling”. The further north,the more kero is mixed. In all my years with heavy trucks,I never had any problems running the “cut”fuel available. However,with that said,I always added anti gel additives if the temps were forecast to go below 0. So,imho,above 0 you’re good to go with what’s available at the pumps. Below 0,I’d use an anti gel additive.
As far as chains go,I’d take a set. But if it’s bad enough to need them,you really shouldn’t be on the road. I’ve read several posts on how bad hmmwv’s are in snow. A couple of years ago,we had 15” of snow in hunting season. I had NO problems driving the unplowed forestry roads without chains. However I encountered several 4x4’s not having a good day.

Yup, it's all about knowing what you are doing, and taking your time.
I remember in the Army one time out at a range center, I got to drive the back road to see if the fuel HEMTTs would be able to make it. (Rodrigues Range center for anyone who's been to Korea)
I decided to drive around the center and come in that gate, rather than drive over that hill and down the other side. (it was poured concrete slabs on a slope. A few years previously a tracked vehicle lost traction on it and slid down, crushing the vehicle behind it I heard)
Someone else had driven it before me. Several hundred yards of skid marks right into the side rail.
I told them not to have the fuel trucks drive it, and they agreed.

A couple days later on one of the gravel roads one of our unit's HMMWVs was in a ditch on a corner going downhill.
Person driving it refused to drive it any further. I got to drive it and another one down that portion of the road.

Then again, this was the same trip CSM caught me doing some running and sliding on my feet in a parking lot and told me to stop sliding on the ice.
Then he put it out to everyone in the unit not to let their soldiers slide on the ice.
A couple days later out at the range we were using (I was on ammo detail) CSM caught me sliding in the vehicle ruts.
He asked me what I was doing.
I told him "you said no sliding on ice Sergeant Major, this is compact snow."
He just shook his head and walked off.
I liked that CSM.

 

[Dock Rocker]

Remember you don’t have ABS. It’s boy going to stop like a modern car.

Also the military tires suck in the snow. Definitely air them way down if you can.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[snowtrac nome]

hate to break your heart the hmmwv's are restricted from road use in the state of ak. as a visitor you might get away with out of state plates but if you reside hear over a year you are required to get ak plates and the state of ak wont issue plates to any thing that was issued an off road only restriction. If you insist on doing this or running off road in the winter than you want a trans pan heater a block heater and a fuel burning personnell heater we used 2800 btu 10-530 sw heaters but there are better heaters on teh market now days.

 

[Coug]

hate to break your heart the hmmwv's are restricted from road use in the state of ak. as a visitor you might get away with out of state plates but if you reside hear over a year you are required to get ak plates and the state of ak wont issue plates to any thing that was issued an off road only restriction. If you insist on doing this or running off road in the winter than you want a trans pan heater a block heater and a fuel burning personnell heater we used 2800 btu 10-530 sw heaters but there are better heaters on teh market now days.

Not all of them come with off road only SF-97s, and some states title them as regular vehicles no mater what the SF-97 said. At that point it's a valid, legal on road vehicle.
But a very good point for someone to think about when making their purchase.

 

[snowtrac nome]

Not all of them come with off road only SF-97s, and some states title them as regular vehicles no mater what the SF-97 said. At that point it's a valid, legal on road vehicle.
But a very good point for someone to think about when making their purchase.

if you have a copy of the origional sf 97 you might try but i saw the memorandum when my lmtv was registered it stated that the soa would not issue a title to any military surplus hmmwv or see's. i asked about bringing one from another state with a title and i was told the title would not be honnered here in teh state to get alaska plates.

 

[Coug]

if you have a copy of the origional sf 97 you might try but i saw the memorandum when my lmtv was registered it stated that the soa would not issue a title to any military surplus hmmwv or see's. i asked about bringing one from another state with a title and i was told the title would not be honnered here in teh state to get alaska plates.

Doing it for any surplus vehicle on the assumption that it came with an off road only stamp on the SF-97 (which they have stopped doing because they aren't technically allowed to modify a government form to my understanding) is just stupid to me, not to mention that would automatically invalidate EVERY military vehicle ever made and sold as surplus, even before they thought up doing that particular stamp.
Government beaurocracy at it's finest.

 

[snowtrac nome]

Doing it for any surplus vehicle on the assumption that it came with an off road only stamp on the SF-97 (which they have stopped doing because they aren't technically allowed to modify a government form to my understanding) is just stupid to me, not to mention that would automatically invalidate EVERY military vehicle ever made and sold as surplus, even before they thought up doing that particular stamp.
Government beaurocracy at it's finest.

they let me register my lmtv but it took a call to the capitol and a fax of of my sf97 to do so. thats why i say save teh document or a copy of it incase some know it all trys to challenge you on it.

 

[Duster06]

hate to break your heart the hmmwv's are restricted from road use in the state of ak. as a visitor you might get away with out of state plates but if you reside hear over a year you are required to get ak plates and the state of ak wont issue plates to any thing that was issued an off road only restriction. If you insist on doing this or running off road in the winter than you want a trans pan heater a block heater and a fuel burning personnell heater we used 2800 btu 10-530 sw heaters but there are better heaters on teh market now days.

how so? I have an on road vehicle title from the state of Virginia. I don’t see how this would not transfer over

 

[Dock Rocker]

how so? I have an on road vehicle title from the state of Virginia. I don’t see how this would not transfer over

California and Florida have done it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[infinitymotors]

Duster06 California and Florida have done what?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Coug]

Duster06 California and Florida have done what?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

not allowed HMMWVs that are legally licensed for road use in other states to have their titles transferred into those two.

 

[TOBASH]

I’m curious. If the vehicle is 30 years old can it be titled in Alaska, California, or Florida as a classic?