Hello and 5ton questions

[Chris H]

I have a bobbed M923a2 and I love it. I am 6'-4" and it fits OK. The bobbed truck does three things for me: 1. It manuvers easier 2. I can park it better. 3. Reduced weight to 16k, therefore eliminating a CDL in TX.

Good info Txcoop. Where'd you get your truck?
Does it keep the rain out and does the heater crank?

 

[Txcoop]

Chris,
I had the truck customized by a company in Georgia. If you PM me, I can give you the name and contact information. As far as the heater function, the truck has A/C which included heat. The truck is a blast to drive

 

[Shark Bait]

I've had mine over three years. I think you would enjoy one. Much better ride than the 5 tons I had.

 

[wreckerman893]

've had mine over three years. I think you would enjoy one. Much better ride than the 5 tons I had.

Just remember it has a throw away CAT engine in it.

Any engine painted yaller is going to cost you money when it breaks.'

Ask Papa Bear what he thinks about those engines. They were used in some of the roll back trucks he operates.

 

[Chris H]

View attachment 680890View attachment 680889I've had mine over three years. I think you would enjoy one. Much better ride than the 5 tons I had.

I really like the way they're laid out and the fact I can get an insulated box with one.
Have you put a lot of miles on it?
I'm looking for something I can drive a lot without a lot of issues.
It's starting to seem like a LMTV' with a hopped up 8.3 or a 5.9 swap would be the way to go.

 

[Shark Bait]

I really like the way they're laid out and the fact I can get an insulated box with one.
Have you put a lot of miles on it?
I'm looking for something I can drive a lot without a lot of issues.
It's starting to seem like a LMTV' with a hopped up 8.3 or a 5.9 swap would be the way to go.

Ive put a few thousand on it over the years. Sits in the garage most of the time now. Lol

 

[Chris H]

Ive put a few thousand on it over the years. Sits in the garage most of the time now. Lol

Lol. I'm thinking I could put 30,000 miles a year or more on whatever I end up with.

 

[simp5782]

Lol. I'm thinking I could put 30,000 miles a year or more on whatever I end up with.

Ive put 58,000 miles on a 5 ton in the past 11 months. Its not easy to find one that is dependable enough to do that many miles. Especially if you are towing with it.

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[Chris H]

Ive put 58,000 miles on a 5 ton in the past 11 months. Its not easy to find one that is dependable enough to do that many miles. Especially if you are towing with it.

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Thanks,... so it sounds like it can be done.
I don't tow often- only if I need to rent equipment. Where'd you find yours ?
Do you put many Offroad miles on it? Someone suggested that they are problematic Offroad.

 

[simp5782]

Thanks,... so it sounds like it can be done.
I don't tow often- only if I need to rent equipment. Where'd you find yours ?

Mine was a kansas readiness truck from ft riley in 2015.

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[Bhpdbrad]

What part of CA are you in? If in So-Cal I'll have my 5-ton in the Newhall 4th of July Parade. Feel free to come by in the morning while we're staged and take a close look. It gets lots of attention - people love it.

 

[tobyS]

There were a lot of really nice M931A2's sold that would make a great 4x4 without cutting the frame. I bought one that had 12 hours since a full rebuild, so they are out there.

 

[red]

I've been looking into that too. I have been given the impression that they're more trouble prone than a 5 ton and I know I can get an Allison in a 5 ton but have no idea who makes the tranny for the 1078's. I definitely like the cabs on the 1078's better and the fact that I can buy one with a wired and insulated box installed.

If you are planning to drive offroad often avoid the LMTV's. Had a few on the demolition range and they required repairs on average 3 times per year. Not standard maintenance, repairs. Pavement driver all the time sure but they were poorly wired/plumbed for offroad use.

LMTV has a different model Allison transmission.

I'd suggest you take a stock 5 ton offroad before committing to bobbing one. A m931, m932, m818 tractor will give you a short wheelbase. Pretty straight forward to remove the 5th wheel and install something else on the back like a cargo bed or camper.

 

[98G]

If you are planning to drive offroad often avoid the LMTV's. Had a few on the demolition range and they required repairs on average 3 times per year. Not standard maintenance, repairs. Pavement driver all the time sure but they were poorly wired/plumbed for offroad use.

LMTV has a different model Allison transmission.

I'd suggest you take a stock 5 ton offroad before committing to bobbing one. A m931, m932, m818 tractor will give you a short wheelbase. Pretty straight forward to remove the 5th wheel and install something else on the back like a cargo bed or camper.

Like this -

 

[Chris H]

What part of CA are you in? If in So-Cal I'll have my 5-ton in the Newhall 4th of July Parade. Feel free to come by in the morning while we're staged and take a close look. It gets lots of attention - people love it.

I'm in so cal but I'm supposed to be up north working then. Thanks for the invite. If things change I might see you. I'm sure it's a head turner!

 

[Chris H]

There were a lot of really nice M931A2's sold that would make a great 4x4 without cutting the frame. I bought one that had 12 hours since a full rebuild, so they are out there.

Sounds like you scored a good one. I'm trying to figure out what and then the best place to go. It sounds like a 5 ton is the way to go, I was almost sold on the lmtv.

 

[Chris H]

If you are planning to drive offroad often avoid the LMTV's. Had a few on the demolition range and they required repairs on average 3 times per year. Not standard maintenance, repairs. Pavement driver all the time sure but they were poorly wired/plumbed for offroad use.

LMTV has a different model Allison transmission.

I'd suggest you take a stock 5 ton offroad before committing to bobbing one. A m931, m932, m818 tractor will give you a short wheelbase. Pretty straight forward to remove the 5th wheel and install something else on the back like a cargo bed or camper.

Thanks for the heads up. I was almost sold on them. Why not bob? Because the ride is better?
I'm concerned about maneuverability on long dirt roads. I like to backpack Mtn bike and explore mining roads etc. The camper idea is exactly what I'm after. I'm wondering if I can mount a box from the lmtvs on a 5 ton.

 

[Chris H]

Like this -View attachment 680981

Nice truck.

 

[red]

Thanks for the heads up. I was almost sold on them. Why not bob? Because the ride is better?
I'm concerned about maneuverability on long dirt roads. I like to backpack Mtn bike and explore mining roads etc. The camper idea is exactly what I'm after. I'm wondering if I can mount a box from the lmtvs on a 5 ton.

Pretty simple to mount whatever box you want on these trucks. The frame width on all medium and heavy duty trucks is 34" from outside of frame rail to outside of frame rail, just have to add the new mounting brackets onto the frame.

If you decide on a 5 ton tractor it might be cheaper/easier to find a box from a m109. It's 12ft long, many were surplussed. The box from the LMTV is newer but will probably cost more.

I advise against bobbing for a offroad truck because of the smoother ride, better traction, better weight distribution, and axle articulation. The smoother ride will help your camper last longer, lead to less maintenance on the truck from the less severe vibrations, and a better ride for the driver/occupants. Extra traction and better weight distribution are a given with the extra set of tires on the ground to share the weight load. Axle articulation is a huge difference. Single axle leaf spring and heavy duty truck air bag suspension travel is 10" or less per wheel. The tandem axle rear suspension on the 5 tons is roughly 2 feet per wheel.

For concerns about turning offroad. The stock rear suspension allows the axles to move side to side some and the truck will drag an axle over, it is designed for that. This leads to a similar turning radius between a single rear axle or dual rear axle with offroad driving, emphasizing offroad driving.

Couple pics just to give an idea of how the stock rear suspension moves. Rather than lifting the rear of the truck up and over that berm it just pivots each wheel over individually, making for a smoother ride.

 

[Bhpdbrad]

I'm in so cal but I'm supposed to be up north working then. Thanks for the invite. If things change I might see you. I'm sure it's a head turner!

It's quite the ride - off road too. I just picked up some girls having their bachelorette party on the Muholand Fire road near the Nike missile site. They had a blast.