Military Surplus camper vehicles

[red EOD veteran]

Starting this thread to discuss the military surplus vehicles that can be adapted to campers, not limited to just US equipment, everyone else feel free to add more vehicles and information.

Here in the US we are able to purchase a fair amount of the used vehicles and equipment from our military after it has reached its "pre-determined useful life". Most of the vehicles that have been released are the m1008 and m1009, 1980's era chevy 1 ton pickups and fullsize k5 blazers. Also the M35 series 2 1/2 ton truck and more recently the m934 series 5 ton truck, both 6x6's. "Pre-determined useful life" is usually set by time, not by actual use with equipment so alot of the stuff has just sat around and not really been used. Not uncommon to find vehicles with less than 10,000 miles, tires with 95% tread left, things like that.


M934, 5 ton chassis 6x6. Many have been rebuilt within the last 6 years and upgraded with a cummins turbodiesel and allison automatic transmission. Seems to be a bit of a gamble for which ones received the upgrade to the larger single wheels/tires along with the CTIS system. The chassis does not twist very much, but the camper is still spring mounted to the frame.




The camper shell is able to be removed and can be placed on a different vehicle. 17ft long and features 2 full length slide outs, making a maximum width of 14ft (not sure if thats internal or external)




Compact



extended




The older M35 has a camper version as well, don't know the details about that. The chassis on these will flex a large amount without reinforcement. Most of these are available with the 'multi-fuel' engine and a 5 speed manual trans (top cruising speed around 50-55mph with the NDT tires) but they can be found with the cummins diesel and allison 5 speed, along with the CTIS system and the larger super single tires.

 

[red EOD veteran]

These 2 options would cater more towards those looking to spend most of their time offroad due to their suspension. Cruising speed with the 5 ton is around 60-65mph, reasonable with the speed limits on the highways here in the US.

The main attraction for these (in my opinion) would be the cost and availability of parts. If you buy it at auction the price seems to vary between a few hundred dollars and 10,000 with some costing more. Have not seen one go for over 20,000 yet.

 

[DirtWhiskey]

Those 5 Tons are barely making it to market en masse

Soon we will se an explosion of civilian users of these trucks. I will consider it should I decide to go big. Unimogs are just as slow and terrible as the m939 series and the 5 tons are easily modable. Bob it, air ride, etc. Those trucks are trading at $4-5k right now. Tremendous value if you know how to evaluate them. Go to steel soldiers. That site is the goods. Of particular interest are the m916s. I play my cards right I'll be making a very big mistake very soon.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I drove one of those M934 5 tons in Germany and in Korea (The Division G2 DTOC was set up inside two of them, side by side.) For those who have been to Germany, try to imagine how much fun it was driving that giant behemoth through tiny German streets (hint: It wasn't fun at all.) Slow, noisy, thirsty, drafty, and requires a team of people to set it up? That makes sense for the military, for a civilian user, not so much. BTW those things are so top heavy they are TERRIBLE off road.

 

[red EOD veteran]

Martin since you have more hands on experience with that version do you think removing the slide out portions (making it just a fixed cabin) would reduce the weight enough to make a big difference with the offroad handling? That would be removing 4 17ft long sections that are roughly 3ft wide each? How thick are they? Removing that much material should reduce the weight by at least a few hundred pounds per panel.

 

[quickfarms]

To add to the mix there are the COTS, civilian off the shelf, trucks. These are very common with the US Navy.

These are real trucks and do not go the places that you can take your jeep but they can carry the jeep.

This is my truck.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Martin since you have more hands on experience with that version do you think removing the slide out portions (making it just a fixed cabin) would reduce the weight enough to make a big difference with the offroad handling? That would be removing 4 17ft long sections that are roughly 3ft wide each? How thick are they? Removing that much material should reduce the weight by at least a few hundred pounds per panel.

It's not just the weight. It's the height. Those things are probably 12 - 15' high at the rooftop. They carry their weight very high and you can feel it when you drive.

Here is a photo I took in Germany around 1989 shortly before I left. The old Challenger (I think) belonged to my Platoon Sergeant and the vehicle on the left is a WWII Armored Scout Car (M8 I think) that was a static display in front of Division HQ (1st Armored Div.)



That's really, really high!

The other issue is that as I'm sure you know, modern military vehicles are designed to operate in an environment where there is a lot of support: Fuel, spare parts, wreckers, etc. So taking one on a solo trip (particularly given that it's going to be composed of parts that are not available in the 3rd world) would really not be a good idea. Better to source a local vehicle or one that is sold around the world and that is easy to find parts for.

 

[BlackWidow]

I hated driving the deuce and a halfs and five tons when i was in, especially off road I couldnt imagine doing an extended trip in one. The exhaust is so loud and they just plain beat you up. I think it is really cool some of the stuff guys are doing to them.

 

[red EOD veteran]

Agreed, exhaust needs to be re routed and an actual muffler added haha. The trucks are not perfect by any means, but for the price if you're on a slim budget it's a good starting point. Driven some of the old deuces setup on the super singles (flatbed, not the box) with other upgrades (exhaust, better engine/trans, ctis). Makes for a much better platform.

 

[LovinPSDs]

I'll pitch my two cents... I had a bobbed M35A2, standard weight.. no camper, box, ect.. just the Trailer bed conversion. I had it just as a toy and something cool and I can tell you the one trip I made from Austin to Houston on the highway was SCARY. 150 miles of white knuckle driving and I wouldn't want to do it again. It was fun to drive around town, but I'd never imagine driving across the country with one. Some of the other trucks your considering my ride/drive better than a deuce, but I'm tellin you I'd never consider it. An older 1 ton diesel and a pop up camper would probably get you more places with better accommodations all the way around.

Also, is you buy a military truck as a civilian aren't you not allowed to remove them from the country?

 

[red EOD veteran]

You can take the vehicle outside of the US, requires another document that basically states you are not allowed to sell it and MUST bring the truck back to the US.

Most of my driving experience with this size vehicle has been the newer LMTV, M35a2, JERRV, dump trucks, oilfield wireline trucks.

I have time to decide which route to go but within the next 3 years I'd like to be working on a long distance expedition setup without spending a fortune. A small camper trailer works for short term (1 week roughly) but a hard sided camper works better for longer term. Leaning towards a goose neck trailer behind my 87 1 ton with a 12-18' trailer on matching tires/wheels. Maybe pull the shell off of the 5 ton, remove the slide out material and mount it on a flatbed trailer. Would provide a durable camper at a lower height while still retaining some offroad capability.

 

[rlrenz]

Another 2 cents worth--

Over the years, I've owned a 3/4 ton M37 pickup, and an M135 2 1/2 ton truck. The M37 is a decent truck, but very underpowered and very slow. Many years ago, the DoD funded a project to upgrade them with a Mitsubishi diesel, but nothing came of it other than a prototype. The M135 had the same problems, and they also tried a diesel with it - a Detroit 53 series, as I remember. Military trucks are very durable, but slow and cumbersome to work with. Parts are available, but from specialized dealers instead of NAPA - if you break down, you might be there for a while. Wiring and components are also unique, and 24 volt bulbs never on sale at Wally-world.

Military trucks are designed for a specific need, and anything else can be a challenge. Long road trips are definitely a challenge with non-air ride seats, canvas truck cabs, no heater or AC unless you're very lucky, no AM/FM/CD radio, nothing you expect to find. Mileage is usually not very good, tires have a relatively short life, snow & ice can be REAL fun, and ASB braking is unknown.

I still have an S-250 radio shelter (3/4 ton truck sized) that I had been working with (body repair / new 120 wiring, etc), but I decided to just "go for the gusto" and bought a medium ambulance on a Freightliner chassis (see my thread for more into). I now have a 20,000 Lb almost-RV that I can tailor to what I need. Parts are available for the chassis from the many Freightliner dealers that are out there, plus you can match the main sections to the suppliers and track down the equivalent International, Mack, Kenworth, etc, parts. Anyone want an S-250 shelter?

 

[mkitchen]

I think the bigger military are a pretty good idea.

I am not sure that I would want one but it would be a blast to build up something like a deuce and and half. My son-in-law and his father have both built up military trucks and have used them for years. No, they are not very fast but they do go a lot of places.

Here is a couple of pictures of Billy's truck at a camp out we did up near Burro Creek Crossing in AZ.

You have to admit, something this big offers lots of comforts That we don't have with our RTT's or small camp outfits. I have thought about making something in this category to just travel out in the desert or forest and just squat for a while (as in retired and lots of free time).
Mikey

 

[red EOD veteran]

Mikey I'm curious how well the camper body in that picture deals with the frame flex that the m35 has, doesn't look like it has cab clearance.

Agreed, with the large campers like these there are more comforts available than a rtt with a small trailer, both have their upsides and downsides.

Rlrenz your right the military trucks are designed with a particular purpose for each vehicle. For what the m109 (duece and a half camper) and the M934 (5 ton camper) that purpose matches pretty well for a off road capable camper. I think for those that want to explore the outdoor areas and trails, and are willing to suffer the pavement for a little while to the next trail these would be very good vehicles. Creature comforts like a radio, ac, heat, better seats, etc... can all be added pretty easily without much cost, for those that are willing to setup a vehicle for what they want. More of a starting platform, not a refined product.



I like the old deuce campers, very cool looking and function well for what I want. The 5 ton is more commercialized, uses more readily available parts. It's also big enough for a family to stay in and keep their toys (say dirtbikes) inside the camper with them. Most likely going with a short goose neck trailer behind my 87 crew cab though. Loses some mobility to the m109 offroad but will still be able to go through medium difficulty trails. Longer, at least 2 ft shorter with overall height (m109 comes in about 12ft, m934 13ft) and easy to find world wide commercial parts.

 

[red EOD veteran]

But the m109, or the m934 with the extensions removed is tempting hahaha