My new M931A2

I had an '84 M923 December of 2012 to January 2013 but due to financial issues beyond my control, had to sell it. It ended up going to Tennessee. I'd been drooling over tractors for a LONG time but they just don't pop up at Fort Leonard Wood or Jefferson City very often. So when I saw the herd of them appear for the 2/18-2/20 Jefferson City auctions, I had to pursue it. First off, MANY thanks to CommandoJeff! Had it not been for him, his experiences with Jefferson City and his being buddies with another MV guy in the area (fellow named Jon....not sure if he's an SS member?), I would have NEVER pulled the trigger. Jon was invaluable since he had some first-hand info on the exact lot I was bidding on.

If some of you were possibly looking at the lot my truck came from, there were several "will not start, will not run" trucks and only two showed running.
Well, I was informed by Chad, the GL rep (kudos to him in the GL section), that all the trucks were driven in and the day the videos were taken it was -9 degrees (what a Winter we've had!) and the trucks just wouldn't start.
Yes, it was a gamble. But OH did it pay off!
Chad assured me if I needed a jump, he'd have National Guardsmen available.

Well, March 6th, I packed up a pickup bed of retrieval necessities per all the recommendations of all the great posts here.
"Better to have and not need than to need and not have".
We got to the lot around 11AM and there was Chad as well as about four Guardsmen tending to three other tractors being loaded and towed and jumping a rather sad one with flat tires and dead batteries.
There was my rig, standing proud with tires full, no drips on the ground, nothing I could see out of place. Closer I got, the more pleased I was. Started and completed all the checks. Replaced the serpentine belt because the one on the truck was at the end of it's life-could tell by the tensioner position. Thank goodness I brought that along!
All along, I assumed from sitting in the horrific Winter weather it has, I'd need a jump. Chad said to give it a try.
Click, click and that thing cranked over STRONG for maybe 5 seconds and it chugged to life. No jump OR ether needed!
Air pressure climbed perfectly. Oil pressure strong. Zero noises. Let it idle to build some temp and listen for more noises. Cleaned the windows, waved good bye to Chad and all the Guardsmen and we were on our way.

The drive was totally uneventful.
Good heavens that thing gets up and MOVES! There were hills on Hwy. 50 it didn't even downshift on!
Bob-tail bouncing does beat the tar out of the driver from time to time. WOW! LOL
Hwy. 44 was NO problem. Kept up with my wife in our "support vehicle".
Got home in record time, checked underneath for anything dripping or out of place. NOTHING to report. I'm ecstatic.

MANY thanks to my wife for her patience and assistance on the retrieval (and putting up my vehicle interests.....the MV is just one...), to CommandoJeff for his time and patience with my questions during the whole pursuit and Jon for his invaluable information, time and input.

Great score Bill.

Thanks!

I can't wait to give it a good washing. It'll clean up REAL nice.

Nice win. I may need your wife to consult with mine for my M931A2. Soon hopefully. Congratulations.

Almost forgot......

Thanks to Andy1234 for his time and input on this pursuit, too!

Great looking truck! Another score from Jeff City. Glad I could help out another enthusiast. Let me know if you need any help with it in the future!

Jeff

Great looking truck! Glad the recovery was uneventful. You gonna bob it?
I see the top already matches the one on your deuce!

I am definitely having visions of a bigger version of my old bobbed deuce.

And yes, that tan top seemed like a "sign" when I saw it on GL.

I was wondering about the tan cab cover. Must be a sign for sure.

We FINALLY have some decent weather in the forecast so getting the big green machine cleaned up and maintained can happen.

After seeing your work first hand I cant wait to see what you do to this one! Any luck tracking down your old deuce?

Thanks, Smokinyoda!

No luck on my old deuce.

I tell you what......a man sure gets spoiled in the 5 ton.
Talk about "cushy" with that automatic and power steering. Amazing how easy it is to drive.
Like I tell everyone who asks about my truck.....it doesn't FEEL as big as it is when you're behind the wheel.

And that Cummins 8.3 sure is a smooth runner.

I had to update......

Folks, this truck surprises me every day. And I mean that in a GOOD way!
It has shown itself to be such a solid, strong-running, reliable rig.
The only fixes I've had to do were the safety relief valve on the air tank (brass pressure relief), snug a couple air fittings and tighten a couple coolant lines.
Other than that? It's a turn key operation.
What a truck! I WANT to drive it.
I gotta say the tractor sure is a LOT easier to drive/maneuver than the cargo/M923 I had. No comparison.

And believe it or not, my CTIS is behaving admirably!

And the Cummins 8.3? Holy smokes. No comparison to the NHC250 my previous M923 had. Nothing wrong with the NHC but wow.....the turbo on this 8.3.

I removed the muffler yesterday and built a straight pipe/stack. Amazing improvement both in sound and performance.
Can't wait to put a gentle tweak on the fuel screw.

Thanks for listening, folks.
Never in a million years would I have thought I'd nab THIS much of a truck when I won that auction.

Nice find! I'm new to SS and GL but I've yet to see any Ft. Wood or Jeff city activity, good to know GL has good customer service at those locations if/when the time comes!