919 concrete truck

[reb87]

I have some questions about these series trucks. I have a m818 truck and am wanting one more big truck to use for getting corn out of muddy fields this fall. I want to put a dump box that will hold around 600 bu corn(36000lbs) I am having trouble finding out information about some of the newer trucks.

I like the idea of 400 hp with the cummins but if I read the little info I can find right a cab and chassis is around 30000 lbs. Are there any military trucks with 6 wheel drive and high horsepower (over 250)that weigh less than 30k lbs?

What kind of problems do the 16 speed cat auto transmissions have? I read thru the tm operators manual and it seems like a complicated tranny. I have a good shop with lots of tools and am mechanically inclined but I dont want to have a lot of problems with the tranny.

Does the concrete apparatus have any value commercially? If I buy a 919, I would strip the concrete stuff off and wondered if it is scrap or has value to a concrete plant(whats it worth)?

Does anybody have any suggestions for trucks that would work better for me? I know there are commercial trucks like mack and peterbuilt that are 6 wheel drive but these military trucks are pretty cheap for the low miles on the engines. The last sale had a m919 sell for $11000 and a 927a2 for around $7000. Commercial trucks with those prices would have 500000 miles on them.
Thanks for the input,
Ross/Nebraska

 

[Andydieselpower]

Ross,
I would think an M812 Bridge truck would make more sense for your application. This truck would be almost identical for drivetrain to your M818. The M812 has a long wheelbase, double frame, heavy rears and floatation tires so you can drive into your fields with no issues. Parts are cheaper and more plentiful than the CCC or M900 series trucks. In MN you can get a yearly overwidth permit for farm vehicles- thats what we plan to do with our M812.

The only downside to MV vehicles for commercial use is the tare weight is so high making your payload rather lacking. If the D.O.T. is not that bad in your area obviously take full advantage of that! We used to have problems with the waste haulers in Omaha and especially Lincoln getting pinned by the DOT for overweights.

Andy

 

[dmmay]

Consider an M814 XLWB truck it has a 20 foot cargo bed on it !!

 

[reb87]

I was thinking of the newer trucks for a little more power(really im looking for a good excuse to buy something different,dont tell my wife). Im going to use my m818 to pull a grain trailer and might put a small dump box on a m35(have to think about power steering though)

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

I put tons of miles in M915's and the 400 cummins is a runner. If you find one with the Allison transmission that thing should go a long way between failures. The higher number series with live front axle are beasts and you would have a great truck if you do what you are saying and scrapping the concrete apparatus should bring you some change too.

 

[M1075]

I have some questions about these series trucks. I have a m818 truck and am wanting one more big truck to use for getting corn out of muddy fields this fall. I want to put a dump box that will hold around 600 bu corn(36000lbs) I am having trouble finding out information about some of the newer trucks.

I like the idea of 400 hp with the cummins but if I read the little info I can find right a cab and chassis is around 30000 lbs. Are there any military trucks with 6 wheel drive and high horsepower (over 250)that weigh less than 30k lbs?

What kind of problems do the 16 speed cat auto transmissions have? I read thru the tm operators manual and it seems like a complicated tranny. I have a good shop with lots of tools and am mechanically inclined but I dont want to have a lot of problems with the tranny.

Does the concrete apparatus have any value commercially? If I buy a 919, I would strip the concrete stuff off and wondered if it is scrap or has value to a concrete plant(whats it worth)?

Does anybody have any suggestions for trucks that would work better for me? I know there are commercial trucks like mack and peterbuilt that are 6 wheel drive but these military trucks are pretty cheap for the low miles on the engines. The last sale had a m919 sell for $11000 and a 927a2 for around $7000. Commercial trucks with those prices would have 500000 miles on them.
Thanks for the input,
Ross/Nebraska

Ross, I think you are asking the right questions and looking in the right direction. Once you get past the deuces, you basically have big, bigger and biggest. I consider the 5 ton series to be big, the M915 series to be bigger and the M911 to be the biggest. Any of these might help you meet your needs. If you working your trucks primarily offroad, then a military truck is a great match. They are certainly very capable offroad and are very stout in design.

If you want to haul 36,000# of corn, then I would skip right past the 5 tons. I feel they have insufficient power/gears for that kind of weight and insufficient brakes.

The M915 series, with the exception of the M915, would be much better suited. Even though they have different truck bodies, they are all basically the same platform. You could go down to cab and chassis and build a dump box. Have you seen the dump truck anyway? M917 IIRC. Either way, you will have 6x6 or 6x8 capability, ample power with the 400 turbo, and 16 forward speeds to get you moving. Also, you will have true air brakes to get you stopped. You can easily convert to super single 16R20 tires for additional ground clearance and better offroad performance.

If you decide you want haul the max amount of corn you can, go with an M911. I know a guy in Nebraska that is hauling 30 tons of corn out of the field on his.

 

[reb87]

RE: Re: 919 concrete truck

Id be interested in looking at the 911 that is working in nebraska can you put me in touch?. Thanks, Ross