HMMWV Overland / cross country driving - Service?

[BadRobot]

I am just curious how you use your HMMWV? Did you take it cross country or overland adventure or something like that? My only concern is maintenance and service. If it broke down on the side of the road, where do you find a repair shop? I usually fix or do thing myself at home. However, I cannot carry parts / tools with me everything. I would need to find a repair shop in case I need one. Will GM / Chevy dealers fix the HMMWV? Since the HMMWV uses GM engine and Allison transmission.

The reason I ask, I am planning to make a trip to Mt. Rushmore and Yellow Stone from MD. I have to decide to take either a Raptor or the HMMWV with M1102 trailer.

Thanks,

 

[Havok]

Take the raptor. Your back will thank you

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[ari]

if you do take the humvee and a trailer why cant you bring a toolbox and a couple spare parts? ball joint tie rod ect? the engine and trans parts for the most part can be sourced from a local autoparts store. did you change your transmission to a allison type?

 

[Lawdog734]

I've done several backwoods traverse trips with my trucks so far. It wasn't the middle of nowhere, like Moab or anything like that out west, but it was far enough removed and in difficult enough terrain that recovery by anyone other than myself or the other mil vehicles that were with me would have been difficult. The best thing I can recommend is that you makes sure that you're thorough in your preventative maintanence checks and that any thing that might be questionable get replaced before you start on your trip.

A halfshaft breaking on your trip isn't enough to fully immobilize you, but it's good to know what you need to do if it happens. I don't carry the 3 lengths of halfshaft with me on these trips, but I'd have them available for someone to overnight to you if need be. I do carry the electrical stuff like an extra smart box, temp sender and light switch since the 24v stuff isn't easy to find on the fly. A tool bag with basic tools are always with me otherwise. Most anything else specific to the engine can be had at any autoparts store.

 

[ken]

Like they stated above. Go through everything bumper to bumper. Replace anything questionable. Change the oil in everything no matter if it needs it or not. Grease everything else. Grease all the CV joints and replace the boots with new ones. If you can take spare half shafts, then do so. Flush the cooling system and replace all the hoses even if they look ok. Then take it easy and don't push it hard.

 

[orgnal]

I am just curious how you use your HMMWV? Did you take it cross country or overland adventure or something like that? My only concern is maintenance and service. If it broke down on the side of the road, where do you find a repair shop? I usually fix or do thing myself at home. However, I cannot carry parts / tools with me everything. I would need to find a repair shop in case I need one. Will GM / Chevy dealers fix the HMMWV? Since the HMMWV uses GM engine and Allison transmission.

The reason I ask, I am planning to make a trip to Mt. Rushmore and Yellow Stone from MD. I have to decide to take either a Raptor or the HMMWV with M1102 trailer.

Thanks,

What is the longest distance away from home that you have driven your HMMWV? I have not gone beyond a 50 mile radius; so, I would not do it in mine until I have done reasonably longer trips.

McReddy

 

[erasedhammer]

I am just curious how you use your HMMWV? Did you take it cross country or overland adventure or something like that? My only concern is maintenance and service. If it broke down on the side of the road, where do you find a repair shop? I usually fix or do thing myself at home. However, I cannot carry parts / tools with me everything. I would need to find a repair shop in case I need one. Will GM / Chevy dealers fix the HMMWV? Since the HMMWV uses GM engine and Allison transmission.

The reason I ask, I am planning to make a trip to Mt. Rushmore and Yellow Stone from MD. I have to decide to take either a Raptor or the HMMWV with M1102 trailer.

Thanks,

I have had my humvee for a year and a half now. Put around 15k on it since I got it. It originally had 67k on it, with the 6.2 being rebuilt in 20013 (odd I know).

Since I got mine I've been on two 500 mile road trips. One trip I later found out I did with one hub completely full of water. Those things are incredibly hard to break (unless your spindle comes flying off lol... bluehummer)
A couple times a week I do 80 mile trips out to off road locations and such. More often I go 50 miles out to my local forested area, the trails are harsh and the truck makes it there, through, and back.
Recently I did a backcountry discovery route, only a 100 mile section. Slammed it out in 8 hours, the road was rediculously bumpy, and with our stiff suspensions on these trucks it doesnt make it any better. After that I did a 250 mile road trip home. Zero problems the entire way (except for a half shaft acting up, unrelated though), except a door deciding to shake its way down and required readjustment to get it to close properly.

A couple pieces of advice I have found:
1. At the very minimum take a full rachet/wrench toolkit with you. Half shaft failures, door adjustments, loose components, all can be fixed on the go.
2. If your truck is having some fluid issues with mystery or even non mystery leaking, simply do a patch (or just fix it) then bring extra fluid with you. On long trips I never leave home without a 5 gallon jug of water, you can move the vehicle without power steering or brakes, but an overheating engine is a problem.
3. Longer trips I would take a spare tire, jack kit, recovery gear (although that should already be in there), and spare parts of anything you think might fail (like a half shaft, or a light bulb)

Finally I'd like to say that if your truck came in with little to no problems, you probably won't have any major issues come up within a couple months of owning it. Its really funny cause all the major problems I've had, have happened close to home or a shop. Half shaft failure happened 10 minutes from my house. Transmission internal harness failure (limp mode for 4l80e) happened 5 minutes away from the shop that installed it. AC compressor seized up in my driveway. Driveshaft U joint failure happened 7 miles from the shop that installed it.

I am always pleasantly surprised at the durability of these trucks. Now do NOT get this confused with longevity. The two terms can be used in conjunction on production vehicles but not humvees. The parts on our trucks are very durable, designed to take a harsh beating in harsh environments. But the con is they don't last as long as production car parts. Do PMCS after every trip, **** just check crap under the hood when you have spare time on trips. Will save you from maybe a spindle coming loose or a hydraulic hose coming off.

 

[maa45069]

Use the raptor to tow the hmmwv.... and use the hmmwv in the cities you stop in

 

[BadRobot]

Use the raptor to tow the hmmwv.... and use the hmmwv in the cities you stop in

That would not be my choice since I have RTT on the M1102. I need some where to sleep and cook.

 

[BadRobot]

I have had my humvee for a year and a half now. Put around 15k on it since I got it. It originally had 67k on it, with the 6.2 being rebuilt in 20013 (odd I know).

Since I got mine I've been on two 500 mile road trips. One trip I later found out I did with one hub completely full of water. Those things are incredibly hard to break (unless your spindle comes flying off lol... bluehummer)
A couple times a week I do 80 mile trips out to off road locations and such. More often I go 50 miles out to my local forested area, the trails are harsh and the truck makes it there, through, and back.
Recently I did a backcountry discovery route, only a 100 mile section. Slammed it out in 8 hours, the road was rediculously bumpy, and with our stiff suspensions on these trucks it doesnt make it any better. After that I did a 250 mile road trip home. Zero problems the entire way (except for a half shaft acting up, unrelated though), except a door deciding to shake its way down and required readjustment to get it to close properly.

A couple pieces of advice I have found:
1. At the very minimum take a full rachet/wrench toolkit with you. Half shaft failures, door adjustments, loose components, all can be fixed on the go.
2. If your truck is having some fluid issues with mystery or even non mystery leaking, simply do a patch (or just fix it) then bring extra fluid with you. On long trips I never leave home without a 5 gallon jug of water, you can move the vehicle without power steering or brakes, but an overheating engine is a problem.
3. Longer trips I would take a spare tire, jack kit, recovery gear (although that should already be in there), and spare parts of anything you think might fail (like a half shaft, or a light bulb)

Finally I'd like to say that if your truck came in with little to no problems, you probably won't have any major issues come up within a couple months of owning it. Its really funny cause all the major problems I've had, have happened close to home or a shop. Half shaft failure happened 10 minutes from my house. Transmission internal harness failure (limp mode for 4l80e) happened 5 minutes away from the shop that installed it. AC compressor seized up in my driveway. Driveshaft U joint failure happened 7 miles from the shop that installed it.

I am always pleasantly surprised at the durability of these trucks. Now do NOT get this confused with longevity. The two terms can be used in conjunction on production vehicles but not humvees. The parts on our trucks are very durable, designed to take a harsh beating in harsh environments. But the con is they don't last as long as production car parts. Do PMCS after every trip, **** just check crap under the hood when you have spare time on trips. Will save you from maybe a spindle coming loose or a hydraulic hose coming off.

Great advise.

I usually drive my truck regularly. I took 300+ miles road trip between MD and Fr. Bragg, NC a couple time with M1102 to pick up stuffs. I think I already fix most of potential problem.

My M1102 has 35 gallon fresh water tank under it belly. I think I can survive a week. It has spare tire carrier, diesel jerry cans, pioneer tool kit.

I have most of frequent failed parts and electrical components.

Will the RED DOT AC unit be durable enough to use in the long trip? If it die, I just turn it off.

I would think the HMMWV should be tough enough since it serves in military.

As one member mentioned about the seats, it is a great advise. I might have to swap out the seats to more comfortable seats before the trip (if I decide to take it).

Only thing that I concern is the noise.

Thank you for your time to respond. I am greatly appreciated.

 

[BadRobot]

What is the longest distance away from home that you have driven your HMMWV? I have not gone beyond a 50 mile radius; so, I would not do it in mine until I have done reasonably longer trips.

McReddy

I took 300+ miles road trip between MD and Ft. Bragg with M1102 a couple times. I am an overlander, not hard core off roaders. So basically, I carry a lot of stuffs including RTT, kitchen stuffs, etc. So most of the static load is on M1102.

 

[BadRobot]

Take the raptor. Your back will thank you

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Good point. I forgot about that.

How about the noise?

 

[jeffy777]

I am just curious how you use your HMMWV? Did you take it cross country or overland adventure or something like that? My only concern is maintenance and service. If it broke down on the side of the road, where do you find a repair shop? I usually fix or do thing myself at home. However, I cannot carry parts / tools with me everything. I would need to find a repair shop in case I need one. Will GM / Chevy dealers fix the HMMWV? Since the HMMWV uses GM engine and Allison transmission.

The reason I ask, I am planning to make a trip to Mt. Rushmore and Yellow Stone from MD. I have to decide to take either a Raptor or the HMMWV with M1102 trailer.

Thanks,

My thoughts:
1.) I drive it regularly. I am trying to develop my own understanding of my HMMWV. I have driven off road.
2.) If you know the service requirements of your HMMWV and you have a idea for range and capabilities you should not worry. There are repair places everywhere who could help you that is true of any vehicle. What you will actually get is based on some luck. You could have the brand new Raptor and if it broke he could take that to a bad Ford dealer and that dealer could make it much worse.
3.) A GM dealer may work on it. They take dollars. They will work typically on anything. That means nothing to you.
4.) A GEP 6.5L is not a GM motor.
5.) I do not know of a manufactured HMMWV with a Allison. It has either a GM 3l80 or GM 4l80e transmission.
6.) I would take the Raptor typically because of time. But if you have all the time in the world I would enjoy my time and take the HMMWV. But I (stupidly) feel I could handle repairing it.

Enjoy the trip.

 

[riderdan]

So, I drove my M998 from Tennessee to Kansas (about 600 miles in eleven hours) this spring. There are a number of "convenience" things to keep in mind--many of which I'd forgotten in the 20-plus years since I drove one of these in the sandbox.

First, as mentioned above, your back/rear end will not be happy. Although I'm just 50, after four or five hours in the driver's seat of the HMMWV, I was in moderate discomfort. I had an extra pad on the seat and shifted position frequently, butt (ha ha) that part still wasn't fun.

Second, the noise is a thing. When I was in my 20s and drove one of these, I didn't care about my hearing at all. Ask me if I regret that and you can guess my answer. On my recovery, I wore a noise cancelling headset that let in attenuated ambient sound so I could hear what was going on around me.

Third, speed was an issue. In my late 80s humvee, the top speed is 60mph and at that speed the engine is working way too hard. I hung a big warning triangle on the back, turned on the flashers, and drove 55mph in the right hand lane the whole way back. Little old ladies on tricycles were passing me.

Maintenance/repairs is a separate issue. I actually didn't make it all the way back home--I lost a belt and the engine overheated. Fortunately I was paying careful attention, so no damage was done. A flatbed took me the rest of the way home, because I'd just driven for 11 hours and wasn't up for additional adventures.

A lot of parts for these trucks are available through an auto parts store (the belts were) though some aren't. I think if you have all the time in the world and a good set of tools, plus the critical non-common spares, you'd be fine. But if you don't want to sweat the vehicle, I'd take the truck. If you're the kind of person who would allow worry about the humvee to spoil the rest of your fun, skip it. Use the HMMWV for shorter adventures.

 

[ari]

regarding some of the posts about carrying 3 spare halfshafts I came across this kit http://bluehummer.com/heduhaki.html but I think I could make it for cheaper if I get 3 busted shafts where the internals are broken and then get 2 goods ends.

 

[Lawdog734]

regarding some of the posts about carrying 3 spare halfshafts I came across this kit http://bluehummer.com/heduhaki.html but I think I could make it for cheaper if I get 3 busted shafts where the internals are broken and then get 2 goods ends.

I made that comment and I agree that you certainly could make it using a old/busted shafts, but I personally look at those kits as something to get you out of a pinch or back to civilization and not as something to get you by on a road-trip until you feel like putting a new shaft in. I mean, maybe you can drive in HL for extended periods of time but I would think that if you broke a shaft, you should make it the first priority to get the problem shaft repaired as soon as possible once in a place safe to do so.

 

[erasedhammer]

Great advise.

I usually drive my truck regularly. I took 300+ miles road trip between MD and Fr. Bragg, NC a couple time with M1102 to pick up stuffs. I think I already fix most of potential problem.

My M1102 has 35 gallon fresh water tank under it belly. I think I can survive a week. It has spare tire carrier, diesel jerry cans, pioneer tool kit.

I have most of frequent failed parts and electrical components.

Will the RED DOT AC unit be durable enough to use in the long trip? If it die, I just turn it off.

I would think the HMMWV should be tough enough since it serves in military.

As one member mentioned about the seats, it is a great advise. I might have to swap out the seats to more comfortable seats before the trip (if I decide to take it).

Only thing that I concern is the noise.

Thank you for your time to respond. I am greatly appreciated.

Red dot systems are extremely durable on road, but components can begin to fail on rough roads off road. Humvee suspension+washboard=broken ****.

Toolkit is necessary for this setup because if the compressor seizes you need to remove the belt (if its still intact lol).
Hopefully my problem was just a rare premature failure and not a recurring problem.

As for seats. The very first upgrade I did to my humvee was add black fabric mrap seats. All my road trips have been very comfortable. 10 hour continuous trip, never really was uncomfortable. Had headphones on and my shoes off, it was in the winter so it was surprisingly cozy.

 

[1 Patriot-of-many]

I certainly have AAA for starters. Well worth the money.

 

[riderdan]

I would think the HMMWV should be tough enough since it serves in military.

Keep in mind that outside the theater, there's a recovery vehicle that can come get a broken down HMMWV and that the military considers soldiers' time "free"--so they don't care if a truck breaks down on the highway for the purposes of convenience. Some PFC can babysit the humvee until a recovery truck shows up.

When I was in the service, the humvees I drove did not have spare tires. Not on a carrier, not in the bed: no spare at all. If you got a flat, you radioed HQ and they sent someone to tow you. So I wouldn't necessarily consider that they were "tough enough for the military" a measure of reliability.

 

[buffalorunner]

Though I think you will thank yourself in the end for taking the Raptor on the long trip (for comfort sake), I don't think driving a HMMWV is unfeasible. I would consider it the same as having any old truck (speaking specifically from my 20 year old DD), stuff will break and parts are going to fail because of their age. But if I drive it often enough, work on it often enough (more than enough), and become familiar with the truck through interaction, I wouldn't hesitate to drive it from coast to coast tomorrow.

If you service your truck, are familiar how to trouble shoot in the TM, and carry some basic tools (other than unforeseen catastrophic failure) then doing HMMWV road trips should be fun. I also believe that some of the problems that all Green Machines have is how long they sit and don't get driven. Putting on some road miles a couple days a week should be the first step. Now, I just need to find enough days in a week to drive everything...