Looking at the BMY 5 tons

[rockman]

Greetings fellow MVers, my interests are leaning towards another MV. I had a M35A2C for a decade and had to sell a few years ago. I started looking at the current surplus truck, the BMY 5 tons. I know that they are different beasts as compared to the 1966 M35 I had. How are the trucks on maintenance, cost, etc?

Bill

 

[Warthog]

One of the biggest issues is getting the BMY titled. Lookup the Georgia Titling thread. I don't know if TN has the same issue.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?110761-Getting-a-BMY-M923A2-titled-in-Georgia

 

[73m819]

Greetings fellow MVers, my interests are leaning towards another MV. I had a M35A2C for a decade and had to sell a few years ago. I started looking at the current surplus truck, the BMY 5 tons. I know that they are different beasts as compared to the 1966 M35 I had. How are the trucks on maintenance, cost, etc?Bill

Just like your deuce only a bit more expensive and heaver, you take CARE of it, it will not cost you that much, you just drive it and not do the care ,feeding, and putting away wet, it will be VERY EXPENSIVE.

 

[Nationwide 63s]

Im going to be home (Limestone) for vacation in January. I have both. Give me a PM if you are interested in looking at a 5 ton. I also worked on them for years in the Army. Worked on the Deuce in the late 90's. I have a pretty good handle on maintenance for both.

 

[mcmullag]

I have one that went thru rebuild in 2007 and is in awesome shape. I don't plan on anything going wrong with it, majorly, just the standard CTIS air leaks you have to play
with. My friend and I each picked up another one, these were rebuilt in 2009 by Unicore? plate on dash states mileage at rebuild so I did the math on the odometers, mine has 80 miles since rebuild, my friends has 100 miles since rebuild, they are in awesome shape, new engines installed at rebuild and such. so my point is, I just cant see having to do major repairs on these rebuilt trucks. these two tan ones did not get paint jobs, just mechanical rebuilds, many times you get new paint jobs at rebuild. best of luck

 

[CBR Metalworks]

Rebuilt trucks look pretty, but you have to remember the caliber of guys that actually rebuilt them (hate to put it that way, but it is normally the ones that were not able to do much else), I am sure there are some guys that work on the trucks that know a ton about these trucks, but on numerous occasions when I go to pick up trucks I feel like I know more about them than the 'mechanic' that has come out to jump them off.

I have also heard differing stories on what is replaced in a rebuild, unless the serial tag on the engine is run by Cummins and confirmed it was bought in 20xx, I would not assume it was replaced. I have 'heard' that a rebuilt truck is torn apart top to bottom, but I have also 'heard' that they only fix what needs to be fixed (visually), maybe change tires, filters, insulation, wiring harnesses, etc. The one that I bought that had been 'rebuilt' had more rust underneath the fenders and such than my non-rebuilt M925, that is my main reason for thinking they only replace what they HAVE to to make them look pretty, if it was torn down completely to the frame, the paint work should have been much better on areas that don't 'show' like under the fenders. After I sold that truck the air compressor went out on it, plus it had a pretty good leak from the transfer case. So, I had quite a few problems out of a rebuilt truck I had bought, and have had just a few very minor problems out of my M925a2 that I have put over 2,000 miles on (couple small leaks, and the hydraulic valve that operates winch needs to be rebuilt).

Often times the trucks that haven't been touched are the ones you want is what I have come to find out. That said, rebuilt trucks are easier to resell because those that don't 'know' just think that rebuilt means better. This is not to say all rebuilds are bad, the few problems I had on the one I bought were still not things that would 'kill' the truck or things that could not be repaired, just not problems that you would expect from something that is supposed to be 'new', which is why I think they only replace what they have to.

 

[wreckerman893]

Since I bought the M927A2 I have come to appreciate the 8.3 Cummins and the Allison automatic. I have since added an M923A2 to the stable which may or may not end up as a parts truck (depends on if I want to swap out a transfer case). I have owned a 5 ton wrecker and a 5 ton multi-fuel tractor in the past and would not go back to the older series. Yep...just about everything is heavier and sometimes parts can be expensive but all in all they are great trucks. The CTIS can be problematic and I don't use mine but some people swear by them and use theirs. Considering that they can be had for fire sale prices I don't see how you can go wrong if you preview (if buying from GL) and know the condition of the truck before you buy.