Should I?

[TCUCV]

Do everything you can to prepare...you only live once! SACK up and enjoy probably the best cross country experience in a good old fashioned american blazer

Good luck to you sir . . . I look forward to hearing your conclusion

 

[mudman]

You should not take Weapons to Canada...Bad Juju!! You will end up sending them home in the mail...Also travel is very slow at night on the yellowknife Hwy, many critters on the Hwy.
But if you are up for an adventure...Then by all means.."GO FOR IT"..Sounds like a blast to me!!!!

 

[JSF01]

As long as you trust your truck to make it I say go for it. I plan on doing my PCS from MT to VA in my M1009 towing my car. Lucky for me my car is a 72 mini so it only about 1200 lbs so I figure my truck will be able to pull it with little problem.

As far as how your truck will handle the cold, well the closest I can comment on that i it gets down to around -20 here sometimes. At minimum you will need a block heater. Because I would expect that it gets a lot colder where you are going you probably will want an oil heater and possibly a fuel heater (don't know if fuel additives would cut it.)

I will say that I have been able to get my truck started when cold at -20 before without it being plugged in (I do use fuel additive) but it took a lot of cranking three or four times of cycling the glow plugs a lot of pumping the gas pedal to keep it from stalling out and even after I got it running properly the engine idle spiked for its period of time of high idle (normal) to help it warm up, but when it was done it still wanted to stall out until I held the gas pedal down a bit for another two minutes. I then let it run for half an hour before driving it. So in an emergency situation it can be done but It one of those things I recommend you avoid doing at all costs if possible.

 

[jmassenga]

I drove my M1008 up from Seattle pulling a 14' enclosed trailer 4 years ago. Bought my M1009 up here. The two are my primary transportation. I have block heaters and oil pan heaters on both. They start reliably down to -20; around -25 they can get tempermental and may take a few tries to catch depending on how cold-soaked they are. Valdez doesn't get too cold (by Alaskan standards), so you shouldn't have problems with starting your '09.

The highway up is a great trip; I've done it multiple times. As stated, watch for critters (you'll probably see lots), and be prepared; most of the road is out of cell coverage so if you have problems you're relaint on what you've got and what good samaratins will do to help. If you take the ferry, keep in mind that if you get off in Haines, you still have to drive through Canada to get to Valdez. If your rig is in good shape, there's no reason you shouln't try it.

 

[caliber1]

On my computer screen - that appears to be only about 8 inches away from him.

Now that was funny!

I got just two words for you... Trout Rod. No. strike that. Bug repellant. Wait, Grizzly Bears- uh uh, Ava Lanche.

Bug repellant for sure. Been a looooong time but we drove the Alcan when it was all gravel, then back in march a year and a half later. Back min the 70s mind you, but what an awesome trip. I was a wee lad, but still remember. We were stationed at Ft. Greeley, talk about BFE. Good luck and have a great trip.

 

[choll]

Go for it. I use my 09 for everything. When I was in the Seattle area it made 2 trips to New Jersey. It made about a dozen trips between Las Vegas and Seattle. I am currently in the Chicago area using it everyday. In the next few weeks Im moving to Miami and it will be doing the trip pulling a CJ2A. The only thing that ever happened was I blew a heater line and needed to replace it and the anti freeze, that happened last Saturday coming back from the Chicago airport. Because I am on the road so much with this truck the back is filled with spare parts, starter, anti freeze, all the rubber hoses, 2 alts,oil, transmission fluid,belts , vac pump and power steering pump. When the line broke I fixed it in 15 mins on the side of the road. As stated in another post they are 25 years old Its a trip of a life time GO FOR IT

 

[combatmech]

Heck yeah!! That sounds like an awesome road trip!!!

 

[Bighurt]

If you drive that route, I'm in Minot can't offer much but conversation and a paid lunch.

 

[Lagers4myhead]

A thank you and a question

First of all thank you all for your input and advice. I am now in the process of getting ready and i am wondering if anyone would have a recommendation on a heater, which ones are the best for an m-1009 and how many watts should I get?

 

[EMD567]

I would stay in the conus as long as I could before going into Canada. Fuel is crazy expensive. I would either take the ferry, or drive to Vancover, and go north from there.

 

[EMD567]

Vancouver to Prince George, then take the west road to upper Liard, from there to Carcross, and up into Alaska.

 

[that1028guy]

Sounds like a great trip! And to think, I dont want to drive my 1028 from St Louis to Rolla till I get the 700R4 in.... If you come through St.Louis feel free to stop by for a hot and a cot if needed.

Also, I know it sounds cheesy, But Modern Marvels had an episode on Alaska not to long ago, And One guy on there winterized cars by putting a heating pad on the oil pan, trans pan, battery and a freeze plug block heater. He then installed a 4 outlet plug under the hood to run all the heaters to and you had one cord to run to your house. I thought it was a pretty good idea!

 

[rickf]

Sounds like a great trip! And to think, I dont want to drive my 1028 from St Louis to Rolla till I get the 700R4 in.... If you come through St.Louis feel free to stop by for a hot and a cot if needed.

Also, I know it sounds cheesy, But Modern Marvels had an episode on Alaska not to long ago, And One guy on there winterized cars by putting a heating pad on the oil pan, trans pan, battery and a freeze plug block heater. He then installed a 4 outlet plug under the hood to run all the heaters to and you had one cord to run to your house. I thought it was a pretty good idea!

They were either very small heating pads or one **** of a big extension cord and outlet. Most of those heaters are 500 to 1000 watt X 4 = minimum of 2000 watt and max of 4000. A special 30 amp 110 volt outlet would cover 3000 watts but above that you are looking at 2 20 amp circuits and 10 gauge extension cords.

Rick

 

[jmassenga]

First of all thank you all for your input and advice. I am now in the process of getting ready and i am wondering if anyone would have a recommendation on a heater, which ones are the best for an m-1009 and how many watts should I get?

Both my CUCVs had block heaters installed already so not sure what wattage they are. I think 600w is the 'standard' aftermarket one for a 6.2. Check the freeze plug on the drivers side just behind the motor mount; you may find you already have a block heater and someone just unplugged and threw away the cord. My $.02 is block heaters are better than tank heaters or radiator hose heaters because you're heating the fluid right in the engine, not heating the coolant then passing it through a hose where heat will dissipate, and then into the engine. But anything is better than nothing.

Oil pan heaters - I like the 100w pad heaters. I have those on almost all of my vehicles. Don't be stingy with the silicone installing them, especially around the edges. Magnet-mount heaters fall off. Guess how I know.

On both my CUCVs, I have the cords routed up the drivers side through the grille to a 3-way adapter with one outlet covered. If you have enough length, tie the cords to the grille guard - takes the strain just in case you forget to unplug before backing up. That's all you should need unless you plan to head up to the interior.

If you feel inclined to heat the trans or t-case (not necessary for Valdez temps), look at 50 or 75w pad heaters. Not as large a volume of fluid, so you don't need as large a heater.

The j-box and extension cord under the hood is a standard way to power multiple heaters up here. Usually the t-case gets skipped in favor of a battery heater. When I was driving my M37 in Fairbanks as a daily driver I had a 6-outlet power strip under the hood running a coolant tank heater (engine was pre-plumbed so I took the easy route), 100w oil pan pad heater, 50w trans and t-case pads, and 60w pads under each battery.

 

[ODFever]

My father-in-law was stationed at Elmendorf AFB. He made a few round trips from FL to Elmendorf in the 60's. I've seen all the pictures and heard all the stories. The one thing that comes to mind that hasn't been mentioned is the need for extra headlights. My father-in-law told me it gets VERY dark on those roads at night. Lots of critters climb up on the Alcan. Adding a temporary light bar to the roof with some off road lights would make your journey safer - you'd be able to see what's on the road and what's on the side of the road. I'd hate for you to make such a long, epic journey and have it come to an abrupt halt by hitting a moose in the middle of the road.

Be safe,

 

[epartsman]

I am hoping to get the vacuum lines check out tomorrow if I can get out of work early and the weather cooperates. So a block heater and a battery heater? Is that part of the arctic package for the M-1009?

If you look at the 09's that were sold ot of AK you will find heaters for everything plus an additional personel heater and a blanket to go over the top that covers the qtr glass to keep the heat in. These trucks have absolutely no insulation. Read the TM's for Arctic use and service everything before you leave. Hub's, bearings, axles, trans, t-case, inspect crank damper, belts - hoses, check your GP system making sure all are functioning, 12V bus GP mod, Dog Head Mod, bring plenty of Diesel additives, etc. If you have bypassed the glow plog module using the switch method keep this thought in mind. The module reads from a temp sensor and after a cold start cycles the GP's to insure each cylinder is firing untill operating temp is reached. Just a thought.

Enjoy the trip. The Ferry ride will be cool. Take your time. These are happiest @ between 55-60 mph depending on your tire size and seem to run hard over 60. I just took my 09 from Jax to Albany Ga and other than missing some of the creature comforts and having to deal with the droning of the diesel I enjoyed it. Having a tilit column with int wipers helped in the drizzly conditions. Have fun!!!

 

[Lagers4myhead]

in addition

I am thinking of getting a Uhaul car trailer and taking my Honda Civic with me. I have 31x10.5x15 tires on the blazer and I would certainly be putting a better hitch. The combined weight of the Civic and the trailer would be around 5k pounds. I know the TM's state that the max towing for the M-1009 was quite limited but as I understand it that due to the Pintel hitch. Any thoughts?

 

[ODFever]

Lagers4myhead:
I recommend making a trip to a well trusted place in your area that can install a Class 3 hitch and buy a 2" ball. See if they can install a trailer brake control unit with the standard 7 pin connector. U Haul can install the hitch and the control unit. If you're anything like me (anal when it comes to someone touching my vehicles), you'll watch their every move while the guys are underneath your truck completing the installation. I took my M1009 to a trusted U Haul location in town to get my trailer brake controller, I told the guy that my life was in his hands with the work he was doing. I ended up climbing under the truck during the install to make sure he didn't pinch any wires.

BTW The best location I found for mounting the 7 pin adapter plate was under the bumper tow hooks. I had mine installed under the passenger side tow hook. One down side to this is that the trailer wires need to be extended by 18-24" to reach when turning. You can either buy an extension or make one - it's only 7 wires.

You can tow 5000 lbs with your M1009 on a Class 3 hitch. It's no speed demon but with the trailer brake controller, it's safe and you're not going to hurt the truck. I haul my M422 Mighty Mite (1700 lbs) or my M151A2 (2700 lbs) on my 18 ft double axle steel bed car hauler (1700 lbs). My truck does well with the weight. I keep it at 55-60 on flat roads without bogging the engine. I have the same size tires on my CUCV.

When was the last time the shocks were replaced on your M1009? Do you have a transmission cooler?

 

[epartsman]

You can have Uhaul install your hitch or you can buy a class 3 like I did that mounts to the existing frame holes and bolt it on yourself. pretty much a no brainer. U haul car trailers have surge brakes so you do not need an electrical brake controller (I just rented one from them) and they do have an inline 4pin connector that will plug directly into the 09 harness where your 12 pin military plugs in Quick connect p/n 118312. If this link works and you need it all I spec'd it out for you.
U-Haul Moving & Storage of Westside Jacksonville: Trailer hitches

If you click on the link you will need to reselect the hd hitch
and the quick connect harness for a more accurate quote as it somehow reset when I copied and pasted.

 

[sigo]

Lagers, what service are you in? The govt (Army) shipped my firearms and would have shipped a vehicle if I had needed. Since you're going to Valdez I'm guessing a govt civilian or CG? Army, Navy, AF and Marines PCS are covered under joint travel regulations and I'd think would be similar.

I drove down from Fairbanks when I PCSed last year and had zero issues traveling with two handguns through Canada via the ALCAN. As long as you abide by their laws and file the proper paperwork it can be done with ease. Just do your research and call them if needed.

I just did the math a few days ago to see if I could ship a deuce on the govt's dime if I can get stationed in AK again, but even in it's reduced configuration it's a bit too big. However, a CUCV wouldn't be an issue under joint travel regs. Good luck with you drive, and let us know how it goes.