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Earlier this year, when the M1070 HETs started showing up on GL, I knew I would never have enough dollars in one place to get one. That didn't stop me from wanting to get one, but it was definitely a deterrent. Every so often the HETs would bring less money than they did at first, but they were still too expensive for me. I knew I still wouldn't be able to get one. I've always thought they were really cool looking trucks and had always wanted one. After a while, they were starting to drop closer to a price that might possibly be something I could swing. One day, it occurred to me that what I'd have into my 5 ton when it was done (925A2 with LWS and all the trim) would be a significant amount towards a HET. I started watching the auctions and paying attention to what prices they were going for and devising a strategy to get one.
Everybody and their brother has a 5 ton (As well they should, they're just about giving them away) but not everybody has a HET! Figuring that I could always get another 5 ton in the future, I decided to sell off a truck and a lot of my 5 ton items that I was holding on to. Much more quickly than I thought it would happen, I started to have a sizable amount of money put into the HET fund. I sold my beloved ammo trailer and many other items that I thought I'd never get rid of. It was quite simple - I'd look at something and if I wanted a HET more than it, it went up for sale.
Eventually, the pile was big enough and I won one of the trucks at Ft Riley a while back. (When they went cheap) I was very surprised at the prices the trucks brought - pleasantly surprised, I had expected to spend about 25% more than I did. I think I got a nice one, not the cheapest and not the most expensive. In talking to M920 (Soni) about M1070s, he offered his assistance in getting mine home. Initially, I planned to drive out to Kansas and take what tools, fluids, etc I would need to get the truck home. At 1100 miles away with 4 MPG and 45 MPH, it would quite the undertaking. I ran all the numbers and came up with a higher dollar amount than I had hoped. Factor in time away from work and such and it started to seem like a poor choice. I talked to Soni about going to get it for me. He's considerably closer to Kansas than I am and was up for the adventure. The EUC cleared in 7 days and we set an appointment to pick up the truck.
Soni picked up the truck and reported that it was in fantastic - but dirty shape. Apparently one extreme drawback of the HET is that it doesn't come with a cupholder. This is bad in that it causes everyone to spill coffee EVERYWHERE in the cab. It is a 2008 Oshkosh rebuild. Awesome! It didn't come with any BII except the one thing that I would want - a 3/4" air impact gun. Soni's trip back to New Mexico was favorably uneventful.
When I was able, M35A2-AZ (Albert) and myself traveled to Chama, NM to pick up my truck. Everything was pretty straightforward and our return trip with the truck was uneventful as well. It took 13 hours to travel almost 500 miles. One thing we did unique to this trip was to put the chase vehicle in front of the HET to minimize the danger of a rear end collision to that vehicle. Another thing was when we had to stop and switch drivers, the driver of the chase vehicle would zoom ahead and eat or use the restroom or whatever and then be ready to go when the HET arrived. The HET driver would then eat/restroom/whatever and catch back up. It seems like it would still take longer than you thought to catch up to a 45 mph vehicle, though.
Its not hard to drive, but it does take a while to acclimate yourself on how to steer the HET - Soni advised us that you have to almost ignore it and then it becomes smooth. Your first instinct is to fight it, but you end up over-correcting and steering back and forth a lot. I think it has a tighter turning radius than a 5 ton does. It is really quite nimble for how large of a truck it is. It does have the blind spot in the front passenger side, but its not near as bad as the 916's. The large windshield and hood angle make for a lot of visibility. The windows in the doors kinda help. It is easier to drive with a passenger spotting for you, but it is not impossible by yourself. At 6" wider than most of the large military vehicles, it is wide, but nothing so much that makes you drive it any different. The same skill set applies from any of the big trucks.
The HET is easily the quietest military vehicle I've driven. While the engine noise is there, it is not overpowering at all. You can talk to someone else in the cab easily and talk on the phone if you need to. The cab doesn't have any of the squeaks and creaks of my M916 and nothing rattles. The blower/supercharger noise is there, and when you're loading the engine, you can hear the turbo, but it is not loud. The Jake brake is quiet, too quiet to enjoy how they typically sound. Anybody who says that the HET is loud is crazy or hasn't driven one. If all you ever drove was a Nissan Leaf, you would think the HET is way loud, but in comparison to other military trucks, it is quiet. The HET rides really nice. The driver's seat is excellent and the truck doesn't tire you out like some military vehicles do. Perhaps its the added height, but you don't feel as if 45 mph is too slow in the HET. It seems to be the correct speed for the type of truck that it is. I imagine a MTVR has very similar qualities, as well as other similar late model Oshkosh offerings.
The HET has an appropriate amount of brakes and traction to match. It doesn't drive like a bobtailed tractor, and I guess it shouldn't at 40000 lbs. No braking issues whatsoever. It went up and down the hills at 40-45 mph. Going from Holbrook into Payson and down into Fountain Hills, AZ was effortless. 6500 ft to about 2000 ft. Other than the stoplights in Payson, we didn't have to use the service brakes at all. Even stayed in 5th gear. Using the Jacobs brake provided an easy decent. Albert reported that it did pass a RV towing too much, but said vehicle passed the HET on the downhill.
The front tires are fairly feathered from perhaps too much toe-in and the severe amount of camber the truck has naturally. There is a rear air bag ride level adjustment and mine needs to be adjusted. It leans somewhat to the driver's side. Over time I will figure all this out.
Something that Soni pointed out to me is that the 8V92 engine, only having about 7000 miles on it, is quite a ways from being broken in. Some say this happens closer to 50000 or 60000 miles. At a dollar a mile to drive the truck, that means I'll probably never break it in...
Soni's advice and information was invaluable all throughout the process and Albert's assistance in getting it home was much appreciated.
Everybody and their brother has a 5 ton (As well they should, they're just about giving them away) but not everybody has a HET! Figuring that I could always get another 5 ton in the future, I decided to sell off a truck and a lot of my 5 ton items that I was holding on to. Much more quickly than I thought it would happen, I started to have a sizable amount of money put into the HET fund. I sold my beloved ammo trailer and many other items that I thought I'd never get rid of. It was quite simple - I'd look at something and if I wanted a HET more than it, it went up for sale.
Eventually, the pile was big enough and I won one of the trucks at Ft Riley a while back. (When they went cheap) I was very surprised at the prices the trucks brought - pleasantly surprised, I had expected to spend about 25% more than I did. I think I got a nice one, not the cheapest and not the most expensive. In talking to M920 (Soni) about M1070s, he offered his assistance in getting mine home. Initially, I planned to drive out to Kansas and take what tools, fluids, etc I would need to get the truck home. At 1100 miles away with 4 MPG and 45 MPH, it would quite the undertaking. I ran all the numbers and came up with a higher dollar amount than I had hoped. Factor in time away from work and such and it started to seem like a poor choice. I talked to Soni about going to get it for me. He's considerably closer to Kansas than I am and was up for the adventure. The EUC cleared in 7 days and we set an appointment to pick up the truck.
Soni picked up the truck and reported that it was in fantastic - but dirty shape. Apparently one extreme drawback of the HET is that it doesn't come with a cupholder. This is bad in that it causes everyone to spill coffee EVERYWHERE in the cab. It is a 2008 Oshkosh rebuild. Awesome! It didn't come with any BII except the one thing that I would want - a 3/4" air impact gun. Soni's trip back to New Mexico was favorably uneventful.
When I was able, M35A2-AZ (Albert) and myself traveled to Chama, NM to pick up my truck. Everything was pretty straightforward and our return trip with the truck was uneventful as well. It took 13 hours to travel almost 500 miles. One thing we did unique to this trip was to put the chase vehicle in front of the HET to minimize the danger of a rear end collision to that vehicle. Another thing was when we had to stop and switch drivers, the driver of the chase vehicle would zoom ahead and eat or use the restroom or whatever and then be ready to go when the HET arrived. The HET driver would then eat/restroom/whatever and catch back up. It seems like it would still take longer than you thought to catch up to a 45 mph vehicle, though.
Its not hard to drive, but it does take a while to acclimate yourself on how to steer the HET - Soni advised us that you have to almost ignore it and then it becomes smooth. Your first instinct is to fight it, but you end up over-correcting and steering back and forth a lot. I think it has a tighter turning radius than a 5 ton does. It is really quite nimble for how large of a truck it is. It does have the blind spot in the front passenger side, but its not near as bad as the 916's. The large windshield and hood angle make for a lot of visibility. The windows in the doors kinda help. It is easier to drive with a passenger spotting for you, but it is not impossible by yourself. At 6" wider than most of the large military vehicles, it is wide, but nothing so much that makes you drive it any different. The same skill set applies from any of the big trucks.
The HET is easily the quietest military vehicle I've driven. While the engine noise is there, it is not overpowering at all. You can talk to someone else in the cab easily and talk on the phone if you need to. The cab doesn't have any of the squeaks and creaks of my M916 and nothing rattles. The blower/supercharger noise is there, and when you're loading the engine, you can hear the turbo, but it is not loud. The Jake brake is quiet, too quiet to enjoy how they typically sound. Anybody who says that the HET is loud is crazy or hasn't driven one. If all you ever drove was a Nissan Leaf, you would think the HET is way loud, but in comparison to other military trucks, it is quiet. The HET rides really nice. The driver's seat is excellent and the truck doesn't tire you out like some military vehicles do. Perhaps its the added height, but you don't feel as if 45 mph is too slow in the HET. It seems to be the correct speed for the type of truck that it is. I imagine a MTVR has very similar qualities, as well as other similar late model Oshkosh offerings.
The HET has an appropriate amount of brakes and traction to match. It doesn't drive like a bobtailed tractor, and I guess it shouldn't at 40000 lbs. No braking issues whatsoever. It went up and down the hills at 40-45 mph. Going from Holbrook into Payson and down into Fountain Hills, AZ was effortless. 6500 ft to about 2000 ft. Other than the stoplights in Payson, we didn't have to use the service brakes at all. Even stayed in 5th gear. Using the Jacobs brake provided an easy decent. Albert reported that it did pass a RV towing too much, but said vehicle passed the HET on the downhill.
The front tires are fairly feathered from perhaps too much toe-in and the severe amount of camber the truck has naturally. There is a rear air bag ride level adjustment and mine needs to be adjusted. It leans somewhat to the driver's side. Over time I will figure all this out.
Something that Soni pointed out to me is that the 8V92 engine, only having about 7000 miles on it, is quite a ways from being broken in. Some say this happens closer to 50000 or 60000 miles. At a dollar a mile to drive the truck, that means I'll probably never break it in...
Soni's advice and information was invaluable all throughout the process and Albert's assistance in getting it home was much appreciated.
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