Tell me more about the M813...Thinking about getting one, would like some info!

[acesneights1]

Has anyone ever later put an ether start system into an M939? Or, for that matter, an 8.3 into an 809 series? I'd be curious to hear if the latter has ever been attempted, successfully that is.

why ?
250 is a way better motor IMHO.
ether is never a good thing for any diesel. I would go 4 strong batteries and a block heater as my first line of defense. Ether, last resort. I plug mine in and throw a jet heater under it for a few minutes on the rare occasions I drive it in the winter.
as far as CDl, see if your state has an antique /historical/classic car plate program. Then Gross weight becomes irrelevant but it will limit the use. Can't carry stuff with it. Usually need to write a letter to your state(in Ct anyway) commercial vehicle safety unit for a dot number exemption. Not a big deal as long as you don't use it for commercial purposes.

 

[Scar59]

The NHC 250 installed in the M813 (M809) are equipped with a 12v. intake glow plug to assist in cold weather starts. You cannot utilize ether if the cold start system is used. You will have a fire.
The NHC 250 installed in the M939 series trucks are equipped with an ether cold start assist system. The engine is not equipped with a intake heater/glow plug. A block heater will help both engines in real cold climates. Both trucks will start in below freezing temps as equipped. This requires good strong batteries. That is why there are 4 batteries installed.

 

[71DeuceAK]

So as for hauling... My own firewood, home improvement projects, and the like don't constitute commercial use, do they?

 

[simp5782]

You can also utilize pad heaters that are for cars. I ran 4 on my old M61. They only pull 30watts each compared to a block heaters 800 to 1200watts. One pad wrapped around the lower radiator hose. One to the oil pan, another wrapped around the IP and the final one under the batteries. They come in small and up to a case of coke size. Well worth it and costs less. I got tired of watching my house meter spin like a roulette wheel with 3 block heaters plugged in

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[red]

So as for hauling... My own firewood, home improvement projects, and the like don't constitute commercial use, do they?

If it's for you then it's private use.

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[71DeuceAK]

But where does my private use fall CDL-wise with the 809 series trucks' non-full-air brakes?

As for block heaters, glad to know! At one point it looked like I might be living off-grid off a generator and solar, and daily driving a '68 M35A2. Glad to know other options besides the standard block heater are available!

 

[98G]

But where does my private use fall CDL-wise with the 809 series trucks' non-full-air brakes?

As for block heaters, glad to know! At one point it looked like I might be living off-grid off a generator and solar, and daily driving a '68 M35A2. Glad to know other options besides the standard block heater are available!

Licensure requirements vary by state. However, the 809 series isn't going to slip through any holes that the 939 series won't. GVWR will either catch both, or neither.

 

[71DeuceAK]

Good to know, that actually makes sense. I'll most likely wait and get an M939, but we'll see...

 

[71DeuceAK]

Funny that I should come across this thread a couple years later, that I started, while searching for M809 related things, while working on none other than an M813. I've been learning to drive stick shift in 813s...how ironic!