M923 Recovery GA to CO

[machinist75]

Well, all's well that ends well. Thanks Mdmorgan and CycleJay for sending my your phone numbers; I had them ready.

Machinist75 good looking trailer except GL's forklift broke the wasp excluder on the relay valve and bent the bejeebers out of one brake actuator rod. Two of my 3 big trailers had similar damage.

Pictures:
Getting down to business, the truck has had an ABS brake upgrade which accounts for the new brake equipment.

Assessing damage after it overheated on I-20 on the south side of Jackson, MS.

I would guess that on my trip there are probably less than a dozen placed withing 50 mi. of my route to buy the belt I needed and I broke down ONE MILE from one at 4:00 PM with just enough time to find it with a smart phone and get there.

The thing to remember about TM manuals is that they were written when the equipment was shiny and new. The pump wouldn't budge after I loosened the 'crimp'. It was rusted in, so I took the fan assembly and the plate the Cummings guy called the 'crimp' off and used a chisel to loosten it. Then it went by-the-book.

Here's the real reason I was allowed to make this trip, our newest grandson in Dublin, TX.

Because of the lost day in Jackson, MS, we decided to leave the truck in Dublin, TX 'til later so we could have another day to visit. Otherwise we would have had to leave Friday morning instead of Saturday to get back to Colorado in time.

To be continued (2013)

I apreciate you getting the trailer for me. Glenn sent me some pics of the trailer should be a easy fix. Good looking grandson and 5 ton.

 

[CycleJay]

Kaiser,

You are welcome... Too bad you were too far, or I could of helped.

In any case, I am glad you got it fixed, had a safe trip, and got to see your grandson.

The next time you are ever in the Marietta, Ga. area, feel free to contact me.

Good day, and good luck with the new truck.

 

[KaiserM109]

Thoughts on Owning/Operating a 5 Ton (relative to a deuce)

1. A 5 ton is a DBT!! (D$&*ed Big Truck).
2. A deuce tire was tough to handle by 1 guy; a 5 ton tire takes at least 2.
3. Power Steering is nice!!!
4. An automatic transmission can spoil you.
5. A 5 ton has the turning radius of a B52.
6. You can tell that you are pulling an empty M105 trailer.

“You can’t roller-skate in a buffalo herd,” (sing along) “you can’t roller-skate in a buffalo herd, you can’t roller-skate in a buffalo herd” but you can drive a 5 ton through one. Not long ago my son likened the mob of people going into and out of a Walmart to a buffalo herd. Driving through one gets you a lot of interesting looks, including terror.

The spare tire is mounted on edge sideways right behind the driver and has some play. When you hit the brakes it slams into the cab. The mounting bracket will set up a racket that resonates with the engine at 40 to 50 MPH and will make you think that a major piece of the truck, a bearing or U joint or something like that, is trying to separate itself from the rest of the truck. It took me 800 miles to identify the source and to reassure myself that it didn’t need attention. I also learned (actually verified what I already knew) that any rope you tie will loosen. I had it quieted down for a while by tying a tow strap around it.

Duct tape is essential. I reaffirmed that when the top bolt tightening the big mirror broke (reaffirming the need to use penetrating oil on a rusty nut or bolt).

Tire tools are essential, too. One outside duel was flat and had a broken sidewall from the start, but I didn’t have tire tools (my bad, I could have raided my deuce). Having driven a flat on an inside duel, I figured it would be ok, but it wasn’t. That’s one reason the truck ended its journey for this year a little early.

You can start a 24 volt 4-battery rig with a 24 volt 2 battery pair from a deuce if everything is good.

Working on a 5 ton is like working on your old Jeep or Bronco, except everything is twice as big and takes big tools. I had to rig a sling to lift the fan assembly back into place when replacing the water pump belt.

Knobbie tires react strangely to bumps at 50 MPH, especially on rough concrete roads in Northern Mississippi.

 

[EMD567]

If you thought your 923 has a big turning radius, you should try a M814 or M928. Better clear out an acre to make a u turn.

 

[rrrr]

The funny thing is I can see the smile on your face as your write your thread. Welcome to the big boy club !