Mitsubishi Mighty Mits

[doghead]

Seems these little trucks are very common in the rest of the world(as right hand drive). Our government gets them as Left hand drive and in a few configurations such as 2wd, 4wd, with dumpbed and scissor hoist.

I decided to bid on one on GP and won it. There were no details but in the pics the steering wheel had been off, the tires mostly all flat, forklift damaged driveshaft and side body damage.

Well I won it. It was at Watervliet Arsenal near Albany NY.

I had a paid item release the next day and scheduled a pickup time on the next Monday.

Weather was perfect and I took a car trailer with a winch to load as I did not want them to forklift it again and I like to be self sufficient.

When I arrived there was the typical antics to get a day pass. The GP guy was waiting at the gate. We went out to where it sat(just like in the auctions pics), so no surprises.

It was boxed in by some other stuff so the GP guy called his contact and he came and looked and said he'd be back with a forklift. When he gets back with it he moved the one item beside it and asked if that was good. He said the other items around it were not his so he did not want to touch them. No big deal.

I backed the trailer up to it and pulled it sideways until I could swing it 90 degrees and winch it on the trailer. The GP guy helped without hesitation as he steered it as it went up the ramps.

Got it tied down and hit the highway.

Backed it up to the garage when I got home as we were expecting snow soon. I jumped the battery and touched the key and it fired right up and sounded great! I tried the dump/hoist and it worked too! I had one tire off and a jack under that corner so I could not try the clutch/trans.

Before unloading it I took one tire to the tire shop to get it fixed. While in town I bought a new battery for it too.

Got back, installed the tire and new battery.

Got in and tried the clutch/trans and brakes. All good so I drove it off the trailer and into the garage.

As time allowed over the next few days I have tinkered with a few things.

I found the steering wheel was removed because the wiper switch was inop. I've made a temporary fix for that. Found a nut and put the wheel on tight.

There was some rust in the cab floorboards, so I made some repairs to that.

It had no hitch so I made one from a 2" receiver hitch I had laying around.

I need to replace a torn front cv boot still. Yup, this truck is 4wd.

I've repaired the forklift body damage and took the damaged driveshaft to the local drive-line shop and had it retubed. 13" of tube...

Today I took it out in the snow and did some donuts with the dog.

I've found service manuals and lots of good info on these trucks.

I hope to find others on the site with them.

 

[doghead]

Here's some pics from the auction and a few here at home.

 

[doghead]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[doghead]

Oh yeah, it looks like they added the front winch and used it to raise a small snowplow.

The front tube brush guard is a factory option.

I've put about 15 miles on it around the neighborhood. Truck had 6000 miles on it when I got it.

These trucks are governed at 25 mph. The foreign used counterparts will run 55 MPH.

Research shows the transmission is actually a 5 speed but they gated out 4th and 5th and the governor controls fuel and ignition. I've found out how to defeat the governor and may pull the transmission someday and get the rest of the gears. It would go 55 mph then.

For now, it's just fine.

For me, this vehicle will replace the Mule(M274A5) I used to have. It should do well.

 

[doghead]

https://vimeo.com/201560519

Sorry about the camera turning 90 degrees, I thought it would just go wide.

The yellow light on the dash is the governor warning light.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wheelspinner]

Here's mine coming home. Not 4wd or dumper but I really like the topper that came on it. Gotta quit goofing off and get it running.

 

[rtk]

What a neat TRUCK !!! I used to live in Cohoes just behind the Arsenal . That looks like that could be a fun ride . Stay safe , bob k

 

[two.fiveM35]

Nice truck, haven't seen one like that before. And it green too? Nice find.

 

[gimpyrobb]

So if you get your other gears to work, will you have to find a dashboard that goes up to 55?

Sweet ride(looks perfect for Kipman anyway)

 

[doghead]

I would use a 50% reduction speedometer cable adapter , so the speedometer would read half actual speed.

 

[ODFever]

I like it, doghead! It looks really cool! I love the 4x4 and dump bed. Far more versatile than a Mule!!

 

[armytruck63]

It is cute as a button!

 

[mkcoen]

Ok that is way too cool. With it being 4x4 I'm guessing I could get one in the back of the M1078 even with short ramps. Always nice to have a spare vehicle for parts runs if you're stuck on the side of the road.

 

[ODFever]

I know practically nothing these vehicles. Are there any models that are street legal in the US?

EDIT. I asked Google and answered part of my own question. Mini trucks are legal on Florida roads with posted speed limits of 35 MPH or less.

 

[doghead]

Many states have laws for low speed vehicles. So yes, they probably can be registered for road use. Google LSV laws.

It looks like in my state they allow them on roads with posted speeds of 35 mph or less.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I really need one of those. Is it water cooled? Cab heat?

 

[doghead]

Yup,and all the amenities of a normal car/truck.

It's winter here and I been tooling around the hood in comfort in this little rig.

We have over a foot of snow since the day I brought it home. Took it outback in the woods, it did well(until I got stuck in mud under the snow).

It will be great around here, year round.

When you're bored, google Mitsubishi U15T.

 

[doghead]

Oh, it has a turning radius of about 11 feet!

 

[gimpyrobb]

I'm looking at the Suzuki version, bring yours to Haspin and lets see what they can do! Should be fun on the Jack Daniels run.

 

[ODFever]

Just curious, doghead. I'm 6'2" tall, weigh about 215 lbs, and wear a size 15 wide shoe. Would I fit in the cab of your Mitsubishi?