Any one know what this is?

[Jesse J]

saw this beast yesterday it is giant. I have no clue what it is

[Dzimm]

M35 aka deuce and a half, used by the US Army.

[Jesse J]

3 minutes ago, Dzimm said:

M35 aka deuce and a half, used by the US Army.

thanks! 

[neohic]

8 hours ago, Dzimm said:

M35 aka deuce and a half, used by the US Army.

Close... but bigger. That’s an M939 five ton. 

[Jesse J]

On 1/9/2021 at 6:07 PM, neohic said:

Close... but bigger. That’s an M939 five ton. 

I think your right. no way one of these is street legal? also what era where these used in? they look too new to be ww2

[Pete M]

the 939 would be late 70s to today.   

[Jesse J]

ok cool. I want one

[Tex06]

Join the forum

www.steelsoliders.com

We welcome Jeep folks regularly!

[schardein]

Specifically, that's an M923 standard cargo variant 5 ton truck.  More than likely US Army originally as it is equipped with CTIS (central tire inflation system) which the Marine Corps trucks never got.

 

I was licensed on that truck in 1989.  Most of us preferred the M813 (from the M809 series) which was a similar truck but equipped with a manual transmission.  The US Army stopped widespread use of the 5 ton around 1999 and went to a different family of vehicles.  The Marine Corps continued using them until around 2001-2002 when the new 7ton trucks were introduced (MK23).  The M923s were good trucks, but the air brake system could be touchy and cause wheel lockup/skids when on wet pavement.  You also wanted to remember to never shift into reverse when in low range- the transfer case would explode.  We were specifically taught this, and I saw it happen to a wrecker variant (M936) during Desert Shield.

 

Later on, I became an Instructor on this truck, and taught it a little, but have more experience teaching the HMMWV and MUCH more experience on the M813, which I instructed specifically for over 3 years.

 

The new (I guess they aren't really new now) 7tons are absolute beasts, and when up-armored are nearly as survivable as MRAPs (mine resistant ambush protected) in an IED threat environment.

[mjeff87]

Sort of a tangent......I was our unit's wrecker operator way back in the day.  Drove an ancient M543......because noone else wanted to drive it  Good times were had until one day all of the bellhousing bolts loosened up on a motor march and the trans basically slipped off the back end of the engine.  The irony of my tow truck being towed back to base by another tow truck (10T HEMMT) was not lost on me that day, lol.

[Jesse J]

That is crazy. I have always liked those big military rigs. seem like they are fun/scary/hard to drive

[Pete M]

Quote

You also wanted to remember to never shift into reverse when in low range- the transfer case would explode.

 

 

this seems like a poor design choice.    

[schardein]

5 hours ago, Jesse J said:

That is crazy. I have always liked those big military rigs. seem like they are fun/scary/hard to drive

These really aren't that hard to drive.  What was sometimes scary was sitting in the pass street as an Instructor.  A friend of mine was instructing, and as the student was making a left turn at a 4 way intersection, in traffic, in the rain, laid the truck over on the pass side in the intersection.  This was just before lunch.  The instructor was picked up by our boss, driven back to Base, where he checked out another truck and was back on the road training after lunch.

3 hours ago, Pete M said:

this seems like a poor design choice.    

Haha, ya think?  Luckily, we rarely needed low range.  Six wheel drive, 1st gear, high range was usually enough.  Deep sand while hauling ammo and a 155mm howitzer was an exception though.

 

Couple other observations- the one in the picture has a canvas top, guaranteed to collect water and leak.  In the Marine Corps, only the wreckers got hard tops and everybody wished they had one on the cargo variants.  Like some of the old flat fender Jeeps, the windshield glass folds out so you can catch a breeze while driving (no AC).  When these trucks were fielded, they had smaller rims/tires, and dual tires on the rear axles.  A spare tire was stored between the cab and the bed.  You can see the crane that was used to lift and lower it in the pictures.  In the late 80s, all the trucks were switched over to "super singles", the rims and tires in the pictures.  The larger tire won't fit between the cab and bed, so the spare was either in the bed... or not carried.  Pretty rare to get flats anyway, and with on board air, you could fill up as needed (assuming you had the air hose).  With the CTIS, you could keep pumping air to a tire that was leaking, and as long as it wasn't shot to heck, keep moving almost indefinitely, in theory.  There is a small trap door on the pass floorboard under which is the dipstick for transmission.  Straight air brakes on this truck, while the M813 had a standard hydraulic brake system with air assist.  It was common to test new Operators in the motor pool by telling them to check the brake fluid in all the M923s (there isn't any), then telling them to check it in the M813s (there is, under a trap door on the driver side floor).  As Operators, we were responsible for changing tires.  I've changed my share of the old duallys, as well as these super singles.  These trucks were equipped with fold down troop seats in the back, as well as bows and a canvas to keep everything covered.  Looks like it's missing the bow components.  On the pass side, there are 4 petcocks to drain the air system.  They are in a vertical row, and the 3rd one down should be drained first as it is the "wet tank" where water in the system collects.  You'd be surprised how much water comes out after a full day on the road in humid weather.  These trucks were equipped with an ether bottle cold weather start system- there was a button on the dash you could push to give it a shot of ether, if the bottle was in place under the hood.  Better than the 813s which had a manual hand pump on the dash, with a pressure gauge, that you pump with your left hand while engaging the starter switch with your right.

[schardein]

The whole hood tilts forward on these to service the engine.  You can see the "T handle" hanging down from the top of the grill.  You grab that with one hand, put a foot on the bumper and get it started opening, then grab the other handle on top of the hood to get it all the way open.  The T handle is supposed to be stored horizontally, along the top edge of the grill on a small bracket with a lock pin.  You can barely make out the lock pin hanging from the T handle on its safety wire.

[Pete M]

1 hour ago, schardein said:

A friend of mine was instructing, and as the student was making a left turn at a 4 way intersection, in traffic, in the rain, laid the truck over on the pass side in the intersection.  This was just before lunch.  The instructor was picked up by our boss, driven back to Base, where he checked out another truck and was back on the road training after lunch.

 

 

that's some of the most military stuff I've ever heard right there.     wreck the truck, call for a ride, call for the wrecker, carry on with the job at hand. 

[Tex06]

@schardein, this is some of the best info I've seen on these trucks in an easy to read format. Thanks!

[coolwind57]

Fond memories of driving 8 & 900 series trucks like this through the narrow village streets of Okinawa back in the 90s.  USMC always reminded us that you're driving a deadly weapon.  These monsters can be devastating when involved in an accident. 

 

[schardein]

10 hours ago, Tex06 said:

@schardein, this is some of the best info I've seen on these trucks in an easy to read format. Thanks!

You are welcome.  I've got tons of memories driving these trucks.  

If you look closely at the top of the tailgate, you will see two handles sticking up.  These are used a grab handles when lowering and raising the tailgate, but also as a place to put your foot when climbing into the back.

10 hours ago, coolwind57 said:

Fond memories of driving 8 & 900 series trucks like this through the narrow village streets of Okinawa back in the 90s.  USMC always reminded us that you're driving a deadly weapon.  These monsters can be devastating when involved in an accident. 

 

And driving on the left side of the road!  My time in Oki was mostly spent Dispatching haha.  Or driving a HMMWV, as I was with 3/3 on UDP out of Hawaii (Jul92-Jan93, Jan-Jul 94), so all we had in the Motor Pool (Camp Hansen) were HMMWVs.  And you are 100% correct, these trucks will roll over a car like it isn't there.  We had a student confuse the clutch pedal with the brake pedal near New River Air Station, and barely tapped the rear end of a brand new Chevy S10 being driven by a Cpl.  It pushed the bed into the cab and totaled the truck.  Luckily no one was injured.  Until 1996, it was common to see these trucks rolling around Jacksonville, NC with "student driver" signs on the front and rear- I used to warn all my friends to stay out of their way.

 

Semper Fi

[schardein]

2 hours ago, coolwind57 said:

Fond memories of driving 8 & 900 series trucks like this through the narrow village streets of Okinawa back in the 90s.  USMC always reminded us that you're driving a deadly weapon.  These monsters can be devastating when involved in an accident. 

 

One Saturday in the Fall of 1990, me and four other guys were snatched up for a Saturday working party.  I was sulking about working on a Saturday until I found out we were driving five M813s from Camp Lejeune up to Morehead City, NC to be loaded on ship headed for Desert Shield/Storm.  It was just the five of us driving five trucks, no a-drivers, following the SSgt in a M1009 (K5 Blazer).  And when we saw the trucks, the cab canvases were removed and stored.  It was an awesome Saturday.

[coolwind57]

1 hour ago, schardein said:

And driving on the left side of the road!  My time in Oki was mostly spent Dispatching haha.  Or driving a HMMWV, as I was with 3/3 on UDP out of Hawaii (Jul92-Jan93, Jul-Jan 94), so all we had in the Motor Pool (Camp Hansen) were HMMWVs.  And you are 100% correct, these trucks will roll over a car like it isn't there.  We had a student confuse the clutch pedal with the brake pedal near New River Air Station, and barely tapped the rear end of a brand new Chevy S10 being driven by a Cpl.  It pushed the bed into the cab and totaled the truck.  Luckily no one was injured.  Until 1996, it was common to see these trucks rolling around Jacksonville, NC with "student driver" signs on the front and rear- I used to warn all my friends to stay out of their way.

Well that's interesting.  I was at Camp Hansen in 94-95 and I worked at 3rd SRIG motorpool for a Month or two before being transferred to their S-3.  In fact, I dispatched for a short time there.  At 3rd SRIG, we have 800 and 900s along with HMMVWs and probably a few old Jeeps.  

 

I probably arrived at Camp Hansen Summer of 94, so I probably just missed you.

[BeatCJ]

On 1/11/2021 at 12:08 PM, Jesse J said:

That is crazy. I have always liked those big military rigs. seem like they are fun/scary/hard to drive

When I started work here, we had 3 Korean War vintage US Army surplus 2 1/2 ton rigs repurposed as water tenders. 2000 gallon tanks. Way overloaded. 2000 x 8.34 lbs per gallon. Almost 17,000 lbs of water, plus the weight of the steel tank, a pump, some hose. The on road payload was rated at 10,000 lbs maximum. The brakes on those trucks were just barely up to the task. When they ran, pretty much unstoppable. I remember one January house fire, freezing rain on top of compact snow where one of our guys started the tender, and the passenger side front brake was seized. He drove to the fire with that tire sliding all of the way. He said it was steering funny, he just figured something was out of adjustment...

[schardein]

6 hours ago, coolwind57 said:

Well that's interesting.  I was at Camp Hansen in 94-95 and I worked at 3rd SRIG motorpool for a Month or two before being transferred to their S-3.  In fact, I dispatched for a short time there.  At 3rd SRIG, we have 800 and 900s along with HMMVWs and probably a few old Jeeps.  

 

I probably arrived at Camp Hansen Summer of 94, so I probably just missed you.

Just realized I wrote the second set of dates wrong, should have been Jan-Jul 94, so it would have been close.

[schardein]

I mentioned earlier that the replacement for the 900s and 800s is the 7ton (MTVR).  On 1 August 2009, we were on the return leg of a Combat Logistics Patrol traveling from Nowzad to Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan.  A 7ton hauling an EET (engineer equipment trailer) was struck by an IED, but it was the trailer that set it off.  This initiated an enemy mortar attack on the convoy.  After the mortar team was located and suppressed, we started the recovery of the down vehicle, normally a tedious process.  In this case the truck was still good to go, so we pushed ahead about 10 km to distance ourselves from the ambush site.  Then we stopped to evaluate the trailer.  You can see the pics.  Given our options, I decided we would push on as far as we could, and only take further action if needed.  That 7ton drug that EET by the safety chains 25km through the desert, and then another 25km on hardball road, all the way into Camp Leatherneck.  

First pic is a MK23 7ton (MTVR).  Other pics are the trailer.

[BeatCJ]

I like the lunette dangling from the pintle hitch.