Looking to buy a deuce!

[plutonium233]

Hello all,

I have been lurking on the forum for a while and was finally able to register today! I've look at a couple hundred threads about the deuces, and I have finally decided that I want one. I just want to run my ideas by you guys and ask a couple questions?

I am looking for a M35A2, multifuel LDT-465, Air shift front. I signed up on GL recently, but haven't found anything close enough to MS to bid on yet. One question I have is about the drivetrain; it appears that everything has open differentials is this true? Also, if true, is this something that can be fixed with aftermarket parts?

My intended use for the truck is a mix of on and off road driving. Nothing too severe offroad, but I just want to be sure that it will perform decently well. My idea is to use it on our land for some farm/woods work, riding around looking, hauling a few heavy loads now and then, etc. How well do they perform offroad? I just want to be able to go a few places my 06 duramax doesn't need to go lol. I want to keep the truck somewhat original, and maybe do some restoration to it.

As far as on-road driving, it seems like it will do just fine from what I've read. I know I won't get anywhere in a hurry, but I think it will still be nice for turning a few heads . I have read a lot about alternative fuel usage because I have a pretty much unlimited supply of lightly used hydraulic oil. I may also have some sources of used crankcase oil and ATF; I plan to build a filter cart and maybe eventually buy a centrifuge as well.

Down the road I may decide to go with singles for tires, but its too early to tell. The determining factor for me is going to be offroad performance. I don't care about turning radius, etc. Plus the dual rears are pretty cool in their own right. If I can get away with depressurizing my tires some for offroad and then use onboard air to reinflate, then that's fine by me. I read alot about swapping to singles, but I just don't have enough information to justify it. I do understand that a lightly loaded deuce doesn't have a lot of ground pressure which is where the singles would shine, however.

The three types of places I plan to go are as follows... Our land has a lot of hard red clay, and some normal soil and buckshot gumbo in some places. The creeks near the house have huge sandbars, and I think it would be nice to go camping out there. Lastly, there I may run it through the mud pit at my friend's race pit. It is relatively shallow, hard bottom, made more for speed than bogging. I don't plan to get a winch right off, but may add it down the road; will this be an issue?

I appologize about the long post and all the questions, but these are the big things that I have been wondering about while reading the forums here these past few weeks.

Thanks,
Kyle

 

[M35Brown]

Open Differentials???
My advice would be to find a good Deuce, with a winch (Gumbo) if you get your Deuce stuck, you will need a winch, or a friend with a big tractor.
As for Alternative fuels, Run Diesel and you will not have any problems, there is a lot of info on this site about running used oil etc. you can do it but it might give filter problems etc.
Your new Deuce has an onboard air compressor and tanks, so you can change the air pressure in the tires in the field, just get a hose and tire chuck.
Good Luck on your search.

 

[SuperiorRam]

Where are you ?

 

[JTugwell]

wow you've done your research. yes they do have open diffs. detroit makes a locker for them. we used run detroit lockers in our rock buggy with rockwell axles. you also have to consider you have 3 axles. putting lockers in all three would be big money. you could single it out on 46's for less, and perform better off road than the standard NDT's.

 

[plutonium233]

Where are you ?

I'm around Jackson, MS

 

[Big CASE]

ARB makes a locker for the deuce there $1000 ea or you can buy Detroit there $500 ea . as to the fuel i use old oil just run it in a filter before you put it in the truck works just find ..

 

[davy]

dues for sale davy winch in the front

davy 19175676419 will send pic

 

[davy]

calldave 19 7 567 6419

 

[greenjeepster]

On the locker front keep in mind that a deuce is about 130 hp max; not really enough power to turn all six wheels at once.

 

[Big CASE]

The deuce Motor has more than a enough power too .. tho your not going to be going every fast.. also it is your HP too torque that = your power to turn all 6 sides at one time .

 

[greenjeepster]

I have to respectfully disagree; while I have never driven a deuce with lockers all the way around I do drive a 6x6 concrete mixer that puts out almost 300 hp and it does not have enough power to turn all 6 in the mud when the air lockers are engaged, so I think lockers on a deuce would be a total waste of money.

 

[BFR]

On the locker front keep in mind that a deuce is about 130 hp max; not really enough power to turn all six wheels at once.

I have to respectfully disagree; while I have never driven a deuce with lockers all the way around I do drive a 6x6 concrete mixer that puts out almost 300 hp and it does not have enough power to turn all 6 in the mud when the air lockers are engaged, so I think lockers on a deuce would be a total waste of money.

what kind of trans/ transfer does the mixer have?

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

Where you intend to drive it, lockers will be a waste of money. And they are NOT cheap. Also, as said, the deuce engine doesn't have enough HP to turn 6 wheels.

 

[Big CASE]

how much torque are you putting out ? and what gears do you have? and then you the transfer case gearing that you have to take in to count ??
it is all about the HP to torque to you gears , in the Deuce you have 130HP something like 300lbs to 500lbs of torque I do not know a 100% what it is but .. your axles are 6.72/1 then you have the transfer case that drop you down . and then you have to do the math on the trans gears ..

 

[greenjeepster]

It is powered by a Cat C-13 ACERT, at 1200 rpm it puts out 345 hp and 1350 ftlb torque. ratios are 1.00:1 at the transfer case in high range and 2.38:1 in low, difs are 5.38:1 in all three.

While the ratio on the deuce is a little better the torque and HP of the mixer is 3-4 times better than the deuce. But it also weighs 4 times more than the deuce so I would say they are pretty well matched and the deuce is going to be about as good as the mixer with lockers

My TM says that the deuce torque is 305 ft-lbs at 130 hp

 

[docfarmall]

concrete truck weighs WHAT????????????? comparing to a duece is not even . Yes lockers in a duece would be great low side plenty of torque and power. If you got the money and wanna do it go for it. Far as fuel i run a 3 to1 mix and no problems lubricates everything that opecs fuel is not. Fuel these days is refined to much now dose not lubricate as well.

 

[greenjeepster]

concrete truck weighs WHAT????????????? comparing to a duece is not even . Yes lockers in a duece would be great low side plenty of torque and power. If you got the money and wanna do it go for it. Far as fuel i run a 3 to1 mix and no problems lubricates everything that opecs fuel is not. Fuel these days is refined to much now dose not lubricate as well.

While the ratio on the deuce is a little better the torque and HP of the mixer is 3-4 times better than the deuce. But it also weighs 4 times more than the deuce so I would say they are pretty well matched and the deuce is going to be about as good as the mixer with lockers

can't read?

 

[M35Brown]

My M35A2C Stock, will turn all 6 on hard dirt.
I had to go and pull a fork lift out of the mud the other day, it was one of those 4X4 machines with the forks out on the end of the boom,
I set up on hard dyy dirt, took the slack out, and in low range and air fron engaged, She sat and turned all 6 with no problem.

I thought M35's were set up like MACK Diffs. The peanuts in a MACK Diff. work like a governor, and lock at low speed, unlock at high speed.

 

[SimpleMindedJohn]

Good luck in your search for a deuce, im right there with ya!

 

[GoHot229]

Rather than a locker on the rears, heres a thought. On early VW dunebuggies or sandrails they had a aparatus called a (steering brake), Jaybrake was the company that made them. We all know that when one tire starts spinning on our cars or trucks, say in the snow, that applying the brake slightly usually brings both tires into rotation under power rather than the one spinning and the other stationary. If you could hook up a J brake to the forward rears with the nessesary plumbing and check valves, you could modulate the spinning of both tires by the use of the J brake handle as it goes into three positions depending on the orentation it is mounted next to the shifter typically. it has a forward position springloaded to return to center and rearward position springloaded to return to center also. Center position has nothing activated .......nothing happens untill you either push forward or pull backward at which time the dirrection of the lever will determine which tire the brakes are applied. Usually they were mounted sideways on the tunnel and left pull was left brake/tire and right pull was right brake/tire, thus you could steer while wheeleing, but here we will use it to activate either tire/wheel that is spinning on the axle. It would probably cost less than $300 to completly plumb and buy the J brake mechanism.