mtk

I'm aware of the 26,000lb GVWR limit on a normal driver's license.

What I'm unsure of, is exactly what GVWR one can register one of these at, particularly once it has been bobbed.

With any other vehicle, the GVWR is set by the manufacturer. With heavy trucks, axle weight ratings typically also play a role in that calculation and frequently the GVWR of the truck is the sum total of the GAWR's of the truck's axles. So if you remove one axle, the new GVWR is equal to the old rating, minus the rating of the axle you removed. Along with a mountain of state paperwork, of course.

In this case, I have no idea what GVWR an unmodified Deuce or 5-ton (is there a slang term like "Deuce" for the 5-ton trucks? "5-ton" just doesn't roll off of the tongue like "Deuce" does....) would be registered at in the "civilian" world. I'm guessing that a Deuce would be at 26,000lbs while a 5-ton would probably be at 36,000 or some other number into the "Class A" license realm, which as you said, creates licensing hassles.

But if you pull one axle off of both, what GVWR's can you end up with for both? This may also be a state-by-state issue as some states seem to let you register it for whatever you want (as long as they get the money) while others seem to insist upon some data to justify the registration. For example, the only way to increase the GVWR on my F350, over Ford's rating, is to modify the truck and retitle it as a modified or specialty vehicle. I can't just pony up more cash and increase it from 9,900lbs to 12,000lbs without making physical changes to the truck.

Bobbed Deuces seem to weigh between 8k and 11k, depending on how short and what bed you choose to use. The M105-bedded Deuces seem to come in closer to the 8k number than the 11k (from what I've read on here). I've yet to find a post giving a weight for a bobbed 5-ton truck.

But I very much do see you're point about truck weight versus payload weight. I went through a similar thing when deciding between my F350 and a similarly-equipped F250. The F350 had a GVWR of 9900lbs, while the F250 had a GVWR of 8800lbs. Yet the two trucks weighed about the same. So getting the F350 got me 1100lbs of extra payload capacity with no other real penalties other than cost (both purchase and registration).

If I go with a Deuce, will the allowable GVWR (after removing an axle) be too low to work with the 8-11k truck weight? Conversely, if I go with a 5-ton, will the truck be too heavy, even with the higher GVWR.

I'd also be lying if I said the extra power that comes with a 5-ton truck isn't also a feature, along with the power steering. The though of wrestling 40"+ tires off-road with manual steering sounds like a fine way to get an arm workout.

Last but not least, is the whole 2.5T versus 5T axle issue even worth discussing? I know the 2.5T axles are considered "bulletproof" when installed in a Jeep rock crawler or something, but is that also the case in a 10,000 bobbed Deuce?

I do appreciate you all taking the time to give me your input.