Preferably a big single tire type by this u can tell im a newbie... LOL I just fell in luv with them when in training exersises in Little Creek Virginia, Not a driver though always wanted too, but Being a Scout Sniper we were never given that priveledge...
I dont really think i need a 5 ton need advise as to why I should consider one...
would prefer a type that is better at being maintenance free... LOL but i have to try...
Want one where the parts are plentiful and HD...
Whats better auto or manuel?
I want to build my own body and need chasis, suspension, motor and Tranny.
I am sorry if I am asking for too much but your my only hope at making a well educated guess as to what is better for my needs.
Welcome.
Projects are great and I'd suggest getting yourself a 6X6 (duece or 5 ton is your choice) and driving it a bit to get used to something that's big enough to have it's own zip code. After a while you'll have a better idea of what it will and won't do and where you need to make changes to better suit your needs and ideas.
By all means find yourself something that has a supply of replacement parts out there; or uses a lot of off-the-shelf parts. One-of-a-kind rigs mean a continual search for stuff to keep you running-- unless you have a machine shop in your back pocket.
DO NOT plan of this being a cheap hobby; big parts generally means big dollars, though fellow members can often steer you towards the best prices. None of this is meant to discourage you; just meant to help you go into it with your eyes open.
I went 5 ton to get straight air brakes and because I wanted a large hulking rig to intimidate civvy 4X4 owners. But there's always a trade-off; I can also count on long walks to a store's front doors because I need 4 spaces to park it at the local shopping center. Narrow streets are an adventure and I need to be ever mindful of overhead clearances or I'll end up wearing some outfit's drive-through awning like saddlebags. The climb up into it and down out of it can get tiresome sometimes as my floorboards are about four feet off the ground and it's like scaling a wall.
For serious four-wheeling and ease of using it as a daily driver, I went automatic. No clutch or shift linkage to engineer, just stuff it in forward (or reverse) and go, shift times of four tenths of a second doesn't give the vehicle a chance to bog down in sand or mud, getting stuck behind some RV doesn't mean I have to be continually up-shifting and down-shifting.
It's the cascade effect:
I wanted 1600X20 Michelins like the HEMTTs use so... to run them, it meant finding 10" wide 20" wheels and those were 10 hole Budds so... to run them, it meant 5 ton axles and since straight air is simpler than air over hydraulic... to get that, it meant late M900 series axles... with M900 series axles, it was logical (in my mind) to go with an M900 series transfer case so that I could have the flat flange u-joints using Spicer 1700 series parts (industry standard and inexpensive to buy)... See how this stuff can snowball on you?
All M35 series deuces are pretty much completely interchangable. My project started out as a cannibalized M35a1 (I think-- it was pretty well picked over).
Allison automatics are sturdy and, in my experience, hardly ever break; so there are a lot of them out there and cheap. They also have a standard SAE bellhousing bolt pattern and will mate up to lots of power plant packages.
This is the way it's gone for me but you may find something completely different fits your needs better.
Texas newbie need X-pert advise
