Thoughts on Owning/Operating a 5 Ton (relative to a deuce)
- A 5 ton is a DBT!! (D$&*ed Big Truck).
- A deuce tire was tough to handle by 1 guy; a 5 ton tire takes at least 2.
- Power Steering is nice!!!
- An automatic transmission can spoil you.
- A 5 ton has the turning radius of a B52.
- You can tell that you are pulling an empty M105 trailer.
“You can’t roller-skate in a buffalo herd,” (sing along) “you can’t roller-skate in a buffalo herd, you can’t roller-skate in a buffalo herd” but you can drive a 5 ton through one. Not long ago my son likened the mob of people going into and out of a Walmart to a buffalo herd. Driving through one gets you a lot of interesting looks, including terror.
The spare tire is mounted on edge sideways right behind the driver and has some play. When you hit the brakes it slams into the cab. The mounting bracket will set up a racket that resonates with the engine at 40 to 50 MPH and will make you think that a major piece of the truck, a bearing or U joint or something like that, is trying to separate itself from the rest of the truck. It took me 800 miles to identify the source and to reassure myself that it didn’t need attention. I also learned (actually verified what I already knew) that any rope you tie will loosen. I had it quieted down for a while by tying a tow strap around it.
Duct tape is essential. I reaffirmed that when the top bolt tightening the big mirror broke (reaffirming the need to use penetrating oil on a rusty nut or bolt).
Tire tools are essential, too. One outside duel was flat and had a broken sidewall from the start, but I didn’t have tire tools (my bad, I could have raided my deuce). Having driven a flat on an inside duel, I figured it would be ok, but it wasn’t. That’s one reason the truck ended its journey for this year a little early.
You can start a 24 volt 4-battery rig with a 24 volt 2 battery pair from a deuce if everything is good.
Working on a 5 ton is like working on your old Jeep or Bronco, except everything is twice as big and takes big tools. I had to rig a sling to lift the fan assembly back into place when replacing the water pump belt.
Knobbie tires react strangely to bumps at 50 MPH, especially on rough concrete roads in Northern Mississippi.