- 1,644
- 1,651
- 113
- Location
- Nova Laboratories, WA
My intent is to live full time in a box... 
I had an M934, but realized the box was a waste as to design around the folding out sides was dumb. So I sold it.
Here I am a couple years later and my how prices have changed. $4500 for a 5 ton? HA! They're 3x that now, easily.
I ended up buying a deuce and thought I'd use that as a base to build on. The idea of using any fuel I want, was huge, to someone who plans on driving around the country. The add'l savings in fuel costs were a huge bonus. The relatively light weight was also a bonus (compared to a 5 ton). Pretty much everything about it, I love... with a few exceptions... No power steering (air assist doesn't count, which it has), MANUAL transmission, which I'm not a fan of, and brakes.... To 'fix' all that would mean putting way more into the truck than is reasonable. BUT, getting 8-10 MPG vs 5 MPG, when driving across the country, is huge, even more so when taking into account being able to run a mix of whatever is cheapest or alternative fuels like WMO.
The deuce also feels more complicated than a 5 ton. Air brakes = simple. No master cylinder or air pack to fail, no single circuit systems, etc. Manual transmissions have clutches to deal with (although they can also be push started). It seems like for every negative, I'm finding positives, and it's just annoying me.
So, I started doing the math, and if I wanted either air or disc (or both) brake conversion I'd be looking at 2-3K, finding an auto would probably mean switching to a 6BT, which defeats the purpose of having a multifuel (but would also solve the power steering issue)... So, I'd be looking at dumping 12-15K into a truck... just to make it more like a 5 ton, to get better fuel economy. I could buy an entire 5 ton, sell the deuce, and use the deuce money to offset add'l fuel costs... although that doesn't solve the fuel flexibility issue... The NHC250 can run WMO in limited amounts though, provided it's filtered properly. One of the reasons I'm shying away from the A2 is tighter tolerances on the 8.3 = less wiggle room in running non-conventional fuel, and higher cost. I can add a turbo to an NHC250 if I want more power.
Anyway, now that you have a basic background of how my mind goes in circles....
I currently have a 15'5" box that I can use to build on... however it's not mandatory that I stick with that 'box'...
I see 3 options, currently.
1. Get an M931, and a 12' box.
2. Get an M923, existing box bolts right on (remove bed).
3. Get an M934, and either use existing box and make a partial flat bed, or just mount a 20' connex to it.
Option 1: M931 with 12' box -
Pro:
Con:
Option 2: M923 with existing box -
Pro:
Con:
Option 3: M934 with 20ft connex -
Pro:
Con:
I love the idea of keeping things as small as possible, and the lower expenses and better fuel economy of the 931 are extremely attractive.
The 923 is the middle of the pack, but has the downside of not being as big as the 934, and also more expensive than either option.
The 934 would be amazing, but will be absolutely horrible offroad and I can forget about driving it in quite a few places due to the length, as some parks have length restrictions. The weight of the connex alone is about 5K lbs, which is significantly more than the ~1500 lb aluminum sided box that I currently have.... and that is empty weight - not including the stuff I'd put in it.
Yeah, it's a lot..... I know....
I had an M934, but realized the box was a waste as to design around the folding out sides was dumb. So I sold it.
Here I am a couple years later and my how prices have changed. $4500 for a 5 ton? HA! They're 3x that now, easily.
I ended up buying a deuce and thought I'd use that as a base to build on. The idea of using any fuel I want, was huge, to someone who plans on driving around the country. The add'l savings in fuel costs were a huge bonus. The relatively light weight was also a bonus (compared to a 5 ton). Pretty much everything about it, I love... with a few exceptions... No power steering (air assist doesn't count, which it has), MANUAL transmission, which I'm not a fan of, and brakes.... To 'fix' all that would mean putting way more into the truck than is reasonable. BUT, getting 8-10 MPG vs 5 MPG, when driving across the country, is huge, even more so when taking into account being able to run a mix of whatever is cheapest or alternative fuels like WMO.
The deuce also feels more complicated than a 5 ton. Air brakes = simple. No master cylinder or air pack to fail, no single circuit systems, etc. Manual transmissions have clutches to deal with (although they can also be push started). It seems like for every negative, I'm finding positives, and it's just annoying me.
So, I started doing the math, and if I wanted either air or disc (or both) brake conversion I'd be looking at 2-3K, finding an auto would probably mean switching to a 6BT, which defeats the purpose of having a multifuel (but would also solve the power steering issue)... So, I'd be looking at dumping 12-15K into a truck... just to make it more like a 5 ton, to get better fuel economy. I could buy an entire 5 ton, sell the deuce, and use the deuce money to offset add'l fuel costs... although that doesn't solve the fuel flexibility issue... The NHC250 can run WMO in limited amounts though, provided it's filtered properly. One of the reasons I'm shying away from the A2 is tighter tolerances on the 8.3 = less wiggle room in running non-conventional fuel, and higher cost. I can add a turbo to an NHC250 if I want more power.
Anyway, now that you have a basic background of how my mind goes in circles....
I currently have a 15'5" box that I can use to build on... however it's not mandatory that I stick with that 'box'...
I see 3 options, currently.
1. Get an M931, and a 12' box.
2. Get an M923, existing box bolts right on (remove bed).
3. Get an M934, and either use existing box and make a partial flat bed, or just mount a 20' connex to it.
Option 1: M931 with 12' box -
Pro:
- Best fuel economy - I'm guesstimating a whopping 6-7 MPG instead of the 5-6 I got with my M934.
- Short wheelbase - easier to park in a normal spot.
- Better offroad, lighter weight.
- M931s are less desirable and cheaper.
- Will have to find a frame mounted 12' box, which is hard to find + added cost.
- 12' isn't a lot of space to permanently live in, although others have done fine with a lot less.
- Not a lot of storage room for other stuff, like WMO filtration.
- Not a lot of room for solar (Maybe 1-1.2KW max)
- M931s are harder to find.
Option 2: M923 with existing box -
Pro:
- Easiest to find.
- Already have box.
- Not as long as an M934
Con:
- Not as good offroad as M931
- More expensive than M934 or M931
Option 3: M934 with 20ft connex -
Pro:
- Massive amounts of space
- Lots of room for solar
- There's one local for about 4K$ lower than an M923
- Connex provides more protection than a van body (truck box) and looks rugged (fits the .mil motif)
- (??) Comes with limited slip (??)
Con:
- Looks 'heavy' = increased potential for interaction with LE who don't know the law.
- Extra weight = not allowed in all places + easier to get stuck.
- Extra length = not allowed in all places + poor off road ability.
- Connex = extra cost + extra fabrication.
- Worst fuel economy, but may actually be on par with M923 - and realistically, we're talking like 1 MPG difference.
I love the idea of keeping things as small as possible, and the lower expenses and better fuel economy of the 931 are extremely attractive.
The 923 is the middle of the pack, but has the downside of not being as big as the 934, and also more expensive than either option.
The 934 would be amazing, but will be absolutely horrible offroad and I can forget about driving it in quite a few places due to the length, as some parks have length restrictions. The weight of the connex alone is about 5K lbs, which is significantly more than the ~1500 lb aluminum sided box that I currently have.... and that is empty weight - not including the stuff I'd put in it.
Yeah, it's a lot..... I know....
