LMTV vs 5 TON

[Chris H]

Within reason, it is what it is, ensure your door seals are serviceable , seal the gaps , I use black silicone RTV. The 900 is quieter than my M 109 by far, Heater works good, pwr steering, SUPER brakes, ABS , Cits , when you have it working . I like it, I have been in LMTVs , they are nice, TOP END is much lower than the 931A2 , I just shift into top gear at 50/55 and it jumps to 65 plus real easy , Lmtvs are thought to be slower, Engine HUM , not really in to the cat 3116, but an engine is an engine, maintained it should last until your done with it, I like CATS but a lot of their 4 cylinder stuff isn't even cat anymore

Glad to hear the 939's can be aligned better. I would definitely want a hard top on one.
I really like the cabs in the LMTV's but the 939's sound more mechanically solid.
Decisions

 

[Chris H]

People are quick to get excited about yellow Cat stuff. If they were good, your local mechanic would not have to have the tools to work on them.

I agree. Good point.

 

[snowtrac nome]

I work on all brands and the local mechanic should have the tools to work on them or he isn't a mechanic. I cant say any one engine is better than another the 3116 is a pretty good engine and will do a hundred k between overhead adjustments. maintained the throw away part is a non issue you put over 500 k on it and some will see a million you got your moneys worth. cat cummins and even the road oilers are capable of that I like how the older engines are built both cat and cummins and the after market support for the 6 b is fantastic I cant bitch about parts as cat cummins deere and the rest are all trying to bring parts supply in house and you are going to pay the price for them. cummins seems about obsoleting parts even for some of the 8.3's already where as cat seems to be able to come up with any part you need if there is a down side to the yellow engine, it is they are thirsty and seem ti drink a lot of fuel. I would get exited about having a commercial diesel but if you are looking for a specific sound or a certain look I find it hard to be more excited over one engine or another. I run a snow cat withy an inline ford 6 diesel built in England its hard as heck to find parts or service info printed in English at the end of the day it has been pretty reliable and always starts up.

 

[Chris H]

I work on all brands and the local mechanic should have the tools to work on them or he isn't a mechanic. I cant say any one engine is better than another the 3116 is a pretty good engine and will do a hundred k between overhead adjustments. maintained the throw away part is a non issue you put over 500 k on it and some will see a million you got your moneys worth. cat cummins and even the road oilers are capable of that I like how the older engines are built both cat and cummins and the after market support for the 6 b is fantastic I cant bitch about parts as cat cummins deere and the rest are all trying to bring parts supply in house and you are going to pay the price for them. cummins seems about obsoleting parts even for some of the 8.3's already where as cat seems to be able to come up with any part you need if there is a down side to the yellow engine, it is they are thirsty and seem ti drink a lot of fuel. I would get exited about having a commercial diesel but if you are looking for a specific sound or a certain look I find it hard to be more excited over one engine or another. I run a snow cat withy an inline ford 6 diesel built in England its hard as heck to find parts or service info printed in English at the end of the day it has been pretty reliable and always starts up.

My local mechanic has the tools and says the 3116 is " a good little motor" if I could get 500 k out of one and only have to touch it every 100k I'd be happy. I take care of my stuff. I'm just trying to avoid bad decisions.

 

[sandcobra164]

Cat's are fine, My M984A4 Wrecker has a yellow engine in it, C15 ACERT to be exact. It's a National Guard truck. Personally, I have a 14L Cummins but it's a very simple engine. Alot of people think they will last for years. Hope so, I'm in my 30's and it tows 25,000 pounds just fine when it needs too! That's in addition to the 23,000 pound truck. Old NHC 250 with a turned up injection pump. Said they went 10% over stock during rebuild.

 

[snowtrac nome]

the only problem that one needs to head off is air in the fuel system it will cause premature failure of the fuel pump and unit injectors. this is where the special tools come in. other wise the military models seem to have a reoccurring broken air compressor supports that will break the front structure if left un attended I have 4 of the modern c-7 in our fleet and have never had that problem good luck

 

[Chris H]

the only problem that one needs to head off is air in the fuel system it will cause premature failure of the fuel pump and unit injectors. this is where the special tools come in. other wise the military models seem to have a reoccurring broken air compressor supports that will break the front structure if left un attended I have 4 of the modern c-7 in our fleet and have never had that problem good luck

Good info. I'm getting a lot of responses and a recent warning was that if I want to put a lot of Offroad miles on a 1097 that there are electrical and plumbing issues with them and possibly drive shafts?
What is the best fix for these issues? Can you gusset the compressor mounts? Is the air issue a maintenance only thing or is there an aftermarket upgrade?
Thanks

 

[Coffey1]

There's nothing your going to tear off unless you are one of those extremely aggressive people that try to find the biggest hole to jump off into. Not naming anyone (Wheelspinner) lol. You would be fine.

 

[snowtrac nome]

I agree the electrical system is far more complex than the old m44 variants but I wouldn't say they are any more unreliable just keep good batterys with clean connections and don't put the cab under water you should be fine

 

[Chris H]

There's nothing your going to tear off unless you are one of those extremely aggressive people that try to find the biggest hole to jump off into. Not naming anyone (Wheelspinner) lol. You would be fine.

Lol Not jumping with it!

 

[Chris H]

I agree the electrical system is far more complex than the old m44 variants but I wouldn't say they are any more unreliable just keep good batterys with clean connections and don't put the cab under water you should be fine

Battery's -no problem. I don't plan on driving it into a lake. Coffey already warned me about the 5 minute rule crossing rivers.

 

[Doug Roberts]

I own both, in fact I own a little bit of everything I can get ! Well, with that said , no truck will ever be as general public consumer friendly as the M900 series trucks. The military demands these these trucks for their use , not ours. When airdrop became the best game on the planet, the LMTV trucks took over.

 

[Chris H]

I own both, in fact I own a little bit of everything I can get ! Well, with that said , no truck will ever be as general public consumer friendly as the M900 series trucks. The military demands these these trucks for their use , not ours. When airdrop became the best game on the planet, the LMTV trucks took over.

 

[red]

I agree the electrical system is far more complex than the old m44 variants but I wouldn't say they are any more unreliable just keep good batterys with clean connections and don't put the cab under water you should be fine

Typical terrain and one of it's uses for us on the demolition range. All of the LMTV's averaged 3 trips for repairs each year. Most of the repairs were related to the wiring harness usually either shorting out and frying components or getting ripped apart.

Compared to the m35a2's that the LMTV's replaced on the demolition range for us, the LMTV's were extremely unreliable for continued offroad use. **** the commercial Freightliner dump trucks (blue fleet) were more reliable with the offroad use. We didn't go looking for the biggest holes to drive into (found some but not looking for them). The vibrations from offroad driving and the movement of the cab, combined with the short wiring harness/some plumbing caused alot of problems. This wasn't rock crawling, mud bogging, or fast baja use. It was slow speed work with most of the driving being offroad and the CTIS in either sand or x country setting.

If you spent the time to make a new extended wiring harness, route it away from pinch points, that would fix the majority of the problems that we had with continued offroad use.

 

[Chris H]

View attachment 681099

Typical terrain and one of it's uses for us on the demolition range. All of the LMTV's averaged 3 trips for repairs each year. Most of the repairs were related to the wiring harness usually either shorting out and frying components or getting ripped apart.

Compared to the m35a2's that the LMTV's replaced on the demolition range for us, the LMTV's were extremely unreliable for continued offroad use. **** the commercial Freightliner dump trucks (blue fleet) were more reliable with the offroad use. We didn't go looking for the biggest holes to drive into (found some but not looking for them). The vibrations from offroad driving and the movement of the cab, combined with the short wiring harness/some plumbing caused alot of problems. This wasn't rock crawling, mud bogging, or fast baja use. It was slow speed work with most of the driving being offroad and the CTIS in either sand or x country setting.

If you spent the time to make a new extended wiring harness, route it away from pinch points, that would fix the majority of the problems that we had with continued offroad use.

What were the most common plumbing issues and what are the best long term remedies?

 

[red]

Most common plumbing issues were air lines at the axles from bushes/rocks cutting them. Some of the LMTV's had repeated issues with the supply hoses going to the brake pedal getting pinched and cut by the cab movement. CTIS component failures were pretty regular as well. Never had an air compressor fall off or expensive/long down time plumbing failures as compared to the electrical problems.

Personally I'll attribute the axle air lines to just being hazards of offroad driving. All trucks will have that problem unless the hoses are upgraded and protected.

 

[Chris H]

Most common plumbing issues were air lines at the axles from bushes/rocks cutting them. Some of the LMTV's had repeated issues with the supply hoses going to the brake pedal getting pinched and cut by the cab movement. CTIS component failures were pretty regular as well. Never had an air compressor fall off or expensive/long down time plumbing failures as compared to the electrical problems.

Personally I'll attribute the axle air lines to just being hazards of offroad driving. All trucks will have that problem unless the hoses are upgraded and protected.

Thanks. Are the airlines pretty standard sizes and easy to upgrade? Maybe a few extra shrouds would help as well?

 

[red]

Thanks. Are the airlines pretty standard sizes and easy to upgrade? Maybe a few extra shrouds would help as well?

Common sizes, making shrouds would help or could upgrade to a much heavier duty DOT approved air hose to replace all the hoses running to the axle.

Post #415 mentions the difference, couple pics of it further down http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?132200-quot-Rescued-quot-M816-Wrecker/page42

 

[snowtrac nome]

you make a good point about cab movement I may have to cut out flex joints and splice in arctic grade wires before winter hits. it sounds redneck but I have done this quite successfully in automotive doorjambs up here to fix re occurring broken wires from the cold.

 

[Coffey1]

Are you doing off road with cab aired up if so the TM says the air must be off the cab.