Speddmon wrote:
I wouldn't discourage anybody from getting one, they are way cool, and I love mine. But I would think twice about using it as your daily driver. Most of these trucks are old, very old. And not up to the safety standards of modern cars. The biggest safety factor is the brakes, there is no secondary circuit like modern cars have. One good leak and you have nothing to stop you except for the soccer moms minivan in front of you (remember these things weigh in at a mere 13000# compared to about 2000 to 3000 for a car). Get one because they are cool, drive it on weekends, and do your maintenance and inspections on it, but seriously think twice about using it for a daily commute.
KaiserM109 wrote --- concerning speddmon's quote:
Ditto !!
While driving my M109 home from Ft.Riley I went through Manhattan, KS in heavy afternoon traffic. I pulled into a turn lane with lots of head-on traffic and the brake pedal went “Clank” on the floorboards. I can still see the face of a guy driving a brand new Chevy PU; I think he popped his eye balls out.
I yanked on the wimpy parking brake and steered for the center island, making a conscious decision as to which signs I would take out. The front axle went over the curb with a bounce, the second axle popped up, then the third started up but settled back down backwards.
It turned out that there was almost a pint of water in the air brakes. Now I do 2 things. First I drain the tanks when I shut it down, just like the manual says. Second, if the truck has sat for a while, when I get in to go somewhere I pump up the tanks and drain them until I get dry air. It is surprising how often I get water.
Daily driver, NO, weekend driving FUN.
I'm going to have a hard time writing this without getting on the wrong side of a few people which is something I do not wish to do but IMHO opinion we need to THINK about what you're putting out on the world-wide-web before we post. When a post is made on SS it's not like writing a private letter to uncle Fenwick --- we're publishing to the world for all to see. Our enemys as well as you friends have access to this content. Every once n a while I come across a post that alarms me. This time they came in twos.
I'm sure that Speddmons comments were noble and from the heart but the analogy about the soccer mom and the mini van made me cringe. (no offense Speddmon). My first thought was "Oh God, I hope our enemys don't read this" for had I been a laymon reading the post I would have come away feeling that the deuce brakes are unsafe.
Yes, if you have a leak that depletes the brake fluid you are going to lose your brakes but for the sake of clarification this does not mean, nor do I feel that Speddmon insinuated, that the stock brakes are unsafe. Having said this, I submit that even with the lack of redundancy on the stock deuce brakes, when properly maintained and serviced they were/are indeed safe. Before you disagree with me first take into consideration the billions of miles our parents generation drove single system trucks with very little problems then they were properly maintained.
When another member (enter KaiserM109) immediately follows up with a juicy war story about how he lost his brakes on a 13,000 pound vehicle in heavy traffic, jumped the curb and scared the guy in the new pickup in front of him it doesn't help the image of the hobby in fact it could be harmful if the right bureaucrat, advocacy group or insurance company exec were to find very many of these posts.
I've got a 56 year M37 and a 42 year old M35 sitting in my drive way that have been rebuilt and are safe and reliable to the point that I would not be afraid to drive them on the public highways from coast to coast. The wild card to safety is making sure the brakes and other systems are rebuilt and safe BEFORE taking them out on the public highways. This is a responsibility that shouldn't be skirted by anyone. I don't buy in to anyone bringing their newly won MV home from a recovery mission on a mechanical wing and prayer. If you're not sure it it's safe either tow it or have it hauled. Least we forget, some of us members have soccer mom daughters out there in minivans.
Am I saying that safety issues should not be discussed? Absolutely not! --- quite the opposite. As a group we need to be on top of safety issues and IMHO opinion we should police ourselves to the point of challenging members that aren't.
We need to be mindful that half-baked perceptions about lacking safety of MVs and off-hand comments about how the heavier vehicle always has the tight of way might someday end up causing the government to stop selling MVs to the private sector or worse yet --- get them completely banned.
My apoligies in advance if I've offended anyone and also for temporarily hijacking this thread.
As far as using the deuce as a daily driver "absolutely not --- especially in city traffic." I bought my deuce to be a daily driver and spent several thousand dollars domesticating it. Now, I doubt if I drive it 500 miles a year. In this climate they take too long to warm up AND where are you going to get insurance when you use them as a daily driver? If one of you guys that say you are using your deuce as a daily driver has found insurance that covers DD usage please let me know where I can get some. Don't forget --- your insurance carrier is quite capable of browsing through this site. I'd sure hate for my carrier to do so and determine the majority of their customers are gaming the system (if they are) and decide to no longer cover MVs. In other words --- think before you post.
I know this is a bit prickly BUT it IS RESPECTFULLY submitted.
!
