M923A1 use as a commercial vehicle?

[ichudov]

I am thinking quite seriously about buying an M923A1 ans use it as a commercial vehicle or perhaps to pull a heavy boat. (I buy and sell surplus equipment and have a semi, dump truck etc, so this would not be the first heavy vehicle for me)

But I want to know some realities of owning one, so:

1) How hard is it to get parts for it
2) What about insurance
3) Are they still as unsafe as they used to be, when are sold by the GL? Or have they been upgraded with safety improvements? Should I expect troubles when braking hard? I do realize that they are top heavy vehicles, and do not blame them for that, I just want to make sure that they addressed engine stalling problems in the vehicles that they are selling
4) Is the cost of driving them, per mile, comparable with regular commercial tandem axle diesel trucks?

thanks

 

[Excuse Me]

Far as I know there is no power divider to differentiate the rear axles. No hubs on the front so it is always turning. Wedge brakes instead of s-cam so parts and knowledge of adjusting and operation are not very available.

 

[quickfarms]

Wedge bakes are a pain to keep adjusted, so you can pass a DOT inspection, and very costly to do a brake job to DOT standards.

There is only one mechanic around here that will adjust wedge brakes and he charges 1 hour per wheel to adjust plus the time to jack the truck up and remove the wheels. All three axles of s cam brakes can be adjusted in less than a half of an hour.

 

[wreckerman893]

These trucks were not meant for daily use. They were built to haul heavy loads over difficult terrain (usually at slow speeds) while being driven by young soldiers who were not real keen on maintaining them while on training missions or during warfare. There are folks on here that work them like rented mules but as far as I can tell they use them off road more than on.
While they are cheap for what you get they have their issues and using one as a commercial vehicle on a daily basis might end up costing you in the long run.
There have been many threads on this subject but I'm not a search guru and can't direct you to them.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I passed a M35A2 with a 1000 gallon water tank and a M813 (I think) with a huge well drilling rig on it coming back from Cass WV. Both were owned and used by a well drilling company, had names on the doors, annual federal inspection stickers and IFTA stickers.

I also kept a M818 up to commercial standards for awhile before I got my M915. Expensive? yes. But the low price of the truck to start offset it somewhat.


If those old beasts can be used in regular commercial service, so can a M923.

 

[Scarecrow1]

This question is not new and the answers are always pro and con. In the long run you can buy parts new and used. I have a 923A1 but, so far as any commercial use for it no not in my book. The cost of the truck is fair for the most part if you shop around. Getting insurance is sometimes a pain but can be found. I drove trucks for 25 years and I know I would never choose an old military truck for anything other than what I use mine for ( a hobby ) They are not made for anything but, what they were designed for( Use in case of emergency!) The thought of putting a young kid working for someone in one of these 5 tons and turning them loose is a law suite waiting to happen. The bed on mine is 5 ft high and is almost useless so far as loading anything without a fork lift. Their are some that swear by their reliability but, to each their own. All I would say is good luck and choose wisely

 

[Rifleman]

The only pro i can see to using these trucks in a commercial way is the entry price, other then that they have to many cons. What most people forget is all the maintenance and up keep our trucks need, they forget that the Army had a PM program along with a whole motor-pool equipped with tools, parts, and men just waiting to service our trucks.

Most people i have spoken to think this is no different then the up keep on their C10 pickup. I try to tell them that this is nothing like the family pickup, i then ask them, have they every changed the tire on their pickup, most of them say yes, why? I then point out to them that just one super single tire on our trucks weights 500 pounds, then i ask them if they have ever done the brakes on their truck, most again say yes, that's when i point out again that everything on these trucks is HEAVY, very heavy, i tell them that it just about takes two men to remove and carry one brake drum off of our trucks. Next i ask them about doing an oil change on their truck, i tell them that our trucks take 27 quarts of oil to do just one oil change. After i point all this out, and explain the BIG difference in maintenance cost you can pretty much see the light come on in their head as they start thinking maybe this just isn't for me.

To use this type of truck for other then a hobby you had better have DEEP POCKETS, and even just owning one for a hobby you need to have lots of extra money. You'll also need a place where you can park it while you work on it, and lets not forget that your not going to be able to buy most of your repair parts from the local Napa. So this all means your going to have to be willing to put up with the down time while your wait for your replacement parts to be shipped.

All of this maintenance and waiting on parts doesn't sound to me like the kind of truck your going to be making any money with. So if i had to pick a truck to use to make money with, i would spend the money on a real commercial truck that was designed for the job you intend to use it for. This is just my 2 cents, your mileage may very.

 

[emr]

Since WW1 The gov. has sold trucks etc,Many have asked and tried your question.And you may be noticing there are not many business's doing it, even after 70 years,And its Not because its a secret The search function here should have all you would ever need to know, But I must ask. Do you know what a " Tactical vehicle is ? " That is the start, Commercial trucks are designed for commercial use. tactical trucks are designed for ... There sure are business's that can benefit from tactical vehicles from surplus, Other than the vehicle, Insurance is something you will only ever know the answer from your carrier and your uses.