Just purchases M1123, need hauling advice.

[porkysplace]

View attachment 760415
Truck is a base model 2000 F450 with the 7.3l diesel. Flatbed is 12 feet long. I have some 1/4" by 2" steel welded under the edge of the bed, but I plan that most of my straps and chains for this load will run down to the frame as it's stronger/more secure than flat iron welded every 16 inches. (and I do plan to remove that little crane before I do this)

Looking at this set up your looking at more like 11 foot of bed to use , if you want it closer expect GP fork truck drivers to take the back window out ( at your expense ). Your going to end up with close to 9 foot past the axle . This the worst choice to of hauling all to try and save a couple dollars.

 

[ballencd]

Looks to me like there is a headache rack on the front of that bed. Not sure how that equates to losing a foot of bed???

 

[porkysplace]

Looks to me like there is a headache rack on the front of that bed. Not sure how that equates to losing a foot of bed???

Looks like some kind of Harbor Freight crane on there also.

 

[Coug]

Looks like some kind of Harbor Freight crane on there also.

Yes, and I did mention that it would be removed before I left to go pick up the HMMWV.
If the GP forklift driver screws up, it doesn't matter how thick the headache rack is, something will give. Looking at the forklift in the pics I've seen of them loading, it doesn't appear to have side shift or anything like that, so final positioning forward/backwards will probably involve me rolling my truck forwards/reverse until it's positioned properly.

 

[TOBASH]

I would like for you to go to the "Trailers" forum and search "M1000" and "Patracy". Then look at all the damage done by GovPlanet with their forklifts. Then try to explain how what you are doing is in any way rational.

An F450 is in no way a flatbed, and you want to "High Center" your HMMWV by placing a fulcrum under the middle of a vehicle frame and then drive. WOW. I hope you know that driving more than a few blocks with the weight of the rear tires and axle pulling down is certain to bend the vehicle.

Pay a shipper OR rent a trailer.

But hey, you wanna save a few pennies and damage your vehicle in an unsafe way to prove you're right and we're all wrong.

You seem like you're on a juggernaut for damage and failure. Awesome. Please post pics of all the damage as a warning to our future members.

This is my last attempt to save you from yourself and your destructive impulses. This will be my last reply to this post.

 

[Jbulach]

Not sure why this truck scares everyone so bad, ever see an F450 rollback with a wheel lift on the back? Guess Jerrdan needs saved from themself as well...

 

[Coug]

I would like for you to go to the "Trailers" forum and search "M1000" and "Patracy". Then look at all the damage done by GovPlanet with their forklifts. Then try to explain how what you are doing is in any way rational.

An F450 is in no way a flatbed, and you want to "High Center" your HMMWV by placing a fulcrum under the middle of a vehicle frame and then drive. WOW. I hope you know that driving more than a few blocks with the weight of the rear tires and axle pulling down is certain to bend the vehicle.

Pay a shipper OR rent a trailer.

But hey, you wanna save a few pennies and damage your vehicle in an unsafe way to prove you're right and we're all wrong.

You seem like you're on a juggernaut for damage and failure. Awesome. Please post pics of all the damage as a warning to our future members.

This is my last attempt to save you from yourself and your destructive impulses. This will be my last reply to this post.

While I do appreciate advice aimed at increasing the safety of hauling a load,
an F450 with a flat bed on it is the very definition of a "flatbed".

As for "high centering it" if my intention was to block it in the center and only the center, then yes, the arguments you have listed would be valid. I am proposing supporting one end of the HMMWV well back from the center of gravity, and center of the vehicle. 3 feet in from the end of a 15 foot long vehicle is not centered or near a fulcrum or any other way you want to describe it.

You have given me plenty of warning of the dire consequences that are possible, and it's up to me to decide whether or not to follow your warnings or not. I may get an operator that it's his first day ever using a forklift, or I might get a seasoned professional who understands his equipment and how to operate it. The same can be said of any freight company in any city, not just the GP yard in Yermo.

as for the "saving me from my myself and my destructive impulses" you can get off your high horse and go sit in a corner and pout that the new guy on the board isn't following your advice as the gospel sang by an angelic choir. I have my personal and professional background operating equipment, even under adverse and severe conditions. The thought of a load with a center of gravity 3.5 feet above and directly centered over my rear axle, still within the MFG specs of the vehicle is in no way destructive or even unsafe if you take care and secure the load properly, and drive within the capabilities of the vehicle.

As for paying a shipper, there are plenty of horror stories on here about people paying good money to shippers who half @$$ the job, and the equipment arrives damaged, or even not arrive at all.

Now, this thread was started to ask specific questions about how to secure the HMMWV onto a flatbed truck that is 12 feet long, the short length of the bed being THE ONLY obstacle in loading and hauling it. Your posts are demeaning, argumentative, and just in general extremely unhelpful and adding absolutely nothing of worth.
Thank you for not replying any further, hopefully more people with useful ideas or information will now be encouraged to add to this thread now that you will no longer post here.

*begin Rant*
and yes, I'm pissed. I was lead to believe that this forum was full of helpful people that would help provide useful assistance and advice towards the recovery, upkeep, and operation of military vehicles both past and present. To be immediately inundated by those who think that they are holier than god and put down anyone who doesn't immediately acquiesce to their loads of bull excrement when they repeatedly make statements that show they have no idea what they heck they are talking about and don't ask for additional information to figure out what I'm actually trying to ask or accomplish irritates me greatly, especially when they double down and refuse to accept that someone doing something a different way than they propose *might actually have a clue as to what they are doing*
now, if saying this gets me kicked off this forum, then I don't really mind, as the majority of this thread has been less than helpful to me or anyone else that might read it.
*end rant*

 

[porkysplace]

Not sure why this truck scares everyone so bad, ever see an F450 rollback with a wheel lift on the back? Guess Jerrdan needs saved from themself as well...

They are 16 to 20 long with the rear axle back farther.

 

[Coug]

Now that that is over with, I do want to thank the people that provided me with useful information and supported this idea.

This is still just one option I am considering, It's still at least a month or two until my EUC clears, and by then I may have a pickup truck and some sort of trailer lined up. Then again, I may not, as it's hard to make plans when the only time frame is "sometime between a week from now and a year from now" I'm just trying to make sure all my bases are covered if the pickup/trailer falls through. California frowns upon vehicles like my F450 towing big trailers without going through all the commercial inspections, and with the weight I'd be at on the way home, Oregon and WA will try to stick it to me also.

I think building a box frame to support the HMMWV the length of the frame rails between the front and rear suspensions is probably overkill, the heavy pallets idea isn't bad, but with the access I have to a sawmill I'll most likely cut myself some nice 6x12 blocks to lay sideways at the back of the flatbed, cut a groove to run a strap over them so it's not pinched by the HMMWV frame, and strap the bejeezus out of the rear end. Additional blocks in front of and behind the front wheels following shape/size listed in the transportability guidance TM should be more than sufficient to keep everything in place and not shifting.

Once again, thanks everyone for your assistance. Have a good day.

 

[Milcommoguy]

Sometime the written word stands out as stronger than meant... but if it got you thinking then I would say that's a good thing.

I don't think anyone is looking to flame you for your thoughts on how to get it in your driveway. If the brain cells are just ass sideways, then plan on a ribbing from the troops. I am sure members are just as excited getting it down the road safely, like you. There are many ways to "skin the cat" some more messy that others. It would not look good for the hobby with a front page headline that SURPLUS HUMMWV falls off truck and snarls traffic for miles. That would be the easiest, anything more.... DISASTER...OUS all around.

Plenty of time to work out a proper solution, AND plenty of time to study up on the HUMMVE workings waiting for the EUC. These rigs and this hobby isn't cheap, maybe one time ???

DISCLAIMER I am NOT peace keeper here, the forum advice is free and may have omissions or additions not suited to your to your individual needs or listed in the TM's.

Anytime one moves down the road hold on to your wallet. Good luck, CAMO

 

[wsucougarx]

Outstanding! Looking forward to this project. I see reference to Coug. Capital High School Coug or WSU Coug? At any point, Go Cougs!

 

[Coug]

Outstanding! Looking forward to this project. I see reference to Coug. Capital High School Coug or WSU Coug? At any point, Go Cougs!

My parents both did WSU, I did Capital High School. Honestly though, I mostly just like the cat, and Cougar was already taken as a name here.

 

[cwc]

I picked up a M1045A2 in Albany on Monday. Here is a picture of the loader forks under the frame, in case anyone is interested. The forks were long enough that there was nearly a foot between the side of the HMMWV and the loader, but I have seen GP loaders with shorter forks such that the loader was pretty close to the side of the HMMWV.

The fork placement is pretty typical; the rear fork is placed near the point where the frame starts to kick up to the rear control arms. The rear fork could probably be positioned somewhat more forward and it would balance OK because of the forward center of gravity.

 

[Coug]

I picked up a M1045A2 in Albany on Monday. Here is a picture of the loader forks under the frame, in case anyone is interested. The forks were long enough that there was nearly a foot between the side of the HMMWV and the loader, but I have seen GP loaders with shorter forks such that the loader was pretty close to the side of the HMMWV.
The fork placement is pretty typical; the rear fork is placed near the point where the frame starts to kick up to the rear control arms. The rear fork could probably be positioned somewhat more forward and it would balance OK because of the forward center of gravity.

View attachment 761671

Thank you, very useful picture to see where they are actually lifting from.

 

[Coug]

So just got back from Yermo this morning at 4am after a 66 hour trip from start to finish. I didn't haul it the whole way like this, but the part that it was like this I didn't have any issues with it at all. Some chains, a few straps, a couple 8x12 blocks of wood, and it didn't budge.
I don't recommend it if you aren't familiar with higher center of gravity loads, but it worked for me.

Thanks everyone who contributed.

 

[ballencd]

Way to go Coug! Nice looking truck! Looks like a perfect fit too!

 

[DREDnot]

Good job. I knew it would work.

 

[Crapgame]

So just got back from Yermo this morning at 4am after a 66 hour trip from start to finish. I didn't haul it the whole way like this, but the part that it was like this I didn't have any issues with it at all. Some chains, a few straps, a couple 8x12 blocks of wood, and it didn't budge.
I don't recommend it if you aren't familiar with higher center of gravity loads, but it worked for me.

Thanks everyone who contributed.

View attachment 766483

Big brass ones, sir! Big brass ones, to haul it like that 900 miles! Glad you made it home without damaging yourself or the equipment.

 

[TOBASH]

I said it previously, and I was flamed by the OP, but I still feel this was unnecessarily risky and poorly thought out.

I notice the OP implies he did not drive the whole way in the pictured configuration, and I wonder if that implies problems with the load shifting. I hope the OP addresses this implication with a more complete description.

I note the OP speaks about a top heavy load requiring familiarity with high center of gravity loads. That implies that just one motorist cutting him off or making him swerve might have caused a turn-over.

Ultimately I see the OP posts "I don't recommend it...."

I'm happy this ended well but I still stand behind my posts saying this was not an ideal solution and recommending different course of action.

I would hate for this thread and this OP to motivate a less skilled or less lucky FMV owner to attempt to move a vehicle where things end less happily.

Enjoy your HMMWV sir, and I'm happy all's well that ends well, but I still think this would have been better and safer and smarter if hauled by a professional shipper or on a proper trailer.

 

[Coug]

I said it previously, and I was flamed by the OP, but I still feel this was unnecessarily risky and poorly thought out.

I notice the OP implies he did not drive the whole way in the pictured configuration, and I wonder if that implies problems with the load shifting. I hope the OP addresses this implication with a more complete description.

I note the OP speaks about a top heavy load requiring familiarity with high center of gravity loads. That implies that just one motorist cutting him off or making him swerve might have caused a turn-over.

Ultimately I see the OP posts "I don't recommend it...."

I'm happy this ended well but I still stand behind my posts saying this was not an ideal solution and recommending different course of action.

I would hate for this thread and this OP to motivate a less skilled or less lucky FMV owner to attempt to move a vehicle where things end less happily.

Enjoy your HMMWV sir, and I'm happy all's well that ends well, but I still think this would have been better and safer and smarter if hauled by a professional shipper or on a proper trailer.

The reason I don't recommend it is that not as many people have an F450 in the non-professional world than would have something like the F350 and a 12 foot flatbed. The way that trucks are rated for hauling is different now than when my truck was built so I don't trust newer load ratings. The F450 also has 30% larger brakes than the F350 does, which helps considerably. The fact that I have experience with high centered and heavy loads and many others may not is the main reason why I stated that I would not recommend it, primarily if there are other options available, because I too would hate to see something bad happen to someone that saw what I did but not fully understand everything and screw up the hauling. There will always be a better option than the ones available, but for me this worked out very well.

The majority of the trip was extremely uneventful due to the route we drove, going through Nevada instead of driving down I-5 in California. The roads were nearly empty from Portland, Oregon, all the way down and back. The return trip through Portland it was the middle of the night, and we drove at a slower speed than the posted limit, had zero issues with other vehicles. The steep downhill portions were taken in 2nd gear, or even first gear when it was a 6% grade.
I don't think "luck" applies so much as planning of the route and timing of the drive through certain sections. The mountain driving with some steep slopes was done during very low traffic times, the majority of the route is not the high traffic route from my location to the end point, and the heavily populated portions of the drive were done in the middle of the night when there is a lot less traffic on the road. There was a lot more taken into consideration than just whether or not the truck can support the load, and not everyone takes that type of planning into account.

Yes, it wasn't the whole way. Had nothing to do with the load on the truck, it had to do with the availability of a trailer borrowed from a relative that needed to be moved from one place to another on the trip back, but wasn't available yet for the trip down. The truck hauled the HMMWV with zero issues, the same as the trailer hauled it with zero issues. I used 4 chains and binders as is required by law, and used 6 additional 2 inch straps rated for 5k lbs load (all brand new purchased for this trip) to secure the HMMWV onto the truck and ensure that it would not shift while driving. Before we even took it onto the roadway we tested several panic stops/evasions to ensure that the load would not shift on us, and it did not. At that point the load was as much a part of the bed of the truck as is possible short of welding them together. The gooseneck trailer I loaded it onto later was high enough that I simply drove the HMMWV off the truck, onto the trailer, then from the trailer to the ground, turned it around, and re loaded it onto the trailer nose first.


You are allowed to have your opinion that this was poorly thought out, but I still choose to disagree with that assessment for my decision to haul it that way.

As for the flaming, I apologise for that, as I was getting very frustrated with continual comments that to me felt very personally insulting even if that was not their intention. I do value the opinion and criticism of others when it has constructive value, and I felt that some of the responses I received for my original post to be excessively dramatic and not helpful to me at the time. I'll still stand by my assessment that the load was perfectly safe to haul like this, but without me personally knowing the other person's skill level, background, and other factors, I would not recommend hauling this way if other options are available, as not doing it properly does set someone up for failure much faster than using some of the other options, and I too would hate to see someone else try it and have a much less successful ending than I did.