Decisions! What to do with M275A2

[Recovry4x4]

I need a cargo truck. I'm tired of the relative uselessness of the tractor the way it is. It's such a great running truck I can't bear the thought of selling it. I'm now considering doing some crazy chop work and grafting a deuce bed to it. The overall length of the tractor is 50 inches shorter than a cargo truck so I'll have to shorten the bed if I do this. I want to make it removable in the event I need to use the tractor so that means it will have to be notched at the front to clear the pogo and air lines. I'm hoping to notch the bottom in such a way that I can leave the 5th wheel in place. Am I carzy for even considering this?
Before it comes out, I can't just add another truck to the yard, I'm stuck with what I have.

 

[papercu]

M275A2

Get the other truck and put it in your son name, your wife won't be able to say no to HIS toys. Wayne

 

[gimpyrobb]

RE: M275A2

Is there a way to mount a kingpin to a cargo bed so you can just drop it on the 5th wheel?

 

[TacticalTruck]

Funny, I just had the same conversation with a friend of mine. He's as crazy as you are.... Anything is possible. He also figured he'd just let the bed hang over and just avoid putting anything real heavy right at the back.
Jeff

 

[clinto]

I couldn't bring myself to mod a truck as nice as yours.

 

[cranetruck]

Shop for a small K-boom. With it you can easily have removable shelters and beds for your truck and still keep it as an M275.

 

[yorkgulch2]

To bad you are so far away. I've been looking to trade my m35a2w/w for a m275a2w/w. Right now I am planning on selling or trading the bed. In March?? there was a m275a2 that had a m35 bed added. It did not look to bad.

 

[ken]

Can you pick up a good M105 and keep the truck the way it is?

 

[cranetruck]

Kenny knows all this, he is just getting restless.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Kenny knows all this, he is just getting restless.

I know how that goes. I change trucks like some folks change underwear

 

[BKubu]

Kenny,
Whatever you do, my suggestion is DON'T MODIFY YOUR TRACTOR. That has to be one of the nicest running deuces I've ever driven. If you must have a cargo, sell the tractor...but please don't bastardize her. For the cost of a run of the mill M35A2, why not buy another truck so you have a cargo.

Bruce

 

[mangus580]

There is an easy fix to Kenny's problem..... He needs a TRAILER for his tractor!!

 

[devilman96]

Need I come slap you??? LOL

 

[citizensoldier]

Kenny!! Besides helping devilman slap you around to your senses. But I dont think that cowboy needs my help anyway.. This is a thought Dave P and I had about some of the 5 ton tractors we have. Because we keep running into the problem of needing to carry a bunch of tools on truck retreival. I get sick of having tool boxes and air ratchets to sit on on our adventures.
I was designing a bed that would slide on tracks kind of like a dumpster and lock into the king pin and have 4 more slide in pins to lock it in place. Kind of like a RedNeck PLS
Mine would be a fork truck loaded type box.. But with yor M108 you are all set.
You could cut a cargo bed down, use a M105 box, many options..
Just the idea I had.. When we go after a big truck for a flat tow there is just no room on a tractor for much of anything. Exspecialy the deuce tractor..
Sorry for bad spelling and grammer.. To lazy to use spell check right now.

 

[Rattlehead]

I had this crazy idea that you could probably do without modding the truck much, if at all. It would involve a custom bed about the size of an M105, with a hole cut out for the 5th wheel plate, and removable sides. You could even have the bed anchor at the back on the clevis brackets, and possibly even dump. If you used it for a dump, you could have a metal box that goes over the 5th wheel to allow you to haul dirt/gravel. Slope the box at the front of the 5th wheel to minimize stuff getting hung up when dumping. Removable sides would allow you to leave the bed in place and still use the 5th wheel, or just use the wrecker to remove the bed when needed.

But I understand your problem of not being able to haul stuff. I have 2 big MV's, and when I sell my pickup I will not be able to haul much of anything, with the M45 having small doors and being filled more and more with camper type furniture.

Now my goal is to add a dump box to a heavy equipment type pintle trailer, and mount a small knuckle crane to the front for loading junk. Then it can be hauled by either truck. Then I will work on a lowboy for hauling the big stuff.

 

[cranetruck]

For educational purposes only.

The 5-ton m656 and xm757 have the same length frame, so that it's an easy swap to go from 5th wheel to cargo bed, manufacturing wise anyway, the extra space on the tractor version is used for cargo space. The "dromedary" platform is about the the size of a plywood sheet and useful for tools , genset, spare tire etc.
The 5th wheel is bolted in, not riveted like some other trucks, again for an easy swap.

Bottom line, perhaps you can modularize your M275 for easy swaps between cargo and road tractor.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I won't do anything permanent to the tractor at all. It's my thought that I can shorten a deuce ber and trim whatever is necessary to clear the 5th wheel and approach ramps. I would also notch the areas where the rear deck is so that it sits flat. I like the idea of pinning it to the trailer safety chain mounts too. I won't chop up the tractor and I seriously dooubt that I could ever sell it. The worst thing I'll do is add a couple of holes but I'd rather engineer my way around that. Modular is the key word. I want to be able to pull this bed off and have my tractor readily available. I still haven't given up on finding an M36 bed and mounting in on a chassis like the M447, M750 and M313 trailers have. It's an M295 chassis and Wayne Harris has one for me. Nothing will be happening anytime soon anyway. Just a walk to the mailbox can make you burst into flames.

 

[yorkgulch2]

Heres some pics of the m275 with bed that was on ebay

 

[Recovry4x4]

I wouldn't be against unbolting my 5th wheel plate and quarter fenders either. It's just bolts. I have impacts and a crane. I think the rest I can do without any alterations of the truck.

 

[FreightTrain]

If you want a cargo truck....willing to trade?