LOOKING FOR A M925. Need advice!

[Stroker01]

Hi, My name is Thomas and I am from the Houston area. I am graduating from college this summer and I am interested in purchasing a M925. I will be using the truck weekly for my business hauling pallets to and from my suppliers to my warehouse. I need to know if a M925 with a NHC-250 Cummins would would be up for the job of 50 miles or more a week? I also need to know how could I run across a decent one with minimal rust for $5000 to $7000. When buying this truck I would be a 23 yr old newly graduated college kid, so I don't need to get myself in trouble with a jalopy. Any advise and tips would be welcomed.

I look forward to hearing back from y'all.

Thanks,
Thomas

 

[commandojeff]

I bought my truck one year ago. I am also in college. I was 19 at the time, turned 20 a couple months after buying the truck. If I did it, you can do it. Just make sure you have a place to store it, a place to insure it, costs to run it, etc...

It will for sure exceed your expectations. Let's remember who used these truck before us... Whether or not you want to afford to run it that much is a different story. They get about 4mpg for an A1 truck. Sometimes better. I would highly advise you to do some searching around on the forum and read read read everything you can about these trucks. The manuals are great as well.

Finding a truck in that price, being in good condition, is not hard to do. Again, a little searching is the key. If you have any questions, shoot me a PM.
Welcome to the addiction!

 

[Karl kostman]

Hello Thomas the truck your looking for is a 939 series cargo truck, it would be either a 925/923 With winch and without winch, will come with Duals on the rear axles, the next series is the same trucks setup with singles, no duals and this is the A1 versions of the same trucks. They are non-turbocharged 855 series Cummins with an Allison automatic trans and a divorced Hi/Lo transfer case. Great trucks in almost every way, smooth rides, comfortable and power steering, pretty reliable and trouble free as long as maintenance is kept up! There are still a few darned nice ones out there, great runners, a lot of times just about brand new rubber and little to no rust. You are going to be looking at between 5 and 6K for a really nice truck, if you have no need for the winch then stay with the 923 as opposed to the 925 that will same you a little also. I bought mine out of Fort Riley KS and drove it 600 miles home non stop and it ran beautiful all the way, for what your looking for these trucks would be a really great solution! Good luck
KK

 

[FASTNOVA]

READ THE TM's! READ THE TM's! and after your done reading READ THE TM's over again!!!! Oh wait...I might be jumping the gun on this one. Welcome to SS. I'd figure I would say hi the way some of the crusty old dudes on here say hi.(I might be one of those crusty old dudes)

A great truck to have just don't expect to go very fast. Keep your eyes peeled on here in the classifieds for a truck. I think it is the best way to buy that way atleast you get a bit of history on it as compared to buying it from GL.

 

[porkysplace]

The first thing you should look at is what commercial insurance is going to cost you . Do you have a CDL ? With using it for business and hauling pallets , your not going to need the heavy drivetrain of a 5 ton. You need to compare operating costs to a civy truck that is under CDL ( under 26,000 GVW ) . Even with a reconditioned truck you will have maintainece and breakdowns with 25 year old truck . While some parts are availible at local parts houses many have to be ordered from military truck parts suppliers ( waiting for parts to get shipped ) . Using it for business it will have to pass a D.O.T inspection , most likely need to add marker lights , license plate light ect.. With your budget your not going to get a truck that dosen' need some work .

 

[Stroker01]

I know that its not a fast truck. They go 65 max. I will insure it personally. Commercial insurance is way too pricey. This truck will be mostly for enjoyment but it will be used. So I can kill two birds with one stone. As for a CDL I won't need it here in Texas: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/dlClasses.htm. I can apply for an exemption.

Now I do prefer a 925 with the winch and singles in the back. Partially because my younger brother's duece (in profile pic) has the winch and I like the ability. I will start reviewing the TMs so I can be more familiar with the trucks workings.

Another problem I have I here in Texas its been hard for me to find 5 tons available. I know its possible through Gov liquidations but I currently don't have anything to haul it off base. When we hauled my brothers duece with a goose neck and my dads f-250 it was insane! Too much load!

 

[m16ty]

I hate to say this but a military vehicle probably isn't what you need for this. You could haul more pallets on a 1-ton truck with gooseneck and fuel mileage will be much higher and maintenance cost much lower. The fuel mileage and maintenance cost are going to kill your bottom line.

The M939 trucks are great trucks but aren't meant to be very economical for on-road use. I've got a M939 I use in business but the truck (lime spreader) spends 50%+ of it's time off-road and I need the 6X6. Otherwise I'd use a civilian truck.

If you are making money hauling these pallets, you have to have commercial insurance and abide by all the commercial DOT regs. If you don't you better hope you don't get caught or ever involved in a accident.

 

[porkysplace]

I know that its not a fast truck. They go 65 max. I will insure it personally. Commercial insurance is way too pricey. This truck will be mostly for enjoyment but it will be used. So I can kill two birds with one stone. As for a CDL I won't need it here in Texas: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/dlClasses.htm. I can apply for an exemption.

Now I do prefer a 925 with the winch and singles in the back. Partially because my younger brother's duece (in profile pic) has the winch and I like the ability. I will start reviewing the TMs so I can be more familiar with the trucks workings.

Another problem I have I here in Texas its been hard for me to find 5 tons available. I know its possible through Gov liquidations but I currently don't have anything to haul it off base. When we hauled my brothers duece with a goose neck and my dads f-250 it was insane! Too much load!

If you have a accident while using it for your business with personal insurance you won't be covered , they won't even have to look for a reason to deny the claim . It's called the cost of doing business .

Edit ; The link you provided dosen't any exenption for commercial use . If your refering to the military vehicle exemption , I'm sure that applies only the government owned trucks operated by active duty service members.
Not trying to stir the pot just pointing out things learned with operating commercial trucks over the last 30 years .

 

[juanprado]

One thought is how are the pallets being loaded/unloaded. Are you using a forklift at each stop?

The beds with duals are high and the beds with super singles are real high. If loading by hand, that will get old quick.

The beds do have have nice ring mounts on the inside for ratchet strap securing.

Super singles have a nice "look" but duals offer redundancy. Many pro and cons both ways. I believe super singles are rated for 55mph max. 11r20 goodyear g177 which is the most common on dual trucks is rated for 68 even though the truck will only do 60. ( my top speed downhill is 61) something else to consider.
http://www.goodyeartrucktires.com/tires/details.aspx?prodline=161006

You might find an ss member that will recover a gl truck for you for a fee. I have seen some nice ones out of Red River and San Antonio. Not sure on other locations as those are the only 2 I have been in Texas. Post a help wanted on transportation needed and you might be able to get reasonable priced help instead of a commercial trucker or wrecker.

Best of luck on your quest.

 

[Tornadogt]

If you want some seat time in a M923A2 OR M931A2 I have both in San Antonio. But I agree, for your hauling a 1-ton and Goose neck trailer would be a better choice. But what the heck who said anything about being practical... If you buy from GL most of base's in Texas you can drive them off the base. Fort Polk, LA is closer to you than anywhere else.. be careful what you get and plan on putting at lease some money in them to get them back to tip top shape...

 

[Triple C]

Welcome Stroker01, I would highly advise you to listen to the folk here regarding the commercial aspect of your use. As a former class 8 driver (much of it in your neck of the woods) I can tell you that you will indeed need a CDL to haul pallets. The first time you pass a DOT officer and he sees non commercial plates on your truck, you will be in for a level one inspection and a handful of tickets. If this is indeed commercial work, then you need an apportioned or non apportioned lisc. with adequate GVW to cover both the vehicle and the load. You will need the commercial safety equipment, logs if you are out of your commercial zone, a health card and a CDL. If you do not have any one of those things, your insurance is void. If you look closely at any insurance policy it will tell you that you must comply with all regulations. When I left the business, my insurance was running $1,300 a month for one road tractor. Having said all that, if you want one to play with jump on in, I love my 925. Just be careful these are indeed big trucks. It took me a bit (and some instruction on this site) to recognize and appreciate the difference between a big commerical vehicle and a big TACTICAL vehicle. As has been shared here with you, there are differences - that's part of what makes them fun.


Hold on, I need to put in one more "Indeed" and get a cup of coffee! Just want it to be a good experience for you.....

 

[GHall]

How bout a 1Ton 2wd (less maintenance than 4x4 and better fuel mpg) flatbed with a gooseneck trailer. You'll be able to pick up a few hotshot loads here and there for a little extra $$.. If you want to go into the hauling buisness. Plus a flatbed gooseneck doesn't have rails, much easier to load with forklift. Still need a CDL just without air brakes. That way you can have a M925 just as a toy.

Just a thought...

 

[rrrr]

I wouldn't recommend a military 6x6 tactical truck for the type of work your looking at doing for the reasons described above.

 

[Stroker01]

I appreciate you guys input. I currently use my 3/4 pickup to pick up the pallets of auto parts. I just was thinking I would use my toy to back up to my suppliers dock and to my dock and roll the palllets on and off easier. Currently one of my suppliers doesn't have a ramp out of the warehouse for the forklift to load my F-250. So currently I have to load my truck and trailer by hand. I calculated the distance between my warehouse and my suppliers and its about 10 miles. So theoretically if I bought parts twice a week it would be only 40 miles. My truck and trailer combo now can hold 5 pallets. If I buy a gooseneck trailer to replace my bumper pull it would be the same price as a 5 ton :/. rather kill two birds with one stone.

As for the DOT pulling me over for hauling pallets of parts how could they tag me if I can prove I personally bought the material for personal use?

 

[Stroker01]

Edit ; The link you provided dosen't any exenption for commercial use . If your refering to the military vehicle exemption , I'm sure that applies only the government owned trucks operated by active duty service members.
Not trying to stir the pot just pointing out things learned with operating commercial trucks over the last 30 years .

I was pointing to the recreational vehicle not military vehicles in my link.

 

[Scarecrow1]

I personally would not use any of the super singles for hauling freight. They are prone to rollovers and this comes from test done by our great Uncle Sam. The 10 tire trucks are far more stable for over the road uses. I have a 923A1 and love it but. it is best suited for the dirt not the pavement. These are great trucks but, just do your research to be sure it's the one for you

 

[Stroker01]

I have been looking at the super singles vs the duels and I think Ill go with the duels Super singles do seem unsafe while on the road, and Im sure you can go through about the same amount of muck with duels!

 

[GHall]

I believe by (recreational vehicle) they mean a RV as in a camper of some sort. The CDL issue has been covered many times on here. I'm afraid you must have a CDL for one of these trucks in Tx if you plan to use it for a buisness. Just stop by the DMV and grab the handbook. I'm not too sure how the FMV laws work. That may be the way you want to go.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?67255-Texas-FMV-Laws-(Former-Military-Vehicles)

 

[m16ty]

Well 10 miles isn't all that bad but I still bet you'll get tired of feeding that thing diesel after awhile. It also seems to be way more truck than you need for the job.

If you want a 5-ton, by all means buy one. Just don't expect it to be profitable doing what you're wanting to do.

 

[Stroker01]

Well 10 miles isn't all that bad but I still bet you'll get tired of feeding that thing diesel after awhile. It also seems to be way more truck than you need for the job.

If you want a 5-ton, by all means buy one. Just don't expect it to be profitable doing what you're wanting to do.

I am begining to understand that it will do what I want it to, but it is overkill and Im fine with that. It will be fun to see how it goes.