Going to pick up a M818 400 miles away

[midcounty]

No blood but can't wait to get to the chiropractor for this month... Take a bottle of Tylenol with you and set of ear plugs.

Both are packed, as well as a pillow for the seat

 

[Makincold]

Awe too bad, an M818 bobtail recovery is a blast. Almost none better.

Never forget my 200 mile recovery of my M818!

 

[Tow4]

Never forget my 200 mile recovery of my M818!

Me neither. Make sure you have your seat belt on; I can't tell you how many times I would have been launched through the roof if not for that. Ear plugs.

Have fun.

 

[midcounty]

Ok, I am packing stuff up for my trip. So far I have ear plugs, basic wrenches, sockets, screw drivers, pliers, jack, tools to change tire, infrared temperature gun, oil, brake fluid, water, and a tow bar. Ofcourse the tow bar would only be for pulling truck very short distance to get off the road, because the only other truck we are taking is the F250 diesel 4x4. So is there any thing I am forgetting?

 

[pctrans]

Gear oil! And a credit card!

 

[midcounty]

Yup, got oil and a card

 

[Hooty481]

Let us know how you feel?

 

[midcounty]

Made it home at 11:30 tonight. Too beat to post everything, but will do that later. Truck didn't miss a beat in over 12 hours of running.

 

[midcounty]

Well the 8 to 9 your drive ended up being 10 out and nearly 13 back. The 818 did not like a lot of the grades on rte 70 through OH, PA, and ofcourse MD. The 15k lb trailer seemed awfully heavy to her on some of them. At times I was down to 30 mph, and at one grade was 20 mph. I am going to be looking in to the injection system, as I think it may be a bit low on power. Otherwise the truck ran great. We didn't have any vehicle issues, only traffic issues in several spots. My butt and back were a bit sore and my ears were ringing a little when I went to bed, but all in all it wasn't as rough a ride as I thought. I was very glad to be home and be done driving last night. I can't get the pictures to post from my phone, so will have to do that this evening.

 

[DaveP]

Glad things went well with the recovery.
the low power sounds normal. they dont have much. check the fuel filter and maybe reset the top end.

 

[powerhouseduece]

I have to agree with Dave. They already lack on power as it is, throw a heavy trailer on the back and your really slowing down. The few times I pulled my m127a2c if felt like I was towing a sail boat with a geo. I have a stack of fuel filters, had I known you were passing my place I would have helped you out. Glad the trip was good, I won't dare drive my trucks past Frederick. The mountains can suck it!

 

[midcounty]

I had your number with me Matt. You were going to be my first call if I ran in to any problems in your area. Previous owner says he changed all the filters recently, including air filter. But I am probably going to change the feul filters again soon, for my peace of mind. I also want to inspect the air filter, as it smokes black even with very little load on it and just cruising. I think later down the road I would like to put 1400 size tires on and turbo the engine, so hopefully I will have a respectable cruising speed and the power to pull the trailer comfortably.

 

[midcounty]

Got a few pics and a short video taken with phones during the trip.
Taking a short break to check out truck after the first hour of driving.


just cruising



stuck in one of the several traffic jams


foot through the floor climbing one of too many grades along the way
View attachment IMG_0031.MOV

 

[DieselBob]

Glad to hear all went well. Nice looking setup.

 

[midcounty]

A better picture of the newest addition.

 

[Makincold]

Great picture!

 

[Hooty481]

Good looking truck and trailer!!! I think mine will need a turbo and some bigger tires. It will only turn 2200 rpms. Not sure if they can go any higher or if it's safe for them to.

 

[midcounty]

Good looking truck and trailer!!! I think mine will need a turbo and some bigger tires. It will only turn 2200 rpms. Not sure if they can go any higher or if it's safe for them to.

From what I have read 2100 should be the highest sustained rpm. That should result in 52 mph. Mine will turn 2200 plus and run 55 on level ground, but they say don't do it. I drove it home trying not to exceed 50 mph, until the last hour of the drive. At that point I had enough driving and bumped it to 55 mph for a while. I am thinking 1400's would be perfect for me. I don't want to ride super fast, but would like to get highway rpm down. I figure a turbo and 1400's should allow me to pull a loaded trailer around 55 mph.

Got a little time to look over the truck some more today. I have to fix the wipers, they don't seem to be getting air. I also blew a pinion seal on the last part of our journey. Should be two easy cheap fixes.

 

[73m819]

according to the -10, 2100 is max for the 250, page 2-75

 

[timothy1]

I followed this topic and thought I seen you last night on I-68 about 7pm. Glad your adventure was ok and safe