Did you drive or ship your MV when purchased? Please read...

[big daddy]

I bought one about 75 miles away ,the other was 150 miles away , drove both home no beds, no taillights, no tags ,no problems the cops just looked kind of puzzled but kept on going. I did have someone following me though. One was camo the other was still fire dept. red, that may be why I got away with it ! I took along a ton of tools ,chains, and my F350 I figured I was ready for just about anything. Just think of it as an adventure instead of being nervous about it. It turned out to be a lot of fun ( thats my version ,dont ask the ol'lady I'm sure she saw it differently ) I say go for it ! Besides it makes for good story telling later.

 

[MVtrucker]

Just now read your posting, Jonny Reb, and you are so right. That was the first time that I saw a rig like that come here to haul a deuce away, far away at that!

 

[FSBruva]

As long as we are handing out compliments where they're due, I echo Bkubu's assessment of Kenny. Just ask yourself this: Would you hand over the proverbial keys of a deuce to a punk 22 year old whom you've just met? And then proceed to stay behind while the same 22 year old takes it for a spin?

Thanks again to Kenny for giving me the first dose of OD addiction.

Matt

 

[Deuce-bigalo]

Well I am definately scouring the Auctions now. I feel I can get a better deal in the mid-west than on the west coast. I am going to try for a 5T and 2.5T and see how it goes! Thanks for all the info folks - I am somewhat mechanically inclined yet only on gas engines - but it's the understanding of components that really makes or breaks you in my opinion!

John

 

[BigWheelBob]

I just ran 600 miles with a deauce on a trailor, behind my gmc duramax, a deauce tanker on my f-650 rollback, and fell I could have drove the troop carrier I bought, but went back for a second trip with the rollback. Cops looked at me funny, but never pulled me. The deauce is twice as big as the GMC.

 

[micky]

I purchased a 5Ton from GL March Airbase CA. It was the one on the video driving around the lot, so we figured it would make it. We drove the sixteen hundred miles in a Ford Ranger loaded to the gills. I was disappointed that Jose had misstated the milage by 17000 and the guys who got there before us used my truck to start the 4 that they bought and they took my new batteries and left me dead ones. We chaned the oil and checked fluids at my buddies place in San Dimas and drove it back to Seattle. Took four days, it was a good time. I paid alot compared to what prices are east of here but it was still the best alternative for me. I think I made up for it at the Fort Lewis scarp dealers place.

 

[Deuce-bigalo]

Well, it's nice to hear they are worthy of cross country travel. How did you fair with the road noise and lack of radio? MP3 player? Walkman? Earplugs and a lot of time to think to yourself??

John

 

[Recovry4x4]

I find that deuce travel without the radios and all the other distractions, is enjoyable. Travel at 53 MPH affords you the chance to see things you normally don't see. For me it forces me into the "Take Time to Smell the Roses" thing. You also learn just how many songs you remember too. With headphones or earplugs you hear yourself really well. I got on the bandwagon a few years back and put intercoms in both trucks. I almost always traveled alone on roadtrips and found the intercom more of a hassle than it's worth around town. I sold all my intercoms. SInce then my youngest is traveling all over the counrtyside in tehe deuce now. I wished I had that intercom on the Aberdeen trip for sure. The conversation you get while deuce trekking is pretty fun too. I had a guy bow up and argue with me at the Flying J in TN pointing at me and telling me my tracotr is a 5 ton. The fool wouldn't listen to reason but susceeded when I presented the -10 showing him that the deuce tractor was real. He shortly appologized and then we had a decent conversation. Already planning my next big deuce trip in Aug 2006.

 

[micky]

On our trip we used electronic earmuffs and held a talkabout to the mic to hear when the one driving the chase vehicle flashed lights at you. For me it was my first time driving a truck that big so I was focused on driving. It was a good time. I would really like a set of Selectro style front hubs. If someone has a freind at MileMarker, please make a request.
Mick

 

[DaveP]

drove my XM818WoW yanken a 131A4 home today. only 85 miles but it was still a great time ! i purchased them from a municipality . no problems on the way as long as i didnt use the brakes.

 

[Deuce-bigalo]

Where did you buy them from? Municipality? Do you have a Non Profit thing?

John

 

[DaveP]

i am the non profit thing. just ask my wife! seriously now, i bought them from a city DPW about 85 miles from where i live. tractor runs great trailer pulls straight. what more could a guy ask for right ?

 

[rdixiemiller]

If we can be nosy, roughly how many $ ?

 

[Pappa-G]

I bought my duce and drove it over 500 miles the top was torn and I was half deaf from the noise, but the best part was when the toll booth collector let me go through for free (all she could see was my brown t-shirt and cammo cap) it pays to have short hair.
My brother recently picked up a nice one from GL for under $2k. This fall we are convoying to the western end of the U.P. for our annual "Club Event".~Pappa-G

 

[firefox]

> As a few of you know, I just bought an M54A2 5Ton from Jim Hossack up in Washington State.
> I started driving about 13 years ago, and no, I am not in my 20's. I bought a 1977 F250 and had
> it for about 10 years and then I bought an M1008 CUCV from Gene Pantano and drove it back from Colorado. Driving an M54A2 is not quite the same thing I found out..........
>
> Jim did his best to set me up for the trip and I am deeply grateful for all his help and advice.

> The trip started off uneventful enough until I got about half way down to California. Parked in
> a motel, went in and registered, came back out and went to move the truck. I heard the ringing
> clanging noise that sounded like an 8 inch impeller or something that had lost its bearings and
> was clanging up against the housing.
>
> Well, I didn't know that the turbocharger was this tiny little thing, so I called up Jim and told him
> that I thought the turbo charger had died.
> He was all ready to go get one from a friend and have someone come down and install it for me!
> That is what I call dedication to helping someone out!
>
> Figured out what it realy was yet????
>
> I started talking to Jim some more and decided to rule out the turbo. The next possibility
> was that maybe the starter solenoid got stuck out and was pinging on the fly wheel. This has
> been know to happen, and was told about the big hammer approach. Barring that, I had had the
> presence of mind to have gotten a spare starter for the trip, so I was prepared.
>
> Still haven't figured out wat the real problem was?
>
> I had done some more checking and couldn't find anything, so I started it up and NO NOISE.
> I had previously thought that this noise was associated with the engine running but the vehicle stationary, but I was a little disconcerted at the time. Bad assumption.
>
> The following morning I got up and figured I was ok, after all I had a hammer and I had a
> spare starter. Oh, one more thing, I had noticed that the parking break was loose, so I figured
> I would tighten it up before I left.
>
> Are you ready for this?
>
> Crawled under the truck and what do I see, but these two wierd parts that look like they are part
> of some brake assembly, just dangling by a control cable right next to the 8 inch cylinder that
> seemed to be part of the drive shaft. Duh, so that's how they implement the parking brake
> on an M54A2. Gee, I bet that makes a clanging noise when it hits up against the moving
> drive shaft and integral brake drum.......
>
> Well, got to keep on trucking. That's what they make bailing wire for....I'll get a replacement
> pin after we get home. It is about a 3/4" by 5" bolt but has bearing surfaces. It's what holds the
> brake shoes in that shaft drum.
>
> On the road again, tearing down the mountains at a whoping 53 MPH with a tail wind.
> Which was fine, but then eventually it started to decrease a little at a time, along with the RPM.
> Then I remembere why Brad had provided me with a primary fuel filter and instructions
> on what to look for. So when it got to 45 MPH max I pulled into
> a rest stop, and swapped the filter...Then I cleaned up the mess I made doing it... You have to
> tilt the canister to get the filter out.
>
> Once that was done I was able to speed on my merry way....ok, ok, so 53 MPH is not speeding.
> After going 45 though it seemed like greased lighting.
>
> Paul Thomas met me at the storage facility where I have to park it to meet insurance and the
> usual city problems. He helped me unload all my gear, and there was a lot of it, and then drove
> me home. This was a very noble thing for him to do, even if I did let him drive it into the
> parking space. And he didn't even hit the two adjacent cars like I probably would have.
>
> I am now home, and I guess I should probably take a few lessons on how to drive my new
> toy so I don't traumatize any more folks on the highway.
>

 

[Low-Tech-Redneck]

We had our deuce delivered to us, mostly out of ignorance of how to properly drive one or it's mechanical condition.

Having done so, we would probably not mind driving it home ourselves if we had to do it again.

While just out driving around, we've never had a problem with scrutiny from either police or other regulatory agencies, heck, the National Guard passed us once and gave us a big thumbs-up!

When we bought the 105 trailer for it, we towed it home (250 miles) with no plates or registration, just a farm equipment reflector on the back, and nobody cared.

Noise is a major consideration, especialy for the passenger, with no mufflers, those trucks are loud and w/0 muffs of some kind, you'll get a ringing headache after too long, and communication with the driver can be a problem

 

[DaveP]

If we can be nosy, roughly how many $ ?

sorry for not responding sooner. under 10k. starts,runs,drives and stops like a 17 ton dream. it's really a fun truck to drive. wife likes it to! need to locate one of those intercoms because on long rides she gets bored. as most of you know conversation is impossible at road speeds. it needs a clutch fan like other class 8 trucks have.

 

[Wick246]

Did you figure out the brake problem yet Northern?

 

[DaveP]

Did you figure out the brake problem yet Northern?

i don't know what all was going on but i discoverd that the service side of tractor brakes was retaining pressure. on the front glad hand cover there is a vent feature. that was plugged with rust. cleaned it and works just fine so far. it dose'nt leak air from this vent when the brakes are not applied. i thought at first the air pack was to blame but it is not acting up at this time. so to answer your ? i guess i did.