These events have been the best! I have spent my vacation times here now for 6 years! The GA Rally with the Steel Soldiers is an awesome event and a must see if you have never been! Its every year in October!
I bought mine from Clinto on Steel Soldiers. He's only about 80 miles from me and he's a great guy with a lot of knowledge about these trucks. I don't consider myself an expert but I have been studying the M35's and learning a lot from Clinto. I've only gotten serious about owning one in the last 4 months or so.
It was pretty amazing a few minutes later when he engaged the front axle and walked right through it. In this video he was using only the rear axles to play around a little for my son (in the passenger seat).
AJ the FJ Cruiser was mine as well. I assure you it went everywhere the big rigs went and under its own power. It does have its limits, and those limits are usually my limits to avoid breaking anything, but it did extremely good that day.
@offroadexpeditions The engines are 136 HP multifuels. Like most military vehicles, they are designed around a small motor and big gears and designed for extreme reliability. They are designed to operate on almost any flamable liquid from gas to oil to rum to diesel. I high-power engine wouldn't have that kind of fuel flexibility. The truck was designed to carry heavy loads across terrain at speeds of 30MPH and under, although they will do 55MPH if pushed.
@offroadexpeditions Yeah, the M35A2 and M109A3 in my videos are both mine. The hill climb in my video was with the M109A3 has a van box that weighs about 2-3 klbs and the M105A2 trailer weighs about 3k lbs so it was a combined weight of 19k lbs and it made it up fine.
I plan to restore mine to a "like new" condition and drive it frequently as my "Home Depot" truck. I'll also use it for some camping trips and for the Steel Soldiers rally in GA each October.
@offroadexpeditions I noticed the A2's were performing better than the A3's all day that day. I think the answer is that the skinny hard tires on the A2 worked better in that mud than the wide floatation tires on the A3. the A3's weren't digging down through the slick surface and were just spinning on top.
Additionally, when they say anything is "bobbed" when it pertains to automotive. They're talking about it being cut shorter. It doesn't just pertain to the deuce and a half. The bobtail T bucket, or bob tail rock crawer for example. They get the expression from the bob tail cat, which of course is missing it's tail.
@Scott30184 Thank's Great video. No power steering does make the M35 A2 a lot of work at slow speeds. I use my deuce in parades and veterans functions so I run the tire pressure at 55lbs., sure makes it easier to steer.
It means removing one of the rear axles so the truck becomes a 4x4 instead of a 6x6. The frame is shortended and the bed is either shortened or replaced with a bed from an M105 trailer.
@offroadexpeditions That's weird that happened. The A3 tires have way better traction than the NDCCs do. Maybe because there's more tires in back on an A2?
@ClayJames47 Hmmm, maybe........I appreciate your videos, because I have been studied the off road capabilities of M35 on youtube for a while, and I was surprised how much they can climb. I thought the engine is underpowered for it's weight. I think it just needs the second steering axle and the biggest tires possible, and it will be good in soft terrain too. I had Hummer tours in the past, and I am going to have highly modified M35s for off road tours in the future. Do you own the M35?
@Scott Stokes Awesome video sir. I actually live pretty close to the Durham Town plantation. Is this event something the general public could come to? Maybe even get to ride along in one of these rigs?
OutdoorFiend yes, the public is invited and welcome to come out to see the trucks, ask questions and even ride along. Rides have to be arranged with individual drivers, but just walking around and asking usually works. Visitors must have a Durhamtown arm band ($5 or $10) and they must behave or they will be used as wheel chocks.
At 10:45 sec is that the only truck that only rear wheel drive are are they all only Rear wheel? i know its Obviously more than 2 tires but do the other have Front wheel drive As well?
The basic rule is that if it is "engaged in commerce" and it has a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more, you have to have a DOT medical card. If it is engaged in commerce and it has a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, you have to have a CDL. If it has a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more AND it has air brakes, an air brake endorsement is required. If it has a GVWR of 26,000 pounds or less AND it has air brakes, no special license or endoresement is required.
There's more to it than who gets stuck. You have to consider the design objectives, including manufacturing costs, production volume, and operator training. Comparing a Tatra 8x8 to a an M35A2 is like comparing a pick-up to a semi. The Tatra is a great vehicle but compare it on production costs, operating costs, reliability, simplicity of field repairs. Remember these weren't designed for mud-bogging, they were cost effetcive combat support vehicles.
@offroadexpeditions I don't own any of the trucks in the video. I was a spectator in my FJ Cruiser. I have since bought a 1970 Kaiser Jeep M35A2. I'm bringing it home this weekend (New Years weekend).
It depends on the state laws really, I drove a big flatbed Gmc with full air brakes when I delivered steel, in my state as long as the truck's payload is under 26000lbs and has no more than one driving axle, it can be legally driving with out a CDL. In the next state over, It was illegal for me to drive that truck though.
Awesome, I love it! I realize that it has nothing to do with the video itself but can anyone tell me what that is at the beginning of the video out in the grass on the same side of the road as the cameraman? I thought originally it was something like a plastic bag being tossed around by the wind but after watching it a couple times it actually appears to be an animal or a couple of animals. I'm sorry to annoy you guys with this trivial BS but it has gotten to the point that I "have to know" LOL
In my eyes a deuce is the same as a lifted pickup. Mine has no air brakes, air over hydrolic though. They weigh close to 14,000 which is well below the standard for c.d.l. or endorsements, or a d.o.t. health card. As far as the motor coaches go yes they should have to have a cdl and health card. Many of them cant see what they are doing or pulling behind them. Another one should be the pickup, 5th wheel camper, trailer behind that combo.
So all of the trucks playing in the mud and hill climbing were 2-1/2 trucks, not 5-tons. The M35A3 is probably the one that looks like a 5/ton to you. None of the ones in the video have diff lockers. They all have a driven front axle. Either a sprague type or air shift transfer case. Sometimes we leave the front axle disengaged just to spin the tires and play a little.
Some run on diesel, many run on used motor oil or used vegetable oil, or other petroleum waste products. I don't even have guess as to how many gallons of fuel might have been used. Probably significantly less fuel than Obama One uses to fly Michelle and her entourage to Spain for yet another vacation.
If I were gonna try and show these trucks I would have the decency to have tires put on and get someone that knows how to drive, those army tires on these duce and a halfs are for sand.do it right
According to federal law, you don't need a CDL to drive a privately owned vehicle no matter the vehicle size. State laws vary from state to state and most enforcement officers are poorly trained on the law and they get confused about these trucks.
I bet those trucks would do better and not get stuck all of the time if you put some weight into the back of them to give the rear wheels extra traction.
Trampled Under Feet they don't actually get stuck very often, but getting stuck makes good video so that's a lot of what you see. It's actually pretty amazing the amount of mud that they handle without much difficulty. 1500 to 2000 pounds in the back does make a big difference in traction. I carry about 1500 pounds in mine most of the time, for that reason. A deuce with a little extra weight and tire chains is nearly unstoppable.
Each state has their own laws and each state is charged with enforcing the FMCSA regulations. Most state enforcement officers are very poorly educated on the ever-changing FMCSA regs and we (my company) frequently have to go to court to prove them wrong. As far as the federal regulations go, a vehicle must be engaged in interstate commerce to be considered a "commercial vehicle" regardless of its size. Privately owned big rigs that are used for hauling goods for hire between states, are comme
if anybody ever manages to get a duece completly stuck then they deserve 2 be in the ginuess book of world records bc its hard as fuck 2 get them stuck
Don't know about other states, but here in Oregon, you do need a CDL to operate anything over 20k pounds. Privately owned or not. Which if you think about it, is the only way it makes sense. Because 99% of the big rigs you see on the freeway, are privately owned (owner operator). So why should the big corporations have to conform to different laws than the citizen, when doing the exact same thing? Not saying you're wrong, just saying if you're right, the law doesn't make sense.
You maybe right but it doesn't make sense! Anyone who drive a vehicle with air brakes or over 21,000lbs I think maybe 25,000 I forget but they should be required to have a CDL! That is like saying you don't have to have a regular license to drive a car! If it is commercial or not you are moving into a whole different class of vehicle and driving skills!! Just because you can drive a car or even large pick-up truck doesn't mean you can handle air brakes or large vehicle size!!
If the auto parts delivery trucks are 1/2 ton pick-ups, then no special license is required. Think about it, you can go buy a 55,000 pound RV, with diesel engine and air brakes, and no special license is required. If you think that's dumb, consider the requirements to drive a boat. Any idiot, even idiots with no driver's license, can go buy a boat, put it in the water and drive it with no problems. And believe me, there are plenty of idiots driving boats out there.
Yep, but you're using the truck for business. You're hauling grain to a grain elevator and someone is buying it from you, right? That makes it a commercial truck. If the truck was titled and registered to you and not your farm, and you never used it in the process of operating your farm, then it is private and you don't need a CDL. I run a large fleet of commercial trucks here and I have to deal with that issue all the time. It's the business use that makes it commercial.
Im sorry but driving a boat is nothing like driving with air brakes!! Alot less involved and alot less lives at stake too! I grew up driving boats and its second nature for me! I was driving a boat before 9yrs old!! I have never had a boating accident! Although I have only had two vehicle accidents that were my fault. I have a CDL, forgot the weight of 26,000. But I am sorry it makes no sense to allow someone with a RV to drive without a CDL! A boat is easy compared to a Large RV or air brakes!
