Loaded out an M1070 today.

[blueeagle79]

Do anyone have an estimate on the real world MPG for the M1070 with no trailer or load? Thanks!

 

[wreckerman893]

Do anyone have an estimate on the real world MPG for the M1070 with no trailer or load? Thanks!

As I posted earlier these trucks are geared low and have a high reving two stroke Detriot diesel engine in them. They are heavy and have the aerodynamics of a cement block. I drove them in the active Army and in the Army Reserve. If you are worried about fuel milage don't even think of buying one. 2-3 MPG is average bobtailing and holding convoy speed (40 MPH). If you try to hold the speed down to save fuel you will lug the Detriot, it does not like being lugged. It will smoke like a tar kettle and the transmission will "hunt" lower gears to compensate for lower speed. We never left the compound without a fuel truck just in case someone's fuel guage was wrong. The last thing you want to do is run a Detriot out of fuel. You will hate living trying to get it to crank. While there are a few practical missions for these trucks in the civy world (heavy short hauls, logging, oil patch) for the most part they were a specialty vehicle built for a specific mission. The Army could afford to keep tons of spare parts and mechanics on standby to work on them. There are a lot of proprietary parts on the beast and the last time I talked to Oshkosh I got the bum's rush and was told that they do not sell to "collectors". They are also maintence nightmares and were designed by engineers that never turned a wrench in their life. Everything that needs to be adjusted or replaced regularly is in an inaccessable place. As a driver I didn't do more than Operators Maintence on them but I had to assist the mechanics when they worked on them and they are a real PITA to repair, especially out in the boondocks away from overhead cranes and big air compressors. Changing a tire requires a minimum of three people since the tire/rim combo weighs over 500 pounds. It is also getting harder and harder to find an old school mechanic that knows two stroke Detriots and how to work on them. They have unique challenges and there is no worse mechanical dog than a sick Detriot. It will not pull a greasy string out of a fat cats arse. I'm sure there are ways to write one off if a person had the right kind of business and a good accountant. If I had the money I would own one for the cool factor but not because I thought I could make it pay for itself. Your milage may vary.