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Thanks. Really helpful.Driving my 2003 almost 28,000 lb overland vehicle I can honestly say I absolutely love the exhaust brake. Especially going down hill.
You can also fit an ex brake to the A0…
Thanks. Thats a really helpful explanation. I also looked into installing an exhaust break, like Abel MTV did. But not sure if its a good idea in the long run. Better spend more upfront and get a better starting platform rather than upgrades.A1R is the platform to have IMHO. C7 with exhaust brake and capable of 370 HP with a flash plus LOTS of other upgrades too numerous to mention.
The 3116 is anemic due to it's smaller displacement. Won't run ECO hubs as effectively for a large build on a 6x6 chassis. It's also old - saw a Facebook group post recently that a fellow looking for injectors called CAT and they had two of them in the entire country. Support is waning and sunset is approaching on it.
The 3126 had teething problems. All of them seemingly have lubrication issues often resulting in HEUI issues at the high RPM the stock gearing ran them at. Some of the have block cracking issues..... It was a short lived engine from 1999 to 2004.5. ECM's are harder to find and two to four times the price used. Expect to spend ~$5k to $10k getting it sorted in terms of the lubrication system, etc. They are limited to 330 HP with official CAT flash files. I'm not a huge fan although they work well when sorted and maintained. Remember the lubrication parts from CAT are $$$$$$$. $1700 for the engine oil pump. $2500 for the HEUI pump with the lift pump and all the other bits. And the injectors are $1k each. Then you figure labor and the HEUI pump post-filter ($1k). You can easily buy a 3126 truck and be "surprised" when it needs $10k just to be reliable again.
The C7 came in around 2004.5 and is still being used in the A1P2 built by Oshkosh to this day. That's 20 years of continuous use and improvement. They make more power, are more reliable, and will be supported long into the future. There are A1P2 trucks in the military system that have 15 years ahead of them still. That means support for the next 20 years is not only probable but absolutely necessary for the DOD. Which means surplus for our trucks long into my retirement.
My ranking is thus:
#1 C7
#2 3116
#3 3126b
Exhaust brake can be fitted to the 3116. But it's not even in the top ten of things I'm worried about when choosing a truck.
There's one on eBay now for 38k. Says A1 but clearly an A1R by appearances?....I think the last time I saw a M1078A1R for sale was last October, @fuzzytoaster had one. How plentiful are M1083A1R's on the civilian market?
I had one more that sold in July. A1R trucks are very few and far between, especially MTV (6x6) variants. There's a M1085A1R for sale on facebook market plate right now for $49,999.I think the last time I saw a M1078A1R for sale was last October, @fuzzytoaster had one. How plentiful are M1083A1R's on the civilian market?
There's more than you think and less than you hope.I think the last time I saw a M1078A1R for sale was last October, @fuzzytoaster had one. How plentiful are M1083A1R's on the civilian market?
That's Tyler's favorite ad copy. "Ultra reliable mechanical engine"someone spouts off about the "all mechanical engine!!!"
IDK that this will be the case. A1P2's may never reach the civilian market and honestly - having worked on them - you really don't want one. Just needlessly overweight and nothing to be done about it - cab weighs 4,500 lbs and then you have another ~2,500 lbs of counter-weight in the back to keep the rear wheels on the ground when braking. So an extra ~6,000 lbs to carry around using the same drivetrain. Visibility isn't bad but it's not as good either. Much more complex cab tilt system involving four hydraulic cylinders...... no thanks. The rest of the truck literally is THE SAME as an A1R. Same wiring even for the most part.My feeling is that there's always a better truck out there. Knowledge comes slower than money.
As a 'new' member (July 2023) "the community/network" is the best part by far—I don't want to deal with a dealership or a manufacturer or really anything civilian - the community/network surrounding US military trucks is just FAR better in terms of knowledge, help/assistance, etc. Most of us aren't here to get rich off each other.
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