Old types still at auctions?

[Robo McDuff]

Just curious. I looked at some GL auctions, and noticed they still occasionally sell-off over 40 year old trucks. Was there never a phase-out of ALL these trucks, to be replaced by more current ones?

Like, we will replace the 5x and 8xx series by the 9xx series over the next 5 years, so in the same time, at least all the 5x are being sold? Would seem more efficient to me than having to keep parts for all these different versions around.

 

[wsucougarx]

Apparently some units are still turning in these trucks. It was my understanding the M44A2's were suppose to be out of the inventory by now. However I did notice there are around a dozen M35A2C's sitting around at a base nearby

 

[KsM715]

Was there never a phase-out of ALL these trucks, to be replaced by more current ones?

Yes there was/is, we're at the tail end of it right now. But other Fed agencies i.e. Forrest service and Fire Dept's are still using them so they will still be coming up for auction at places like GSA for quite awhile.

 

[JeepMan]

Still M211/135's and M-37's in GSA auctions. It's funny to see where thier located when they sell trucks there. In woods, in fields, behind old houses and the conditions of these trucks -- ooo-boy.

( I know we're not supposed to talk about auctions but I want to explain myself before the thread gets locked and I can't get back in with an explanation).

The above message is based on pics/descriptions supplied by GSA and not myself.

 

[wdbtchr]

I think they're referring to current specific auctions being banned.

I see older quipment at GSA auctions all the time as previously stated comming from Forestry and fire department turnins. I got my M51A2 from a GSA auction, it was from a guard unit right down the road, just out of service and I didn't even have to charge the batteries to bring it home. Weird HUH?

 

[Crazyguyla]

There's still M44 Series, M54 Series, and M 800 series trucks still being used in training units by the army. When I was at Ft Leonard Wood, the basic training brigade had some nice 800 series cargo trucks, how I wanted to take them for a one way drive. I had to go show a drill sergeant the proper way to start an 800 series 5 ton. Training type units aren't figured into the phase in timeline(low priorty). They will usually get someone elses hand me downs. Sometimes they get new trucks. I remember when I was at Ft Dix in 1990 attending motor vehicle operators course (truck driver). The school had just stopped teaching the M151, but didn't have any M998's yet to start training. This was 5 yrs after the M998's were first fielded. We were still learning on the 915 with air-o-matic shift, PIA!!! There will always be a few holdouts. I remember being at the DRMO yard @ ft cambell having a nice Gama goat and tractor deuce as yard trucks. This was back in '91.

 

[ranchhopper]

Just bought a 1953 studebaker from GL in louisana nice truck completely sandblasted and repainted and upgraded to a multifuel as well.

 

[Robo McDuff]

Training on the older versions I can understand, at least for the 101 class in driving. Stupid, but understandable.

Just bought a 1953 studebaker from GL in louisana nice truck completely sandblasted and repainted and upgraded to a multifuel as well.

I was actually surprised to see late 1960s trucks in the auctions, this is even weirder. That truck almost should be auctioned through Sotheby as antique, not through GL as surplus

 

[dragonwagon]

Im still scratching my head over Jack the mule up for auction .

 

[ranchhopper]

Just a month or so a 57 utica bend and another studebaker went through GL at a site in south carolina this week a 62 studebaker went through GL at the same site I got mine from.

 

[319]

Im still scratching my head over Jack the mule up for auction .

Nooooo! Not Jack the mule from San Juan Hill fame!

 

[Robo McDuff]

Maybe we should make a poll asking people what was their oldest vehicle bought through GL, might be fun reading.

Even simpler geting the winnner. Ranchhopper, your truck was 57 years old when you bought it at GL. Anybody can beat that?

 

[m16ty]

I bought a 1952 that came from GL about 4 years ago. They really didn't start dumping the M35 trucks until just a few years ago. Before that they just kept rebuilding them or they didn't get used that much and didn't wear them out. As far as a M35A2 goes, A 1952 (rebuilt with multifuel, air shift, etc) is basicly the same truck and just as good as a late 80's model.

 

[KsM715]

Yeah but its still cool to know you have something from 50 years ago that still getting the job done. (even if its only the frame thats original to the truck)

 

[Desert Deuce]

I have a 55 Studebaker that came out of Redstone a year and a half ago. New multifuel, new airshift, new doors, new hardtop, new fiberglass troopseats, new metal bows. Lots of new stuff. rusty cab though, and GL ran it into somthing before it was picked up. It'll need a new stude cab to be correct, old gasser cabs are a bit different in a few ways. The hood is toast as well. I repaired the rest of the front end with good gasser parts. Gasser front grilles are a little different as well.

Truck was at one time strata blue, inside and out. So it's a USAF deuce. I bought it because it was originally a gasser. SF97 listed it as a 55 Studebaker.

 

[maddawg308]

GSA will have older line trucks come out for a LONG time. Forestry Department especially. They seem to keep trucks well into their 30 year old time range, sometimes as much as 50-60 years, believe it or not.

While there is a phase-out period, there are straglers that stay in the DoD system for a long time. There is a set date for termination of support, for the M35A2, that time is now past. What it means is, once that date is past, there will be no more support, parts-wise or service-wise, for that vehicle. If you turn in a M35A2 for service at a motor pool, even if it needs only a wiper blade, there is no service, only surplus. That vehicle will be replaced with something newer, like an LMTV. If a unit doesn't turn it in, or it is relegated to a base mail truck or something low-level like that, it may stay in the system a bit longer. Also, don't forget that the DoD has storage depots and little installations all over the place. It will be 20 more years before the last M35A2 comes out of inventory, because there are forgotten trucks everywhere that many don't even know exist anymore.

I read a copy of Army Reserve Magazine from 1974 once, they used to have a contest where the publisher would post a picture of some obscure MV and say "what is it," the winner would get a T-shirt or $15 or something. One month they showed a picture of a HUGE tank, is was massive. Two tracks per side. Picture was from WWII or slightly thereafter in time frame. The winner wrote in that it was a T28 heavy tank, tested toward the end of WWII, only two built, both were scrapped after testing since the military didn't need it anymore with VJ-day over. Couple months passed and another writer wrote in with a picture, a MODERN picture, showing one of the tanks beat to crap with the outboard treads removed, and said "incorrect, one still exists and here it is sitting behind some worthless shed at Ft. Belvoir last week." Ft. Knox Patton Armor Museum QUICKLY sent over a railcar and had the thing rescued. SO, just goes to show, another piece of history saved, that most didn't know was still around decades after it was "written off", so to speak.

Another few pics below, of that said tank:

T28 Super Heavy Tank - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[maddawg308]

Not to mention, here's a pic of an M37 that was sold off through GL in 2004. A nice, surviving example of an M37. And I'm sure there's still a few old Power Wagons in the weeds at Ft. Bum-phuck Egypt somewhere...

 

[emr]

Also i saw and touched a 1985 CJ5 army jeep with the mettle dash plaques saying what it was and showed up at the picatiny location, some brass grabbed it up, though , there is allot of stuff in a military as big as ours that will surprise most for many years to come, the only thing someone should never say is... They do not have those or they do not have those any more, there always seems to be a way to see-some historic vehicles around, in fact no bull the Dover Armory had up until 8 years ago a ww2 camand car and a weapons carrier they managed to keep , they made there way around a few armories and ended up in Dover near picatiny and when they down sized they made there way to the NJ seagirt museum, so never think all are gone, somewhere there are still vintage vehicles out there hiding in service.

 

[CARNAC]

Yep the one or two odd balls will always be out there. I ran into two M49 fuel trucks a few weeks ago still in service.

As for the plethora of trucks like we have seen over the years....

Just like the jeep, the odd ball ones will either go to a museum or will go for high dollars.

I'd say the only reason we are now seeing the number of deuces we are seeing is because of a few unrelated reasons:

1. The defense budget was signed late last year (and probably even later this year). This cost the loosing units 3 months in being allowed to ship stuff to DRMO.

2. When the money was turned on the transportation departments became overwhelmed.

3. Once the stuff started arriving at DRMO, they quickly became inundated with 'stuff'. I was told there were 289,000 turnins to DRMO awaiting shipment a few months ago. According to this can't be any better placed source, the current trend will mean an increase in this number. Of course not all of this is due to deuces. It's 'stuff'.

4. Over the years DRMO shifted to more contracted employees. Now congress/DoD is making the end user jump through a lot of hoops to keep or hire new contractors. As such, some of the DRMOs don't have the staff to handle the load. BRAC has also affected the number of DRMOs. That has assisted in the backlog of 'stuff' also.

Compared to two years ago, we are at a trickle on deuces. As for in active service, the last ones I saw on the radar were at Camp Bullis, TX supporting medic training. The M109 were more plentiful at Irwin. The USAF, USAFR, and ANG appear to have quite a few left but I'm sure these are going soon also.

There are around a dozen or so here is the Atlanta area (including Air National Guard) but all the ones I know of are signed for by DRMO and awaiting shipment to one of their processing locations or maybe will be sold on site. Of course, it is the unknown ones that will come forth in ones and twos for years to come.

 

[rideni]

after 9-11-01 till a few years ago APG had some old cckw's blocking lesser/unused gates