• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

800 miles in my m923 a2 flat towing my dodge

clinto

Moderator, wonderful human being & practicing Deuc
Staff member
Administrator
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
Supporting Vendor
12,596
1,131
113
Location
Athens, Ga.
Must have been a difficult trip like that. I find that all the blood rushes to my head when I stay inverted for long periods.

Nice dually.
 

98G

Former SSG
Steel Soldiers Supporter
6,059
4,423
113
Location
AZ/KS/MO/OK/NM/NE, varies by the day...
20140703_053216.jpg20140703_053345.jpgDropped the truck off without any badness. Got pulled over once for no license plate displayed. Showed them my plates and paperwork and no problem. Two additional times leo pulled up beside me and eyed up the towbar setup. Must have liked what they saw because they went away.
 

EMD567

Driver for the Ga Mafia
Steel Soldiers Supporter
2,117
47
48
Location
Aiken SC
Man I gotta get me some of that rubber. If it can keep a 5 ton glued to the road upside down, just think what it can do right side up.............

Glad you had a safe trip.
 

FloridaAKM

Well-known member
2,699
392
83
Location
Gainesville, Florida
That is not rubber, it's Flubber! That is how he gets the tires to stick so well. The one that stumps me is how he gets the chains to hang up, must have flubber covers on them somewhere!




Very nice delivery by the way. Hopefully your sellers remorse will be out done by the buyers enjoying his new truck!
 
Last edited:

lino

Member
148
2
18
Location
Wake Forest, NC
Hey 98G,
Mind if I ask more details about your towbar setup. Did you buy it or make it?

I'm considering a similar, but "reversed" situation for my self. I'm looking at deuces, some are several hour drive away. I'm assessing the viability of putting a pintle tow bar on my truck (little tacoma) and driving to look at deuces. In the event I buy the deuce, I can tow the tacoma home. The big advantage of this is it allows me to travel alone as well.

Anyone know why that's a bad plan?

Thanks
lino
 

98G

Former SSG
Steel Soldiers Supporter
6,059
4,423
113
Location
AZ/KS/MO/OK/NM/NE, varies by the day...
The towbars are the medium-heavy non adjustable bars with y feet.

The truckside adapters are custom fabricated to take the place of the ram's factory towhooks. 1" pin holes and 1" plate. Since anything custom made doesn't have an official DOT rating I wanted to be absolutely sure it wouldn't be the point of failure if something broke. I now have several thousand miles towing like this. I've done multiple recoveries where I drive the Ram there to pick up and then drive the 5ton back with the Ram on towbars like a persistent tailgater.

Tractor supply sells an LED trailer light set up that isn't voltage sensitive. You can stick the 4 wires into 4 of the pin positions of the tow light hookup on the back of a MV and it'll work fine. It's trivial to do.

I chose to make the pin holes 1" to be the same as the 5ton trucks. The 3/4" feet are much cheaper and more readily available and there's no reason not to make the Clevis hole 3/4" if you're only going to be towing your pickup.

Edit to add : towing my Ram at a weight of about 9000 lbs behind a 21000-23000 lb 5ton truck presents no problems with braking. I've towed an M109A3 which weighs something like 17k without issue also.

When towing a 5ton with another 5ton I hook airlines between the vehicles so that the towed vehicle's brakes are live also. I don't *think* you'll have any problems with an unbraked 5500lb pickup behind a deuce, but if you were to have problems, braking is the first thing that comes to mind.

If you need custom tow brackets made, pm me as I've been doing a lot of welding lately. They would fit in a medium or large flat rate box.
 
Last edited:

lino

Member
148
2
18
Location
Wake Forest, NC
You had to know the upside-down jokes would continue each time this thread is resurrected... (sorry)
My sincere hope is to do all my towing with the rubber down.

And thanks for the tip on the Tractor Supply lights. Perfect.

Off to find a local tow bar...

ciao
lino
 

466Navastar

Member
199
0
16
Location
Buffalo,ny
here in New York anything towed - that has unladened weight over 1000# or gvw over 3000# requires properly operating brakes - imagine other stated have similar laws
 

98G

Former SSG
Steel Soldiers Supporter
6,059
4,423
113
Location
AZ/KS/MO/OK/NM/NE, varies by the day...
20150428_154616.jpg20150428_154642.jpg20150428_154616.jpg20150428_154642.jpg20150427_194613.jpg20150424_152128.jpg20150424_130209.jpgI just made another somewhat similar trip. Towbarred my redtruck behind an M925 to OKC, then dropped the 5ton, made a pickup at GL's warehouse in OKC and made my way to Ft Bliss delivering medium towbars in my wake. Picked up an M923A2 and M1101 trailer at Bliss and put the redtruck back on towbars for the trip from Ft Bliss back to Tucson.

The only casualty was a suicidal coyote that jumped in front of me last night on I 10 in NM. There wasn't even enough time to take my foot off the accelerator much less hit the brakes. He went under the right front wheel and the rear tandem and redtruck hit him in turn at cruising speed of about 63mph. At least it was quick....

Met up with some good people, and had a good time. There were a few glitches, but where better to learn the finer points of an air system than the side of the road? :)
 
Top