Commercial use of FMTV M1088 Tractor?

[johnnyg8]

Saw neat FMTV/LMTV welld-on hitch plate on eBay

Guys and gals liking FMTVs and LMTVs- look at this item

1078 LMTV Do It Yourself Hitch Kit DIY Weld Kit Steel Kit ready to weld



This little kit wraps a plate around the existing pintle hitch and you weld in your desired tube. After that you can insert various ball or even another lower pintle than the original.

The writer below gave good info about the FMTV's fifth wheel so I share this discovery of how to add versatility for other trailers you may like pulling. Best of luck.
Johnny Gregory
M1084 owner in NC


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What are you going to pull behind it?

The major issues for using them commercially (I've thought about it myself!) are:

5th wheel height - it's too tall to haul most trailers without the trailer ending up being on a stupid angle, and van trailers will be overheight. It's /way/ higher than a civilian 5th wheel. I don't know the height off hand but it's at least a foot higher than the 48" standard for commercial.

The 5th wheel is full oscillating which is awesome for off road, but it's only rated at 25,000LB for some reason despite looking as heavy as 100,000LB ones I've seen commercially. This might be an issue with the DOT but might not. Doesn't matter if you aren't pulling heavy trailers though. And might not really matter if you are. The rating is clearly ignored by the military, since there's pictures of them hauling trailers that empty weigh 25K and have two 30+Klb APC's on the trailer.


MPG... It's ****. You'll probably get 6-7 if you are lucky and hauling light stuff. You might get 3 if you are hauling heavy in town. Compare to a modern semi at 6 worst case and 12 best case.

full time AWD means maintenance might eat you alive.

60 MPH is screaming it.. Not a huge deal if the temps stay reasonable aside from the whole MPG thing.


With all that said, none of these issues are insurmountable and may not be deal breakers for you. But they're definitely issues that require consideration.

 

[Cape Coddah]

Hello All, This is my first time on here and I am reviving this post because as Bobcat701 who started this mentioned he was planning on using an M1088A1 to run loads locally.

As many of us do I went and bought a 2003 M1088A1 without performing due diligance and got extremely lucky that the truck runs great and all systems are functioning properly.

However, my lack of investigating the fifth wheel height of the 1088 which is approx 61" high off the ground compared to a standard fifth wheel being 48"-50" high. Does anyone know of a swap that can get the fifth wheel closer to standard height.

I looked at the 871A3 trailer and the only problem with that is since I am hauling an excavator the deck is too high...

Thanks, Tim

 

[simp5782]

Hello All, This is my first time on here and I am reviving this post because as Bobcat701 who started this mentioned he was planning on using an M1088A1 to run loads locally.

As many of us do I went and bought a 2003 M1088A1 without performing due diligance and got extremely lucky that the truck runs great and all systems are functioning properly.

However, my lack of investigating the fifth wheel height of the 1088 which is approx 61" high off the ground compared to a standard fifth wheel being 48"-50" high. Does anyone know of a swap that can get the fifth wheel closer to standard height.

I looked at the 871A3 trailer and the only problem with that is since I am hauling an excavator the deck is too high...

Thanks, Tim

Pull the ramps. Pull the military plate. Drill the frame for the 3in x 3in x 3/8" angle iron and add the civilian plate to it.

Then fab your ramps to be shorter or even level



M915a1 with 395s and a standard civilian plate will be close to the height you would be at

 

[Floridianson]

I was going to switch out my 1088 Holland articulating plate with the Holland plate on my 915 to raise the nose of my trailer when using my 915. Same plate, I was just going to remove the two little front stop plates and slide the fifth wheel forward till off the rails. I just needed a couple of inches to level my trailer.

 

[chucky]

You should run from this whole idea as fast as you can !!!!! lol You dont want anything to do with the trucking industry at all. Just to get started you have to apply for your federal mc number which once recived is the start of much frustration with elod if your truck made after 1995 if so it might have to get its on recording device that starts recording your every move once the key is turned on not to mention the dot is gona turn that truck upside down every time u cross a scale or they see you! Your truck doesnt have a legal sise sleeper birth you could never show your rest brake without a hotel receipt if you dont go the MC route no trucking co will touch you if you were to try to lease on to them because of truck age and on and on and on im pretty sure the truck could never get past fmcsa and say you did get past all those hurdles and the insurance and all the cost to get compliant to haul cheap ltl freight for the loaded mile then your gona come home empty your back to 75 cents a mile you wold be better off saleing roses at the interstate exit ramps or begging at the same place.

 

[coachgeo]

You should run from this whole idea as fast as you can !!!!! lol You dont want anything to do with the trucking industry at all. ....

Except maybe for Wes / Simp5782 whom would be the closest to a commercial trucker with his rig(s)... most folk in here who use their MV for commercial use is simply for hauling their own shiat (hay, water tanks, heavy equipment, logs etc) for short distance. They are not trying to be long haul truckers with them.