Military HMMWV Vs Civilian Hummer H1

[LouWon]

With all of the talks about HMMWV's on the site, I was wondering why is it that the HMMWV's can't be road worthy.
I do not want this tread to be political about the HMMWV's, otherwise it will get locked, but more a discussion on the mechanical and safety side of why the vehicle is getting a bad rap

I found this review from four-wheeler from 1998

http://www.fourwheeler.com/project-vehicles/military-vs-civilian-hummers/

 

[dhaumann69166]

It depends state to state the definition of “road worthy”. In Nebraska they title and license the HMMWV just like a pickup. I think a lot of states consider them off road because of the fact they are emissions exempt and they don’t have any info as far as safety in crashes (at least that’s what a couple insurance companies said when I asked why they wouldn’t insure them). The HMMWV doesn’t have a collapsible steering column or crumple points for collisions like civilian vehicles do. Those are just a couple of the reasons I know of.

 

[LouWon]

It depends state to state the definition of “road worthy”. In Nebraska they title and license the HMMWV just like a pickup. I think a lot of states consider them off road because of the fact they are emissions exempt and they don’t have any info as far as safety in crashes (at least that’s what a couple insurance companies said when I asked why they wouldn’t insure them). The HMMWV doesn’t have a collapsible steering column or crumple points for collisions like civilian vehicles do. Those are just a couple of the reasons I know of.

I know that the emission is something. But according to the article. It’s the same vehicle apart from the 24V system and the interior it’s the same frame an power train , they all share the same components , brakes axle suspension ...



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[JoeJrTheBarber]

Humvee's weren't crash tested and didn't go thru the same tests and procedures that the "on road" Hummer did.
Also if you ask me, AM General is behind making the Humvee harder to get on the roads legally because they don't want their "hummers" to drop in value.
Think about it..

 

[tage]

I disagree. ^^
Hmmwv is no different then owning a vehicle that the manufacturer went bankrupt and no longer supports parts for.
Think buell, Pontiac, ect

 

[tage]

They're not road worthy because they're dangerous!
Flip a hmmwv and report back when you get your speech back.

 

[dhaumann69166]

Humvee's weren't crash tested and didn't go thru the same tests and procedures that the "on road" Hummer did.
Also if you ask me, AM General is behind making the Humvee harder to get on the roads legally because they don't want their "hummers" to drop in value.
Think about it..

I have also been told AM General doesn’t want the HMMWV released to the public for highway use because just like you said, they haven’t been crash tested and were never meant for the civilian highways.
As far as I know they are the same just like the article states. Civilian has a safety style collapsible steering column. You have more leg room in the civilian one since there is not a body brace behind the seat like the military ones. Civilian are WAY WAY WAY quieter inside, have much better heat and air conditioning. The article says military ones don’t have AC but you can get AC for them. On the HMMWV the batteries are under the passenger seat and on a Hummer H1 they are located under the hood passenger side in front of the air cleaner. The HMMWV was designed to be as basic and simple as possible where the Hummer is luxurious.

 

[dilvoy]

I have also been told AM General doesn’t want the HMMWV released to the public for highway use because just like you said, they haven’t been crash tested and were never meant for the civilian highways.
As far as I know they are the same just like the article states. Civilian has a safety style collapsible steering column. You have more leg room in the civilian one since there is not a body brace behind the seat like the military ones. Civilian are WAY WAY WAY quieter inside, have much better heat and air conditioning. The article says military ones don’t have AC but you can get AC for them. On the HMMWV the batteries are under the passenger seat and on a Hummer H1 they are located under the hood passenger side in front of the air cleaner. The HMMWV was designed to be as basic and simple as possible where the Hummer is luxurious.

The first two years of Hummers had the batteries beneath the right front seat and also had the B Cross Beam behind the front two seats, just like the Humvee. Also Humvees up to a certain year meet federal emissions standards. You just need to look at the emissions sticker on the left valve cover to see if any particular Humvee is old enough to be emissions compliant. Lots of bad info has been going around for years about this sort of thing, not to mention some roof builders setting up a Humvee with a hard top roof just barely placed atop a soft top Humvee to show how bad it would do in a roll over compared to the roof they were trying to hawk.

 

[319cssb]

You must be some kid or else I don't know about your cognitive capacity.
First off you mention all this talk about HMMWV on this site, mind you this is a HMMWV segment on a military vehicle forum. What do you think people talk about here? Oprah? SMH
How could this discussion not get political, when the answer to the very question you ask is a political reason? Tells me you know the answer to your own question already and just want to kick the ant hill a little.
Finally it's not a rap, it's rep. It's short for reputation, in case you didn't even know that.
Now go play with your friends and stop wasting people's time. SMH

 

[319cssb]

One more thing on your way out... a tread is the pattern you see on a tire, much like the ones on a HMMWV. A subcategory, like on a Forum is called a thread. Notice a difference?

 

[Flyingvan911]

They're not road worthy because they're dangerous!
Flip a hmmwv and report back when you get your speech back.

Many antique cars are not roadworthy by modern standards. From Model T’s and before to cars from the 50’s and 60’s. We take a calculated risk. We carefully maintain the vehicles and drive them carefully to reduce the risk to a minimum.

 

[porkysplace]

Many antique cars are not roadworthy by modern standards. From Model T’s and before to cars from the 50’s and 60’s. We take a calculated risk. We carefully maintain the vehicles and drive them carefully to reduce the risk to a minimum.

Well they never released the M151's even after the ROPS upgrade .

Now back to the original thread , a magazine article comparing them is hardly credible information . Just take it in the DMV , SOS or tax office who ever registers motor vehicles in your state and you will get laughed out of their office.

 

[LouWon]

One more thing in your way out... a tread is the pattern you see on a tire, much like the ones on a HMMWV. A subcategory, like on a Forum is called a thread. Notice a difference?

Yes I misspelled. I can’t even blame spellcheck lol


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[dhaumann69166]

Is it a pain in most states to license a HMMWV? Only asking because the old ladies at the court house here had never seen one or dealt with one and they didn’t give me any issues. The one thing I thought was strange is the body style on the title is listed as “8 cylinder” instead of 4 door or troop carrier or something like that. I know Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota are all no problem to license them.
Hopefully we at least somewhat answered your question about HMMWV vs Hummer. I apologize for the miss info on battery and emissions. 90% of the info I know came from hours of reading on this site. Not a lot of difference between them other than price and luxuries. The more luxurious the higher the price tag. In my opinion it all comes down to what you plan on doing with the vehicle and how thick your wallet is. Parts are 99% interchangeable and if you had the time and money you can make a military HMMWV just as nice as the civilian.
One other thing I am not sure about is the waterproof side of things. Military can go up to 30 inches deep and some come equipped with deep water ford kits to go deeper. I DO NOT know if the civilian is a swimmer or not.

 

[LouWon]

Is it a pain in most states to license a HMMWV? Only asking because the old ladies at the court house here had never seen one or dealt with one and they didn’t give me any issues. The one thing I thought was strange is the body style on the title is listed as “8 cylinder” instead of 4 door or troop carrier or something like that. I know Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota are all no problem to license them.
Hopefully we at least somewhat answered your question about HMMWV vs Hummer. I apologize for the miss info on battery and emissions. 90% of the info I know came from hours of reading on this site. Not a lot of difference between them other than price and luxuries. The more luxurious the higher the price tag. In my opinion it all comes down to what you plan on doing with the vehicle and how thick your wallet is. Parts are 99% interchangeable and if you had the time and money you can make a military HMMWV just as nice as the civilian.
One other thing I am not sure about is the waterproof side of things. Military can go up to 30 inches deep and some come equipped with deep water ford kits to go deeper. I DO NOT know if the civilian is a swimmer or not.

Mine is the M998 I’m trying to keep it as original as possible. That’s why I bought it and I like the looks of it better than an H1. It’s street legal and I drive it most days and go off roading every other weekend.


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[JoeJrTheBarber]

I disagree. ^^
Hmmwv is no different then owning a vehicle that the manufacturer went bankrupt and no longer supports parts for.
Think buell, Pontiac, ect

Every Pontiac on the road today went thru the DOT (Department of Transportation) process and was deemed (on road safe).
Every Buell motorcycle was put thru the same paces and tests as every say Honda or Harley - Davidson and was deemed safe and acceptable for public roads.

The Humvee was not, its really that simple.
Why you keep fighting the facts I am not sure..

 

[porkysplace]

Every Pontiac on the road today went thru the DOT (Department of Transportation) process and was deemed (on road safe).
Every Buell motorcycle was put thru the same paces and tests as every say Honda or Harley - Davidson and was deemed safe and acceptable for public roads.

The Humvee was not, its really that simple.
Why you keep fighting the facts I am not sure..

The HMMWV also isn't the same as a H1 or the army would have just bought a bunch of H1's , that's a fact you keep fighting.

 

[LouWon]

Every Pontiac on the road today went thru the DOT (Department of Transportation) process and was deemed (on road safe).
Every Buell motorcycle was put thru the same paces and tests as every say Honda or Harley - Davidson and was deemed safe and acceptable for public roads.

The Humvee was not, its really that simple.
Why you keep fighting the facts I am not sure..

I’m not fighting the facts. I’m just trying to figure out the difference. They did not make two frames both units share the same frame as well as the drivetrain and brakes. As for the steering, the shaft is in two pieces when you look at the u joint. Plus the steering box is way to the right. If someone says that the steering doesn’t collapse, well the u joint will take care of that. Safe enough for our soldiers but not safe enough for civilians.


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[porkysplace]

I’m not fighting the facts. I’m just trying to figure out the difference. They did not make two frames both units share the same frame as well as the drivetrain and brakes. As for the steering, the shaft is in two pieces when you look at the u joint. Plus the steering box is way to the right. If someone says that the steering doesn’t collapse, well the u joint will take care of that. Safe enough for our soldiers but not safe enough for civilians.


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Soldiers weren't trying to drive them down the highway at 80 mph , they were limited to set convoy speeds .

 

[LouWon]

The HMMWV also isn't the same as a H1 or the army would have just bought a bunch of H1's , that's a fact you keep fighting.

The Humvee was first at the request of the military. The H1 came after when Arnold asked for one. Unless I’m wrong


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