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5 ton v.s. Deuce

tatra813

Member
523
25
18
Location
Washougal Wa
I have owned dueces and was curious what the differences were between it and the 5- ton asside from the size difference.

turning radius?
top speed?
engine differences?

Thanks
 

Blood_of_Tyrants

Active member
1,614
11
38
Location
Lebanon, TN
RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

The 5 ton has a Cummins engine I believe. It is not a multifuel. It also has power steering and has a Sprag front differential rather than the ability to shift in and out. The wheels have different bolt patterns.
 

area52

Active member
1,950
5
38
Location
San Bernardino CA
RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

There are a lot of different 5 ton trucks - powered from the gas Continental 6602 to the new 900 series ( not sure on that engine).
 

motorolanut

Member
754
1
18
Location
Glenwood WV
RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

Having owned both....Well......Tell us are you thinking of a M813 or M54? And are you just planning on driving it for a hobby or use it for something else?? That would help us fellow members steer you in the right direction....
 

motorolanut

Member
754
1
18
Location
Glenwood WV
RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

The 5 ton M800 series has the 230 Cummings none turbo charged Diesel, Unlike the duece which some models have a turbo whistler So there is no turbo scream, Now if you buy a M54 series they have a beefed up Duece Multi fuel Turbo or a Mack engine. The Cummings is a great engine. I believe the M813's have about a 5 mph top speed advantage over the Dueces, But in reality its of no difference unless you drive primarily interstates. Either vehicle is quite loud and I would recommend hearing protection due to the non insulation properties of the Drivers Cab.
 

poppop

Well-known member
2,316
39
48
Location
Brooklet, Ga
RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

My 813 has the 250 cummins in it as do all the 800 series trucks. It has a muffler unlike the dueces but is still louder than my duece.
 

kaiser2help

Member
182
3
18
Location
East Freetown, MA
I own a M54- The top speed, without pushing it , is 45mph. It does incorporate a sprague system for the drive trian. They work well. If considering to purchase one. Be sure to make a good operating inspection of these components. When shifting into reverse you should hear a nice hammer type gear engaging sound. This is one way. The other is to bring the truck up to operating pressure( the air assist system that is. 120psi. Turn off the vehicle. Chalk the tandems. Now raise one front wheel. while the truck is in reverse the wheel should not be able to be rotated forward.while shifting the transmission into forward the wheel should not rotate in the reverse direction. This is one good way to help you know the cond of the spragues. There are many others on this site who can alaborate on this topic. Sound like allot but just bring a bottle jack rated for the capacity and just jack it up. The other difference with the m54 series is While in any forward gear you must never roll the vehicle backwards.Even in neautral. This will surely damage the cluthes.and while in revers gear never roll forward. Hope this will help.
 

jasonjc

Well-known member
5,326
289
83
Location
Gravette Ar.
RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

The 900 started with the 250 non-trubo then switch to a smaller truboed cummins not shure of the ### about the HP and troqe rating tho.
 
56
0
0
RE: Re: RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

To hit your the original questions,
turning radius? About 10 more feet total. But power steering really helps, all have this, two differeing types one is boosted one is hydro-steer (newer)
top speed? Rated 52 MPH, those with super singles get 60+. Squirt is an M-54, will run at 52-55 all day, last month we were at 47,000+pounds coming from Talking Rock and highway speed differed very little. She has the LDS-1A
engine differences? M-39 series has 6602 gasser, 673 Mack, or LDS version of the Multi. 800 series has 240 Cummins, 900 series has 240 Cummins or 8.3 Cummins.

Summary, 2.5 ton is a quick nimble sports truck at only roughly 12,500 pounds, 5-ton is a lumbering beast at 21,000 plus. (Wreckers go 36,000+) There is way more to a 5-ton than just twice the load capacity.

Hope this helps with the original questions.
 

majortom

New member
132
21
0
Location
Aniwa, Wisconsin
RE: Re: RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

The multi duece is lighter, faster, and more nimble than a multifuel 5 ton. a 54a2 tops out at 52 mph,. Five tons before the 800s have the worlds worst power steering. The trucks drive very differant. The duece is a sports car, the five ton is more of a tank. When driving a 5 ton I worry more about brain dead minivans, because a big truck takes time to change speed or direction. The 800 has a much better motor. the 900 has real air brakes. The bigger the truck the higher the costs. If you have a 5 ton then you lust over 10 tons. then you need tank to haul around with the 10 ton. Believe me its a slippery slope.
 

tatra813

Member
523
25
18
Location
Washougal Wa
RE: Re: RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

Thanks for the info the main thing I was getting at is how nimble it is in compariston, but the duece istn very nimble, its slow and lacks power in my opinion, so looks like it would be better off for me than a 5- ton. Im not currently looking for one just always wandered the actual driving differences.
Thanks
 

Cdub

New member
1,082
2
0
Location
New Milford, NJ
Re: RE: Re: RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

tatra813 said:
Thanks for the info the main thing I was getting at is how nimble it is in compariston, but the duece istn very nimble, its slow and lacks power in my opinion, so looks like it would be better off for me than a 5- ton. Im not currently looking for one just always wandered the actual driving differences.
Thanks
It depends which five ton you are referring to....??


C'dub
 

emr

New member
3,209
25
0
Location
landing , new jersey
Re: RE: Re: RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

Cdub said:
tatra813 said:
Thanks for the info the main thing I was getting at is how nimble it is in compariston, but the duece istn very nimble, its slow and lacks power in my opinion, so looks like it would be better off for me than a 5- ton. Im not currently looking for one just always wandered the actual driving differences.
Thanks
It depends which five ton you are referring to....??


C'dub
THATS FOR SURE!!!!!!!....they are very different the 5 tonners that is...Randy
 

ARMYMAN30YearsPlus

In Memorial
In Memorial
3,585
7
0
Location
Parkville, MD
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

OK a sub topic maybe but what is the overall best five ton, M52 series M818 series or M936 series?

I think my duece is about average and have not noticed much difference in all the dueces I have seen.

My M52 with the gasser runs good but I was leaving a vapor trail on I 95 from what I could tell it was unburned gasoline. Still waiting to get back home and work on that issue.

Waitin to pick up the M818 in March and looking forward to the drive with my oldest son.
 

Armada

New member
3,046
4
0
Location
Buick City, MI
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: 5 ton v.s. duece

tatra813 wrote:
Thanks for the info the main thing I was getting at is how nimble it is in compariston, but the duece istn very nimble, its slow and lacks power in my opinion, so looks like it would be better off for me than a 5- ton. Im not currently looking for one just always wandered the actual driving differences.
Thanks


It depends which five ton you are referring to....??


C'dub
True. After spending time behind the wheel of both 2.5T's and 5T's, the 5T M818 tractor has an almost 'sporty' feel to it compared to the M35. It weighs in at just under 20K, but the 5T actually feels easier to drive. The cummins has lots of low end grunt, stopping power feels more than adequate, and of course the ps helps. This is without a trailer attached of course.
Now, compare an M35 to an M820, the deuce would be the 'sportier' of the two....
 
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