5 ton winch truck may be my first mv

[drjconley]

i found a 5 ton winch truck about 30 miles from me. this will be my first mv. i called the owner and he said it was parked one year ago and he would get it running and show that the boom and all hydraulics are functional. it has the winch on the front, winch on the back, the boom looks all together and a tow bar in a holder. he said it has a white engine, and it is a late 50's. he wants 5000 for it. does this sound like a good deal, i think it is. if i buy it, what should i consider prior to driving it 30 miles home. if it doesnt have a title or plates will i have a hard time with the california dmv registering it.
once again,
thank you for all the help, i really appreciate it.

 

[area52]

Sorry had to be done.


Sounds like a wrecker if it has a boom. If it runs and everything works, then 5 grand is a very good price. Just remember, the parts and pieces on a 5 ton are quite heavy and large so take that into consideration when thinking about repairs.

Make sure the brakes work before attempting to drive it home.

good luck

 

[drjconley]

yes, you are right, it is a wrecker. are the brakes on a five ton similar to a deuce in that if you lose one brake the entire system goes down? i have a gantry crane, a tractor with a bucket and forks, and i love buy new tools, so if i need to get new tools to safely work on the truck that is fine with me.

thanks
jim

 

[drjconley]

i forgot, this is only my sixth post ever on the internet, so i am not computer savy enough to post picures. but i will see if my brother in law can help me, he is a little more of a computer nerd than me. i hope to get the truck home with in a week.

jim

 

[area52]

yes, you are right, it is a wrecker. are the brakes on a five ton similar to a deuce in that if you lose one brake the entire system goes down? i have a gantry crane, a tractor with a bucket and forks, and i love buy new tools, so if i need to get new tools to safely work on the truck that is fine with me.

thanks
jim

Yep, brakes are single circuit air over hydraulic. Easy to work on though, just heavy stuff.


If its a 50's era wrecker with a winch on the back, then its probably a M62.

You said white engine - I assume its a diesel? There are two diesel versions - a multifuel and a Mack( identified by a large crossover tube in the engine bay).

 

[54reo]

You can't go wrong for $5k.

Welcome to SS (and the wrecker club), you will find this site the best tool out there for owning/maintaining these trucks.

 

[scooter01922]

welcome to the site, a 5ton wrecker running for 5k is great. Be sure to show us your score when ya can.

 

[drjconley]

i will take some pictures today, and see if i can add them. also the engine is a multifuel. i have heard to print the tm and read the entire thing prior to transport. i assume that is the military tech manual. how many tms pertain to the m62 with a multifuel, and which tms are mandatory to read prior to driving home.
thanks again for all the knowledgeable assistance.
jim

 

[drjconley]

sorry about all these newby questions, but under the vehicle specifications heading why isnt there a m62 listed. i also have no idea which tms to print, does any one know which ones pertain to a m62.
thanks again.
jim

 

[area52]

Jim,
the M62 wrecker is in the M39 series of trucks.

the tech manuals are the 9-2320-211-10 ( operators) and -20 (maintenance)

there is also a good tm on just the LDS 465 multi-fuel engine, not sure on the number but its in the list on here.

 

[drjconley]

i am reading the tm for the m39 series, and the m62 is not specified as a truck in that series. is there a reason it would not be listed? there are 18 specified trucks listed in that series. thank you for helping me find the tm and thank you to every one who has listed all this info in such a great site. finding this information would have been impossible. why does the tm say to not leave the truck in gear when parked?
thank you
jim

 

[drjconley]

i lied, the m62 is listed in the tm for the m39 series, it just isnt listed on all the pages.
jim

 

[area52]

Also forgot to say that the truck might also be a M543A2, basically the same truck as a M62 just a different boom on the back.

You don't leave a multi-fuel truck in gear because they are very easy to "bump"start. In case it rolls forward or back with the stop cable not pulled out it can start on its own, even backwards!

 

[Recovry4x4]

Multifuel Troubleshooting Manual
http://old.steelsoldiers.com/index.php?module=pagesetter&type=file&func=get&tid=1&fid=file&pid=57
Austin Western Manual for the M108 and M62 (if you have that truck)
http://old.steelsoldiers.com/index.php?module=pagesetter&type=file&func=get&tid=1&fid=file&pid=258