M931 A2 - Brought it home today

[BenTerrible]

Found this over the weekend and brought it home today. Truck is clean in and out! Runs like brand new too! We have hopes of putting it to work out here in California but I am weary of these CARB laws.

Would be great to find a lowboy to go with it!

Anyhow, in the mean time I thought I would share some photos.

-BT

 

[rosco]

The truck is sharp! When you talk about putting it to work, I always wondered how much weight DOT will allow on thoes singles, for highway service. What the tire is rated for, versus what DOT allows, I suspect are different, not to mention what Uncle Sam rated it for. I understand that it is 550# per inch of tire width, time the number of tires per axle. You might want to check.

 

[BenTerrible]

Thanks for the comment! Very excited to have found this truck, along with this site! I have only been a member a few days with very few posts, but I have gained so much knowledge from this forum. Very helpful!

I am not sure on the # for the singles either. I will check tomorrow on the tire rating and be sure to reply with an answer. Couldn't believe how clean the truck really is when I saw it for the first time. Zero leaks. New motor. Complete overhaul. It even came with all the documentation from when the work was done.

-BT

 

[quickfarms]

With the singles on it you will either need a military trailer or a custom trailer so that the deck sits low and level. You might also have to out a civilian sliding fifth wheel on it for weight distribution and height. If the deck is not low and level certain equipment will end up being over height.

Good luck dealing with the CHP commercial guys

 

[M35A2-AZ]

Nice!!!

 

[BKubu]

Awesome looking truck. Good luck with it! Are you planning to haul a low boy on the road, or off-road? I ask this because I don't think you are going to like the truck when trying to tow a lowboy (probably weighing in the 20K pounds range) and a load. These trucks just don't have enough power. If you need to haul a lowboy on the highway, I suggest finding an M915A1.

 

[Scarecrow1]

Your right the truck looks top notch . If you can't put it on the road and work with it you can always put a bed on it and carry on. Congrads on your find.........

 

[BenTerrible]

Thanks everyone!

This is the first 5 ton we have owned. We had the idea of using this truck to run our equipment to job sites locally. After some research, the general consensus is the 915 might be a better platform for those longer hauls on the highway.

I have a few misc details I want to address on the truck in the next few days...horn doesn't seem to be working, a few indicator lights are out, drivers side brake and signals not functioning. Other than those small issues, this thing is in excellent condition!

Question for Scarecrow...adding a bed woukd deem this truck a 'pickup' according to the state, no? Is the weight an issue when doing this? Does the vehicle need to have a bed from the factory or will a retrofit be acceptable? I need to look into this a bit more to educate myself with the options that might be out there.

Thanks again!

; BT

 

[BenTerrible]

Been on the phone for most of today with DMV, CHP, & CARB. Looks like we can kiss the idea of using this truck commercially goodbye. Just cant afford to do it. Absolutely no way to get an exemption.

Lots of people go the route of historical vehicle plates but I cant use the truck commercially if I have them. Probably should have done a bit more research prior to committing.

 

[Scarecrow1]

Ben I was afraid of that. Your state is know to be a pain due to the EPA and DOT regs. You can find all the info you need to put a bed on your truck but, to honest you are better off to find a 923 A1 or A2 and avoid the hassle. These trucks are pretty dedicated to hard work but remember they do require a lot of maintenance to keep running and it isn't as cheap as the civi counter parts. It is a nice truck and it would be a shame to have to lose it good luck and keep us posted on the out come..........

 

[quickfarms]

What year is the truck.

In CA a truck needs to be at least 25 years old to qualify as historic.

Any vehicle with three axles and a GVW over 6000 lbs in CA requires a class b to drive.

When you register a non historic truck you have to declare the weight of the vehicle and cargo. Do not under register the vehicle, if you get caught they can make you pay the back weight plus fines.

In CA any vehicle with a GVW over either 10,000 or 15,000 is considered a commercial truck and must be registered as such. Under this weight pickup trucks are registered by there unladen weight. Over this weight truck are registered by there GVW or declared weight.

The year on the paperwork and data tag is key. This is one of the reasons I have avoided the a2's

I have found that CA is very friendly to historic vehicles when you do your research and play by the rules.

Adding a bed to the truck changes the truck from a tractor to a truck with a bed. If you do this the truck would need to be inspected so the registration note on the bed can be changed. If you do not do this you could potentially have issues with a Leo or the dot unless the fifth wheel was still there,

 

[BenTerrible]

My title states 1987. Should be eligible for HV plates, yea?

 

[quickfarms]

My title states 1987. Should be eligible for HV plates, yea?

As long as the plate on the dash matches

 

[BenTerrible]

Date of Delivery tag?

 

[quickfarms]

Does the delivery date stamped on the data plate natch the title?

 

[BenTerrible]

Negative! Date of delivery reads 91.

 

[quickfarms]

Negative! Date of delivery reads 91.

That could cause a problem when the trucks VIN is verified.

 

[BenTerrible]

Looks like I got some work cut out for me.

 

[quickfarms]

What state is the title from?

Does the VIN on the title match the number on the data plate and the number stamped on the frame?

 

[BenTerrible]

Ca title registered as commercial. Currently non-op.

Yes, VIN matches on data plate and title. Where would I find a frame number?