M35A3 as a chip truck????

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What do you guys think about using an M35A3 Duece with the 3116 CAT and allison auto as a Chip truck pulling a 10klb chipper off road on jobsites as well as around town city and highway driving?????????? Either in 6x6 configuration or bobbed to 4x4???
Could it do it?? Could it move 20 yrds of chips effectively if you put a box on it??
It would be slow but would it be too slow on the street loaded??? Is it too good to be true the idea???
Anyone tried this??
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That would be pretty bad *** just don't park to far into the wood because you might not be able to find it.
 
hmm

I just get sick of watching chip or bucket trucks getting stuck on flat dry ground. I would think these would do a lot better off road at least. I just think towing might be too much for em to keep up in traffic.
 
That is a pretty bad ass looking rig.. probably not practical, but cool anyway! I've seen a guy cruising one of those around the back roads here. He had ear muffs on and it looked more than a little bumpy riding in it!

Some friends of mine have an all wheel drive IH Workstar with 300hp and a jake on it (14' chip body), thing is super sweet!!
 
That is a pretty bad ass looking rig.. probably not practical, but cool anyway! I've seen a guy cruising one of those around the back roads here. He had ear muffs on and it looked more than a little bumpy riding in it!

Some friends of mine have an all wheel drive IH Workstar with 300hp and a jake on it (14' chip body), thing is super sweet!!

I would certainly like a 4x4 newer truck like the IH you mentioned but I just can't stomach the prices on newer trucks. Takes quite a few trees to pay for 50-100k trucks.
I'm trying to get out of the "Me working for my machines" mentality.
I dunno about you guys but I've always done the Pre frontal brain damage impulse buy on machines. If I want it bad enough I will justify the cost of it somehow until I have owned it awhile.
Trying to think about buying used practical stuff now?????? As if buying a Duece is a practical idea. Kinda funny
 
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our rear mount is 4x4 and will go fairly well in the mud but the option was 15-20k range. so it is expensive.
 
I would certainly like a 4x4 newer truck like the IH you mentioned but I just can't stomach the prices on newer trucks. Takes quite a few trees to pay for 50-100k trucks.
I'm trying to get out of the "Me working for my machines" mentality.
I dunno about you guys but I've always done the Pre frontal brain damage impulse buy on machines. If I want it bad enough I will justify the cost of it somehow until I have owned it awhile.
Trying to think about buying used practical stuff now?????? As if buying a Duece is a practical idea. Kinda funny

i don't see why it wouldn't work those trucks are tough. how far you plan on taking it towing a chipper is more important to the purchase. for me i could probably get away with it. we don't see a freeway or an on ramp to much. the gvw of them is pretty light 2.5 ton compacity is a pretty small box. but i know it will haul way more. the way the rear axles pivots is that cats ass.
 
i don't see why it wouldn't work those trucks are tough. how far you plan on taking it towing a chipper is more important to the purchase. for me i could probably get away with it. we don't see a freeway or an on ramp to much. the gvw of them is pretty light 2.5 ton compacity is a pretty small box. but i know it will haul way more. the way the rear axles pivots is that cats ass.
Yeah Matt we are working around Metro Atlanta so the distances usually average 30 miles or more one way? In traffic. Heavy traffic most of the time morning and afternoon. The freeways can usually be avoided. Its a tough driving city. Its spread out pretty bad.
I guess the traffic might help it out huh?? 5 mph shouldnt be too hard to maintain.
 
Ol' deuce and a half. sloooooooooow but cooooool only thing good on that thing are the axles....in my opinion.:msp_razz:
 
Yeah Matt we are working around Metro Atlanta so the distances usually average 30 miles or more one way? In traffic. Heavy traffic most of the time morning and afternoon. The freeways can usually be avoided. Its a tough driving city. Its spread out pretty bad.
I guess the traffic might help it out huh?? 5 mph shouldnt be too hard to maintain.

It should run pretty good. I've seen them with 250hp that should be a good bit of power in a truck that size.


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I use a surplus military pickup regularly. It is tough as nails and it will go just about anywhere. I have thought about the deuce because they can be had inexpensively and willcarry more then 2.5 tons. Go to steelsoldiers.com , you will find all you need to know there. Good luck
 
AWESOME LOL! I was a Motor T Truck Master in the Marines.14 years messing with those things. Had about 50 of those under my charge, at one point or another. Good ol deuce is right.......however, parts. Parts are hard to find and expensive to buy. Get the multi fuel one and they will run on anything. They are governed to not exceed 54mph, you can take the Governor off and get it up to 65, but that is a little scary in one of those. Steering goes out pretty quick in those. The "CARC" paint on those is highly toxic, never strip or sand, just paint over. Or take it to a approved site to have it removed. Big fines and sickness if ya dont. It's radar deflective (old school stuff) and has some sort of chemical in it that is real nasty to us animals. In low gear it will pull a ship sideways! Dump is PTO driven, check that, goes bad a lot. Too many young jar heads trying to ram them in to get done fast, so they are really abused.
 
Noticed that one has a air system, so it has been updated or modded by a civilian, check that for sure as they didnt come with those.
 
Hey

Noticed that one has a air system, so it has been updated or modded by a civilian, check that for sure as they didnt come with those.
Greenbeans these are the m35a3's and not the a2's. You probably know this but for the other guys: The army took the old a2 70's ones with the White engine and put in new cat engines, allison auto trans, air steering, super singles, ctis etc. on many of them in the 90's and these guys with that truck put an electric hoist and a landscape dump but since its an allison auto in them I think a PTO would work fine. I would want to put a Southco on it.
The A3's even have a properly working muffler!!
It would be a great work truck but I'd have to learn to slow down and be patient driving from job to job. I think it would have to struggle bad loaded and pulling a chipper. I'm guessing 45-50 tops loaded??????? I dunno.
 
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AWESOME LOL! I was a Motor T Truck Master in the Marines.14 years messing with those things. Had about 50 of those under my charge, at one point or another. Good ol deuce is right.......however, parts. Parts are hard to find and expensive to buy. Get the multi fuel one and they will run on anything. They are governed to not exceed 54mph, you can take the Governor off and get it up to 65, but that is a little scary in one of those. Steering goes out pretty quick in those. The "CARC" paint on those is highly toxic, never strip or sand, just paint over. Or take it to a approved site to have it removed. Big fines and sickness if ya dont. It's radar deflective (old school stuff) and has some sort of chemical in it that is real nasty to us animals. In low gear it will pull a ship sideways! Dump is PTO driven, check that, goes bad a lot. Too many young jar heads trying to ram them in to get done fast, so they are really abused.
Green beans you think it would hurt it or help it to go from the 44 super single to 46's?? I'm guessin it would drive better but tow worse??
 
I didnt know that, must be a Army thing as we didnt do that in the Corps. Cant answer ya on the tires either, we had duals on them. Only had Supers on the 5-Tons. I will say this, those somebeaytches are heavy no matter what, so the extra 2" wouldnt matter.
 
I didnt know that, must be a Army thing as we didnt do that in the Corps. Cant answer ya on the tires either, we had duals on them. Only had Supers on the 5-Tons. I will say this, those somebeaytches are heavy no matter what, so the extra 2" wouldnt matter.
Yeah thats true. If I had all the money on the world I'd buy one and stick a built 5.9 cummins in it. Start gettin up in the 400-500hp range and 800+ torque and then I think you would have an ultimate tree truck.
I would be alot cheaper than a newer 4x4 chip truck even if you did that.
You still wouldnt have 40 or 50 k in it no way.
 
A tree service I started with had a duce and half with a 50' skyorker on it. You can stick it in any situation. But they are governed at about 55 miles an hour. They can be bones.
Scotty
 

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