Talk to me about getting an M1078...

[1stDeuce]

Well, it's been 7 years since I sold my 1st (and only) Deuce, as well as the two M1008's that I had back in MI... Wife and I are building a house in Colorado over the next two years, and I've been looking for a sub-26,000gvw / sub-$4000 dump truck. I haven't found anything that isn't going to require a LOT of work, and really struggle at 7000'. One old ('72) Loadstar 1600 at $2500 is the best I can come up with, and it will need new tires all around at the very least to be road safe, which brings it up to $4000.

I keep looking at M1078's and thinking what a great dump/plow truck one would make if I can get one for sub-$4k and convert it to dump. I found ONE youtube video of an M1078 converted to dump with the stock bed. Their dump angle was a bit low, but other than that it looked workable. I've done searches on here with no results.

I'm not sure whether I'd convert the stock bed, or put a slightly shorter bed on it. (And shorten the wheelbase a bit...) Either way, it would be some work, but I'd have a really nice truck when done.

It appears that SOP at many places is to drain all fluids, and sometimes disconnect some hoses on the engine. The trucks closest to me all say "fluids drained, engine missing parts", though I can't see any missing parts from the photos... Has anyone bought a truck that had this description to find that it was a runner after adding fluids back in? Given the auto trans, it's not like they could drain it and then drive it out into the lot, so that's good, but the brakes appear to be caged, so if it was towed, it was dry... Hopefully it wasn't towed far or fast... ??

Any thoughts on converting to a dump bed, or converting the OE bed to dump? I'm hand with a welder, plasma cutter, hydraulics, etc, so more concerned with frame issues, or things mounted to the bed that will need to be relocated.

The closest trucks are a day away from me, so I'm bidding based on the GovPlanet description. Dangerous, I know, but not much choice. I bought my deuce as a "does not run" from Mechanicsburg, and when we got there ready to winch it onto the trailer, they jumped it and drove it over. I know that won't be the case with trucks that have no fluids, but I'm hopeful they are just draining them so they don't have to put drain pans under them... ??

Any feedback welcome. I'm honestly getting excited about having another, much nicer truck, so I have to keep telling myself this is probably not a great plan... But we need a dump truck, and could use a plow truck too, so it isn't a really bad plan, right?

 

[tburk49760]

Well, I think you have a great plan and although I feel buying an lmtv that won't require a lot of work to make it drivable for less than $4000 is unlikely, with the right attitude nearly anything is possible. Lots to read here of course and he will learn plenty. These trucks do have some quirks but mine is nearly a daily driver and is my pick up. I'm looking forward to see what you do as I may copy you..

 

[98G]

I've seen them drained with a drill.

"Doesn't run" is anything from needing a jump, to a seized engine.

GP views these trucks as scrap metal and treats them accordingly. Dragged in gear, forklifted, whatever.

 

[Coffey1]

The one and only truck I bought at auction had absolutely nothing wrong except batteries were shot.
The fluids were all there and at proper levels.
Just study all the pictures and listen to videos closely.
I would not buy any truck I couldn't hear run and know it moves.

 

[Ultra Mag]

I've seen them drained with a drill.

"Doesn't run" is anything from needing a jump, to a seized engine.

GP views these trucks as scrap metal and treats them accordingly. Dragged in gear, forklifted, whatever.

They do very well plowing and spreading sand and salt. Great turn radius for what they are.

 

[sjohn116]

$$$

If you look at Gp and look at those trucks that have sold in the last two months, I don't know if $4k will get you anything more than a non-runner parts truck. CAT and Allison parts are easily accessible, but at a very steep price. You Mentioned a set of tires for the other truck would put you over $4k total investment. Keep in mind a surplus set of tires for an LMTV will easily run you $1200-2000, depending on date codes and tread %.

Do whatever you want, and don't let any nay Sayers stop you. That being said, I am a strong proponent for informed decision making. Whatever your winning bid is on GP, double that number to realistically account what it will cost you in fees, taxes, shipping, titling, registration, etc. And that does not take into account maintenance, and/or getting it running.

I bought a running truck last fall, got a good deal on shipping, less than 400 mile trip, easy unload/load, and I am at double my bid price with minimal R&R.

 

[Awesomeness]

I think there is a small chance, if you have lots of time (years?) to wait for the perfect set of circumstances, that you might be able to find one for $4000. Most of the auctions for LMTVs start bidding higher than $4000, which means you wouldn't be looking for an auction for a regular running (or close to running) truck. You would need to find a truck they thought was broken, but you secretly knew you could fix easily. Then, shipping one of these trucks is about $2/mi, so you're going to have to find it close by. While there are always exceptions, these trucks are normally selling from auction in $5000-10000 range, and then more like the $10000-160000 range in the civilian market (once they've been repaired and fixed up a bit). Mine was $6000 at auction originally in 2015, I bought it for $10000 from the original owner, and I've got another $5000 in it since.

So statistically speaking $4000 is very unlikely, and you need some kind of special circumstances for that to happen, and the question is how do you improve your odds of that? Start looking for estate sales where a widow hated the **** truck? Start learning lots about the common problems with it so that you can identify a truck that seems very broken but can actually be fixed easily? You need some outside the box idea.

We haven't talked about the dump bed conversion, which I would have personally envisioned costing more than $4000 alone. It seems like any time I do a project like that, I'm nickel-and-dimed by all the little things needed to make the project go (need some custom length/fitting hydraulic hoses made? $300. need to buy some plate steel to cut brackets? $300. Next thing you know I've spent thousands.)

Let us know what you pull off!

 

[scottmandu]

I've got a real nice clean, and fairly unmolested M1078A1 for sale. It's no where near $4000 but you will get a solid well sorted truck. I can also install A/C if you so desire.

There are some parts on these trucks that are surprisingly reasonable, and some that are near impossible to find or extremely expensive. For a $4k truck you are looking at a pre 1998, which are much more prone to cab rusting, have more than 20,000 miles and have been ridden hard and put up wet. I wouldn't be surprised if you have to buy a parts truck or two by the time you have a well sorted truck.

 

[1stDeuce]

Thanks for the feedback fellas! I'll concede that $4k might be unlikely, at least in the near future, but $6k for a running driving truck has been done many times. I know there are risks with buying any truck from GP, but I'm willing to take those risks at this point. If a good lot of them purge anywhere near me, I'll take a drive and check them out before bidding.

I do recall that my $1300 Deuce was more like $2k by the time I paid the fees and taxes, and hauled it home. Then I singled it out, bought a cargo cover, some paint, fixed a busted winch, etc over a couple of years. I sold it for $4500 when I moved west in 2010, and probably had close that into it... I can certainly see how a $6k truck turns into $7k with fees and taxes, then add another $1-2K if you have to ship it, do some some PM and buy a few parts (and a spare tire) for another $1k, then a $2k dump hoist for the bed in my case... And suddenly you have $10-12k into it. Definitely something to think about...

I think the short term solution for me is to continue my quest for a cheap commercial dump truck, but I'll be keeping an eye out for a M1078 too. If I can get one close by for decent money, I'll probably pick it up, then off the dump truck and work on making the M1078 my dump truck. I drove an M1078A0 when I worked for Oshkosh back in 1998. I remember it being a really nice driving truck... I kinda like the mechanical CAT, and anything near me is likely to be fairly rust free, so A0 is not a big deal. I actually wasn't even aware that any of the C7 trucks were getting sold... I did hear recently that most of the soft skin trucks will be sold off though. Which is good for us, and for those in the military.

On another note, it seems that this week's auction purged a lot of the GL inventory, and they've only got lots listed for next week's auction. Nothing after that.
Wonder if this the beginning of the GP/RB merger that's supposed to happen this year... ??

 

[1951M1078]

I played the game for 2 1/2 years. After shipping I got in under $9k.(shipped 1000 miles) Add another $400 for some parts and oil and I have a nice runner. But 4K ? I don't think so. And don't be tricked by the 485 mile readings. The gauge has been changed.

 

[snowtrac nome]

I paid 6 k for mine it was a non runner I expected the worst found the problem to be a cannibalized relay box took me about 15 minutes to get it started. as others stated I looked real hard to make Shure every thing was there. in the end I came out with a nice platform to mount a gigantic service box and crane on.

 

[snowtrac nome]

I should also add there is no reason to shorten the wheel base any more, they turn pretty tight as they are. any shorter you might find you have stability issues in high speed emergency maneuvers just like the old jeep cj5

 

[coachgeo]

I paid 6 k for mine it was a non runner I expected the worst found the problem to be a cannibalized relay box took me about 15 minutes to get it started. as others stated I looked real hard to make Shure every thing was there. in the end I came out with a nice platform to mount a gigantic service box and crane on.

Granted it helped that when you went to inspect it and make a choice that you were able to go into it being highly knowledgeable about these rigs and a professional mechanic in the field of commercial trucks of this type. Thus, you had an advantage going into it that most of us do not.

 

[snowtrac nome]

you are right about my experience I did how ever examin it through gp pics I did not have the luxury of a 2 thousand dollar ticket to see it in person. my experience in working third shop also helped me a lot to get an idea what I was getting into. the gp rep let me know I stole it. the fact most people pass on a rig that wont start is a mistake because they usually don't take much to get running. the national guard rigs are usually a better bet than rigs that come out of active duty. when a unit gets an order to turn rigs they go as they are even if they are waiting for a starter or some other simple part. I have seen other ones which obliviously were turned in from 3 rd shop as they are instates of disassembly those can also be repaired but at a much higher cost and are worth more as parts.

 

[98G]

They do very well plowing and spreading sand and salt. Great turn radius for what they are.

I'm confused.

 

[1stDeuce]

I'm confused.

In some places of the country, when it's below freezing and it "precipitates", instead of rain, a form of frozen water called snow falls from the sky and builds up on the ground. If enough builds up, it makes driving normal vehicles difficult, and must be removed from road surfaces. This is done by placing a blade on a truck, similar to a dozer. It's often referred to as a plow, and pushing snow off the driving surface is called plowing. Occasionally, ice builds up, and some people spread sand or salt to provide traction or encourage melting.

"for what they are" must refer to the fact that they are fairly large trucks, so not going to turn as tight as a Jeep or small car...

Hopefully that helps clear up your confusion, unless it had nothing to do with the post you quoted...


FWIW, I didn't realize the bed was only 12'. It would not need to be shortened, and would work fine for my purposes if converted to dump. I had been thinking that it was longer, and I'd put a shorter dump bed on.

As for turning radius, I just read some specs that suggest the front wheel cramp angle is 35°. That is a REALLY tight turn!!! There must be a double cardan style joint in the axle, as I would not think a single U-joint would appreciate operating with that much angle...

 

[snowtrac nome]

I can safely say it will turn as tight as my 89 dodge pickup standard cab long bed. overall length is about the same as a cab and half long bed pickup. the truck is noticeably wider than a pick up or duce.

 

[snowtrac nome]

drivers usually get into trouble with forward control vehicles because your visual reference points are different when making turns, and they cut corners rubbing up against stuff

 

[98G]

In some places of the country, when it's below freezing and it "precipitates", instead of rain, a form of frozen water called snow falls from the sky and builds up on the ground. If enough builds up, it makes driving normal vehicles difficult, and must be removed from road surfaces. This is done by placing a blade on a truck, similar to a dozer. It's often referred to as a plow, and pushing snow off the driving surface is called plowing. Occasionally, ice builds up, and some people spread sand or salt to provide traction or encourage melting.

"for what they are" must refer to the fact that they are fairly large trucks, so not going to turn as tight as a Jeep or small car...

Hopefully that helps clear up your confusion, unless it had nothing to do with the post you quoted...


FWIW, I didn't realize the bed was only 12'. It would not need to be shortened, and would work fine for my purposes if converted to dump. I had been thinking that it was longer, and I'd put a shorter dump bed on.

As for turning radius, I just read some specs that suggest the front wheel cramp angle is 35°. That is a REALLY tight turn!!! There must be a double cardan style joint in the axle, as I would not think a single U-joint would appreciate operating with that much angle...

Nice explanation. Believe it or not, I'm familiar with most of that, having lived in cold snowy mountainous terrain. (As an aside, you can keep as much of that cold wet crap to yourself as possible... )

What confuses me, is he quoted my post where i state that GP treats these trucks like scrap.

I am still failing to make a connection between GP treating them like scrap steel, and them being particularly suitable for use as a plow truck.

 

[swiftmud]

I have 2 LMTV M1078's. I would be interested in purchasing 2 air conditioning units from you. If you have compressor mount and condenser that would be great. I am also looking for 2 complete winch assemblies as well.