98hd
Member
- 552
- 1
- 18
- Location
- Reedsburg, WI / Trenary, MI
Drove the M35a2 140 miles to the M342. All well except for all the air leaks negating the heater install. Got to the M342, swapped tires, ok. Time to start. Dead batteries, I've got the slave cable, hook it up and nothing. Hmm, Well just push start it. Get back to the M35 and all power is gone 
Finish up anyway, get it all hooked up, try to connect brakes, don't have the right fitting. Oh well.
Decide to try swapping batteries so I can at least have heat in the M35. Get a big spark when I connect the negative. Take it off quick, and check in the cab, the gauges are back! Put the neg back on, and all is ok.
Ready to leave Start to pull away and tires to the opposite way! Straighten out and figure that you can't have the truck running (air pressure) and have the tires track when you have power steering. Shut it off and drain the tanks. Make it to the end of his drive way go to pull out and tires go the wrong way again. Straighten, and get the hell out of there. Make it 130 miles to my home in Michigan. I learned the difference between flat and a "slight" incline. the M35 could maintaing 42-45 on all but a downhill, and I have the fuel turned up.
Now the next leg, should be an easy 30 miles to camp. Make it about half way going about 40 and the truck starts going left hard! Right across the other lane of traffic (thank god no one was coming) as I pull over on the Opposite shoulder I can see the drivers tire pointing right. I can see smoke, and then, the thing you REALLY don't want to see....................a tire rolling by my passenger window!
Did I mention I forgot to take out my cell phone before washing my clothes the previous night?
Got it jacked up, with the help of some friends who happened to drive by. He had given me some wood blocks so I could manage to get it up. Assess the studs, all are stripped off, and one is snapped off. Luckily I got 2 started while I was there, had to steal them off the M35. My friend happened to know the guy who owned the land right where I had pulled off, and he let me pull the truck in his field and leave it, so I could go get more lug nuts. Got all 5 on and tightened, not sure how, but the 1" impact helped alot. Another lucky happening, my cousin was at my camp and I talked him into steering the M342 while I towed.
Got off and going, everthing was going well, but it would want to pull off , ended up doing about 25 the last 15 miles, and made it back some how.
I dont' think I'm ever going to flat tow again.
More on the electrical issue when slaving, found out someone had hooked up the power and ground on the slave receptacle both to ground.
Not sure what happened with the tries, if the front blew out, or the lugs loosened and made that happen ( did notice that someone had swapped the studs at some time, so the left hand thread ones were on the right.
It's home, and I'm so upset with this journey I would just love it if someone would come take the M342 off of my hands, I think it hates me! $6,000 takes it home, bring a trailer!
NO I DON'T HAVE PICS (kept forgetting, then forgot the camera)
Finish up anyway, get it all hooked up, try to connect brakes, don't have the right fitting. Oh well.
Decide to try swapping batteries so I can at least have heat in the M35. Get a big spark when I connect the negative. Take it off quick, and check in the cab, the gauges are back! Put the neg back on, and all is ok.
Ready to leave
Start to pull away and tires to the opposite way! Straighten out and figure that you can't have the truck running (air pressure) and have the tires track when you have power steering. Shut it off and drain the tanks. Make it to the end of his drive way go to pull out and tires go the wrong way again. Straighten, and get the hell out of there. Make it 130 miles to my home in Michigan. I learned the difference between flat and a "slight" incline. the M35 could maintaing 42-45 on all but a downhill, and I have the fuel turned up.Now the next leg, should be an easy 30 miles to camp. Make it about half way going about 40 and the truck starts going left hard! Right across the other lane of traffic (thank god no one was coming) as I pull over on the Opposite shoulder I can see the drivers tire pointing right. I can see smoke, and then, the thing you REALLY don't want to see....................a tire rolling by my passenger window!
Did I mention I forgot to take out my cell phone before washing my clothes the previous night?
Got it jacked up, with the help of some friends who happened to drive by. He had given me some wood blocks so I could manage to get it up. Assess the studs, all are stripped off, and one is snapped off. Luckily I got 2 started while I was there, had to steal them off the M35. My friend happened to know the guy who owned the land right where I had pulled off, and he let me pull the truck in his field and leave it, so I could go get more lug nuts. Got all 5 on and tightened, not sure how, but the 1" impact helped alot. Another lucky happening, my cousin was at my camp and I talked him into steering the M342 while I towed.
Got off and going, everthing was going well, but it would want to pull off , ended up doing about 25 the last 15 miles, and made it back some how.
I dont' think I'm ever going to flat tow again.
More on the electrical issue when slaving, found out someone had hooked up the power and ground on the slave receptacle both to ground.
Not sure what happened with the tries, if the front blew out, or the lugs loosened and made that happen ( did notice that someone had swapped the studs at some time, so the left hand thread ones were on the right.
It's home, and I'm so upset with this journey I would just love it if someone would come take the M342 off of my hands, I think it hates me! $6,000 takes it home, bring a trailer!
NO I DON'T HAVE PICS (kept forgetting, then forgot the camera)
