They are military trucks, heavy and slow. They were designed to reliably pull a heavy load off road, they travel with other heavy slow vehicles in convoys. They were never intended to run highway speeds. They were intended to be a war machine, get the troops and their supplies to the front. They are primitive, loud, slow, and treated properly, dead on reliable.
They have neither the brakes or the gear to run civilian road speeds, they were not designed to do so and to try to convert one to a road warrior is a lot like sweeping water uphill. It just was not meant to be.
Many of these guys have been down this road many times, from guys wanting 6x6 70 mph campers to 6x6 70 mph tugs for their off road toys. Have you ever been in a running deuce? I drive mine daily, you have to recognize it for what it is.
The fuel mileage on my A2 just floors me, I never dreamed it would get ten, much less surpass that. I drive 45 to 48 mph though. Buy one, accept it for what it is and enjoy it. They are not for everybody.
I put about 100 miles on mine yesterday. I went to the lake to reserve a campsite for a buddy coming in from out of state. I took a friend with me that I do not get to see very often. It was one of the few times I wished I had something a lot quieter. It is hard to hold much of a conversation with ear plugs and ear muffs on.
We made the reservation and drove through the campgrounds. It was a good time there. The kids were egging me on for a toot of the horn and many Veterans would salute the beast as it rolled by. One camp site had a National Guard recruiter canopy that they were under. The guys were standing out there pointing at the
The National Guard banners streaming on the edges of the canopy. We had a lot of thumbs up from that crowd.
Coming home we headed through the Smoky Hills, chugging along at 30 mph, taking the worst looking roads we could find as we headed back east and south. The deuce just rolled along and over, taking it all in stride. It was hot out and Mother Nature blessed us with a few heavy clouds and some rain to cool things down and knock down the dust.
I love the deuce and my CUCVs for that kind of use, if there are tire tracks indicating somebody else made it through, you can enter with confidence that you will drive out the other side. We spent about five hours going the 100 miles and got to see a lot of deer, turkey, a few coyotes, several golden and bald eagles, numerous hawks and falcons. We toured some beautiful back country. Lots of ranchers and farmers waved, I suppose it is kind of unusual to see one rolling along the back roads of America.
I have driven it long distances and it will do a good job of it, you just average about 45 mph on the road instead of 65, when you figure in fuel and rest stops. When I made the trip home from South Dakota with it, we ran 40-42 mph pulling my pickup and made around 11 mpg. My pickup was loaded heavy with fluids, tools, batteries, spare tires, spare parts... I suppose it weighed over 8,000 on its own.
If I wanted a military truck for highway use, I would have to look at the 915, 916 or 920 trucks. They have killer looks and the heavy duty styling. They are also much more capable of running close to road speeds.
It seems like somebody comes along and jumps into the forums about once every six weeks with an idea of using an old war machine for a high speed application. Each one wants to make their own argument for how it will work. It can be done, but it can be done a whole lot easier and safer with a civilian chassis. These guys have been through it many times. Glen
It does get a little weary reading these threads where someone wants to make a pig fly. 
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