Looking to purchase a 1996 1083 and drive it 120 miles home. What could possibly go wrong?

[pclausen]

I found a 1996 1083 (A0) on Marketplace. Description from the listing as follows:

1996 Stewart & Stevenson M1083 LMTV Cargo Truck Runs & drives excellent. One of the nicest vehicles in our fleet. Low miles. Cargo Cover. Needs Batteries, as they all do. Can jump start so you can see it run, and drive. $13,500 or best offer. MILEAGE 10,656 Miles VIN BT3279BCGE 6x6, Cat 6 Cylinder 3116 Turbo Diesel Engine, Automatic Transmission, Central Tire Inflation System, 395/85R20 Tires, Fold-Down Bed Sides, Cargo Cover Bows, Cargo Cover, Tailgate, Hard Top, Heater, 30,896 lb. GVWR

We have chatted back and fourth and he provided the following additional information:

He purchased it 5 years ago from Gov Planet Auction in California. No recent service but recent use. Tires are a little dry rotted. Probably original tires from 1996. He did change the fuel filter recently, but it otherwise have filters and fluids from 5 years ago when he purchased it. My main concern here is the air dryer not having been serviced for 5 years.

Driveshafts are straight and u-joins in ok shape. He says its roadworthy and will make the 120 mile trek back to my place no problem.

Brakes are 100% functioning, none are caged. No air leaks, will pass inspection for leak down test.

Cab lift works.

CTIS is not currently functioning but everything is there. He says that's very common and from reading various CTIS threads here, I tend to agree.

Looks to be in good shape appearance wise both inside and out:



He will include a spare wheel/tire as I noticed it was missing from the pic above.





Some minor surface rust from what I can see in the pictures.



Above is only interior pic, but looks quite decent compared to some I have looked at.



Original style air dryer.

Before considering driving it home, should I empty the wet tank and drop the bottom cover on the air dryer to see what it looks like? I suspect it will look pretty nasty.

He listed it 8 weeks ago asking $18,500 and has now dropped it to $13,500 obo. Once I go check it out in person, I was thinking I'd offer him $9,500 and negotiate from there.

I know old tires can blow out unexpected, but I'm hoping I can limp it the 120 miles home at 45-50 mph, pretty much all Interstate, and then start doing all the neglected maintenance it needs.

I will bring a 20 ton bottle jack, various 6x6 wood blocks, 1/2" impact wrench and my 3/4" drive sockets and rachet along with an extender pipe, in case I do loose a tire on the way back. I might see if he's willing to throw in a 2nd spare, depending on what we can negotiate. I'll of course also bring a full set of regular tools, engine, transmission and cooling fluids in case I'll need those. Ah yeah, and a fresh pair of Group 24F batteries.

My buddy is giving me a ride up there and will be following me all the way back.

Anything else I should bring along for this adventure?

 

[Wingnut13]

Others will have better pointers, but I had a guy I talked with prior to driving my truck home who could load it on a flatbed. So if I had a problem I couldn’t overcome I’d just call for a ride.

 

[biscuitwhistler37]

I don't have experience with that vehicle in particular, but I made a similar trip with similar supplies, the only thing I missed was an infrared thermometer for checking hub/wheel temps. Other than that, sounds like a solid plan and looks like a really nice truck.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Tires are a HUGE concern especially if they are that old - judging by the mismatched rim colors this has already been a problem for it. If you lose a steer axle tire on the interstate you will, in all likelyhood, die horribly in the roll over and potentially take other motorists with you. IMO it is irresponsible to drive on those. Virtually every at-speed blow-out I can find any reporting on has resulted in the truck heading straight for the ditch and ends up crushing the cab and occupant death is very probable.

Definitely service the dryer. It can take out the compressor discharge (exhaust) valve springs with too much backpressure.

The truck will need tires anyway. Buy them and have them delivered to the site. Install at least two of them on the front before you drive.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Tires: inspect for weather cracking and make a judgement call. Cracks on the sidewalls are a no-go. Minor surface cracking on the thickest part of the tread can be acceptable but should be changed soon. Front tires must be the best tires for safety. Drive safe, drive slow(er) than normal.

Air dryer: If you notice it's clean and not over sprayed in CARC. The unit it self as a whole has been replaced at some point and a good sign. The exposed non-CARC fittings look good so I'd take the cover off and inspect at the very least. Service kits are on on ebay and it's really simple just be careful to not make a mess trying to repack the desiccant.

CTIS: non-issue so unplug the control box and roll on. Make sure to look for creases in the tires' sidewalls for signs of bad o-rings, bad wheel diaphragms, or else. Operating the CTIS has a chance to make it stick and I've had trucks just want to deflate tires on a whim.

Take all fluids: 15w40, 80w90, 10w. Clean all battery terminals and connections prior to departing. Electrical issues will be your most likely cause of problems.

It's always recommended to have a vehicle towed/hauled to your place but make a judgement call. Operate the vehicle up to temp. Do some figure eights to flex the torsion rods. Feels for play in the steering. Watch all gauges. Check all tires. Pull the temp tag/insurance policy. Roll on home.

 

[chucky]

That air dryer has never been painted so it probly fairly new i wouldnt sweat that but like General Disorder said the tire thing is the premo concern get the guy to take pictures of all 6 tire date codes to know how old they are and you should lock down a price before you start buying all the stuff you will need to get it home / and you might get it hauled home fairly cheap since its so close so you might crunch the numbers ! Or have him deliver it to you as part of the price !

 

[pclausen]

Appreciate the feedback. I have asked the seller if he can check the date codes on the tires and if he happens to have known good tires of a more recent vintage he can swap on. He apparently has quite the collection. But yeah, failing that, picking up 2 fresh (ish) front tires sounds like a wise move.

I haven't committed to buying it yet until I check it out in person, so I don't know that I'd want to invest in 2 new front tires until I do so.

I suppose I could drive up there myself and check it out and see if we can strike a deal and if so, order up new tries for it and return later to swap them out.

I did find and read this just now:

How to Handle a Blowout

Just a simulation.... no real FMTV was harmed. But, there has been some deaths over last couple years in America with folk who had a blow out in a u500 Unimog. With this in back of my mind; while reviewing some things came across the below "blow out" driving vid. A device that might help...

www.steelsoldiers.com

And watched the video linked in the first post. Having a firm grip on the steering wheel is essential for sure.

Good deal on the air dryer having been replaced at some point, but I'll still check it out for sure.

EDIT: Already got a response from seller. That tan wheel was already on there when he purchased it 5 years ago. He'll get me pictures of all 6 date codes tomorrow. He'll also check his inventory. He might only have loose newish tires.

Looks like putting new rubber on these rims is quite the ordeal:

 

[GeneralDisorder]

It's an all-day job to do 6 of them for sure. Not as hard as that video makes it out to be if you have the proper tools - primarily you need the Ken Tool slide hammer bead breaker:

Ken-tool 35926 Heavy Duty Impact Bead Breaker

Buy Ken-tool 35926 Heavy Duty Impact Bead Breaker with an everday low price and fast shipping! JB Tools

www.jbtools.com

This makes short work of the bead and is what the Army uses in their tire kits - it's 23 lbs and 50" long so it gives you tremendous mechanical advantage and honestly makes the job look too easy. From there it's just heavy manual labor.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

That video from Michelin makes it sound easy - having experienced a front right sidewall failure on my DOT 2008 Goodyear MV/T's - the amount of sidewall on these tires and how far the truck drops on that one corner is ALARMING and the violence of the shredded rubber not evenly rolling under the rim - it's like riding a bucking horse that's tilted 15 degrees to the side. I've also run into a ditch on the side of a rural highway doing about 45 MPH and there's NO WAY you are holding onto the wheel - you can't even keep your ass in the seat let alone your foot on the gas pedal. You lose a steer tire at speed in these trucks and god help you man - you best hope you opted for the model with the shelter on it to keep from having the cab crushed flat and being an LMTV "man and cheese" hot pocket. My "experience":

Fortunately I was headed onto an off-ramp at about 35 MPH and it was a "controlled" release of air - at least initially. I'm a lucky SOB.

 

[pclausen]

@GeneralDisorder I hear you loud and clear. I have no intention of driving back on questionable fronts. I have popped a bead on a front tire on a 3500 duramax dually with 235/85R16s doing stupid stuff in an open field, and keeping it straight was no joke. I can image a 395/85 being an order of magnitude harder to control, especially at speed on a hard surface.

 

[serpico760]

That video from Michelin makes it sound easy - having experienced a front right sidewall failure on my DOT 2008 Goodyear MV/T's - the amount of sidewall on these tires and how far the truck drops on that one corner is ALARMING and the violence of the shredded rubber not evenly rolling under the rim - it's like riding a bucking horse that's tilted 15 degrees to the side. I've also run into a ditch on the side of a rural highway doing about 45 MPH and there's NO WAY you are holding onto the wheel - you can't even keep your ass in the seat let alone your foot on the gas pedal. You lose a steer tire at speed in these trucks and god help you man - you best hope you opted for the model with the shelter on it to keep from having the cab crushed flat and being an LMTV "man and cheese" hot pocket. My "experience":

Fortunately I was headed onto an off-ramp at about 35 MPH and it was a "controlled" release of air - at least initially. I'm a lucky SOB.

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View attachment 914778

Ditto on my truck as well with 2008 tires. I was just driving down the street at 30 miles an hour a few miles from my home and my left steering tire blew! I've had great success and great service from Feltz Tire. Bought tires from them twice now. Last time I bought two tires shipped from Wisconsin to Southern California for about $700 and both of them were new still with whiskers. A 2018 and 2019. https://feltztire.com/

 

[ronbo-3]

That video from Michelin makes it sound easy - having experienced a front right sidewall failure on my DOT 2008 Goodyear MV/T's - the amount of sidewall on these tires and how far the truck drops on that one corner is ALARMING and the violence of the shredded rubber not evenly rolling under the rim - it's like riding a bucking horse that's tilted 15 degrees to the side. I've also run into a ditch on the side of a rural highway doing about 45 MPH and there's NO WAY you are holding onto the wheel - you can't even keep your ass in the seat let alone your foot on the gas pedal. You lose a steer tire at speed in these trucks and god help you man - you best hope you opted for the model with the shelter on it to keep from having the cab crushed flat and being an LMTV "man and cheese" hot pocket. My "experience":

Fortunately I was headed onto an off-ramp at about 35 MPH and it was a "controlled" release of air - at least initially. I'm a lucky SOB.

View attachment 914777

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Oh boy, you are a very lucky man...thanks for the pictures! I know nothing about these vehicles, but learn so much from others experiences.

 

[serpico760]

Ditto on my truck as well with 2008 tires. I was just driving down the street at 30 miles an hour a few miles from my home and my left steering tire blew! I've had great success and great service from Feltz Tire. Bought tires from them twice now. Last time I bought two tires shipped from Wisconsin to Southern California for about $700 and both of them were new still with whiskers. A 2018 and 2019. https://feltztire.com/

 

[aw113sgte]

I have 2014 tires so not the worst, but plan to get new ones. Any experiences getting actual new ones and not military take offs? I've seen military pays about $850 each, would love to get that price but I've not seen anything close to that. I've heard people supposedly talking to their local reps but people seem to be sparse on prices paid.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3856263261...REya4EHS9C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[GeneralDisorder]

I have 2014 tires so not the worst, but plan to get new ones. Any experiences getting actual new ones and not military take offs? I've seen military pays about $850 each, would love to get that price but I've not seen anything close to that. I've heard people supposedly talking to their local reps but people seem to be sparse on prices paid.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3856263261...REya4EHS9C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

A fellow member mentioned to me that he had a family member that owned a tire shop and got them for a little bit less than is shown in that ebay ad - but not much.

The military gets huge volume discounts - in fact if it weren't for them the factory making these wouldn't even have a market to sell them to and might not exist in the first place so....... we are lucky Goodyear even gives us a price. They could easily just tell us to FO and not bother sending 5 or 7 of them on a truck when they can send entire truckloads at a time to the arsenals.

 

[serpico760]

I have 2014 tires so not the worst, but plan to get new ones. Any experiences getting actual new ones and not military take offs? I've seen military pays about $850 each, would love to get that price but I've not seen anything close to that. I've heard people supposedly talking to their local reps but people seem to be sparse on prices paid.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3856263261...REya4EHS9C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Everywhere I've seen charges $2,000 each at least.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Everywhere I've seen charges $2,000 each at least.

In a way that is Goodyear giving us the FO price. You want this? Your gonna PAY for our inconvenience in giving you the time of day for a price.

Also given the global security situation the demand has soared, and inflation has driven up the price of transportation and raw materials - we are lucky we can order them at any price IMO. And those of us that can't afford $10k for tires just have to lick uncle sam's nutsac and take what he tosses in the proverbial trash heap.

 

[coachgeo]

PS- this question gets asked once or twice a year.... and answered once / twice a year.. Suggest you consider search thru the old threads... your going to find some answers.. and come up with new questions in your head you didn't even think to ask yet... then pop in here ask those.

hmmm... some words you might try searching with. hmmm.. maybe try - ( drive, home, new, M1078, LMTV "what can go wrong" )

 

[j_boucher]

I looked at that vehicle and the tan one he has back in December, he told me the green one was sold to some fire station in NJ guess the deal fell through

 

[pclausen]

Appreciate all the responses! I have made a list of all the points made and also looked through various other threads related to must do maintenance items and checks, and merged them all together.

Turns out the truck sold yesterday. But at least now I have a good guide for what to check and look out for as I continue my search,