Considering 5 ton!!

[rolling18]

April 25th, 2015.

Besides needing the CDL, even the youngest 5 ton is getting near 50 years of age, and if you wonder why Uncle's letting them go, too many age related issues are creeping up on the series. If anything, a five ton is worse in maintenance then a deuce, because everything is much bigger. Probably the only plus in my eyes is the derrick to get the spare out from behind the cab. Likely one of the GMC General derivatives would do better, and they are not cheap to maintain as they age either....
Just an opinion (mine), good luck in either case on your hunt!

thanks for your thoughtful input, definatly worth considering,,, any 5T I might get would be a late 80's or newer.. i can do regular low level maint

if I could find one at reasonable price id get a unimog or Pinzgauer! I LOVE those drive line/ diff. systems!!

 

[mcmullag]

To open my hood I have always put one foot behind the bumper on the frame cross piece below the radiator and then lean back while pulling the handle.
I'm 6'4" and 230 lbs.

 

[swbradley1]

April 25th, 2015.

Besides needing the CDL, even the youngest 5 ton is getting near 50 years of age, and if you wonder why Uncle's letting them go, too many age related issues are creeping up on the series. If anything, a five ton is worse in maintenance then a deuce, because everything is much bigger. Probably the only plus in my eyes is the derrick to get the spare out from behind the cab. Likely one of the GMC General derivatives would do better, and they are not cheap to maintain as they age either.....


Just an opinion (mine), good luck in either case on your hunt!

Did you mean the oldest ones are closer to 50? The young ones are only 24. Barely old enough to drink.

 

[mahdey]

I'll take a 5 ton anyday. However for a little more money get an LMTV. They go for around 5-8k, seem pretty maintained (depends really) and have many over the counter parts just like the 5 ton. The only difference is the LMTV rides like a caddy compared to the 5 ton....at least in my opinion.

 

[Shark Bait]

Yes! My LMTV with the air ride cab rides like a limousine compared to my 5 tons. That mat be a path to follow up on. But my heavy HET isn't too bad either. Lol

Dave

 

[Recovry4x4]

I recently went from deuces to CUCVs. Before that I dropped from 5 tons to deuces. I keep a 5 ton brake drum in the yard specifically for when I want another 5 ton. I only have to lug that drum a few feet before good sense kicks in.

 

[randygk]

Recently when driving the 5 ton I was smoothly coasting to a stop at a traffic light. Coming the other way was a pickup coasting to a stop at the light with 3 young men in it. The driver pointed to the 5 ton and started bouncing up and down and side to side in place, then he started laughing. He definitely had 5 ton experience.
.

 

[68hunter]

We bought an m923 last year and have had no regrets at all with it, other than wishing we would have bought one years ago. If you plan on lots of cruising I would recommend getting another pair of front hubs and getting the splines machined out of them then just carry your splined ones in the truck in case you need the extra traction at some point. A lot less noise and vibration up front when you don't spin the front axle and driveshaft plus there should be minimal wear to those components as well.

 

[lindsey97]

I became the proud owner of a m923a1 in july 2014. I have owned a freightliner 10 wheel dump trucks since 2004 and operated equipment since 2002. I am 37 years old and in decent shape. Need to lose some weight. Driving a 5 ton with super singles for pleasure isn't any worse than some of the other things I have driven in life. I operate class 8 trucks daily, and I can assure you that it is the road that makes a 5 ton ride rough, not the truck itself. If the road is smooth, then my M923a1 does great, if it is rough then ride quality suffers.
I have a 1998.5 dodge cummins dually 2wd ext cab long bed that I utterly hate to drive because of the roads and it's spring rate. I recently bought a well used 1997 chevy z71 ext. cab short bed, to use as a daily driver/fuel hauler because I am tired of the dodge. Will I get rid of the dodge? No. Do I have to like it? No. But it does serve it's purpose.

Same with the 5 ton. It was designed and built for a purpose and when employed in that role, it excels in doing it's job.

For those that feel the 5 ton rides too rough, sell it to me for cheap, and go buy yourself another mall crawler 4wd and be happy.

 

[Oldworldtenacity]

I became the proud owner of a m923a1 in july 2014. I have owned a freightliner 10 wheel dump trucks since 2004 and operated equipment since 2002. I am 37 years old and in decent shape. Need to lose some weight. Driving a 5 ton with super singles for pleasure isn't any worse than some of the other things I have driven in life. I operate class 8 trucks daily, and I can assure you that it is the road that makes a 5 ton ride rough, not the truck itself. If the road is smooth, then my M923a1 does great, if it is rough then ride quality suffers.
I have a 1998.5 dodge cummins dually 2wd ext cab long bed that I utterly hate to drive because of the roads and it's spring rate. I recently bought a well used 1997 chevy z71 ext. cab short bed, to use as a daily driver/fuel hauler because I am tired of the dodge. Will I get rid of the dodge? No. Do I have to like it? No. But it does serve it's purpose.

Same with the 5 ton. It was designed and built for a purpose and when employed in that role, it excels in doing it's job.

For those that feel the 5 ton rides too rough, sell it to me for cheap, and go buy yourself another mall crawler 4wd and be happy.

As someone who has driven a variety of heavy trucks like yourself...I know what your saying about the roads making a difference...and it is true.

What I am saying is drive a Frankencab 5 ton with a reinforced rollcage/cab and a 3 point seat belt that both restrict the seats movement way more while driving it over 500 miles non stop at 68-75mph and you would see how rough it really is compared to any OTR truck or 5 ton...in my experience. Also driving it in the 3rd truck lane makes a difference too. I'm pretty sure those extras and it being a Frankencab make it a rougher riding truck than the regular 5 tons even...but I wouldn't have it any other way lol. I have rode in Deuces and older 5 tons and they never seemed that rough to me...but they didn't have super singles and they could not go near as fast on the Highway either. Your body movement is not as restricted with the basic lap belts of all of the other 5 tons and I have realized here lately it does make a difference if you don't wear the 3 point seatbelt and slide the seat forward off of the rollcage...not as much leg room though.