so I found a fellow with an M123A1C in Oregon

[steelcaptain]

since discovering this truck today on Craigslist...My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening thru a cosmic vapor of invention.



but in the meantime, who can tell me about these triple reduction front hubs they have? Did these manage to actually work in real life?

 

[simp5782]

You can put it in 1st gear and get out and walk faster than it will go. They are best. Requires oversize flags and permits wherever you go. Top speed around 45 and loud

 

[Robo McDuff]

And probably you need a fuel trailer behind you at all times. That beast is 17 inch over max size in Europe.

 

[WillWagner]

They are BIG and slow. Check into the price of tires. Ever seen one in person? Come south to the Museum and have a look.

 

[steelcaptain]

well all things said, I have neither the ways nor the means to pursue this awesome truck much as I would love to say in my life that I owned such a behemoth but this is not the time even though I feel the seller is asking a mere pittance if the beast runs and drives.

for me, I have always been in awe with the engineering that went into these massive machines and reading through the Direct and General Support TM for this class has only reinforced that sense of awe. I still wonder about these front wheel hubs being their own reduction gearboxes...did any other trucks in the Army inventory ever use the same or similar? Why exactly were they fitted to these trucks and not to other designs like the M911's? why was all the required reduction not able to be obtained purely within the axle housing?

 

[srodocker]

those trucks are awesome. Where is this one located? Say its on CL?

 

[Karl kostman]

I saved one from a scrapper and its being rebuilt by another fellow in our club, I did some research on the trucks when I was buying mine and according the the OPP manual they were expected to get around .75 MPG I am expecting that to be with the 844 ci gas engine and not the Cummins 300. The trucks with duals are to wide to be driven without permits in ND! Parts are going to be your biggest challenge, a friend of mine in SD did a major rebuild on a 123 and he thinks he got one of the last Cummins 300 diesels in the US and lot of the transmission and transfer case pieces had to be ordered directly from Fiat in Italy, since they own MACK. Its hard the Italy does not like the US and it seems they take a very personal pride in making things difficult for us. The trucks are truly works of art in my book and I love BIG trucks. But with all that said the truck you found could be given to you for free and your going to have more into it than buying an already completed restored 123 and its ready to go. Its always the guys spending the money on the restoration that loses his butt!
Karl

 

[steelcaptain]

those trucks are awesome. Where is this one located? Say its on CL?

yes the truck can be found in Eugene, Oregon Craigslist

look for "military ten ton tank retriever"