RE: dangerous truck
August 2nd, 2008.
Gentlemen:
I would go with Armyman30yearsplus comments just above. It may be prudent to use an M149 water buffalo, or a stripped M105A2 frame with additional tank, to lighten the load up on the deuce for off road work. The G742 series were specifically designed with a 2-1/2 ton off road total weight and a 5 ton on road weight because of the limitations of the frames, brakes, drive train and engine..... Just because the Forest Service or the DNR designed the rig, does not necessarily mean it can take that punishment.... I worked for the NPS, and our brains could come up with ideas that the Almighty himself would have trouble getting them to work... and need I remind you of our prescribed burns down in Arizona a couple of years ago, when the supervisors were told NOT to BURN???? Several houses and several million dollars later.....!
It has been my observation that here in Texas and back in West Virginia, many fire departments are dropping the G742 series trucks as brush fire trucks due to several safety and design issues, and are opting for purpose built (FWD, TEREX, NAvistar) large off road brush trucks. The deuce has its good points, agility is not one, neither is the strength of the parking brake to resist slloshing water in the tank and still hold... The A3's may have some minor improvements in steering, power and axles, but they are still G742's.. I might have suggested even one of the purpose built larger Unimogs instead.....
Given how little your department paid for the vehicle from the Government, they would have been wiser to obtain an 800, 900 or one of the GMC's from the 80's or 90's as the base vehicle, and the capacity increase and safety reserve would have offset any difference in cost. I wish you gentlemen good luck, because, I fear you are going to need it with this truck in any rough terrain you get into. I am VERY familiar with the limitations of the type, having used them for construction and logging trucks back in the mountains of West Virginia, so be sure to keep the cab doors unlocked and pick your jump site in advance, and you may make it when the truck doesn't.... I suspect most of us M35 owners on here who are not newbies, have a great deal more M35 time under our belts then most firemen will ever get in their lifetimes.... so if they are saying the truck's at it's operational limit.... I WOULD think about how I would convert, operate and maintain the machine in question.
Drive safe, live long, and thanks for being out there on the front line, we justwant to see you, and the truck get back in one piece after the fire call....
Sincerely,
Kyle F. McGrogan
1971 Kaiser Jeep M35A2 Wo/W "Saddam's Nightmare" Desert Storm and Vietnam Veteran Deuce
1968 Johnson Corp M105A2 Cargo Trailer 1-1/2 Ton
1967 Hercures MEP023A Gas gen -set APU
1963 Swiss Army Cargo Unimog S404.114.
N.. Savoy, Texas VFD has a spare M35 that they were going to use for a brush truck, but now they are thinking of getting rid of it... I have no other information other then they asked me if I'd make them an offer... Steel Soldiers in Texas might want to inquire....