Crozet
New member
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- Location
- Raleigh, NC
I purchased a 1998 M109A3 that started off with about 1000 miles on it...then was driven from PA to Des Moines...another 1000 miles. Now it was time to plan another 1000 mile trip back to VA. So over 13 years this truck had less than 100 miles per year...and then was expected to go 400 miles per day. If you get a one way airline ticket, like I did, then you are limited to 2 pieces of checked luggage under 70lbs each, at least with AA, before over weight luggage fees get bigger than the ticket.
I was told this truck was ready to go. Perhaps you have heard this before. So just in case, I took the big sockets for the wheels, complete set of CAT filters, belts, new air filter, jumper cables, Grote LED yellow beacon, new wiper blades, headlight, serpentine belt tensioner, infrared heat gun to check bearings/tires and some other odds and ends...which added up to 138 lbs.
I found a Car Quest on the way and had, engine, trans, coolant, gear and brake fluids ready. For those of you that might be new to this, you should budget about $700 for the 20 or so gallons of oil and filters you will need to do lubrication according to spec.
While you can pic up one of these 6x6s for $3-$5K...it can come as a surprise that you are still maintaining a $150K truck. Everything is big and expensive, especially at the CAT dealership. While it is possible that these CAT engines will outlast us all, the very worst thing you can do to ruin a good truck is fire one up that has been sitting and drive it a long distance. You should assume the worst, and take the time to change out all the fluids. You might have a truck that has been driven through high water, then parked in the motor pool.
While you will generally always win if you hit somebody at low speed, higher speeds are a different matter. If you review how everything is connected, there are precious few bolts holding frame to the axles...and no crumple zones. If you are going over 45, making a sharp turn, and the outboard front tire blows...you are probably going to roll. Do not be lulled into a false sense of security because your Michelin XLs have those little rubber nobbies on them. If they are checked or over 5 years old, give some thought to swapping out some newer front tires.
If you have CTIS, and it works, then you are leading a charmed life. If the tires get below 15lbs, then it seems to be impossible to inflate them with the CTIS...so dont forget the compressor. My batteries were frozen solid...so know where the nearest interstate store is.
So after a long day of changing oil, filters etc etc, the M109A3 delivered almost 10MPG (better than spec) over 950 miles.
Drive safe.
I was told this truck was ready to go. Perhaps you have heard this before. So just in case, I took the big sockets for the wheels, complete set of CAT filters, belts, new air filter, jumper cables, Grote LED yellow beacon, new wiper blades, headlight, serpentine belt tensioner, infrared heat gun to check bearings/tires and some other odds and ends...which added up to 138 lbs.
I found a Car Quest on the way and had, engine, trans, coolant, gear and brake fluids ready. For those of you that might be new to this, you should budget about $700 for the 20 or so gallons of oil and filters you will need to do lubrication according to spec.
While you can pic up one of these 6x6s for $3-$5K...it can come as a surprise that you are still maintaining a $150K truck. Everything is big and expensive, especially at the CAT dealership. While it is possible that these CAT engines will outlast us all, the very worst thing you can do to ruin a good truck is fire one up that has been sitting and drive it a long distance. You should assume the worst, and take the time to change out all the fluids. You might have a truck that has been driven through high water, then parked in the motor pool.
While you will generally always win if you hit somebody at low speed, higher speeds are a different matter. If you review how everything is connected, there are precious few bolts holding frame to the axles...and no crumple zones. If you are going over 45, making a sharp turn, and the outboard front tire blows...you are probably going to roll. Do not be lulled into a false sense of security because your Michelin XLs have those little rubber nobbies on them. If they are checked or over 5 years old, give some thought to swapping out some newer front tires.
If you have CTIS, and it works, then you are leading a charmed life. If the tires get below 15lbs, then it seems to be impossible to inflate them with the CTIS...so dont forget the compressor. My batteries were frozen solid...so know where the nearest interstate store is.
So after a long day of changing oil, filters etc etc, the M109A3 delivered almost 10MPG (better than spec) over 950 miles.
Drive safe.
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