Deuce off road shortcomings

[Mike_Pop]

I'm curious since I am in the process of getting a deuce...

I've done a lot of off road driving with my Unimog and have been on the trails with a few deuces. The biggest issue I see with a deuce is the location of the steps and the fuel tank. I've seen many a deuce not able to navigate an obstacle because of those areas.

Has anyone modified their fenders/steps or moved the fuel tank to accomodate better off road capabilities?

 

[FreightTrain]

Turning radius,Width,Freaking HEAVY!.....basically,Make sure you have lots of room and a way to winch it when you do get stuck.Remember,14,000lbs of truck stuck in the mud won't move easily!

 

[rockman]

Mike, I think you would need to remove the tool box and batteries at least, I have scraped my steps a little but really by going slow, don't seem to have much of an issue driving it where it can go. You have to plan your route a bit more.


Bill

WOR

 

[BKubu]

FREIGHTTRAIN has already hit on what I would have said...width and turning radius. Plus, with no power steering, it is difficult to turn the steering wheel when you are in tight and are not moving.

 

[Mike_Pop]

Ok...so let's say you have plenty of room. I've seen nickd on moguls and what I noticed the Achilles heel was the placement of the steps and fuel tank.

 

[BKubu]

Mike: The truck you are looking at has 1100 X 20 Michelin XLs so, right off the bat, you are ahead of most other deuce owners when it comes to off-road capabilities.

 

[Mike_Pop]

Bruce: No plans for modification, just curious if there is a solution to a very visible problem. As far as the turning radius...I've found that most US military vehicles have a poor turning radius. My Unimog turned better than my Mighty Mite even though it is almost twice as long.

 

[rosco]

Sounds like your comparing apples & oranges. The Deuce is a cargo truck. It does quite well, for what it was designed for. No vehicle is "fool proof". You can get any of them stuck. After a while, you realize, its just too expensive to go some places - in time or equipment. So you get the right vehicle for the specific job, or you call in a dozer!

Lee in Alaska

 

[gimpyrobb]

Yeah, the steps and fuel tanks are what get alot of crunching. I'd re-locate the tank and install some kind of chain step.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Find the thread of the dude that got a truck for his anniversary. His steps were chopped and batts /fuel relocated.

 

[maddawg308]

If you are real serious about offroading a deuce, and often, I would also look into the addition of air-o-matic steering. The manual steering works fine, but sometimes the truck will want to stay in a rut in manual steering no matter how hard you try to turn the wheel, when what you WANT to do is get out of the rut. Power steering will help solve that issue.

I would also do what Kenny above has recommended, chop off the steps, relocate the fuel tank/battery box/tool box/pioneer tool rack, etc. Remove the mud flaps. Think about getting some tires with better tread than NDTs. Might also want to hack off the rear bottom part of the front fenders.

Don't do this with a pristine unit. A true offroader uses a beater as a base, so that way he doesn't feel like crap cutting up a nice truck, and then you don't care so much if you scratch it up in the woods and rocks.

 

[Mike_Pop]

Mike...nothing serious going to happen. I'm just curious if anyone else thought of these options. I've had my share of rock crawling and beating on my Unimog for the past five years. I know a deuce isn't supposed to be an "off road" vehicle because of it's sheer size and weight. However, maybe some improvements can be made.

 

[BKubu]

Mike: The larger tires that some guys are putting on their trucks might help your cause a bit. I am not familiar with their use so I can't offer an opinion. Perhaps, JWALLER and RIZZO (among others) can chime in with some of their experiences. I think I've heard of guys running 1400s on a deuce, but I've never done it so I can't say for certain. Personally, I think the 1100s will be plenty for most of what you might want to do. Lockers would be a nice addition.

 

[L1A1]

Mike
I've seen some photos of deuces (and 5 tons) that were chopped into 4X4s and the fuel tank was relocated to the front of (and in) the bed behind the cab.
Matt

 

[M1075]

The low clearance under the steps and fuel tank can be a drag in certain situations. You can relocate all this stuff like others have said/done and/or get some larger tires to increase overall ground clearance.

 

[BEASTMASTER]

it simple ,like an old buddie of mine always said "A MAN HAS GOT TO KNOW HIS LIMITATIONS "

 

[Alredneck]

Getting rid of NDCs and going to super singles will help out in the traction department, I love my XMLs. The Xls are a awesome tire to and are very streetable for guys that drive on the road most of the time which is where the XML lacks. G20s are about the same. MVTs ( they look like giant MTRs ) are good in the sand but I dont like them in the mud as much as the XML. But keep in mind most of my driving exprience on the newer tires is on the FMTVs and LMTVs and not the deuce but handling characteristics should be about the same.

 

[jatonka]

Mike Pop, you drove my JATonka 4x4 deuce in NJ many years ago. I covered all the questions you just posted, High Clearance, shorter turning radius, power steering, great traction. I have negotiated trails at the old Paragon Park that Humvees had trouble with. And it is street legal to boot. But a Deuce will never be a Unimog, why not just stick with what you had? JT

 

[cranetruck]

John, what is the turning radius of the bobbed deuce?

 

[Streetgliderx]

dunno whos this is but here is a pic of one i found a little while back. hope they dont mind me dropping it here