I just finished bobbing my deuce last week, Going to start bobbing my 5 ton soon, just picked up the springs and hangers today from Dave @ Eastern Surplus. I am a 5 ton person myself, powersteering and Cummins makes it nice.
For those of you that have registered your bobbed deuces, what are you stating for the GVW? Are you even mentioning that an axle has been removed? Seems that might raise some flags at the DMV, like is it still safe to drive?
I initially licensed mine at 8k and then 10k. Again, it is up to the user to set GVW in my state. I described the changes to my truck and there was no issue with removing an axle. They, however, do care when an axle is added. Read up on the laws for your state.
G0 with the 5 ton. As for springs if money was of no concern then have custom spring made for the front and rear if you knew will not be needing load bearing capacities. Duel shocks front and rear. You will end up with a 5 ton that rides like a dream.
As said more power. rims and tires are made simple and factory power stearing.
I am allready gearing up for two 5 ton's. Don't know if I will bob but you got me thinking hard now.
I don't like the choise of beds though. looks like you are tring to make them look like a pick up truck out of them with the wheels wells being cut up. I thing they look better with the straight bed under side just sets higher.
Deuce front fenders and M105 bed are about the same width. Just over 7' I think. The 5 ton is 8' wide at the front fenders. I don't think a truck will look right with the back bed narrower than the front end.
If you plan to park with other vehicles at Lowes or walmart, that extra foot of width will kill you. Same is true for the length. A winch will also add some length.
Gross weight is much more comfortable with a deuce. My bob deuce was easy to drive, steer and brake. It weighed 11,000 pounds. I don't know how one could end up at 8,000 but stanger things have happened.
If you plan to do some serious turning and load hauling, the 5 ton springs will out perform the deuce all day. And the power steering is a great plus.
In the end you just need to decide what you plan to do with it and how all these things will factor in. For what it is worth, don't believe half of what you see and read on here. Pictures are very deceptive sometimes and some of our fellow SS pals are quite full of them selves (not suggesting any one on this thread qualifies). Have fun.
One other thing to think about. I would not worry about the weight of the 5ton parts as I have a 816 wrecker to lift things up with. If you have some sort of lift, it would help with a 5ton.
Not to steal the thread , but has any one seen or know what the spare tire holder is on one of these trucks( the deuce with it mounted behind the cab)
thanks tony
You're not stealing it at all, Tony, because I want to know the exact same thing!
It's the perfect spot for a spare, and it also allows the bed to be shifted back a touch, stretching the wheelbase enough to allow the big tires to clear the fuel tank.
I definitely want to know where to get one of those.
G0 with the 5 ton. As for springs if money was of no concern then have custom spring made for the front and rear if you knew will not be needing load bearing capacities. Duel shocks front and rear. You will end up with a 5 ton that rides like a dream.
As said more power. rims and tires are made simple and factory power stearing.
I am allready gearing up for two 5 ton's. Don't know if I will bob but you got me thinking hard now.
I don't like the choise of beds though. looks like you are tring to make them look like a pick up truck out of them with the wheels wells being cut up. I thing they look better with the straight bed under side just sets higher.
I can't argue that the M105 bed makes them start to look like a pick-up truck, albeit a military pick-up on steroids. But then again, that is kind of the point, at least to me. You've got huge axles, a big Cummins under the hood (that readily responds to turbocharging), and those big fenders seem read-made for big tires. I don't really need 14' of cargo bed, so the M105 cuts some weight and makes for a more maneuverable package.
I'm definitely going 5 ton, as there are just too many up sides to it to ignore.
A friend of mine has already converted a few to 12V electrics; I told him to keep that procedure in mind if this comes to pass.
Now to see if my insurance agent has a heart attack when I try and get a policy on a M813A1.
