Thinking of buying an m715... good / bad

[iamspencer]

hey, haven't been on here in a while,

I found Locally a

1968 "m724" told it was an M715 with 6217 Utility body
has a welder / generator, winch, soft top

15,000 miles
420 hours on welder

are these good reliable trucks, welders
Ive heard the engines might not be the best

any info / specs on the welder generator as well as the truck would be appreciated

value?

Thanks

 

[NDT]

Spencer,
The M724 you found is what is called a "contact maintenance truck". It was used to repair broken vehicles in the field. When loaded, it is considerably heavier than the standard M715 and the 230 OHC engine had a hard time moving it around. As you may have heard, the Tornado engine has several flaws that tend to make it somewhat unreliable, such as dropping valves. The non-overdrive T98 transmission along with the deep axle ratio makes for a 50 mph truck without overreving the little six. The PTO driven Hobart welder is a fine unit. These trucks are often sought after by collectors adding to their M715 series collection.

 

[iamspencer]

so it might not be much of a work truck?

 

[m16ty]

I've got a M715 and would love to trade it for a M724.

My truck still has the original 230 in it. The engine does have it's problems but I can't seem to kill mine. It just keeps plugging along. Engine swaps for a GM smallblock (or similar) are common and fairly easy.

I guess it all depends on how much they want for the truck. IMO a M724 is a good truck.

 

[kevin-m1008]

spencer,
I have owned a M715 for 6-7 years and have become very close to these trucks for better and worse. You may want to go over to the M715zone for details but here are a few things I have found.
The bad
1. The stock motors have ~110hp when new and ~190 pounds of torque. the 5:87 gears help but any road trip is slow and loud.
2. The transfer cases overheat almost without exception when driven on the highway for any amount of time
3. They make a M1008 feel like a cadillac for ride quality
4. Rust is almost always an issue.
5. drum brakes all around are bad in the rain
6. The price of good ones is going up very quickly but deals are still out there.

The good
1. Put 3k pounds in the bed and they ride very nice
2. Parts are still available
3. People always stop and want to know more about the truck
4. The front Dana 60 not like a new D60 in strength some people say but I have not broken one and I have had a built 454 in it for 5 years. as the song says I have 8 cylinders and I use them all
5. The brakes properly adjusted work well. Note the brakes do NOT self-adjust!

I could go on for a while but if you have any certain question let me know.

Stock vehicle:
1. overhead inline 6cyl. hemi designed motor. Not sure what happened but the hemi did not help much in the power department!
2. T98 tranny with granny 1st. nice tranny shifts like a sm420 as in slow
3. NP200 transfercase strong but overheats at highway speeds even when new
4. Dana60 front and Dana70 back open diffs
5. 28 gallon fuel tank
6. 5:87 gears

 

[iamspencer]

Is it more of an awesome looking truck for parades than a work truck?
unless disk brake swap ,at least in the front, and possible motor swap later

Currently I run a dd 1978 GMC Jimmy and run my business out of my shop, but for many reasons I need to get a mobile unit set up. Since I can't have a trailer where I am, I was going to put a miller wildcat 200 in the back of it with toolboxes, ect. this would cost a $3000.00

If I could get this truck for the right price I might be able to make so money with it since it has a 300+ amp welder in the back, I Just don't want to open a can of worms here...

 

[KsM715]

If you really need a work truck and not a toy I would look elsewhere. I'd love one to play with but if I had to actually use it to get somewhere day in and day out it would get old in a hurry. Slow, noisy, rough riding, and no creature comforts what so ever.

Anyway you can get soome pics of the truck? Just for fun?

 

[91W350]

I had three, I used them as mainline transportation for a few years. One had a great running 230 in it, for some reason, it had good power, never blew the rear main seal and never threw a rod.

The one I drove the most had a 305 Chevrolet that I put in using the Novak Conversion. I used a Chevrolet 10.5" truck clutch, the stock transmission and dropped a Detroit Locker in the rear and a LockRight in the front. It had winches on both ends and I drove it everywhere. I did not mind so much the slow speeds or the fuel consumption. I even got used to the rough ride.

What I found frustrating and eventually led me to part with them was the odd parts. Everything is odd. Wheels, brake shoes, axle bearings, seals, on and on. I used it pretty hard on various 35 to 38 inch tires and never broke anything.

I still think they are among the coolest looking military vehicles out there. You need to get used to slow, slow and steady....easy as she goes.... Glen

 

[m16ty]

If you go to do mobile work every once in a while and not traveling too far, I think the truck would work fine. They really shine off-road.

I regularly use my M715 on my farm working and I couldn't imagine asking a civilain truck to do the same job and hold up. It will go to town every couple of weeks and that's the most road time it usually sees. Sure, I'll drive it in a parade every once in a while but it's primarily a work truck.

 

[91W350]

If you go to do mobile work every once in a while and not traveling too far, I think the truck would work fine. They really shine off-road.

I regularly use my M715 on my farm working and I couldn't imagine asking a civilain truck to do the same job and hold up. It will go to town every couple of weeks and that's the most road time it usually sees. Sure, I'll drive it in a parade every once in a while but it's primarily a work truck.

Perfect application for this great truck!

Brake drums are gone, you have the ones you can find. Brake shoes are gone, save yours and find a shop that still rivets on linings....

 

[iamspencer]

Kaiser Jeep M715 & M725 parts
seems to have all the brake parts available.

They are the coolest looking

I'm going to look at it tomorrow, if it runs and welds good as i've been told I'll try to get it for 2500, hes asking 2950.

It won't be my primary driver, but I'll be able to make some money with it.

About the rough idle, do you think this would be a problem when running the pto?

anything particular i should scope out on the test drive?

Thanks all for the help

 

[NDT]

The rough idle is usually due to a leaking O-ring where the carb float valve threads into the carb, causing rich idle. If the truck is mostly rust free I would scoop it up for $2500.

 

[Barrman]

Check the timing too. That silly 230 will run 40°-60° off time. It will seem to run pretty good that far off to. Just not very fast. Also, pulling the spark plugs would be a good idea. They are kind of difficult to get to and people tend to just not check or change them. It is also a points ignition system which means they need to be adjusted every so often. Pulling the water proof cap also keeps them from being worked on.

 

[iamspencer]

the truck was junk.
I ended up driving 20 minutes up an unplowed mountain trail to find it stripped out sitting in frozen mud. it clearly hadnt ran in years. the guy was insane, after i told him id give him 500 for it he said "no but ill take on a tour for free" so i ended up spending the morning wheeling around looking at crazy junk though out his acreage, then giving him a hand lining up the "new" roof he was welding onto a 90s ford explorer that his wife had totaled trying to get up the drive way.

Thanks for all your help guys, ss is always a great resource

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Well that sucks. Did you take any pics of it though?

 

[KsM715]

If you didnt get pics atleast share the contact info so someone else here has a chance to pick it up. (and take the "free tour" just to see what else he has.

 

[iamspencer]

Jeep Army M715 Welder Generator Winch Utility Truck

there's the cl listing good luck

 

[KsM715]

Does the truck match the picture in the add? or is it in worse shape than the pic shows?

 

[iamspencer]

It is the truck in the picture because when i was there I noticed an odd pic of metal welded to the front bumper that you can see in the pic but it must have been years ago.

the top was shredded, letting it fill with water an leaves, the tires were flat into the ground, its much worse shape than the picture. it definitely had been sitting for years. the guy oddly seemed to still see it as it appeared in the picture and he described it to me on the phone as in great shape, running, and welding.

 

[eldercaddy]

It is good iamspencer.