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M1083A1 or m923A2?

ramdough

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The lmtv cab is significantly more comfortable and the ride is day and night compared to an unloaded m939 truck. Alot roomier for us tall guys. Better sealed from the elements and much better heat. Headlights are in a more useable location. Alot of the parts are off the shelf stuff. Parts are available but the m939 parts are more plentiful and can cost less. Either
truck will need to work the kinks out and learn the vehicle itself to make it road trip reliable.
You almost had me convinced, but then I talked to someone that told me that they will never be right electrically and they will break down electrically a lot.

Has anyone here had a lot of problems or no problems with them?


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ramdough

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The M923 will be better suited for your needs due to simpler design, easier to source parts, and general costs. If you managed to get an M923A2 your mileage would be between 8-12 mpg compared to the 5 of the 1083A1, this is assuming for cargo truck configuration not carrying a box. The other upsides of the M939 series truck reliability/emergency wise are you can drive without a drive line in case of an emergency (front or rear), if you need a tow you just put the transfer case in neutral (no need to drop the shafts or pull the shafts), and the truck can operate without without power by locking the fuel shutoff into position.

What do you plan to do for the camper setup? You'll need to measure your max allowed height etc etc to factor into this too. I have an M1079 box (for sale) but when it was mounted to the truck it was tall!
I plan to build a purpose built camper box on the back of it. Most trips will be 400 miles one way or less, (probably even less) with an annual trip of maybe 1,000 miles one way. Maybe every 5 years go a lot further. A lot of road driving followed by a bit off road.

I don't plan to do extremely technical off road trips with the box in place. I could see a lot of beach trips and park trips. Some more remote locations if I can find ones without clearance issues.

The camper will probably be 13' 4" off of the ground.

This is an example of one I am considering emulating.

 

mkcoen

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You almost had me convinced, but then I talked to someone that told me that they will never be right electrically and they will break down electrically a lot.

Has anyone here had a lot of problems or no problems with them?
This is one of those Chevy vs Ford situations. You're going to have the 939 guys say "LMTVs are junk" and the LMTVs guys saying "no they're fine." I had an active duty guy say never buy a LMTV because they're broke down all the time. I've put 1000+ miles on mine and have had a couple of issues but none of them were electrical, all mechanical. You're just as likely to have mechanical problems with anything. I also didn't have any problem finding parts and they weren't any more expensive than I'd expect for anything else. Some of the individuals saying parts are more expensive haven't owned one so not sure how they have any experience with the costs.

Find someone with each truck and get them to let you drive one for 10-20 miles. That should be enough to tell you whether you like the way it rides/drives, etc. Stop asking for opinions of people you don't know and have no idea what their biases (pro or con) are and make your own decision. Like I said, I've owned both and I prefer the LMTV but that doesn't mean you would. And by the way, I prefer Fords so if you prefer Chevrolets then you'll think my opinion is crap and ignore it any way :)
 

Suprman

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LMTVs get a bad rap in the military. The first ones had quirks and took some time to work out. There is more electrically to the lmtvs compared to m939 trucks. Military mechanics are not taught to troubleshoot intermittent electrical problems and the TMs dont offer much assistance. If you have basic electrical knowledge and a multimeter you should be fine.
 

MGKMartin

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I agree with Suprman. I have had an M54A2, M925, M1090, M1083A1, and M1088A1 and much prefer the FMTV's over the older vehicles. They are easier to drive, more comfortable, quieter, and there is a lot more room in the cab.

Keep in mind that you are buying a used vehicle that the military decided to get rid of for some reason. The newer the vehicle, the more likely it is that they got rid of it because they couldn't figure out what was wrong. For as much detail as the TM's go into, they are surprisingly bad at troubleshooting electrical issues. My 1088A1 is a 2004 out of Barstow with 2700 miles on it. It is essentially brand new but they got rid of it because there were some electrical gremlins related to the **** lead-free eco green solder on the relay panel that they couldn't track down. TM's didn't cover the issues and they couldn't figure them out. Replaced the relay panel and the truck runs like new. If you are comfortable with a multimeter and willing to ask questions here, you should be fine with either a 939 series truck or an FMTV.
 

ramdough

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I agree with Suprman. I have had an M54A2, M925, M1090, M1083A1, and M1088A1 and much prefer the FMTV's over the older vehicles. They are easier to drive, more comfortable, quieter, and there is a lot more room in the cab.

Keep in mind that you are buying a used vehicle that the military decided to get rid of for some reason. The newer the vehicle, the more likely it is that they got rid of it because they couldn't figure out what was wrong. For as much detail as the TM's go into, they are surprisingly bad at troubleshooting electrical issues. My 1088A1 is a 2004 out of Barstow with 2700 miles on it. It is essentially brand new but they got rid of it because there were some electrical gremlins related to the **** lead-free eco green solder on the relay panel that they couldn't track down. TM's didn't cover the issues and they couldn't figure them out. Replaced the relay panel and the truck runs like new. If you are comfortable with a multimeter and willing to ask questions here, you should be fine with either a 939 series truck or an FMTV.
Thanks for the input. I am decently handy with a multimeter if I know what to look for. If I have a schematic and instructions on what voltages I need where, that is easy for me to check. I worry about having a problem away from the internet and then getting really stuck.

It seems to me that it comes down to comfort and maneuverability vs a more rock solid truck with slightly better mileage.


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MGKMartin

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Thanks for the input. I am decently handy with a multimeter if I know what to look for. If I have a schematic and instructions on what voltages I need where, that is easy for me to check. I worry about having a problem away from the internet and then getting really stuck.

It seems to me that it comes down to comfort and maneuverability vs a more rock solid truck with slightly better mileage.
I loved my 925, but the M1088A1 beats it in all 4 of those categories. It is more comfortable, more maneuverable, gets better gas mileage, and (my personal feelings) is a more reliable truck. All of the FMTV manuals are available electronically. If you are going someplace without internet, just get a tablet computer and download all the TM's to it.
 

ramdough

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LMTVs get a bad rap in the military. The first ones had quirks and took some time to work out. There is more electrically to the lmtvs compared to m939 trucks. Military mechanics are not taught to troubleshoot intermittent electrical problems and the TMs dont offer much assistance. If you have basic electrical knowledge and a multimeter you should be fine.
Would you think that most of the major quirks have been addressed by now, except for maybe some lingering electrical gremlins?


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ramdough

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This is one of those Chevy vs Ford situations. You're going to have the 939 guys say "LMTVs are junk" and the LMTVs guys saying "no they're fine." I had an active duty guy say never buy a LMTV because they're broke down all the time. I've put 1000+ miles on mine and have had a couple of issues but none of them were electrical, all mechanical. You're just as likely to have mechanical problems with anything. I also didn't have any problem finding parts and they weren't any more expensive than I'd expect for anything else. Some of the individuals saying parts are more expensive haven't owned one so not sure how they have any experience with the costs.

Find someone with each truck and get them to let you drive one for 10-20 miles. That should be enough to tell you whether you like the way it rides/drives, etc. Stop asking for opinions of people you don't know and have no idea what their biases (pro or con) are and make your own decision. Like I said, I've owned both and I prefer the LMTV but that doesn't mean you would. And by the way, I prefer Fords so if you prefer Chevrolets then you'll think my opinion is crap and ignore it any way :)
The more I have talked to everyone on here the more I like the 1083. I would like to drive both at some point, but my only major concern is reliability at this point and a test drive won't really help with that. It sounds to me that the 923 is more intuitive to work on since it is more mechanical, but with the right skill set, the 1083 can be better. BTW, as a hobby, I have printed my own circuit boards and built my own micro controller boards. If the electrical information for debugging is there, I am somewhat capable.

Has anyone here had any major $$$$$ electrical failures? Like having to repeatedly replace ecm's or other expensive failures?

I already know that I will have debugging coming to me, because I intend to have a working CTIS. One of my key travel destinations is on sand.



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Suprman

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Electrically the 3126 A1 trucks have lousy solder jobs on the original electrical panel. Can be soldered or replaced. Good idea to repl all the relays on any truck you get. Any military truck may need stuff like axle seals here and there. LMTVs in general have a low tolerance to driveline slack. The hinging test is in the TM. Replacing u joints is a good idea. Fan clutch can wear out. Its a very robust driveline the Cat motors are decent but known as throwaway motors since they are not sleeved. But they are throwaway at 300k miles and I dont see a mil truck ever getting anywheres near there. The Allison trans and control is very reliable as are the Meritor axles. You will have to maintain the truck especially if offroading on a regular basis. It will eat up tires with on road driving.
 

Suprman

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CTIS seals are technically scheduled maintenance replaced items. The engine and trans computers are very reliable they are the same as used in civ trucks.
 

ramdough

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Awesome information Suprman. None of that scares me.

Is there a year/model number that is the better or worse? Which ones to look for and which ones to avoid?


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Suprman

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I prefer the 3126 to the C7 and the C7 trucks usually are alot more expensive anyways. You have to look at the individual trucks and see how they appear to have been maintained and used. Depending on what you are doing a 4x4 may be better than the 6x6.
 

ramdough

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I think the 6x6 may be better for me. I plan on having a lot of weight.

Between the water, fuel, generator, and batteries, I have over 1 ton of stuff. Plus I plan on an ATV garage, the box, appliances, furniture, etc.

I would have to make sacrifices to fit, and carry the weight. Also, the departure angle and break over angles should be better with the extra axle.

I have done the minimized weight game before, and I am just not into it this time.

At least that is my current opinion.


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ramdough

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I will be hanging a ways off of the back end as well, so that is another consideration. Hanging off the 4x4 would decrease my departure angle even more.


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ramdough

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I was thinking the same thing. I think it will come down to cost and condition. I can either use the flat bed as my base, or build a new floor frame for the 1088. Right now I am leaning toward the 1088, since I could build exactly what I wanted. Do you think the 1088's are in better shape usually, worse, or crap shoot?


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Suprman

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I got a pair of 1088a1 tractors out of TX they are clean rust free trucks. Both needed u joints, driveshafts and power panels. The 330hp really moves. Still tops out at 58 or so but gets there pretty fast.
 

ramdough

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How much did the new u joints and drive shaft cost?

Is the speed limited by the ecm?

Have you seen anyone tune up the engines for better mileage?

Thanks for all of your help!


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