I've been looking for a way to eliminate hauling my wheeling rigs on a trailer behind my Ram because the Ram is also growing and heading towards not being street-legal itself. The Ram is already regeared to 5.13 with 37's, so I'm already spending a lot on gas. A large truck won't be much different. The main benefit is not having to deal with a trailer. My Ram is rather tall, so its a bitch hooking/unhooking the trailer all the time. The trailer is about 24' with a rack on the front, so its not soemthing I can just push around the driveway without a vehicle hooked to it if its in the way.
I recently went and looked at a M818 locally that had an aftermarket deck/dovetail/ramps installed on it to carry a civilian contractor's bulldozer. I've seen this same deck on civilian truck inthe area, so its apparently popular. While this looked like a great solution that could easily carry even my Ram, the truck felt tired and had some cab issues that I don't think I want to have to deal with, even though I own a forklift and could probably pull it off to do the work (or replace it).
I've been watching GL lately and 2 more seemingly good candidates slipped through my fingers. One was another M818 that had not been modified in any way and was apparently in good running shape and looked pretty clean, also. Bidding got a little higher than I wanted to spend (almost $7k) since I'd have to buy the deck also.
The second one was probably perfect for what I need and my dumbass forgot to bid on it - a M814 XLWB. This was the one in NH that closed a couple days ago if any of you saw it. It looked clean in the pics, appeared to be all there, ran, and went for less than $5k. I should kick my own ass. I'm obviously new to this stuff, but I can see that these XLWB's are apparently hard ones to find, so I'm even more pissed at myself.
I would really like a 6x6 so I can go somewhat off the beaten path and not have to worry much about it getting scratched up by trees and crap and also since I can mount hardware such as a rear winch for loading, toolboxes, etc wherever I want. Recently I have been noticing mid-90's civilian semi tractors with sleepers that the aftermarket deck could also be put on in the $8500 range. While these would be great for longer wheeling trips and a lot more comfy, but there are obviously trade-offs.
Anybody have any suggestions as to what else might fit the bill for hauling up to a full-size, extended-cab longbed type of vehicle? Or perhaps know of something suitable that I have not yet found?
RE: Newbie looking for a good alternative to towing
I think if you are using the truck to haul your offroad rigs, I would go with a lwb semi. Look for one that has had the sleeper removed and is now a daycab. That will give you the most frame/deck space to work with. Unless you are only going short distances to wheel, I wouldn't think the M818 would be a good choice. Besides, frame/deck space is shorter.
I'd second the semi choice for hauling a full size pickup...I've been as far as the badlands with my deuce hauling my jeep in the bed and it's a looooong trip @ 55mph! I believe a semi will give you a bit higher top speed and probably a bit more comfortable. (Although not nearly as cool)
If you think you could make it work, you could always try a LWB 6x6 set up. That might give you a bit more uses for the rig when it's not hauling off-road toys. There are both 2.5 ton and 5 ton trucks with a longer wheelbase to work with.
Buy a LWB 6x6 and that'll give me somebody to chat with on the CB on the way to Paragon! Everybody else is too fast for me to travel with!
Yeah, that's what I was initially gunning for, a M814 XLWB - see "kick my own ass" in my initial post.
I think I can get away with using a semi with the sleeper cab due to the extra length that can be built into the dovetail. The M818 dozer carrier I looked at and test drove would have been cutting it close, but I think the Ram would still have made it on and just hung off the back a bit:
Instead of an 818 try a regular 813 or the USMC 813 with Detriots in the back. It has a cargo bed that can be removed and your deck with beavertail added. The 813 is a little longer than the 818.
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Arm yourself with the sword of knowledge, read the TMs.
Instead of an 818 try a regular 813 or the USMC 813 with Detriots in the back. It has a cargo bed that can be removed and your deck with beavertail added. The 813 is a little longer than the 818.
That's the direction I was going with the one I forgot to bid on. I went looking for more 813/814's and found the 927, which would also do the job easily. How is Schott as a vendor?
A 927 would be sweet, you could maintain highway speed a lot easier than older 5 tons. Schott has never been too interested in individuals wanting a truck and making a deal. I think they are holding out for a big order and this truck will not fit your $8500 budget.
A 927 would be sweet, you could maintain highway speed a lot easier than older 5 tons. Schott has never been too interested in individuals wanting a truck and making a deal. I think they are holding out for a big order and this truck will not fit your $8500 budget.
Well, in the case of a 927, I'd at least be getting an automatic and a generally more updated vehicle. I wasn't exactly planning on spending their top listed figure of $14,500 for one of these things, but I think I could better justify a little more $ for some improvements like that. The auto trans has been something I've been debating for a while and I previously didn't know what year range they were implemented in. Guess I need to do more research on other improvements.
Newbie looking for a good alternative to towing
I believe a semi will give you a bit higher top speed and probably a bit more comfortable. (Although not nearly as cool)
