Stupid Question about Highway Gears??

[Third From Texas]

Actually, I do get it.

Here's a load Bryce picked up just a couple months ago.

*and I'm not knocking Bryce, btw. He does full installs for what others just flip the gears sets for. He's not (just) a flipper. He provides a service (installation). And you will note that anytime someone asks where to get them, I reply "Bryce". Since he isn't on SS often, I've often let folks know how to reach him on FB.

It is funny though that for something so rare, truckloads appear out of thin air as needed to restock...

 

[spankybear]

It is funny though that for something so rare, truckloads appear out of thin air as needed to restock...

I don't know how rear these things are but if you have ever dealt with government surplus you know that these will dry up. I remember seeing boat loads of Dana 60 front ends coming out surplus... Today not so much. Try and find surplus Woodland camo BDUs or field gear. Right now there are boat loads of MRAPs being cut up... Plus surplusing their extra spare parts... One day these will run dry.

I will say though there are some people who are raping people with thire price of surplus. I just don't buy these as I know if I wait I will get it for a better price... Even in this day of $10.00 2x4 studs.

 

[Third From Texas]

I don't know how rear these things are but if you have ever dealt with government surplus you know that these will dry up. I remember seeing boat loads of Dana 60 front ends coming out surplus... Today not so much. Try and find surplus Woodland camo BDUs or field gear. Right now there are boat loads of MRAPs being cut up... Plus surplusing their extra spare parts... One day these will run dry.

I will say though there are some people who are raping people with thire price of surplus. I just don't buy these as I know if I wait I will get it for a better price... Even in this day of $10.00 2x4 studs.

Well I've only been into LMTVs for 5 years now, but with regards to 3:14 regearing:

How many years have I been told "there are no more", "they were only in the early Caimans", "there simply are none", "you can't get them anywhere", "it's just what they sell for", etc, etc.

How about *every* time it's comes up.

Along with the usual "supply and demand" "Capitalism" and a dozen other attempts to justify bending community/hobby members over to take it up the ***.

Yet when the few who sell them run low or start telling customers they are out of stock (for now)....then a truckload appears and the prices go up again, and again, and again...



The problem with "just don't buy from the scalpers" is that with so many shills, unless you are on the Internet 24/7and camping the forums purchases are made before the suckers can be PM'ed and warned DO NOT BUY FROM THIS GUY.

 

[Third From Texas]

End of the day, it's not a democracy... but it would be an interesting blind poll to just ask truck owners out there if parts are ridiculously priced.

I be the VAST majority of the owners would say yes. And they would be correct IMO even given overhead and a "reasonable" profit (I wonder how much Autozone marks up an item from a supplier). And I bet 100% of the vendors and shills will say that it's fine.

Buy 'em if you want and can afford them I guess.


btw: someone DID look into having them made (along with lockers). But they are also tied into the current supply chain of them, so it the new rings/pinions got nowhere (at least until there are no more truckloads of them rolling in when needed).

 

[wheelspinner]

You know I get the hard feelings about “evil scalpers”. Here’s a solution-get into the business—start buying parts trucks, spend days,weeks, even months trying to score some stuff that can make you a few bucks. Then start selling it for the “great guy that you are” price.
You’ll find out quick that’s it’s not all rainbows and unicorns.
But it’s easier to just bitch.

for the record, I had two sets of gears here recently ( 4/4 and 6/6 ) that I sold for the low end of the current going rate. I could have held out for more-but I didn’t.

Of course I try to make some money when I can, but rape people and the word gets around fast.

End of the day, it's not a democracy... but it would be an interesting blind poll to just ask truck owners out there if parts are ridiculously priced.

I be the VAST majority of the owners would say yes. And they would be correct IMO even given overhead and a "reasonable" profit (I wonder how much Autozone marks up an item from a supplier). And I bet 100% of the vendors and shills will say that it's fine.

Buy 'em if you want and can afford them I guess.


btw: someone DID look into having them made (along with lockers). But they are also tied into the current supply chain of them, so it the new rings/pinions got nowhere (at least until there are no more truckloads of them rolling in when needed).

 

[chucky]

This opinion will not be liked by many but im going to throw it out there for consumtion . I would love to drop the rpm on my truck and still run 55 mph but its all about how important is it to you like the other fella said about new pick ups costing 80,000 yea its insane and if i had HOWARD HUGHES money i would not pay that price because its not important to me . Its more fun for me to wait till the right deal comes along and i get what i think is a good deal but more important of all is these trucks NOT getting on the front page of the major news papers for killing a family or a school bus full of kids because we alterd the mfg original design and now here comes 20 to 30 thousand pounds down the interstate at 75 mph on tires that were NEVER designed to run at that speed on a top heavy truck that was NEVER designed to run that fast and its coming a bad accident with military surplus vehicles that are at best a gray area in most areas and when it does our hobby will become our OFFROAD hobby over night ! These trucks are our source of entertainment to enjoy and work and cuss and fix and break and go camping in ect. ect. Take the 2 lane slow down and see the sights enjoy your ride the interstate is ugly and you see nothing there is NO rush and i promise you will enjoy the journey 100 times more and you will stumble on more things for sale in front yards and old barns on the 2 lane and sites youve never known about . Whats the rush !!!!!!!

 

[simp5782]

Easy enough to put your own bid in for a scrap metal or tire contract and spend your money doing the same thing they do.

A 5 million pound 1yr tire contract winning bid is generally under $200 so I guess folks are supposed to sell those surplus tires for $10 ea?

You don't know how much crap you have to waste money on and throw away to even get your hands on decent parts. Especially when scrap prices are low or the nearest yard is hours away and you may spend 10,000$ in time, labor, fuel before you even make a dollar.

Also factor in what that truck cost, operating cost, the step deck, tires, insurance, registration. The game adds up quick and that trailer load of axles doesn't even pay for most of it.

The high speed LMTV gears are not that expensive as apparently some of you have never bought a set of truck gears and had to install them. They aren't cheap either and they are way more abundant than the gears for the LMTVs and this applies to all ratios and ratings.

A Higher speed ratio of gears for a 5 ton and M915 series with SSHUD Rockwell are hens teeth and much more costly than those LMTV gears if you can find em.

A ring and pinion by themselves,not including 3rd members and bearing, in 4.90 gears for an M35a2 deuce are $1200 each Factor in labor, bearings and you aren't much different in price than your LMTV gears and those prices you guys get include a complete 3rd member drop in.

This is a cheap hobby if you buy something older and more mechanical. You also could score lots of deals before the days of govplanet. Most folks were just late for that party.

 

[Third From Texas]

Of course I try to make some money when I can, but rape people and the word gets around fast.

The problem IMO is that when someone like the OP asked, they are usually fed the same line of BS: "supply demand", "Capitalism", etc, etc every time. So they just figure they have to pay the price. And nobody ever speaks up about it they just tell people "that's just the way it is, bend over".

Yeah, I bitch about shit that I think is wrong (makes me unpopular with the old guard). At least I'm not calling out the vendors doing it here by name.

As far as getting into the business, pass. I'm retired for a reason. But when I need parts I go buy a parts truck (it's cheaper). There's one parked in front of my house as I type this (if the engine hadn't started it would have been stripped by now but I hate to murder a clean truck).

 

[Third From Texas]

This opinion will not be liked by many but im going to throw it out there for consumtion . I would love to drop the rpm on my truck and still run 55 mph but its all about how important is it to you like the other fella said about new pick ups costing 80,000 yea its insane and if i had HOWARD HUGHES money i would not pay that price because its not important to me . Its more fun for me to wait till the right deal comes along and i get what i think is a good deal but more important of all is these trucks NOT getting on the front page of the major news papers for killing a family or a school bus full of kids because we alterd the mfg original design and now here comes 20 to 30 thousand pounds down the interstate at 75 mph on tires that were NEVER designed to run at that speed on a top heavy truck that was NEVER designed to run that fast and its coming a bad accident with military surplus vehicles that are at best a gray area in most areas and when it does our hobby will become our OFFROAD hobby over night ! These trucks are our source of entertainment to enjoy and work and cuss and fix and break and go camping in ect. ect. Take the 2 lane slow down and see the sights enjoy your ride the interstate is ugly and you see nothing there is NO rush and i promise you will enjoy the journey 100 times more and you will stumble on more things for sale in front yards and old barns on the 2 lane and sites youve never known about . Whats the rush !!!!!!!

Agreed. I drove an old Winnebago in the 70's when the speed limit was 55. So chilling down the highway is no thing to me. Would I spend a couple grand to get the RPMs down? Sure. Would I piss away $5-6K to get the RPMs down? Nope.

I've really got no dog in this hunt, but the OP asked why and a discussion like this will provide a lot of info for him and others.

 

[spankybear]

Along with the usual "supply and demand" "Capitalism" and a dozen other attempts to justify bending community/hobby members over to take it up the ***.

LOL... No one is forcing you to spend money on these gears... Especially for a hobby... The will run out... like I said try to find loads of Dana 60 axles from the .gov. Also anything woodland camo. I remember when I could find stuff cheap from WWII... Now not so much.

Also you seem like you hate capitalism. Why are you upset people make money. It not like you need these axles. Your truck runs fine without them

Anyway just don't pay the money for the axles... it is that simple.

 

[spankybear]

The problem IMO is that when someone like the OP asked, they are usually fed the same line of BS: "supply demand", "Capitalism", etc, etc every time. So they just figure they have to pay the price. And nobody ever speaks up about it they just tell people "that's just the way it is, bend over".

Yeah, I bitch about shit that I think is wrong (makes me unpopular with the old guard). At least I'm not calling out the vendors doing it here by name.

As far as getting into the business, pass. I'm retired for a reason. But when I need parts I go buy a parts truck (it's cheaper). There's one parked in front of my house as I type this (if the engine hadn't started it would have been stripped by now but I hate to murder a clean truck).

Do you have any parts you want to sell? I am looking for a few things and I know I can get them cheaper from you right? I find most people too lazy to sell and ship parts.

 

[Third From Texas]

Do you have any parts you want to sell? I am looking for a few things and I know I can get them cheaper from you right? I find most people too lazy to sell and ship parts.

Sure. But I'm going to farm the bits I need off it first. I'll be happy to ship what I get off it before I send it to the scrap yard. Or I may just pull what I need and let someone roll the rest home with them.

I've never understood people selling stuff who won't ship. I see ads all the time for surplus with notations like : "Local pickup only" "I won't ship, don't ask and no 3rd-party pickups". Why bother advertisaing on the Internet then????>

LOL

 

[Third From Texas]

LOL... No one is forcing you to spend money on these gears... Especially for a hobby... The will run out... like I said try to find loads of Dana 60 axles from the .gov. Also anything woodland camo. I remember when I could find stuff cheap from WWII... Now not so much.

Also you seem like you hate capitalism. Why are you upset people make money. It not like you need these axles. Your truck runs fine without them

Anyway just don't pay the money for the axles... it is that simple.

I'm not in the market for gears. I'm just answering the OP's question.

Or letting the community answer it.

 

[Mullaney]

.
What is really is "exciting" is that the American Tax Payer funds lots of stupidity. Guess hauling it back would have cost more than the value of the equipment. What grinds my gears is the possibility that our guys will have that same equipment shooting at us the next time we show up there... 800 Billion in abandoned equipment according to the Associated Press. But even if we wanted it, we couldn't buy this stuff... Even though you and I paid for it with our taxes.

 

[simp5782]

.
What is really is "exciting" is that the American Tax Payer funds lots of stupidity. Guess hauling it back would have cost more than the value of the equipment. What grinds my gears is the possibility that our guys will have that same equipment shooting at us the next time we show up there... 800 Billion in abandoned equipment according to the Associated Press. But even if we wanted it, we couldn't buy this stuff... Even though you and I paid for it with out taxes.

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As ISIS carries em away.

 

[Mullaney]

As ISIS carries em away.

.
Sad but definitely what I would expect to happen.
I guess somebody missed the memo to destroy those armored vehicles.

 

[spankybear]

Sure. But I'm going to farm the bits I need off it first. I'll be happy to ship what I get off it before I send it to the scrap yard. Or I may just pull what I need and let someone roll the rest home with them.

I've never understood people selling stuff who won't ship. I see ads all the time for surplus with notations like : "Local pickup only" "I won't ship, don't ask and no 3rd-party pickups". Why bother advertisaing on the Internet then????>

LOL

I am looking for the shield/gaurd for the air tanks and the cab lift cylinder on the passenger side. I believe the early trucks didn't have them.

 

[chucky]

Who has the kick panel on the left side of the steering wheel box ?

 

[abfisher1798]

That is why I posted the info for the fuel lines in another post. I'm all about making a few bucks. What I have problem with is gouging or otherwise taking advantage of a situation. JIC and AN fittings are compatible with each other and since AN is a commodity item its not expensive. Paying hundreds of dollars a 5' fuel line is in my opinion excessive. If anyone wants one and can't make it for themselves, I'll make you one and you won't feel like you got ripped off.

I'll be keeping my eye open for alternate sources for gear sets. I'm not in any hurry. What I'm not going to do is pay $4k for a couple sets of ring and pinion gears. If I find a source of gears I'll be happy to share.

Mullaney, I hear ya. I resold generators from the auctions for a few years. Each and every machine I sold was carefully looked over, repaired as necessary (usually the rubber parts replaced at a minimum), and tested before I passed it on. Not a single one came back with any kind of a problem. ZERO in 3 years. I made a reasonable profit on them and sold them knowing the people were getting a great machine. I also know that I'm not typical in that regard. My general experience is people make as much $$ as they can while expending the absolute LEAST effort they can get away with.

I recently bought a few air-over-hydro pumps for FMTVs. I'm going to rebuild as many of them as I can into good functioning condition and put them up for sale. Why? Because I see people trying to sell units in unknown working condition for almost a grand. EACH. You should get a PALLET of them in that condition for $1k. This is the stuff that really grinds my gears. Additionally - If someone has one they want rebuilt, get in touch. I'll do what I can to help.

Are people having a hard time finding LMTV fuel lines at a decent price?
I own a Push LOK setup, plenty of hoses and fittings. Just last week I build new fuel lines for all my FMTV’s; didn’t take but a few minutes.
I’ll offer that up to others if there’s interest. Not sure what the price would be yet; need to do some quick calculations to figure the value of the fittings and hose and what the few minutes it takes making them is worth.

 

[Third From Texas]

I can't image that fuel line would be hard to source or in short supply. Nothing special about the LMTV lines, as you know.

There are a half dozen hose shops where I live and I have them made all the time.