M931 as a farm semi?

[Adam Suess]

Recently I was at a truck dealer to pick up some tires and got to looking at some M931 and M931A2 trucks he had. I wounder how well one of those would work to pull a 38' hopper field to farm? The longest run is 14 miles. It's pretty flat around here, even so how would these handle 80,000 gvw on the hwy? Will the transmission stand up to that? I understand the transfer case can split under a hard pull. Is this a problem only in reverse or in forward as well? What kind of modifications are required to hook it to a commercial trailer? I noticed they had wedge type brakes? any problems with those? Thanks.

 

[GHall]

The A1/A2 models are taller than civy trucks because of the singles but I have read where you can put a civy hitch on the M931 that makes the hitch height about 5 in lower. I wouldn't know anything about that much weight though. The T-Case problem is only in reverse low range. It automatically locks the front diff in when you put it in low. There are ways to stop it from going into 6x6 in low until you hit the switch on the dash I believe.

 

[wreckerman893]

My son said he pulled 5000 gallon fuel tankers with them but they were slow on the road. If you are on flat land you would prob be able to maintian 50-55 MPH with a heavy load on. I'm not sure how long the tranny would last pulling heavy loads for extended periods. It would make a good pull out truck to get a loaded trailer to the hardball. If it were me I'd go for a M915 since it has the 400 Cummins and no transfer case and front differential. There are several people on here that use the M915's for line haul trucks and I think most of them are satisfied. I have sold two to local farmers and they like them.

 

[quickfarms]

Ditto on the M915.

The M931 is a good truck off road but they are slow on the road under a load

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I've made 143 trips hauling a 50k tanker on hard surfaces, plus numerous other long hauls with my flatbed loaded to the gills using my M915A1. I highly recommend a 915. if the field is really bad you might want a 931/2 or even a m818.

I forgot to mention, that a M915 has a lot of standard semi parts you can get from many local suppliers, making a breakdown an hour or so inconvenience, not a week to wait on ordered parts.

 

[tie6044]

If you don't mind my asking where did you find a dealer lot with those trucks at it?

 

[m16ty]

A M931 is going to be awfully slow on hills with a loaded hopper bottom and may even stall on steep hills in high range. I don't know about your neck of the woods but around here farmers routinely gross 100,000lb+.

The wedge type brakes seem to work as good as any but they are a pain to service and adjust compared to "S" cam brakes.

 

[Danger Ranger]

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...ehind-your-5-ton-tractor&highlight=grain+semi
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?81412-Photos-of-My-M916&highlight=m915+m916+semi+grain
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?95654-M915A1-Repainted

I thought these might help you. Good luck

 

[Adam Suess]

I'm not familiar with A M915. I've been reading on them a bit here the last day or so. I have a R Mack road tractor now. It's a ok road truck. The only thing is 1st gear is so tall it has trouble getting going in soft conditions. You really got to watch where you park it. Fine on a dry year but that's not always the case. I'm really looking at one more for the off road ability when conditions are bad and having the auto would open up the help pool a bit and maybe not so much worry about burning up a clutch. I also have a M54A1 I'm using to move grain. It's set up with a 400 bu box and hoist and I would pull another 600 bu in wagons a lot of the time. It's really gotten me through some tough conditions over the years. The thought is to replace this set up. I briefly considered converting it to a tractor, but decided if I wanted a tractor it would probably be cheaper/better to go buy one. How heavy is a M915? How about a M916?

tie6044, The dealer was just south of Owatonna, MN. Army 6x6 I think he calls it. Are you the one I bought the Multifuel engine from a few years ago?

Thanks.

 

[SUPRDUD]

Use the handy "search" function on the forum for the 915A1 and enjoy the reading!

I bought two of them a year ago and they worked great on the farm with DMF 40' hoppers and a M872 flatbed for water tanks. They top out at about 62mph so they get out of a field really well. They are the first semis I have driven, but have had Allisons in heavy straight trucks for decades. I had some friends drive them a little and they were sure impressed with the power and ease of driving, but said they ride very rough compared to the air ride trucks they were used to. Some folks have put air seats in them, but I will only go about 1,000 miles a year so I can tough it out.....

 

[tie6044]

Hey Adam, ya that's Andy's place he is a good guy to deal with. Yes that was me you got the motor from too. If you go the 931 route I have one I will sell reasonably, I had big plans for it but I never followed through on it so I will be selling it.

 

[Adam Suess]

Thanks for all the info.