Deuce driving tips

[bbs]

Check your pto shifter position and winch handles before start up, little fingers cause big problems.

Do a 360degree check on your truck and surroundings before moving from rested state, These trucks attract a lot of attention form people and they tend to forget they run and drive.

Plan ahead when maneuvering always expect someone to try to cut around your blind side or pull out in front of you.

Be safe, and enjoy the ride

 

[Dipstick]

Check your transfer case handle too. Mine moves down from high range into neutral with very little effort. I found that out one day when I let out the clutch and went nowhere slow. I get about a 50/50 mix concerning other drivers. Some will cut me off or turn in front of me at intersections. Others are very respectful and some stare in disbelief when they see my green machine. I probably bring it on my somewhat because I don't nail the accelerator on every shift. I take it easy. I usually get a smile or fist pump on most drives though.

 

[phil2968]

My boy was sitting in the cab while I did the walk around before going on a little ride. I pulled out the drive and the steering wheel yanked out of my hands when I made my turn into the road. What the heck!? The next turn it was the same thing. A quick look verified the boy had engaged the front axle! 6x6 and pavement don't mix!

 

[m1010plowboy]

Doing a little holiday season bump with a newish video hot off press that teaches many lessons. The vehicles are not military but the situation of crossing a bridge while in a corner is one we'll all face. The dangers of wheel hop and loss of control can be mitigated by reading every foot of the road, adjusting speeds and managing the vehicle. A bridge does not 'just sneak up on us" and this is just one reason why I "toss the phone until I'm home".

Language warning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3GPCHPrN78

We can all get better with eye-lead time, road condition awareness, spatial separation, merging techniques and knowing the difference between assertive driving and those learning.

The biggest lesson for merging traffic in this video is the assertive driver wins. The SUV pulls out on to the highway at posted speeds or slightly higher and merges a long distance in front of the transport. Whether it was intentional or not... is unknown, but the SUV accelerates and provides space between himself and the semi.

I avoid being anywhere near a semi and will merge at a rate of speed that provides maximum spatial separation for the circumstance. We need to make some assumptions to help drivers avoid the dangers with this situation. Assuming the transport truck is doing the posted speed limit, the small car in the video could have merged at a higher rate of speed and maintained that speed until clear of the transport truck. There are several other small adjustments that could have been done by either driver to avoid this, but we'll encourage others to chime in too.

It's clear what the transport truck did wrong in this video and the thought that the victim in this case could have avoided being a part of the situation by having a little more knowledge, encouraged me to talk about it.

When you're wheeling the deuce down the highway this holiday season, read the road, bumps, debri and lets share some conversation about getting better, because we're all .....still ....learning.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Always figure that green light is going to go red. If you are in high range coming to a stop just before the tires stop rolling switch the transfer case to low.

That can be a cumbersome procedure.
And not necessary for normal driving conditions. Now if your hauling overwieght!.......(and shouldn't be..)

 

[Hainebd]

I just stay home. Between me and my bad driving along with other bad drivers, neither of us has a chance. And the Deuce, (same happens to motorcyclist), you have no hope of coming home unscaved.

 

[71DeuceAK]

Great thread! Thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, as someone who plans on having a Deuce as a first/daily driver vehicle, and as someone who may get to drive one next week...

 

[The King Machine]

After 6 months of not driving the Deuce, I had forgotten the fact that you need to be on the ball at all times while operating this vehicle. 2 days ago at 530 am while driving to work I was traveling at about 30 mph. The road I was on had a slight down grade, approaching an intersection the voice in my head told me to slow down the light was going to turn yellow. I ignored that voice.

Deuce + wet road + Down grade + ignoring instincts =................................................Deuce sliding sideways through red light with the horn blaring.

It was a real pucker factor, lucky it was early. The only person at the intersection saw what was happening and didn't move.

Lesson: Driving adds experience, experience supports instincts, listen to your instincts. Pay attention on wet roads. These trucks are light in the ass end, if your running super singles it makes it worse.

 

[highfavor1004]

Braking- pulse braking (this will allow your air pack to do most of the pressure during braking) will save your wheel cylinders and will train you to give more then enough stopping distance.

 

[daytonatrbo]

I avoid being anywhere near a semi and will merge at a rate of speed that provides maximum spatial separation for the circumstance. We need to make some assumptions to help drivers avoid the dangers with this situation. Assuming the transport truck is doing the posted speed limit, the small car in the video could have merged at a higher rate of speed and maintained that speed until clear of the transport truck. There are several other small adjustments that could have been done by either driver to avoid this, but we'll encourage others to chime in too.

It's clear what the transport truck did wrong in this video and the thought that the victim in this case could have avoided being a part of the situation by having a little more knowledge, encouraged me to talk about it.

When you're wheeling the deuce down the highway this holiday season, read the road, bumps, debri and lets share some conversation about getting better, because we're all .....still ....learning.

That's quite the video. I tend to take a little extra burst of speed when passing large trucks. I try to give them a wide berth when merging, passing, etc. One time this bit me, as I made a decision to use the right hand pedal to give me more room when merging on a truck, rather than drop back behind, due to the traffic pattern emerging. Went well except for the sheriff that was on the other side of the semi writing me a ticket for 11 over the limit.

 

[King]

If it looks like rain, bring a towel for the inside of the windshield because the soft top will leak, and the wipers will not get it! Wear heavy boots, the heat coming in from around the accelerator will melt wimpy shoes!

 

[MDdeuce]

If it looks like rain, don't drive. Those stupid air wipers never work right and you will be stuck wherever you are until it stops. Steering plus shifting plus turn signals plus the manual wiper lever gets old fast, and you can't reach the other one.

 

[71DeuceAK]

If it looks like rain, don't drive. Those stupid air wipers never work right and you will be stuck wherever you are until it stops. Steering plus shifting plus turn signals plus the manual wiper lever gets old fast, and you can't reach the other one.

...And some of my driving might be in rainy southeast Alaska! Or in snow...time for electric wiper motors I guess...

 

[brianp454]

The previous owner of my truck removed the windshield wipers. I did purchase new ones, yet never installed them. Instead I keep them well rain-X’ed and it works as well as wipers. And I live in the NW!

I do keep the wipers in the tool box just in case. They can be installed in 5 minutes.

I am running the MRAP steel wheels with Michelin XZL 365/80R20 tires. Over 400 pounds each! There are the metric equivalent of the 14.5R20 used on the M35A3 with a very offroad tread. I find that they are awesome for tread wear, off-road traction (I’ve gotten hung up running only the intermediate axle and can fly forward after engaging the front), and cut resistance after running on very heavy, sharp logging road gravel. On the flip side they are terrible on wet roads, especially if it as not rained in a while yet rains and I approach an intersection. I pulled the rear driveline because the additional binding on turns seems to make it more unstable. Regardless, I’ve concluded that these are poor wet asphalt traction tires and slow down when it’s wet.

I’ve had a couple instances where some A-hole has done a road rage on me by coming from behind, passing, merging in front and then slamming on brakes, etc. I’ve had people come into my lane abruptly, etc. You have to keep in mind that there are people that hate our country and veterans. Granted, the left coast has more than a fair share of haters. You just have to keep in mind that there are folks that see a military vehicle with veteran plates and want to provoke an altercation. On to the driving part, these things are tiring beasts to drive and I’ve decided that it is time to always run a dash cam. I drive very carefully and respectfully. I do not drink and drive. I’m shopping for reasonably priced dash cams to put in all of our vehicles.

The heater\defroster is a big help and I'd hate not to have it in rainy weather.

 

[brianp454]

What exactly happened there?

Doing a little holiday season bump with a newish video hot off press that teaches many lessons. The vehicles are not military but the situation of crossing a bridge while in a corner is one we'll all face. The dangers of wheel hop and loss of control can be mitigated by reading every foot of the road, adjusting speeds and managing the vehicle. A bridge does not 'just sneak up on us" and this is just one reason why I "toss the phone until I'm home".

Language warning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3GPCHPrN78

We can all get better with eye-lead time, road condition awareness, spatial separation, merging techniques and knowing the difference between assertive driving and those learning.

The biggest lesson for merging traffic in this video is the assertive driver wins. The SUV pulls out on to the highway at posted speeds or slightly higher and merges a long distance in front of the transport. Whether it was intentional or not... is unknown, but the SUV accelerates and provides space between himself and the semi.

I avoid being anywhere near a semi and will merge at a rate of speed that provides maximum spatial separation for the circumstance. We need to make some assumptions to help drivers avoid the dangers with this situation. Assuming the transport truck is doing the posted speed limit, the small car in the video could have merged at a higher rate of speed and maintained that speed until clear of the transport truck. There are several other small adjustments that could have been done by either driver to avoid this, but we'll encourage others to chime in too.

It's clear what the transport truck did wrong in this video and the thought that the victim in this case could have avoided being a part of the situation by having a little more knowledge, encouraged me to talk about it.

When you're wheeling the deuce down the highway this holiday season, read the road, bumps, debri and lets share some conversation about getting better, because we're all .....still ....learning.

 

[rustystud]

If it looks like rain, don't drive. Those stupid air wipers never work right and you will be stuck wherever you are until it stops. Steering plus shifting plus turn signals plus the manual wiper lever gets old fast, and you can't reach the other one.

You need to fix your wiper motors and switch and install the "Anco" wipers. Mine work great, it just takes a little effort.

 

[daytonatrbo]

You need to fix your wiper motors and switch and install the "Anco" wipers. Mine work great, it just takes a little effort.

Yeah, If I run the control wide open, my wipers move just fine. The rubber is lacking, but I also haven't replaced it(yet).

 

[VPed]

Or move to the desert

 

[MDdeuce]

You need to fix your wiper motors and switch and install the "Anco" wipers. Mine work great, it just takes a little effort.

I have "fixed" them several times. Taken them off the truck, disassemble, replace o-rings, reset the 'park' button, etc. Test them on a shop compressor, works great, put them on the truck, works great. Use the truck a month later, everything is crap. They wipe to the right once, and then nothing. Sometimes they hiss, and every once in a while 1 will pop and then start wiping. Both never work. The park button seems to be my issue and is like a silly feature.

I like the rain-x idea.

 

[m1010plowboy]

What exactly happened there?

It's tough to see the heave but at 22 seconds, if you hit pause, you start to see skid marks in the lane to the right of the semi. Both lanes on either side of the semi appear to be patched. At 24 seconds you can see how the skid marks in the right lane skip a few times. Looks like a bump to me.

I'm making some assumptions of course. Something could have broke on the truck but the stats say if you're driving in North America, mechanical failures are rare.
Each time the truck hit a bump in the first 22 seconds it sounded like an overloaded end dump, bottoming out. Add the corner to a bump and a loose grip on the wheel........it happens.

The hope is, anyone driving a car will recognize that bad things can happen when driving near big trucks. The trucking industry is still full of the some of the best drivers on the planet so giving them room to work just makes it easier for everyone. Truckers save countless numbers of oblivious drivers daily.

This also applies to any Civilian drivers passing our MV's. I've had folks pull along side the M135 on the highway and slow traffic down behind them so they could take pictures. We should always encourage folks to watch their mirrors, drive while they're driving, move right when someone's behind them and take pictures when the trucks are parked. They just need to check the local Steel Soldiers events calendar, the MVPA or visit a museum.

I'm always happiest when someone passes quick then leaves a football field in front of me before they pull back in. Those drivers are usually focused and aware of their situation so we need to make more of them.

Staying within 10% of the maximum speed limit, for short bursts, keeps me out of tickets. It's unlikely you'd ever get a prosecutor or LEO on here saying it's ok to speed to maximize spatial separation but I'd like to hear some other views. My view is completely skewed by survival and thinking any reasonable person can see that safety is much more important than a slight variation in a suggested maximum speed.

In the fine technique of merging, when the big rigs aren't "letting us in", and our choices are to speed up or stop on a highway merging ramp.....we should speed up.

If I'm merging, or being merged on I'm in planning mode long before I get there. If we were all on the same page we'd be moving over to let folks merge. If that can't be done then we'd slow down a little before the merge and let folks in. We all need to be on the same page though and if the merging drivers are slowing down to get 'behind' highway traffic and highway traffic is slowing down to allow merging drivers in...well, there's the problem.

Ideally, if drivers merge with the gas pedal, start looking for that open merge spot early and know that the MV or transport is slowing a little to let them in, it'd make it easier on all of us. Get on the gas, get on the highway and get out of the way.

I now think I got out of that last ticket because I went on and on and on and on