What year FMTV to purchase? A0/A1/A1R?

[NDT]

Reliable as a Toyota? Try buying a POS 23 year old Toyota pickup that has spent it's life off road and see how reliable that is. What are you people expecting from 23 year old trucks? They all need plenty of parts replaced in order to be reliable, even if they are low miles.

 

[mkcoen]

Reliable as a Toyota? Try buying a POS 23 year old Toyota pickup that has spent it's life off road and see how reliable that is. What are you people expecting from 23 year old trucks? They all need plenty of parts replaced in order to be reliable, even if they are low miles.

The exact point I was trying to make although you were much more direct. These are great vehicles to play around with but unless a person is willing to sink a lot of money into them to bring them up to more reliable standards they're not going to be overly dependable. Could mine make a 1000 mile trip? Probably. Would I be willing to risk stranding my family in the middle of nowhere based on that belief? No chance in he77. Any vehicle the OP buys has the potential of breaking down somewhere along the way but the odds increase astronomically trying to force a former military vehicle into the role of a long term camper.

 

[Givinup]

The exact point I was trying to make although you were much more direct. These are great vehicles to play around with but unless a person is willing to sink a lot of money into them to bring them up to more reliable standards they're not going to be overly dependable. Could mine make a 1000 mile trip? Probably. Would I be willing to risk stranding my family in the middle of nowhere based on that belief? No chance in he77. Any vehicle the OP buys has the potential of breaking down somewhere along the way but the odds increase astronomically trying to force a former military vehicle into the role of a long term camper.

I agree with both. My hope with my original post was to identify which problems are now, recurring, and are these problems model year specific? By no means do I think I'll buy a truck and it'll be reliable off the auction block. But it'll help to know what to avoid and what to try to focus during my search.

Once purchased, it'll take repairs and going through maintenance to become, hopefully, more reliable. Having the most reliable chassis to start always helps the ongoing process.

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[Floridianson]

Do your family a favor buy a nice little Van camper maybe a 4x4 van conversion and have at it. You will stay married longer and the kids won't hate you.

 

[Duckworthe]

I agree with many of the for mentioned concerns. I know a few people who have purchased the cheapest MV they could and wondered why it cost so much to get running. It is a gamble when you purchase any MV or any vehicle off of an auction site. I also know people who have honestly no business buying a bicycle let alone a MV and plan on working on it and restoring it, knowing that it just isn't feasible owning a handyman tool kit with the largest tool being a regular screwdriver. These trucks are just like any other auto project that people buy with a grand plan of doing this or that and find out they really don't have the time or the project is just over there head. There is no perfect vehicle for any project honestly. you want a small truck to fit through the tights trees, then it is to small to sleep in when you get there. You buy a big truck like these and, DANG, I don't fit past that boulder sticking in the trail. If you have built one of these and put huge money into it and are unhappy let me know, I will give you bottom dollar for it. Because the bottom line on this type of project and build is that they are only worth what someone wants to give you cash for it. You can't demand to pull the same price out of your build like say "Unicat" or some of the other companies. They are licensed manufacturing companies like Fleetwood. You can build your own to find out that very few auto insurance companies will even insure it. Mine is but it took a bit to fine a company that would. They don't know if you built a death trap or not. Its not worth the risk for them. I built mine for about 32k total and have been offered much more for it. But it also comes down to the right person with the cash on hand to buy it. I say, "If you want to build one and really have the ability, do it. Buy the best truck that you can afford and do your best to make sure it is sound. Live with its flaws and or drawbacks. If your significant other hates the truck in general, better find something else to do with your time." I have had many come and see and drive mine. I would say its close to 50/50 on like/hate the truck itself over all. It isn't for everyone. And yes it isn't fast, If you plan on driving 600 miles round trip camping trips on a two day weekend, buy a pickup truck. One thing that is great about this site is people give there honest opinions. It really helps the possible new purchasers. Have a great weekend everyone.

 

[scottmandu]

The answer to the OP's question depends highly on what he intends to do with the truck and how much he wants to spend. Some of the pre A1 trucks are fairly inexpensive, but will have more problems (rust, rot, and use etc). A1 trucks in my opinion are a better truck, you do get an electronic engine which some people don't like but they are quieter, and have more power, and even more power is a caterpillar dealer trip away.

 

[mkcoen]

I agree with both. My hope with my original post was to identify which problems are now, recurring, and are these problems model year specific? By no means do I think I'll buy a truck and it'll be reliable off the auction block. But it'll help to know what to avoid and what to try to focus during my search.

And I apologize if I'm coming off overly harsh but it appears that you've never owned a former military vehicle of any type. There isn't really something that can be said like "just check this and that and you should be fine." That's especially true with the FMTVs. If you were to take it to a CAT/ALLISON dealer and have them go over everything mechanically piece by piece then something rubber or electrical or air related would likely fail. There is no dealer that you can take these to and ask them to check everything over. There is no roadside assistance (other than this site) that can help you when you're sitting along side the road wondering why your parking brake just locked up and won't release (a guy near me had that happen with his M1079 and he couldn't move it at all without caging the brakes).

Spend a little money and fly out to CA and drive Duckworthe's truck (it's very nice and other than being a 2 axle, pretty much what you're looking for) before plopping down a bunch of money on the unknown.

I've owned probably 20 MVs over the last 15 years and my LMTV is by far the one I've enjoyed driving the most, HOWEVER, I would never use it for more than the toy and weekend run around vehicle that it is. If I want to get somewhere and be fairly confident I'll get back without an issue it stays in the driveway (and it is in very good shape and runs great).

 

[Reworked LMTV]

Maybe you should check out "Two if By Land" website. They are having a blast going all over the country in their LMTV.

 

[Reworked LMTV]

I have been reading through this thread. I think the LMTV is for a very handy and patient owner. Everything rubber and plastic is going to fail. These are maintenance intense vehicles. That being said, it won't kill you nor typically kill your bank account if you stay right on top of the maintenance and plan for the obvious components to fail. Would I go into the sticks with old air valves known to fail? No, or I would have one of each as back up. You should be traveling with a group of other trucks anyway AND have a motorcycle on the back.

By the way, how many of you have checked your valve clearances lately? Have you bought the service manuals for CAT engines and Allison transmissions?

 

[utahpow]

Here's a great post based on their experience after receiving the truck from GXV: http://twoifoverland.com/m1083-repair-maintenance-costs/

Maybe you should check out "Two if By Land" website. They are having a blast going all over the country in their LMTV.

 

[Reworked LMTV]

If you want a thorough education on Expedition Vehicles, look to the Russians. View all of the videos on them on Youtube "Siberia Arctic Expedition 2015" These guys are amazing, They use MAN trucks. In Siberia the weather is torture. Watch them rebuild a compressor on the fly. There is no Autozone, but they are PREPARED.

More thoughts:
Lets say you refurb a bus for your RV. These vehicles share much of the same components and their off-road capability (even the diesel pushers) is limited to the sidewalk at Macy's. They get stuck everywhere. Lets say you buy a traditional RV. These things are an absolute mechanical nightmare to fix. Once the dealer sells it to you, they could care less. They hand you a box of manufacturer warranties and you are on your own. Plus, since they often are using their components at max capacity, they are MAYBE good for 100k miles. Plus they don' t have the reinforced frame. There is no panacea, if you play you must pay and/or study the weak points of the vehicle and have a plan. By the way, if you think the 3126 engine is bullet-proof, query HUE failures on these.

 

[Shark Bait]

Definitely will need Ac, sound proofing and better heat shielding on the underside roof and exterior, sound mat and deadening on the interior, layered by carpet and foam and soft to the touch interior. New seals on door and windows.

I used to flip diesel trucks (Ford 350 & 450s) and we'd switch out XL interiors and put in king ranch interiors for customers that requested it. There are some good interior shops around here I plan to use.

Mechanical work is another thing to figure out.

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Ive got a coal company client I found an LMTV for to use as a parts truck. They wanted a good a/c at a reasonable price and efficient install. I installed a power inverter for them and they put an RV roof top a/c unit mounted to the turret cover. It will run you out of the cab on the hottest day without any insulation if you so desire. I have considered this option for my HET in replacement of the fresh air fan on top. We priced a roof top unit for around $550 and an inverter will run about the same.

Dave

 

[Shark Bait]

Oh yeah, they've ran this LMTV across the mine site for two years now with no issues. If you think the military is hard on a vehicle oh should see a coal company parts runner vehicle.

 

[Suprman]

Does the rooftop unit run on 120v ac?

 

[Shark Bait]

Does the rooftop unit run on 120v ac?

Yes. We installed a 3000 watt inverter. The company that supplied the a/c installed a cheap 24v inverter, it died quickly, they called us with an urgent need and we stuck in a 12v (what we had in stock) inverter over a year ago.

Dave

 

[Suprman]

I have noticed lately that newer ac units use alot less refrigerant but run higher pressure and are really efficient compared to older stuff.

 

[coachgeo]

I have noticed lately that newer ac units use alot less refrigerant but run higher pressure and are really efficient compared to older stuff.

Which Newer AC? Truck/Automotive models or the RV models orrr?

 

[Suprman]

Air conditioners in general

 

[coachgeo]

Yes. We installed a 3000 watt inverter. The company that supplied the a/c installed a cheap 24v inverter, it died quickly, they called us with an urgent need and we stuck in a 12v (what we had in stock) inverter over a year ago.
Dave

Do you know which alternator they had? 100amp or the 200amp?

 

[scottmandu]

I have noticed lately that newer ac units use alot less refrigerant but run higher pressure and are really efficient compared to older stuff.

All R134A systems run at similar pressures, it's a property of the fluid. CO2 systems run at 5-6 times the pressure of R134A. Older R12 systems operate at approx 15% lower pressures than 134a.

Increased efficiency is a result of improved component design as is the usage of less refrigerant, however heat capacity of an air conditioning system is directly related to the mass of the refrigerant passing through the components.