Guard M35A2's to be sent to DRMO

[MarineTracs]

I just received an email indicating that all National Guard units should begin planning to turn in all of their M35A2's to DRMO. They are cautioned to retain enough vehicles to provide for training and some semblance of mission effectiveness. The typical military and governmental proviso in the message stated "ARNGUS cannot tell us what we will be getting, nor when". Ahhhh, ya gotta love orders like that!!
Anyway, an era seems to be passing. And for all of you deuce heads out there, if they are not cut up for scrap or turned into artificial reefs, perhaps you will see more of them (and dare I say, cheaper prices) for sale.

 

[halftrack]

Thanks for the heads up, now where did I put my wallet?

 

[maddawg308]

Great news! Looking forward to the flood!

 

[CARNAC]

Most units are in the process of receiving LMTV's and MTV's.

My last job was to convert the first brigade size unit in the Army from a mix of M35A2's, M35A3's, 800series 5 tons, and 900 series 5 tons to the new vehicles.

About 150 trucks swapped out in less than 2 years.

So you're gonna see even more over the coming couple years.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I'm glad to see the median prices of deuces coming down a bit. $1000 for a mostly complete looking truck that may run is more along the lines of the last century. Up unitl recently, surplus deuce prices were crazy. I hope this impending flood keeps them respecable pricewise.

 

[citizensoldier]

Man I might actually have a chance at a ugly but useful A3!!! Bring em on.. Now if I could just find Halftracks wallet?? Good news and thanks for the post.

 

[sailor2000]

Let's see.... transfer to DRMO 6 months... sit on GSA list for another 6 months... released to GL another 2 or 3 months... GL lists 'em.. another month... looks like we probably have a year or more before we get a peek at 'em!

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

What I want is an M35A2C with winch. All of the trucks in Smyrna are NG turn ins. May even drive around to the NG units and see what they have to turn in.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Blood, you might have to put one together. Just not alot of them out there. Of the 2 dropsides I bought, the keeper will get a winch right quick.

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

I think you may be right. I may have to get an A2 with a winch and an A2C and swap beds.

 

[dirtyfingernails]

Cool! Unfortunately fuel will be $5 a gallon by that time!

 

[kcimb]

Cool! Unfortunately fuel will be $5 a gallon by that time!

Yeah, more for me less for you !

 

[CARNAC]

Let's see.... transfer to DRMO 6 months... sit on GSA list for another 6 months... released to GL another 2 or 3 months... GL lists 'em.. another month... looks like we probably have a year or more before we get a peek at 'em!



Reference above. I was highly surprised when a M923A1 5 ton turned in in mid-September was sold in late October. DRMO ain't holding them as long as what some may think. They gotta keep them moving out of he lots.

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

Cool! Unfortunately fuel will be $5 a gallon by that time!

No problem for the resourceful. WVO will burn quite well in a deuce.

 

[emmado22]

This whole turn in for FMTV's has been happening for 2 years here in NY.. I have seen units who got FMTV's turn in their M35's, and they M35's have made thier way to GL and been sold off. Problem is that FMTV's have been coming in fast enough, and units dont want to give up their trucks and have nothing until the FMTV come, which could be a long time...

 

[clinto]

I consider this mixed news, at best.

The flood of Deuces on the market will drive prices down, which the market badly needed.

However, once they are all gone, the prices will start going back up and won't go back down. I suppose rising fuel prices might hamper their rise a bit, but let's face it, most of us drive these trucks so sparingly that the jump tfrom $3 to $3.50 isn't going to curtail our enjoyment of them much. I only drove mine 3500 miles last year and almost half of that was going to Aberdeen.

The worst part is going to be the cost of parts.

As these vehicles leave the US inventories, the parts prices are going to skyrocket. M44 series parts prices (everything from fenders to clutches to sending units, whatever) have always been low because of the large quantities the govt. was buying and then surplussing out.

As the trucks go away, only a few companies that use them and hobbyists will be buying these parts. This means a vendor might be selling 50 sending units in a year instead of 500, so the price is naturally going to skyrocket.

Imagine what new 9:00 x 20's are going to cost in 5 years.

We have enjoyed a very inexpensive hobby for a long time, but it's about to get a lot more expensive.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I'd say it will be 10 years or better before we wear out the current parts inventory. You also have the aftermarket making parts in wholesale fashion and don't forget Kia! There are sure alot of tires out there and as the trucks get deadlined, so will the parts inventory. I think we'll be safe for a while or at least I hope!

 

[MILRET45]

I agree on the availability of parts in general. In 1995 I was restoring a '44 Jeep MB and was able to purchase some gear box parts that were NOS, as packed in parafin sealed boxes during WWII. I felt like I was entering King Tut's tomb. I almost didn't want to open the box out of historic respect.

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

As prices are driven down, it will make scrapping out the vehicles more and more profitable. Take a $1000 truck, sell the engine, transmission, transfer case, axles, radiators, etc, and you could easily quadruple your investment. And after all the valuable parts have been stripped, what is left will bring $70/1000 lbs as scrap.

 

[citizensoldier]

Parts for the M37's just started to dry up and rise in price in the last year or two.. They have all been surplused out for many years and they did not produce half as many M37's and parts as they did the mighty deuce.. I am not worried.. If prices come down to earth then we can all afford two or three nice parts trucks to pick to the bone and then scrap out whats left..
As they become antiques maybe the aftermarket parts guys will jump on board..
I fear more the NG guys stopping at my house to take them back after they realize there FMTV is a junk pile..