Is it true of all the slews of bugs that the deuce has?

[Jbulach]

The more frequently you dive/use your truck, the less problems you’ll have with seals and all the other rubber bits. Don’t let the fear of throwing rods discourage you.

Your dad may have inadvertently stumbled into the LMTV section when reading all the maintenance horror stories…

 

[V8srfun]

I rev mine to 2500 the way I look at it is the white 2-155 (has the same engine as the m35a2 with different accessories) or what ever the model number is had the pto speed set at I think 2400 and those tractors ran that rpm all day long every day.

 

[rustystud]

Having actually driven Deuces in the military and having worked as a mechanic in the heavy truck industry for 40 plus years I can honestly say they have just the same amount of problems as any other vehicle on the road. If you don't take care of your truck you will have failures. All vehicles need regular maintenance. I don't care which brand your talking about. The deuce has some different types of problems that more modern vehicles do not, like the forementioned wheel seals since the deuce is really a 1950's truck. But if you read the TM's and put them into practice like many others have said you will have no problems.
As far as throwing rods go, any engine that has it's RPM limit exceeded will throw rods. Look at International Harvester for example. I worked at a IHC dealership in the 1970's and we would get about three engines a year that threw a rod. The trucks where some of the best I ever worked on, but if you exceeded the RPM limit it would throw a rod. The same applies to the MultiFuel engine. Great engine. Very dependable, but over-rev it watch out ! Now they had come out with better rod bolts towards the end of the engines manufactured life which are far superior to the original bolts, but I would still never over-rev this engine even with the better bolts.
So my advice is find a Deuce that still runs and looks reasonably well and go after it. Like others have said, use the TM's and go through the whole truck. Then maintain what you have done. Your truck will serve you well.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks for the wealthy knowledge Rusty, I was really going to say if these were prone to throwing rods we wouldn't see them on the roads or at parades and such, but the more I watch on YouTube and hear from others on the forum about all the postitvity of the deuce, the happier I feel. I'm sorry that say what does TM stand for? I'm not good at abbreviations but if its a manual I'll buy it on eBay after I purchase my deuce. and I really appreciate your knowledge you shared and thank you for your service in the military.
Mike

 

[98G]

TM = technical manual and is available free on this site.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks 98

 

[SCSG-G4]

Thanks V8, a thing I want to ask you is how much of a pain is it replacing the seals when the time comes? Just curious cause I want to be prepared for whenever I have to along with the brakes. I honestly will drive mine at the most twice a week. But so far sounds like these Deuce's are not bad like a handful make out to be. Thanks for your input V8.
Mike

Rear seals are not bad IF you have a tire jack (or a pallet jack) and a concrete surface. Pull the cap, take the shaft out, undo the nuts, slide the entire hub off tires and all, , clean it up, new inner seal, re-grease the inside of the hub, slide it all back on, install the cork seal, then the outer seal, and the nuts, replace the shaft and tighten down the cap and go to the next one. Once you've done the first one, the other three rear hubs will take less than an hour each, maybe as little as 30 minutes. Water and mud over 10 inches deep starts getting into the brakes, which could be problematic.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks for the step by step process SC, yeah I'm gonna need to start getting some tools after I get my deuce in the future. Gonna invest into a big bottle jack and some rugged stands and other heavy duty tools I may need. But looking forward to all of it.

 

[Jbulach]

A little messy, but if you have a slick concrete garage floor, you can do the same as above with just a little gear oil on the floor to slide the duals out on. We used to use one of those white hard plastic mud flaps under the tire to put the oil on instead of the concrete, then all you had to do was wipe a little oil of the tires.

 

[Mullaney]

A little messy, but if you have a slick concrete garage floor, you can do the same as above with just a little gear oil on the floor to slide the duals out on. We used to use one of those white hard plastic mud flaps under the tire to put the oil on instead of the concrete, then all you had to do was wipe a little oil of the tires.

.
I must be getting old...
I have used that trick in the past.

 

[Jbulach]

Nah, just time to find some younger friends…

 

[SCSG-G4]

Thanks for the step by step process SC, yeah I'm gonna need to start getting some tools after I get my deuce in the future. Gonna invest into a big bottle jack and some rugged stands and other heavy duty tools I may need. But looking forward to all of it.

And to set the seals evenly, make a tool out of a four inch schedule 40 "Y" plastic pipe. It's just the right size to evenly smack them on, and you hold it by the 'side' angle and whack it with a stout piece of wood on the top end. It does not take a lot of force.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Nice trick SC

 

[V8srfun]

I use a pry bar under the tire you can move hundreds of pounds with so little force as long as leverage is on your side

 

[HDN]

One of the things I want to check on my truck sometime soon is the rear suspension spring seat. I've seen horror stories on here about that spring seat bearing getting out of adjustment and stripping the threads right off it. A good chunk of the rear end has to come apart to pull that piece and get it re-machined, though I thought I've read that welding repairs on the part in-place works too.

If I did it again I'd get a 5-ton as a first truck. They use most of the same tools a deuce does anyway, and seem a little more rugged with failures like that not being a thing - so I've read anyway! But I do like my M35A3 a lot, mostly for the split-circuit brakes and super singles!

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Never knew about a bearing in the seat, so you're saying if you had a choice you'd just get a 5 ton?

 

[HDN]

Never knew about a bearing in the seat, so you're saying if you had a choice you'd just get a 5 ton?

Yeah, there's mention about it in the LO, the TM, and some posts here about maintaining it. My understanding is that you can go a few thousand miles between PMCS with it though, like everything else on the truck (the LO says to check bearing nut tightness and lubricate every 3000 miles).

I was originally looking for an M813 but knowing what I know now an M923 with full air brakes is how I'd go - I value stopping too much now to settle for anything less! Of course some of the parts, like brake drums, are going to be heavier, and you might need a CDL to legally drive a 5-ton depending on your state's laws. Another bonus with the 5-tons is that they all come with hydraulic power steering.

I just looked in the M939 LO and it says to check the rear suspension spring seat/trunnion bearing like on the deuce, but the repacking interval is twice that of the deuce (12000 miles vs. 6000 miles). However I've never heard of a trunnion or bearing failure on that part of any 5-ton.

After all that you might be wondering why I went with the deuce anyway. I did it because at the time I recently sold a Ford 1803 tractor I inherited because I was moving soon and had no use for it at my new home. However I wanted to replace it with an old military truck instead of the money being spent on something else and formally make my own entrance into the hobby after having done it with my dad and his trucks for years. I also wanted a truck with some cargo space that could help with the move. Any 5-tons I found were far away and I couldn't take the time off to look at them, or some closer by were out of my price range.

One of my dad's friends was local and gave me a sweet deal on an M35A3 that I was able to look over and test drive. I really liked it and bought it. As soon as I put plates on it, I brought it home and moved two trip's worth of storage bins and a single trip of my kids' outdoor playground equipment to my new home. Despite its quirks it's been a fun truck to drive! I guess part of it is considering that I have a desk job that I can talk about how I work on a big truck with big tools - all for "fun" (Okay yeah it is kinda fun!)

So I guess I should clarify: If I had more time before my move, I would've waited longer for the right 5-ton. Instead I bought the right 2 1/2-ton

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

I really appreciate the knowledge you shared HD, but heck there's so many military trucks I want outside of the M35A2 also, would love to have a 5 ton and a m35a3, but being a almost 22 year old I want to get one big military truck for now and after I get my own place get maybe a couple more. Speaking of the m35a3, I've done lots of reading about it having the Caterpillar 3116 and how people say it's not that good. I was shocked to hear that cause cat makes some darn good stuff. But is that true about that motor? Cause all the videos I've seen on youtube those cats seem to be running like a charm. And heard that parts for the A3 are sometimes impossible to find(based on what part). But I understand these trucks will have their pros and cons and their little bugs. But yeah I thought the seats in a deuce was a big coil spring.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

I have several M35’s. Also have a couple M211’s. I’ve only had a couple of issues with the M35. A fuel control went TU during a parade and I’ve got a real pita axle seal that I’m still trying fix. I’ve had most of the trucks for several years.

 

[HDN]

I really appreciate the knowledge you shared HD, but heck there's so many military trucks I want outside of the M35A2 also, would love to have a 5 ton and a m35a3, but being a almost 22 year old I want to get one big military truck for now and after I get my own place get maybe a couple more. Speaking of the m35a3, I've done lots of reading about it having the Caterpillar 3116 and how people say it's not that good. I was shocked to hear that cause cat makes some darn good stuff. But is that true about that motor? Cause all the videos I've seen on youtube those cats seem to be running like a charm. And heard that parts for the A3 are sometimes impossible to find(based on what part). But I understand these trucks will have their pros and cons and their little bugs. But yeah I thought the seats in a deuce was a big coil spring.

The main weakness I've read about the M939 trucks involves low range and reverse gear - just don't give it too much gas pedal Also it seems the fuel shutoff solenoid likes to stick closed.

I think the Cat 3116 is a good motor. It has seen wide application from 150 to around 700 horsepower in automotive, marine, and power generation applications, for long hours and hundreds of thousands of miles. The first generation of FMTV also used the motor. I think some don't like that it's a sleeveless design, but as long as you do regular maintenance like everything else, I don't think it should have any problems.

The 3116 in my truck sounds great! On a warm day the truck starts almost instantaneously. Where you might run into problems with the M35A3 is with the transmission. The Allison AT1545 was made only for the M35A3, and spare parts relating to the locking torque converter are hard to find, with many surplus examples going to the skoolie crowd (it's a direct swap for the more-common AT545). Most AT1545 failures I've seen documented are the control pistons and/or their seals wearing out. Fortunately it seems that 4L80E pistons and seals are a direct replacement and durability improvement. I think the clutches for 4th and reverse may be suceptible to damage from loading up the truck. Of course these aren't huge problems for Uncle Sam, though the Army did have instructions for direct-swapping the AT1545 for an AT545.

Considering my truck belonged to a military mail terminal in Queens, I don't think it was ever run hard and I expect a long life from its components before any serious rebuilding needs to happen, as long as I perform the PMCS.