The Deuce

[alaskantinbender]

What are the pros and cons about one of these 2 1/2 ton trucks?

http://anchorage.craigslist.org/car/483992041.html


They can be had for lots less $$ than a fancy Unimog. I see them often in good shape under $10.000


Regards,

Jim

 

[chet]

if you think an Unimog is slow try riding in one of those! I would say 50 MPH tops! and rough! did I mention cold too?

 

[Lynn]

There was a member on ExpeditionCampers that had a nice setup he used for trips from CA down into Baja. He seemed to really like it. Sorry, don't remember his user name, and don't know if he transitioned over here, but maybe he'll chime in...

 

[sami]

if you think an Unimog is slow try riding in one of those! I would say 50 MPH tops! and rough! did I mention cold too?

haven't heard of too many Mog's topping much over 50 anyways... i'm not sure where to spot a difference in speed here with the deuce vs. the mog..

 

[boblynch]

Lynn, here are a few pics of the Duece. Don't know if he follows this site.

Chet's right they are a rough ride. Not sure about top-end speed, but on many roads in Alaska that may not be important. With air ride seats and a little mechanical know how they may be a good fit for some.

 

[Grim Reaper]

They run on anything flammable.
If you play with the springs you can soften up the ride.
If you take one of the rear axles off and shorten the frame and up the tire size they will run 65-70.



Not mine. The bed is a 1ton trailer.

 

[HMR]

I used to drive a similar Dodge rig (4x4, not the 6 wheeler) in High School. In fact, I picked up my wife for our very first date in that truck. Anyway, it would do about 60mph on the highway and was a little harsh without a load in back. The biggest negative was the horrendous fuel consumption. The best part was being able to crawl over/through anything. I can't remember ever having a bad day driving that truck.

My step-brother restored them and would have 6-8 military Dodges at any given time. I drove the "Troop Carrier" version with the benches and canvas cover in back.

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

I think if you can sleep in it warm..........

Have a bathroom/shower............and kitchen.

You would SO get over the 50MPH! I wouldn't want to go much faster in that contraption anyway! Yikes!

Just a few things to add...........

A motocross bike (maybe you can buy Ron's Honda 90 when he gets done with it!....hehe J/K!)..........and a Kayak!:wings:

of course....all the electronics...etc.

Solar Power!

I know......how about the first of it's kind.....onboard Biodiesel Lab!......just pull up to Mickey D's and say.....Filler up.......and I'll have an order of fries with that! Yes!


.....ok....enough fun idea's for one night.......my head hurts.



.

 

[charlieaarons]

I've thought about a 2.5 or 5 ton for years. You can make them ride better and get more speed/less rpms by up-tiring: 14.00 or 16.00R20s on 5 tons, 365/80 or 85R20s on 2.5 tons (super singles). You can get locking diffs; they have overdrive transmissions. Gear ratios are 6.72 on the 2.5 ton, 6.24 on 5 ton. By comparison my U500 is 5.92. Some of the later versions like M809 and M939 come with CTIS.
Cabs are of course primitive and there are certain weak points depending on the particular version but the starting point is cheap.
One BIG problem is crossing borders. Some may have "covenants" on their sale that they can't be exported. Anywhere outside North America you run the risk they will get police/militaries a little too interested due to their appearance.

Charlie

 

[Robthebrit]

I looked at them too, I think they could make an interesting platform for travelling. They are built like tanks and are very reliable once you get through all the typical problems with older vehicles. Like Charlie said there could be some issues with border crossings and parts may be hard to come by especailly in the middle of another country - its a very American centric product. Another problem of concern was overheating the tranny bearings. A lot of people recommended opening up the tranny and cross drilling all the gears on the lay shaft to give better lubrication to the bearings if you were going to drive endless hours on the freeway at 50mph. I think you can buy replacement trannys with this already done.

A friend of a friend has one and I travelled with him for a few days and it could not keep up with my double cab mog, and as mogs go its pretty standard at around 55mph - it was kind of nice to not be the slow guy. It would probably do 50-52 but hills killed it.

Rob

 

[alaskantinbender]

They run on anything flammable.
If you play with the springs you can soften up the ride.
If you take one of the rear axles off and shorten the frame and up the tire size they will run 65-70.



Not mine. The bed is a 1ton trailer.

That sure makes a nice heavyduty pickup, makes my gears turn.....:Mechanic:
It makes that new MXT look like a toy.


Regards,

Jim

 

[alaskantinbender]

Thank all you guys for all the insight on the truck.
Might just have to pick one up to fiddle with. It would fit right in with the rest of the projects around under the snow.... :wings:

This forum is a great source of information and support.



Regards,

Jim

 

[DaveInDenver]

parts may be hard to come by especailly in the middle of another country - its a very American centric product

It's too bad there's no way to take advantage of the built-in parts network that is the US military. I mean, talk about a business opportunity. Have a civvy parts window at the PX/BX for your liberated M35, M998 or M1008/9/10 truck. OK, maybe not ideal since the USGvt would charge you $1477 for a water pump or something. But think about it, there are military posts everywhere, even in places where there's not much other official US citizen support. Obscure parts might come in on C130 drops and they would have all the right tools in their motor pool shop. Man-oh-man, the perfect 'world' truck. We've made like 750,000 M35s since World War II, so you'd probably find them in just about every junk yard around the globe.

 

[alaskantinbender]

It would be nice to take advantage of the Military supply system and parts. The only thing I can think of is the DRMO sales at what ever base is close. Some folks have gotten great trucks and equipment very cheep.

Having spent a lot of time in Central and South America, yes there are a lot of US military trucks and equipment south of the border. But the parts availability didn’t go with them when Uncle Sam gives them away. There is no supply infrastructure out of the system. I have seen hundreds of trucks abandoned on the sides of airfields lacking simple parts. Sometimes parts are scavenged to keep others going.
Our government seems to like giving the equipment away so they just get more in the next appropriations bill. It’s always strange to see US Military trucks and fire engines in the middle of the jungle somewhere driven and operated buy foreign kids still in puberty.


Regards,

Jim

 

[762X39]

deuce and a half

I use to ride in the back of one and sometimes I got to be the co-driver. No chance I want to own one on civvy street though. It was one thing to fuel it up on a Government of Canada credit card, there is no way I would want to feed it fuel on my dime. They are big, sprung for a full load, slow and you would have trouble crossing any border except Canada/US.
Check out steel soldiers if you are really interested but I don't think it is the ideal platform for expedition use unless you have a platinum card and never have to ask how much!
Just my 2 cents worth (CDN or US)