What 5 ton transport vehicle, which to buy?

[M2Guy]

Newbie here. Have been interested in buying a 2.5 ton truck for a while. Once I started looking into them I started leaning more toward the 5 ton trucks. Stumbled onto this site and have been researching here ever since. Anyway I see 8 and 9 series units like 818 and 925. I can drive anything. Also thought a multi fuel engine might be an advantage. Also want a winch. Anyone have an opinion or suggestion from their experiences to help me avoid a problem and get a good model?

 

[Triple C]

Welcome to the site M2Guy. I am also fairly new here and a first time owner of a 925. I too looked at the 2.5 ton and probably would have bought one if I had found the right one. I am not an expert at anything related to military vehicles so for what it is worth, it seems to me the dueces are quite a bit older than the 5 tons. There are folk on the site that can educate both of us on that point. I sort of stumbled on the unit I bought. I was watching the liquidation website for a while and bid on the truck and got it. I made sure it said, "Starts and runs" in the description and I guess I lucked out that nothing serious was wrong with it. If I did it over I probably would not go with a 925 because of the winch. It sets out a couple of feet further than the hood and it is something you want to keep in mind when driving it. The other thing I would do is to inspect the unit in person before I bid on it or have someone I trusted do so. I drove a class 8 vehicle for years and these trucks sit up at least as high - these are BIG units. I took mine out today and was looking down into the cabs of the snowplows that were on the road. I don't know what your experience is with big trucks but in my opinion, it is comparable to bobtailing my old freightshaker in turning radius and stopping. There are lots of things to enjoy about them, my suggestion is find someone close to you with the unit you think you want and go crawl all over it. I would welcome someone doing that in my area. Good luck and welcome.

 

[Sephirothq]

If you want to take a run over to PA I have an m818 (with winch) and an m931 (without winch) you can look at (both of which are for sale with titles).


The biggest thing I have found is the 900 series can be a little scary at times to drive. For a while they had the highest accident rates in the US ARMY. They added radial tires, and ABS to help control the truck. If you panic brake, and stand on the brakes it stalls the engine, you lose power steering, might end up sideways or flip it.

I have the A1 version which has 14.00 tires (48"), it has a higher top speed then the 800 series. You have to stay on top of the truck. It will get away from you if you let it. It has an automatic transmission, full air brakes and some computer controls. The cab is more comfortable in the 900 series trucks, and they are wider so they are a true 3 man cab as compared to the 800 series. Has an airshift transfer case, standard on the 900 series and not available on the 800 series.

The M818 has a manual transmission which to me is a big plus. It has 11.00 tires (43") but they can be changed out to a larger size. It is simple no ABS, just a basic controller to run the engine. Air over hydraulic brakes which are simpler to work on. You can pull or push start the truck. Bottom line is simple to work on and easy to keep running.


Both have cummins NTC 250 855 engines. both are 10 lug axles.

 

[Sephirothq]

Oh and both the m818 and the M931 are tractors. If you are looking for a cargo bed you want a m925 or m813.

 

[drgreg]

Welcome.
ALL of these trucks are great IMO. You need to think about what you want from the truck, they are all different.
I have an OK motorpool and it is hard to pick a favorite, but if I could only keep one truck, of the ones you mentioned, it would be the Deuce, M35A2, they are a blast. The 809 series trucks would be second choice and the 939 series would follow.

 

[M2Guy]

I have a friend that has I want to say a 1972 M35A2. Drives like most trucks of that era w/o power steering. lol. It has a multi fuel engine that is very loud. Must be the whistler turbo I have read about. I had to put my earplugs in or I think i would have been deaf after our 40 minute drive. When looking at the payload data I thought if I ever needed to really load this thing up with gear to travel I thought i should have the extra capacity. I have never actually compared say an M35A2 side by side with a M925. I defanetly think i want a winch on a unit like this. I noticed it seems like on the newer truck they all have automatic transmissions. OK I guess but you can't bump start one. I also thought I should stay away from anything with computer controls, just something else to go wrong. Also have read a lot about the CTIS system in some of the trucks being a headache. I want something that works when i need it. I think i would prefer no computer controls. As for the transfer case, you mentioned air shift, is the alternative a lever like my 2000 Ford F350 superduty pu? I also read somewhere that some trucks have something like a stag (not using the correct term here) operated front axle. What is this?

 

[M2Guy]

Oh and both the m818 and the M931 are tractors. If you are looking for a cargo bed you want a m925 or m813.

I want a cargo bed for sure. Send me some info on your M818.

 

[Sephirothq]

But the m818 is a tractor with a fifth wheel, You could put a duece 12 foot bed on it instead of the 14 foot cargo bed. So I am not sure if you are looking for a tractor.

 

[M2Guy]

Welcome.
ALL of these trucks are great IMO. You need to think about what you want from the truck, they are all different.
I have an OK motorpool and it is hard to pick a favorite, but if I could only keep one truck, of the ones you mentioned, it would be the Deuce, M35A2, they are a blast. The 809 series trucks would be second choice and the 939 series would follow.

Would a 818 be in the 809 series you refer and a 925 or 931 both be in the 939 series? Does just adding a winch change the M number? Also are there better years of M35a2's to buy than other years?

 

[M2Guy]

But the m818 is a tractor with a fifth wheel, You could put a duece 12 foot bed on it instead of the 14 foot cargo bed. So I am not sure if you are looking for a tractor.

I have looked all over for a list of M numbers and a brief description so i could narrow it down. You are right on me not wanting a tractor. So the deuces have a 12' bed? Does that mean the larger class of trucks have a 14' bed?

 

[drgreg]

Would a 818 be in the 809 series you refer and a 925 or 931 both be in the 939 series? Does just adding a winch change the M number? Also are there better years of M35a2's to buy than other years?

Yes, M818 is a 809 series tractor, yes on the 939 series question. For most series the winch does not change the M number, an M813A1 with winch would be M813A1 W/W. M35A2 years don't mean much to me, vehicle condition is all that counts.

 

[drgreg]

I have looked all over for a list of M numbers and a brief description so i could narrow it down. You are right on me not wanting a tractor. So the deuces have a 12' bed? Does that mean the larger class of trucks have a 14' bed?

There are long wheel base verions of each cargo truck, they have longer beds. M36, M814, M927. This site is good for answers: http://olive-drab.com/od_mvg_deuce_chart.php

 

[F18hornetM]

I have a friend that has I want to say a 1972 M35A2. Drives like most trucks of that era w/o power steering. lol. It has a multi fuel engine that is very loud. Must be the whistler turbo I have read about. I had to put my earplugs in or I think i would have been deaf after our 40 minute drive. When looking at the payload data I thought if I ever needed to really load this thing up with gear to travel I thought i should have the extra capacity. I have never actually compared say an M35A2 side by side with a M925. I defanetly think i want a winch on a unit like this. I noticed it seems like on the newer truck they all have automatic transmissions. OK I guess but you can't bump start one. I also thought I should stay away from anything with computer controls, just something else to go wrong. Also have read a lot about the CTIS system in some of the trucks being a headache. I want something that works when i need it. I think i would prefer no computer controls. As for the transfer case, you mentioned air shift, is the alternative a lever like my 2000 Ford F350 superduty pu? I also read somewhere that some trucks have something like a stag (not using the correct term here) operated front axle. What is this?

The 809 series doesn't have an air shift transfer case like the 900 series, or the M35's, they have a sprag in it. My M813 transfer case seems to work fine but I still prefer the air sift transfer case. Here are some comparisons off the top of my head.

M35A2

Air transfer case, multi fuel engine, no computers [ECM's]. air over hydraulic brakes, manual steering, manual transmission.

M813

Sprag transfer case, power steeering, manual trans, air over hyd brakes, Does have a control box for engine but is not your typical ECM. Cummins 250. Same cab as the M35A2

M923

Air shift transfer case, auto trans, power steering, air brakes [wedge type] little bigger cab but basically same frame as the 813. Has same cummins engine as M813.