MK 23, 7-Ton Lockers Question?

[290smallcam]

Does all 3 axles have a locker? Are they air? How do they act, do they stay engaged pretty well?

 

[MTVR]

There are five lockers- one in each axle, one in the torque-distributing all wheel drive transfer case, and one between the two rear axles. They are controlled automatically by the CTIS computer in the dash, but there is also a momentary over-ride button on the dash that will lock all five of them instantly. And there is a series of illuminated indicators on the dash, to show which ones are locked...

 

[290smallcam]

I think I need/want one now. Watched some YouTube videos and wow!! So quiet. Full independent suspension. Don't know much about the Cat C12? $23,000 investment for one Insurance cost??? God I could only guess.Is it worth selling my M-813A1 and upgrading?Sell me or not sell me on this idea.

 

[290smallcam]

5 lockers? So it works like a semi? You can engage the rear axle if needed, then lock it too? So it is a true 6X6, all 6 tires providing power to the ground?

 

[MTVR]

5 lockers?

Yes.

You can engage the rear axle if needed, then lock it too?

No. It is full-time all wheel drive- all three axles.

So it is a true 6X6, all 6 tires providing power to the ground?

Yes.

 

[MTVR]

I think I need/want one now. Watched some YouTube videos and wow!! So quiet. Full independent suspension. Don't know much about the Cat C12? $23,000 investment for one Insurance cost??? God I could only guess.Is it worth selling my M-813A1 and upgrading?Sell me or not sell me on this idea.

The MTVR is light-years ahead of the older trucks.

The MTVR has long-travel (16") coil-sprung fully-independent suspension, ABS, traction control, 5 lockers, full-time torque-distributing all-wheel-drive, 7-speed heavy-duty double-overdrive automatic transmission, 12-liter (732 cubic inch) CAT turbodiesel with 425 horsepower and 1,550 pounds of torque, dual (front/rear) computer-controlled CTIS, power steering, air conditioning ('06 on), air-ride seat, 3-point inertia-reel seatbelts, and an insulated cab with a hard roof.

It's like driving a giant pickup truck- when we took delivery of ours, my tiny little wife climbed up into the cab, and once I showed her how to operate the air parking brake and which buttons to push to select forward, reverse, and neutral, she drove it around the parking lot like it was nothing.

 

[MTVR]

The MTVR also has a 30,000 pound payload capacity- you could put nearly 10,000 pounds in the back of your 20,000-pound M813A1, and then put your fully-loaded M813A1 into the bed of an MTVR, and it still wouldn't be over GVWR...

 

[MTVR]

...and the MTVR will easily do 65 mph on the highway...

 

[MTVR]

Ours is a 2007, so it's only 14 years old, and only had about 3,000 miles on it when we bought it- none of this worn-out re-re-re-built 30-40 year old stuff...

 

[MTVR]

One of the really cool things about the MTVR, is that it has a single-speed transfer case (no low range) and a 7-speed automatic trans with an extremely wide gear spread.

The transmission's gear spread is so wide, that it normally starts out in second gear, even when the truck is fully-loaded. If you need something that would have required stopping to shift into low range on an older truck, you don't even need to stop in an MTVR- you just push the button on the transmission control to command first gear, to access your crawl ratio. Likewise, once you no longer need first gear, you just tell the transmission, and off you go, without having to stop to shift back into high range like you would on an old truck...

 

[290smallcam]

Ok, I'm sold!! What do I need to look out for when buying one? Any flaws or problems that one might try to hide when selling one? Would my insurance be the same or would it go way up do to the GCVW increase? Thanks for all input too.

 

[MTVR]

Spend the money up front to buy a nice one. It's a lot less expensive to pay for a nice one, than it would be to resurrect a roach. These things cost about $250,000 new, and certain parts can be expensive, if you can even get them at all. Fluids and filters are easy, but as an example, when I wanted locking outside door handles, I had to call Oshkosh's defense division, worked with a guy there to find me the part numbers, found a vendor that would be willing to sell to me as a private individual, paid $400 for them, and then waited quite a while before they were finally sent to me.

Insurance can be challenging. We were fortunate and were able to get full coverage on ours, and it was not real expensive.

You may need a CDL to legally operate an MTVR on public roads, depending on what state you're in and stuff. For example, we didn't need a CDL in Oregon, because Oregon has an exemption for motorhomes, and we converted ours to a motorhome. Now that we live in Texas, we need to get class-B non-commercial drivers licenses to be able to operate it.

 

[MTVR]

If you don't want air conditioning, you can buy an older (pre '06) truck. But find a nice one.

If you want air conditioning, either find a nice '06 or later MTVR, or buy a older one that has had air conditioning installed. There are air conditioning kits, but they are rare and very expensive.

Do your due diligence on state and federal emissions laws. As far as I know, no MTVRs come with the new diesel emissions systems that require DEF fluid, which could make it difficult or impossible to register an '08 or later for road use, or even if you are able to register it, the emissions laws could retroactively cause your registration to be cancelled at some point down the road. That's why we chose an '07.

 

[Jbulach]

...Would my insurance be the same or would it go way up do to the GCVW increase? Thanks for all input too.

That would be a question for you insurance agent. 48,000lb plates are $624 annual in Indiana.

 

[MTVR]

That would be a question for you insurance agent. 48,000lb plates are $624 annual in Indiana.

The MTVR has a GVWR of 62,200 pounds...

 

[Jbulach]

If it’s on six 10” wide wheels it’s only legal for 48k in Indiana. 800lb per inch of wheel...

 

[MTVR]

If it’s on six 10” wide wheels it’s only legal for 48k in Indiana. 800lb per inch of wheel...

Please provide a link to the law that you are referring to.

 

[Jbulach]

Please provide a link to the law that you are referring to.

This will not pertain to you in Texas, you need to look up your laws. https://www.in.gov/isp/files/size_weight_laws.pdf However your home state laws typically reciprocate once you cross state lines. Michigans one of those that I can think of off top of my head that don’t mesh well with typical intrastate.

 

[MTVR]

This will not pertain to you in Texas, you need to look up your laws. https://www.in.gov/isp/files/size_weight_laws.pdf However your home state laws typically reciprocate once you cross state lines. Michigans one of those that I can think of off top of my head that don’t mesh well with typical intrastate.

I wasn't asking about Texas- I was asking about the law that you were referring to. Your link is to someone's summary of the law, not the law itself. I was asking for a direct link to the actual text of the law.

 

[Jbulach]

Guess you’ll have to find it yourself if the summary is not good enough, not sure why you care, I was trying to help the OP out, not prove to you whether you think I’m a liar.