M927 as a Food Truck? Looking for advice

[Jim Deggys]

Looking for some experienced answers on using a M927 as a food truck. I built the food truck in the image and used a Deuce as the platform, jimdeggys/facebook. Long story behind why I chose the Deuce, its still in service and works for the intended purpose. If this board would be willing to help I have a few questions.

1. Is the M927 a reliable daily driver? Can I easily drive this thing 25 miles daily and 1000 miles for a large event?
2. Obviously a CDL is required, but what class CDL? School bus driver CDL? How long is the course?
3. Are there any hard to get parts for this. The Deuce's transmission is difficult/ impossible to find
4. Could I easily put some super singles on the m927 and get 100,000K miles out of them?
5. Compared to the Deuce, how easy is this to drive?
6. Is its turn radius acceptable for road use?

I chose the m927 because the wheel base is about right for the purpose. I added 13 feet to the deuce and it takes the entire road to turn it. It was difficult to extend the frame, find drive shafts, etc. Im looking for simpler.

I thought about using an off the shelf international 4300 but its to plane. I get lots of business just because its a large military truck, people are drawn to it.

Any other information will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[porkysplace]

You might want to read through this thread ;
[h=1]Louisiana - State Flagging Existing Titles, and Registering New Vehicles as Off-Road[/h]

 

[simp5782]

Mission BBQ uses some M35A3s as their on the go trucks I believe.

They are reliable as long as you maintain them. Class A cdl is needed.

Nevermind Porkys post as it doesn't apply to a future truck as it will be inspected in a different manner like a camper/rv over a normal surplus truck being used for private use.

 

[Jbulach]

I think you’ll be giddy as a school girl driving the m927. Get and A2 if you can, they’re better. You wont have half the problems you experienced building you deuce.

 

[74M35A2]

Frame rail height is pretty high, and even more-so if you go to single tires. Possibly you can make that work given the looks of your custom config box w/steps. Unicorn to expect 100k miles out of tires, but they are not all that expensive to replace.

What are we making? Tacos, pizza, corn-dogs?

 

[71DeuceAK]

Welcome, from another enthusiast of the extra-long (M927/M92 trucks!

I see no reason why not, with the appropriate conversions. Re: daily driver, she'll be a little long at nearly 32 feet long, but many people daily drive M923A2s, etc. I myself have an M928A1, and am planning a living quarters conversion.

 

[simp5782]

There is actually a 928A2 in the classifieds for a pretty decent price.

 

[Jim Deggys]

I ran across a M923a2 at a car show and took some measurements. The rail height is about 49" with the tires being 48". Thats 12' overall height with an 8ft tall shipping container. Since I'm selling pizzas and have a Wood Fired Oven in the truck I would like to naturally vent the chimney out of the top. My overall height will be 12',6", that's 1' under legal height but I am in Louisiana and would likely lose my chimney any higher than that. My current set up im at 13', 1" and it feels pretty top heavy. I had a **** of a time finding tires for the Deuce. I wanted some aggressive looking street tires but not really possible with the setup I have. Im in the planning phase right now and really just asking questions to see how difficult this will be. I would like a 48" or less tire but want to keep the aggressive look, that really draws them in here in LA

Frame rail height is pretty high, and even more-so if you go to single tires. Possibly you can make that work given the looks of your custom config box w/steps. Unicorn to expect 100k miles out of tires, but they are not all that expensive to replace.

What are we making? Tacos, pizza, corn-dogs?

 

[Jim Deggys]

I would likely cut the frame aft of the rear tires and mount a under mounted box that carries my generator, water, etc. Aft of the cab I would have a 20ft shipping container, then 4ft box. I would need to do some serious digging to find out exactly how far from the back of the cab the tires are, but i feel this sketchup is fairly close.

Welcome, from another enthusiast of the extra-long (M927/M92 trucks!

I see no reason why not, with the appropriate conversions. Re: daily driver, she'll be a little long at nearly 32 feet long, but many people daily drive M923A2s, etc. I myself have an M928A1, and am planning a living quarters conversion.

 

[simp5782]

I would likely cut the frame aft of the rear tires and mount a under mounted box that carries my generator, water, etc. Aft of the cab I would have a 20ft shipping container, then 4ft box. I would need to do some serious digging to find out exactly how far from the back of the cab the tires are, but i feel this sketchup is fairly close.

View attachment 757398

Profos camper may give you some ideas for a box. He is located just south of Lafayette as well if you wanted an in person look. He has generators, water tanks, and all types of things mounted under the bed.

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?128210-My-Camper-Project&highlight=

 

[CARMAN]

Sounds like fun. just remember it will be a bumpy ride so all your material in the back will be well mixed when you arrive at an event.

 

[simp5782]

Sounds like fun. just remember it will be a bumpy ride so all your material in the back will be well mixed when you arrive at an event.

There is an air ride assist for the 5 tons that has been installed and makes for a much better ride for those people who don't go offroad. Even offroad you can deflate the bags and still have a good range of motion. Most 5 ton spring packs ride pretty well when loaded. The unloaded is what sucks. People always complain about a rough ride but its a cargo truck with no cargo in it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C32ZRRMf7w

 

[Jim Deggys]

How does the ride differ from the Deuce? My current setup is a rough ride but not excessive. I am concerned about putting the oven over the rears, im my current truck the oven is behind the cab and not a very rough ride. I plan on adding 10K-15K to the total weight, hopefully that will calm things down a bit.

 

[Jim Deggys]

Thats an awesome bit of information! does the bottom plate of that airbag weld in place? Would you also suggest losing a few springs make less stiff?

There is an air ride assist for the 5 tons that has been installed and makes for a much better ride for those people who don't go offroad. Even offroad you can deflate the bags and still have a good range of motion. Most 5 ton spring packs ride pretty well when loaded. The unloaded is what sucks. People always complain about a rough ride but its a cargo truck with no cargo in it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C32ZRRMf7w

 

[simp5782]

Thats an awesome bit of information! does the bottom plate of that airbag weld in place? Would you also suggest losing a few springs make less stiff?

The bottom plate just sits there so the axle saddle can move under it when under load.

 

[Csm Davis]

I would likely cut the frame aft of the rear tires and mount a under mounted box that carries my generator, water, etc. Aft of the cab I would have a 20ft shipping container, then 4ft box. I would need to do some serious digging to find out exactly how far from the back of the cab the tires are, but i feel this sketchup is fairly close.

View attachment 757398

Okay so I am the proud owner of a few 927/8 and I see a couple of things I would probably do. First run 395's for tires they are 46" tall and look mean if you ask me. The bed is 20' long so if you shift it forward to the back of the cab you will not get any real over hang off the back of the frame. The picture you show of the new setup puts the oven at the rear, if you are worried about vibration I would swapends and put it to the front and vent it out the front side for roof clearance. Also if you put the entrance in the rear it will put less weight on the rear of the truck and this should help the ride also. They turn like a battleship but should be better than that M35A3 .

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[tobyS]

Can you go to one axle in the rear? A softer spring + air bag would give a better ride (doing that on my A3). Here is the on-top-of spring air bag mount for my 4x4 project. It's offset to stay away from rubbing the frame and is held on by the Ubolts. I would think you could get all the weight capacity you need from one 5 ton axle and save $$ on tires and get better mileage too. My choice would be an A2 as well.

There is a nice M934A2 in the classified that would make a great start.

 

[Chief_919]

CDL requirements will vary by state, but in most states as long as you are just driving he truck straight and not towing you should be OK with a Class B CDL. If you start towing a trailer then you start getting into Class A territory.

 

[Jbulach]

Hey Jim, can you give us a quick refresh on some of the details and battles of your last build? I think I remember you battling weight, stability and getting wider track width to match the 8’ sea can on your m35? I just remember thinking a 5 ton would have been soooo much better of a platform to start with. Whats the approximate weight of your oven, and are you going to stretch the wheelbase on the m927 as well, or leave it stock?

I don’t think you’ll want or need bags on the 5ton. Wes probably has something to increase your track width, not sure if ge ever tried out the dual setup from the MaxPro or not, but I think that would be a cool setup for you if it can be made to work.

 

[71DeuceAK]

FYI, the XLWB trucks are pretty rare. If you're cutting the frame to modify it you may want to modify or extend a 923. I have an M928A1 I'd do things like this to but only because it has been highly modified to begin with. Where you located? I have a 928 that needs a motor and lacks the original bed that wouldn't be as heinous of a crime to cut up.