Is a 1971 deuce a good towing solution for me?

[Gclick0003]

Here is the description of the deuce I am looking at 1971AMGeneral Deuce. It has a multi fuel engine with 6 speed trans . Has 48 inch tire. It's been bobed. Has power steering. Cab has been fully restored with bucket seats. Fuel tanks were relocated to the bed of truck for more ground clearance.....
I have commercial use vessels that need to be hauled out on their trailer that weigh approximately 15,500 lbs. the boat ramp is only a half mile from where I keep the trailers so I will never need to tow faster than 25mph so speed is no issue. I have an f350 dually now and it has the power but is only rear wheel drive and kinda slips at the ramp on the slight incline that is wet and slick. Will this make a good tow vehicle for me for my purposes? Also what would be a reasonable price range for this vehicle? Thanks for your input

 

[dslucas]

The truck will definitely pull it out of the water. I'm not sure that relocating the fuel tanks is going to give you that much more clearance than you already had. These trucks are designed to ford up to 30" of water even without the fording kit. Add also the height of the larger tires, and the fact that the fuel tank was not vented making it fairly watertite at it's previous location. I don't know if any of these came with a 6 speed transmission....all of the A1s and A2s that I have heard of (including mine) came with a 5 speed spicer manual....the A3 has a 4 speed auto. It might be a custom install though. It looks like it has dual 15.5X85r20s on the front....so not sure if it would be street legal, or if you even need it to be with such a short distance. I sure hope it has power steering. Mine does not and even with that size in singles on the front is a bit of a bear at a full stop (thats putting it mildly lol). I've never bought a "Bobber" so I am not sure if it adds value or not (for me it would not), so I can't honestly speak for it's value. Good luck and hope you find something that works for you.

 

[wreckerman893]

You would need a few hundred pounds of ballast in the bed for traction for pulling up a wet incline. Does it have an air shift transfer case or is it a Sprag? With the air shift you can lock in the front axle before you need the extra traction. The duals on front are overkill and not good for wheel bearings or steering components. Anytime I see a bobber I wonder about the credentials of who bobbed it. Anybody with a cutting torch and minimal skills can bob a truck. There are a lot of nuances that go with safely bobbing one. If it's not going to be driven on public roads at high speeds then you are prob OK. As for prices they are all over the place with bobbed trucks. Just looking at that one I wouldn't go over a few grand myself. Your mileage may very.

 

[eagle4g63]

Personally, if I were looking for a truck to pull boats and traction is a concern.....than I would stick with a standard deuce.....10 tires on the ground will help a lot more....plus the added weight of the rest of the truck being there will help.....like wreckerman said though some ballast in the rear will still help.

 

[porkysplace]

A stock M35A2 is rated for 10k towing. Cutting a axle out will lower that and as wreckerman said you will be lacking brake power. I'm sure you can get a 939 series 5 ton cheaper and have a truck that will do the job .

 

[rosco]

That truck is untried for work. A deuce has been tested. You can probably get a real nice one, for half the price of the bobber. Put a couple of tons in the Deuce, and a custom hitch on the rear, and she'll work for you. Plain NDT's will do the job. If its not an air shift front, make sure the sprague it working well.

 

[CARNAC]

Don't just walk but RUN away. The tow pintle was moved so it's been tinkered with. Standard deuce with 3 axles or even a 5 ton since they are going cheap (but you need a CDL)--then again, you probably have one anyway for the weight you're towing.

 

[Gclick0003]

This is the email i got after saying the 6 speed was never an option... Anyone know of a Trevor in these circles that works on deuces??? Email reply as follows..... I'm sorry now that u say it it's not a 6 speed it's 5. The bobing of the truck was done by a guy named Trevor who is pretty known if those circles! In fact he's done all the major work on the truck! I've done most of the cosmetic work. The dual front end was just kinda a joke that stuck but we did put after market power steering to turn them which u won't find on any of the other duces. The engine and trans is all original and has only been service and runs perfectly.

 

[Captaincarrier]

I'm in St Petersburg and deal with Nathan & Paul over on 49th St N, north of Park. Worth while to check them out. Mention: Alpha - Tango - Charlie, (the tank cleaning guy)

 

[CARNAC]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FPELc1wEvk

 

[Jeepsinker]

You want all three axles if anything. A bobbed deuce is going to be less capable, if not closely comparable with a regular diesel pickup.

 

[jdknech]

i used to pull boats out of the water all the time like you are talking.. (i worked for a yacht sales company) we used a old 5ton.. and i would not recommend anything less.. and you can pick them up pretty cheap for the older ones..