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How can i tell how many miles/hours my engine was rebuilt ago?

porkysplace

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mid- michigan
I don't drive my much at all, I am a truck driver by proffession so the driveability its much of a concern to me. it is much more fun and I don't see why it couldn't be made as reliable and alsafe especially when towing 20,000lb plus
You want to tow 20,000 plus you better get a 5 ton , the deuce tow rating isn't near that.
 
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Well it has a 5 ton engine, i would assume with the 6.x gears and upgraded engine it should be rated the same. I have a tripple axle elextric brake trailer i usually pull with my 2500. If my 2500 can pull and stop it (even without trailer brakes) I would think the deuce should too. I rarely move much that heavy anyway, maybe once a year if i buy a backhoe or a large tractor and pick it up. Having driven it almost 100 miles i dont think it would have any problem towing it or stopping it.

I would of course be installing a pyrometer, and electric brake controller.
 

porkysplace

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The towing capacity on the data tag is 6000 pounds which is what the D.O.T. will consider as it's rated capacity , not whether it will pull it or not .
 
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Mine says 10,000 i believe. My silverado's is only 10,000 or so. Its never been a problem on any of the weigh stations ive gone through. They seem to only care what my trailer is rated for and what my truck is tagged for. Never cared about my tow rating. Maybe i just get lucky.
 

Katahdin

Active member
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Location
Scarborough, ME
On mine I wonder if they had reset the odometer after the overhaul.

In 1981 it had 26930 usage miles according to Carnac's records.

In 1985 tags show it was overhauled at TEAD.

The 2009 GL mileage at auction was 26,968, just 38 miles different from 1981. I guess I'll never know.
 

quickfarms

Active member
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Location
Orange Junction, CA
If your vehicle did not come with all the maintance records you need to get a crystal ball, sorry mine is cracked and my mechanic can not afford the batteries for his. But seriously there are lot more factors that go into the condition of a truck engine than just hours and milage. Do not fixate on the numbers just enjoy the hobby and keep some money on hand for when, not if, something breaks. Additionally do all of your PM and do your daily pre and post trip inspections.
 
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Oh yeah i wasnt really concerned with it for longevitiy of the motor, or anything like that, i just really like to know as much about what ive bought as possible.


Are these engines very reliable? The LDS that is? i am very meticulous with my maintenance on all vehicles. My Duramax/allison has 206k miles on it, 140hp tune on it for the past 60,000 miles while towing 14,000lbs+ a day and its still going strong. I believe its all in how well you mainting a vehicle, and also not beating the **** out of it every chance you get.
 

m16ty

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The LDT and LDS have a problem with high RPMs. They are fairly reliable if you treat them right but you go to pushing her too hard and you could end up with a ventilated block.

It's kind of funny though. Some people will "baby" their engines and still throw a rod. So people will dog the heck of of them and never have a problem. I've got a M50 now with a LD engine that has a bad knock. It is ex-FD and I'd say the young volunteers were a little heavy on the throttle going to the fire.
 

mcmullag

Member
919
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Location
Colorado Springs, CO region
She's gonna blow!

We never know how the weekend warriors treated the trucks so an engine or trans may blow at anytime. I bought my current truck via GL and it came from an Air Force Reserve unit at the local air force base. I have changed all the fluids and filters and really baby it with start up, idling to warm up and shut down procedures, but it may launch connecting rods, etc. at any moment. Best of luck. Read, read, read on here and just have fun with it, don't worry about it, be happy. I counted about 9 replies you made already on your own thread. This may be a new record. Please relax, take deep breaths and keep reading on here, and if ya have a thought of a question, google the question and it will take you to a thread on here with answers and much knowledge. Happy trails.:driver:
 

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only 9? there were a total of 29, 14.5 should be mine then speaking in regards to efficiency.

I agree its a crap shoot with hours vs miles i was just more or less looking for any information on this truck. i was figuring it was govermenment owner, and decomissioned to there may be access to public records on it somewhere. i am ann LS1 and Duramax guy, this the first military truck forum and i see that it is run much different.

Thank you all for you replies.
 

ODdave

New member
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Location
lansing michigan
I guess I should try to word it different.

I am assuming you have a pintle trailer that you pull with the d-max? (if you are pulling it with the deuce it must be?)

The Max makes a ton more power so it will pull the trailer up to speed & maintain it where as a deuce is gonna take a while to get there and be bogged down quite easily.

The chevy is going to stay planted alot better than the deuce on the road do to the weight to contact patch area of the tires. ie- ground pressure (unless you add alot of weight to the deuce)

The brakes on the deuce do work decent whem properly maintained but do keep in mind they are 50+ year old tech. The ones on the chevy while smaller will probably resist fade better simply due to design.

I am not bashing your idea, I just think you might be dissapointed in the outcome of the truck after the work is done.

Fwiw, the trans is only rated for 300ft lb of torque so dont get to caried away on more power and heavy loads 2cents
 
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I guess we will see. 10 tires vs is more contact patch for stopping as well as a 6.xx rear vsv a 3.73 rear. i know the engine is only rated at 200hp and 425tq or so and mine makes 450/800 or so but the deuce is just so much more fun and should be more reliable for the weight imo. i do plan on complatetely rebuild the brake and wheel bearing system. I tow 20,000lbs at 70+mph as is now, i am fine only towing it at 50-55mph. a new silverado is about $57,000 for the minimal towing i just cant justify spending that much when this deice will do everything i need it to.
 

ODdave

New member
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Location
lansing michigan
I guess we will see. 10 tires vs is more contact patch for stopping.

a new silverado is about $57,000 for the minimal towing i just cant justify spending that much when this deice will do everything i need it to.

Exactly, 13,000/10=1,300lbs per tire 7,500/4=1,875lbs per tire.

Also, I thought you had a d-max already?

Do you have the trailer already? If not mabye consider one with air brakes insted of electric?
 
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I have a 2001 cc/lb 4x4 dmax/allison same user name on deiselplace.com . i have a 22,000gvw electric brake triple axle traile already as well as a 10klb 28ft enclosed car hauler which isnt an issue.

I was looking at replacing the truck in the future. ive had it for 6 years or so i just coulnt justify replacing it with a new one for how little i use it anymore and a deuce seemed a very good option. i guess you are right about the pounds per square inch rating but the overall contact patch would be larger giving it is greater coefficient of friction. with 8 drive wheels vs 2and 3 stopping axles vs 2. also 13,000lbs stopping friction vs 7300lbs stopping friction.
 
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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
FD trucks can have a very hard life because they are not allowed to warm up and are driven hard to the fire. This cycle can destroy engines.
While this is true, they also get there scheduled maintenance on time everytime and any issue's with them are taken care of ASAP. Plus with the rotating shift nature of most departments they get there fluids checked and topped off daily, also most departments track fuel and fluid use via a data base software called 'firehouse" so any excessive use automatically gets a red flag. Plus most engineers take pride in there truck and depend on it so they do take care of them, if something seems weird or out of place, a noise etc they let the mechanics know. The only time they might be driven while experiencing a problem would be in an emergency situation, most times if a problem arises they are sent to the shop and a back up rig put in there place.
 

quickfarms

Active member
3,495
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Location
Orange Junction, CA
The fire department engineers that I know are more interested in washing and polishing the truck than getting greasy they leave that to the mechanics and I know for a fact that they blow a lot of engines and cook many more turbos.

The truth is that the departments that use surplus trucks are working on a very small budget or no budget.
 
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Man i should really stop posting on forums when drinking haha

i would have to agree that most fire departments spend their time washing and polishing their trucks rather than maintaining them, and they are run very hard with no warm up time at all.
 
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I got this info from the VIN info thread from CARNAC, so it went it for rebuild in 1994, what would this consist of? Would i have any markings or tags anywhere to confirm this?

Organization:USPFO ACTIVITY DC ARMY NATIONAL GUARD Location:WASHINGTON
DC Nomenclature:
TRUCK CARGO 2-1/2T Model:
M35A2 NSN:
2320000771616 Serial Number:
52521091 Registration Number:
4F78471 Year of Mfg:
1971 Manufacturer:
65909
IN 1994 IT WENT TO THE 104TH ORDNANCE COMPANY FOR REBUILD. NO OTHER INFO.
 
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