M915, M916 heads up

[wreckerman893]

I was at Redstone Wed and they were unloading M916's sent in from other sites.....there was a lot of them and more on the way.

There are also several M915's on the yard.

They have not been lotted and are not in any active aution.

Most of them started and were driven off the trailers but some of them got the forklift treatment.....not casting stones because the crew up there were careful with the unloading.

My advice is that if you are going to bid on any of them when they come up to do a personal inspection....there are some jewels there but there is one truck that the engine has major damage.

The M916's all have the CAT trannys in them....they are a double edged sword.

The M915 that I drove (I was helping Adam slave off other trucks) was very nice, low miles and full of BII equipment.

Just some friendly advice.

 

[simoncrk]

what are the differences in the 16's and the 15's. ive got four m915's im workin in the oilpatch. are the 16's bigger like the m920's?

 

[Derrickl112]

the 916's are 6x6 and have a rear winch on them.

 

[Bighurt]

The M916's all have the CAT trannys in them....they are a double edged sword.

I've been bidding on 920's with no luck, could you expand on the CAT tranny and it being a double edge sword, I don't quite understand what you mean.

Thanks

 

[BKubu]

I hope Richard responds, but I BELIEVE he is referring to the fact that the CAT transmission is a very stout, well-engineered transmission that can take some serious use...BUT...it is a rarity, parts are hard to find, and finding shops to work on them is difficult. How close was I I, Richard? With that said, I own an M917 and an M916 with the CAT transmission and I love them. It does take some learning on how to drive these trucks, though. I recommend that anyone considering bidding on or buying one read the manual carefully. There are all kinds of warnings about things to avoid unless you want to trash the transmission. Some of my favorites...

C A U T I O N​

With transmission engaged, do not operate this vehicle with
the engine speed below, 1,200 RPM or above 2,100 RPM.
Serious transmission damage will result.
​

C A U T I O N​

When starting with a load, engine speed must accelerate
through 1,200 RPM in three seconds or less, to prevent
damage to the front clutch. If RPM does not increase above
1,200 RPM in three seconds, let up off accelerator and shift
to a lower gear.​

 

[bulldog_mack13]

Bruce , Flying a plane is easier.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Flying is easy. Landing is not.

 

[gunboy1656]

Landing is easy, it is the abrupt stop that tough.

 

[bulldog_mack13]

The abrupt stop is easy , walking away is hard..

 

[gunboy1656]

What are the TM numbers for these trucks?

 

[PorscheTech911]

As a current CAT employee I can tell you to watch out I just got here so the quality will only get better

 

[Burgerboy13]

Do the M920/M916's have rear air lockers?

 

[M1075]

Do the M920/M916's have rear air lockers?

No.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

C A U T I O N​

With transmission engaged, do not operate this vehicle with
the engine speed below, 1,200 RPM or above 2,100 RPM.
Serious transmission damage will result.
​

C A U T I O N​

When starting with a load, engine speed must accelerate
through 1,200 RPM in three seconds or less, to prevent
damage to the front clutch. If RPM does not increase above
1,200 RPM in three seconds, let up off accelerator and shift
to a lower gear.​

Why cant the army make things simple? KISS method please.

 

[NEIOWA]

Why cant the army make things simple? KISS method please.

They did. The CAT is what was available 30years ago. Sam has been purchasing Allisons for many years.

 

[Burgerboy13]

Probably wouldn't be too hard to swap out the cat and put in a 13 or 18 speed. If i was buying the truck for commercial use thats what i would do.

 

[wreckerman893]

BKuba,

Don't get me wrong......I loved the CAT tranny when I drove 915/916's in the Army....mainly because Uncle paid the bill if they went tits up.

They had some quirks and learning to shift one correctly took a little time.

Once you get the hang of it they are pretty cool.

Since my funds are limited now and I am not a mechanic, I would be screwed, blued and tattooed if I had to pay to get one repaired

Ironically I never drove a 915 with an Allison in it until I bought one.

I was back at Redstone today and Teresa said all those trucks may go on one big sale, if so it will be a buyers market.

 

[OldGoat]

I was told that Cat tranny has a pile of solenoids (sensors or ?) that can & do go bad. Expensive to fix. Cool to use, but very troublesome .

 

[wreckerman893]

I was told that Cat tranny has a pile of solenoids (sensors or ?) that can & do go bad. Expensive to fix. Cool to use, but very troublesome .

One of it's other little quirks was that if the air pressure drops below 80 PSI it kicks into neutral......bad news on a steep down slope with a heavy load.

One redeming thing about that series of trucks was they they put Jake Brakes on the 400 Cummins....saved a lot of wear and tear on brakes and fewer skid marks in BVDs.

 

[Dixmotorpool]

Just bought a 916,, hope it gets me home.... I think they're saying don't lug the engine/tranny and don't overspeed..... engine and tranny...... been a truck driver for awhile and that is a general rule for big diesels..... hope I'm right and got a good one... cause a cat tranny would cost a ton to fix..... and all special tools.... so you can't fix it at home...