how far?

[drbarnes]

For the last couple weeks I have been reading as much of the great information on this site as my free time allows.

I am in the market for a deuce or my m939 series 5 ton, my question to you is what would be the maximum distance you would travel to get a military vehicle? Would it be better to pay a trucking company to deliver it to me so I could go through and inspect and repair at my location?

My first choice would be to find something locally or within an hour of my house. But the there are some nice looking deuces in the classifield section a couple States away.

David

 

[Rmtaunton]

It's probably about 50/50 , if it's privately owned I would drive it since you would know more about it , it's an experience you will never forget , I did , but I had three flatbed trailers lined up along the way , much cheaper than a wrecker. I would drive it but in the end the cost really won't be that much different after you buy all the spare parts you think you might need

 

[drbarnes]

The experience is what I was thinking would be fun... or horrible

 

[brasco]

David,

Closer is almost always better. Unless you really have time to work on a truck, I would recommend one that is in good running condition for a first truck.

I have purchased trucks out of Little Falls, MN; Sparta, WI; and Indianapolis, IN and drove them all home. The truck that I had the most problems with was actually the closest.

I would not be afraid to drive a good running M939 across the country as long as it had good tires. I can't comment on a deuce.

Another member once commented that you should plan on spending at least $1.00 per mile to recover a truck and that has been my experience so include that in you purchase plans. You probably need more to ship it.

Don

 

[rhurey]

This would depend on where you were buying it from. (Private / GL)

For me, I'd attempt a drive off recovery from JBLM (if there were ever any trucks there) but would have a haul plan in place. Call it 60 miles.

Private party in good condition with no known issues that seems well maintained, I was going to do 300 miles or so.
Known issues / project truck? Haul if it's not around the block. (I'd take a flat tow from another SS member, pull drive shafts, etc).

 

[Rmtaunton]

It's an adventure , I bet most of us have driven our first or atleast one , but some are smarter and wiser now ( but also less fun ha ) there are thousands of recovery stories on here and I say 85 percent of us who drove it made it , most will have a glitch or to but if you know your stuff and brought the right equipment , you have a great chance .

Hmmm that would be a great poll , " did you make it " I bet it would be close to 90%

 

[drbarnes]

Thanks Don and rhurey,

I am looking for a good running truck, I have some mechanical aptitude but don't want to get into a nonfunctional truck right off the bat. I realize if I go with an auction that is pretty much a crap shoot but I met a guy locally that said he would help me out, he even let me drive his 5 ton last weekend! What a blast, I couldn't stop smiling all day.

 

[drbarnes]

Rmtaunton,

What would you say would be the most important tools or spare parts to bring along?

I would be buying a deuce from a private seller or a 5 ton from an auction... those are the scenarios in my head at this time

 

[andy3]

It's been cover many times but here is where I'd start. Complete standard socket & wrench sets. Oil, water, antifreeze, 12 ton bottle jack, wheel chocks, jumper cables, extra diesel. All 3 fuel filters. Lug wrench.
To quote Clinto "credit card with a good sized limit"
You don't know if the fuel pickup or gauge is working correctly so keep it full. Also once it's running, unless something dangerous is happening, don't turn it off.
Lastly, ask for guys that are local that are free to come look over your shoulder. We'd all rather someone get into the hobby on a good foot and safely.

 

[mdmorgan]

I bought my M915 sight unseen from GL, then drove it 2,500 miles home. Would I do it again? Probably not, but you never know

 

[Another Ahab]

Sounds like you're close to making a dive into the Big Green Pond; an adventure for sure. Good luck.

And welcome to you from here in Virginia.

 

[98G]

I bought a "does not start and does not run" truck 1000 miles away and had it towed to storage until I could get there to get it. Worked on it for a day and then drove it 1000miles home.

The most important tool ? A chase vehicle. Doesn't matter what. Anything can take you to go buy tools and parts. Also have a backup plan in case of catastrophic failure. That backup plan should be adequate to include having the truck towed if necessary.

I'd do it again, and in fact I'll be doing it the end of November. This time the truck is fairly pristine, except I'll be putting a new alternator on it before departure and the distance is about 1800 miles.

 

[avlon01]

I bought a M1009 on the pictures the seller sent me and a few phone conversations.

Drove 3 1/2 hours in a rental to pick it up and then drove the M1009 home - a 4 1/2 hour trip at 60 mph.

No problems at all - but I brought a milk crate full of tools and parts just in case.

 

[Trailboss]

Rmtaunton,

What would you say would be the most important tools or spare parts to bring along?
I would be buying a deuce from a private seller or a 5 ton from an auction... those are the scenarios in my head at this time

Do a search on recovery or recoveries for lists of recommended supplies and tools, as well as stories of recoveries both good and gone bad.

 

[M813rc]

We picked up an M35 (known to be in excellent condition) in Virginia, drove it to St Louis, where we picked up an M1003 (MAN 8x8 ). We then drove both to Memphis Equipment in Tennessee, and from there to central Texas. Other than not being a quick trip, it was fairly uneventful. We did have a chase vehicle (Suburban) full of tools, topped by yellow blinky lights, and one of the three of us was a retired military motor pool 1st Sergeant.
As it turned out, the only major repair on the trip was the chase vehicle's power steering pump!

I have also driven an M915 from Austin to Phoenix and back, twice(!).

I have driven my M931s several hundred miles from home to pick up trailers.

All my trips have been uneventful, but all were made in trucks of known condition with good tires. All were made at reasonable, for MV, speeds, which for most of them is around 55. The M915 with a military surplus civilian lowboy was the exception, that was a 65 mph trip.

My M931s and M813 have 14.00s on them and will easily get up to 65mph, but I see no reason to do that speed in an old military truck. On shorter trips, the speed makes little difference in time. On a 400 mile trip, you'd get there in just over 6 hours at 65, just over 7 at 55. I'll take the extra driving hour to avoid the time it takes to change a blown tire, or fix something else on the truck that went because it was being pushed closer to its limit. (Austin to RRAD in Texarkana is 375 miles, I've done that trip several times).

As recommended in the above comments, being properly prepared is essential. Proper tools, parts (including spare bulbs), and the manuals, and fire extinguishers, are just some of what you should have.

Cheers

 

[Karl kostman]

For what your looking for I wouldnt think you would have to drive to far, pretty common trucks!
KK

 

[Recovry4x4]

Here is an interesting read!
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?18289-Tennessee-Adventure-About-to-Begin/