M1078 GVWR Over the Road

[Stevekelley]

That’s definitely possible. I’m sure they don’t all weigh the same depending on what options they have. I was curious how close that number really is. 400 lbs with you in it doesn’t seem all that close but then again just the winch accessories probably weigh at least a couple hundred if not more. Maybe that 17,214 number is the LTZ version ha.

 

[aleigh]

olive-drab.com lists it as "16,699 lb". Where did you get the 17k number? Also I should have said, I am talking about the A0. I don't know about the later models.

 

[Stevekelley]

https://fmtvtrucks.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/m1078a1-2.5-Standard-Cargo-4x4.pdf

I looked up a few other sites and they all say something different. I’m not sure what site is the most accurate or which one the are referring to but I think they actual weight will vary anyways.

 

[Awesomeness]

olive-drab.com lists it as "16,699 lb". Where did you get the 17k number? Also I should have said, I am talking about the A0. I don't know about the later models.

It's in the TM. Table 1-3, Vehicle Weights and Payloads.

Truck, Cargo, M1078
17,770 lbs (8,068 kgs)

OliveDrab.com seems to be edited by people who go by the philosophy "Close enough for government work." I've stopped going to that site, because there is so much incorrect information... and wrong information is worse than no information at all.

 

[Kbarnes0]

Easy way to see what the true weight is, make a run to the dump. With a full tank, and co-pilot we came in at 24,500lbs with the M1090 empty.

Hauled 9tons (est.) of logs the other day. Probably the heaviest load it will see during the time I have it.
60 psi tires, truck felt great loaded.

 

[snowtrac nome]

gvwr is determined by a few factors 1 axle and tire group springs braking capability and acceleration. there are others but these are the main factors.

 

[Zach_M1078A1]

I think you would find that law enforcement (and lawyers) would only be concerned about the GVWR stamped on the truck. I would not want to be in a position to have to argue that the truck is safe to drive at a weight greater than what is stamped on the truck. So if your concern is about what is legal I would stick with what is stamped on the truck.

I don’t know 100% but I did talk to a California Highway patrol and a Utah highway patrol officer separately asking this question. I was told that it doesn’t matter what it says on your truck it’s what it says on your registration and in Utah the GVWR of your truck is not dictated by the actual truck, but what you are willing to pay for for instance, my am 1078 A1 is registered at 26,000 GVWR and I was told that’s all that matters as far as Highway patrol or DOT. That’s just for legal purposes obviously not what is safe for your truck to hold. This seems a little weird to me. I would think what it says on the truck is more important and matters more for driver safety but I am pretty sure this is the case based on what I was told. Another caveat I don’t necessarily remember this part of it but I think it also matters that no single axle has over 13,000 pounds but I don’t really remember that part for sure

 

[ODAddict]

In my experience, what the officers told you is correct. That is, you tell the DMV the weight to register for the maximum gross weight. Then they charge you fees accordingly and issue the registration.

I believe that their thinking is that, because of the extremely large number of configurations across all models, the DMV relies on the owner's knowledge and representation of the required registered weight. On a DOT inspection, the officers will check the registered weight against the scale weight. If you're overweight (either by total against the registration or by axle regardless of the registration), you can expect a citation.

A registered weight over 26000 pounds or if the vehicle has air brakes requires a CDL. That's why you see rental van trucks like Penske or UHaul have a maximum weight of 26000 painted on the doors.

If you're involved in a crash, all bets are off. As a previous post indicated, crash investigators may scale the truck. If structural weights (tires, door label, etc) are exceeded regardless of the registered weight you may be subject to a criminal citation as well as be civilly liable.

Lastly, if you're on antique tags, have private tags, or insured as an antique or as a private vehicle, generally speaking, you may not engage in commercial operations such as hauling, towing, and so forth for someone else or for your own business. If you do, you may be cited, and in the case of the insurance company, you may not covered.

Hope that helps.

 

[chucky]

I don’t know 100% but I did talk to a California Highway patrol and a Utah highway patrol officer separately asking this question. I was told that it doesn’t matter what it says on your truck it’s what it says on your registration and in Utah the GVWR of your truck is not dictated by the actual truck, but what you are willing to pay for for instance, my am 1078 A1 is registered at 26,000 GVWR and I was told that’s all that matters as far as Highway patrol or DOT. That’s just for legal purposes obviously not what is safe for your truck to hold. This seems a little weird to me. I would think what it says on the truck is more important and matters more for driver safety but I am pretty sure this is the case based on what I was told. Another caveat I don’t necessarily remember this part of it but I think it also matters that no single axle has over 13,000 pounds but I don’t really remember that part for sure

LOL safety has never been part of the equation its all about the money the state can swindle out of the truck owner ! Long after IFTA was put in place we had to call in advance to the state of oregon and buy a fuel use permit and road use permit and you had to have them fax u the permit to an out of state only fax line and no one in the state was allowed to sell you diesel fuel without that permit number and the oregon puc would try to talk you into claiming more weight you were declareing as your gross cause thats what you were paying for im in a 45.000 lb bus and they are hell bent to sale me a 60,000 lb permit cause some busses pulled trailers ! Let me check NOPE i can plainly see no trailer (WELL IF WE CATCH YOU IN THE STATE 1 POUND OVER WERE GONA DO THIS AND THAT ) Each state has its own definition on the gross what ever make them the most money but the average rule was 12k on the steer 34k on drives(2 xle and 34 on trailer or 20 k on any single independent axle other than steer axle then in some states you could run 18k on steer with wide flotation steer tires and some states would go by what the stated weight printed on each tire so each state should be contacted in advance if you dont want any surprises ! So play dumb as possible yes sir no sir to everything and dont volunteer anything not asked of you ! Dont talk yourself into some kind of bogus citation the only thing you want to leave that sceen with is the D.O.T. s pity thinking he just met the dumbest human being of his carer !

 

[pclausen]

Just slap some FARM USE tags on in and call it a day. That's what I did after finding out how much the DMV wanted annually to register my dump truck @ 26,000 lbs. I'm not using it commercially so that might not work if you are. I haven't been pulled over, but I have hauled gravel with those tags and had cops pass me.

I'm in rural Virginia, so that could be a factor as well.

 

[sirensproject]

Bringing back this thread for a second! I am working on a special project involving the possibility of mounting a small (~6000lb) knuckleboom crane on an LMTV and would love as much capacity on the M1078 platform as possible without going to the M108x platforms.

Does anyone know if there were any M107x variants that were issued with data plates stamped with a GVWR higher than 26k lbs?

Acela documentation shows that they offer a 33k 4x4 model, but I am suspecting they swap the rear axle for a Meritor RF-19-611. That axle seems identical to the RF-12-611 with the exception it weighs 16lbs more.

 

[Ronmar]

Bringing back this thread for a second! I am working on a special project involving the possibility of mounting a small (~6000lb) knuckleboom crane on an LMTV and would love as much capacity on the M1078 platform as possible without going to the M108x platforms.

Does anyone know if there were any M107x variants that were issued with data plates stamped with a GVWR higher than 26k lbs?

Acela documentation shows that they offer a 33k 4x4 model, but I am suspecting they swap the rear axle for a Meritor RF-19-611. That axle seems identical to the RF-12-611 with the exception it weighs 16lbs more.

Having this discussion on FB and i doubt there is any real physical difference between the RS-15 and RF-19 except possibly/probably the spring package they are paired with. Maybe they have different axles fitted, but i suspect the housing castings are the same.

I think Acella is re-springing them and going thru the engineering cert process to get them re-rated like a new manufacturer would. I would suspect they are working with Meritor as part of this process as they would have to approve the re-rate or the re-axle specs...

it might be complicated for a one-off build to get beyond the blanket 26K rating for this class truck without providing the engineering to prove it.

A M1080(cab and chassis of a M1078-79) weighs 14.9K. Thats curb weight which includes 1K of crew and fuel(3pax+400# of fuel), so ~13.9 empty. add 6K of crane and you are at 20K plus the custom bed to accommodate the crane and stabilizers and you can probably be under 26K with a ton or so of added weight fuel and driver...

 

[sirensproject]

Ronmar, thank you for the input! I’m sure you are correct on Acela’s recertification process of the rear capacity. That’s good news about the curb weight of the cab and chassis.

Most medium duty truck chassis in the 33k GVWR range have a front axle rating of 12k lbs. The greater front axle capacity of the LMTV might be advantageous for a mid mount crane in order to balance out load between the front and rear axles. We would need the option of pulling a 12k equipment trailer if possible, so, like you have stated, the capacity might work out just right once tongue weight is been accounted for.

This definitely gives me more to think about!

 

[GeneralDisorder]

The LMTV has pretty soft rear springs. You'll definitely want stabilizers if you are picking heavy objects. Even trailers with heavy tongue weights will sag the 1078 suspension and the 1079 you can rock the whole truck just by shifting your weight in the van. The MTV (1087 for example) is like standing in a concrete building when you inside the habitat. It doesn't move - the difference is significant and very noticeable when you have worked with both variants and pulled trailers with both, etc.

 

[sirensproject]

The LMTV has pretty soft rear springs. You'll definitely want stabilizers if you are picking heavy objects. Even trailers with heavy tongue weights will sag the 1078 suspension and the 1079 you can rock the whole truck just by shifting your weight in the van. The MTV (1087 for example) is like standing in a concrete building when you inside the habitat. It doesn't move - the difference is significant and very noticeable when you have worked with both variants and pulled trailers with both, etc.

This would ultimately be a small grapple saw setup for removing trees on homes following disasters. The idea would be to run the stabilizers that are included with the Kboom, two additional stabilizers on opposite corners of the crane, and then one final stabilizer in front of the cab. That is a pretty typical setup on smaller, single axle grapple saw trucks.

This is all great information, and appreciate the feedback!

I am not completely against considering the MTVs. Especially since the wheel base options aren’t drastically longer than the LMTVs . There are some additional details I need to consider.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

It sounds like an M1084 MTV or an M985 HEMTT cargo w/crane would be an easier choice. The 985 is a BEAST of a machine though and maybe you don't want the 120' turning radius. It does have the weight and the mass and the cargo capacity to take big hunks of tree without requiring another cargo truck for it.

Theoretically there is the M1086 which is an interesting option..... although I've never seen one in person. Probably in Europe or Guam or some backwater somewhere. Not sure who got those.

 

[sirensproject]

It sounds like an M1084 MTV or an M985 HEMTT cargo w/crane would be an easier choice. The 985 is a BEAST of a machine though and maybe you don't want the 120' turning radius. It does have the weight and the mass and the cargo capacity to take big hunks of tree without requiring another cargo truck for it.

I think we could get behind an MTV if that proves to be a better platform for this application!

This is a good example of the goal, but with 4WD capability.

NEW BIK TREE-CARE SERIES TC-70/78 ON NEW PETERBILT 220

bikboomtrucks.com

Unfortunately a lot of the areas we need to access are very tight. This was especially true in parts of NC after Hurricane Helene. Interestingly BIK builds a non CDL version of the above truck. So it seems to be possible to achieve something similar with LMTV, and definitely with an MTV.

I am very grateful for the plethora of knowledge on this site! You guys are awesome.