Mud Bogger? - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

Luke · 07-29-2009, 03:13

I would like to buy a cool "mud truck" to play in mud pits, pull stuck friends out, and other off road adventures. I want something different than the Jeeps and Pickups you see all the time and always loved the look of military trucks.

Would a 5 ton make a good mudder? I was looking at an M817 ( a dump truck ) with the 250 Cummins. How are the regular tires, if I got a set of mud tires how would it do?

Anyone buy their truck for the purpose of being a mudder?

Also will the mud mess up the hydraulic ram if it becomes submerged?

Also, I would also be interested in using it as a Hauler for another vehicle. I have heard a jeep (CJ) will fit in the dump bed, but I was hoping to build a K5 on big tires (maybe a diesel CUCV) and put that in the back. Anyone know the width of the dump bed?

Thanks, I look forward to any replies!

rockman · 07-29-2009, 08:56

Check out Dave's mud trucks:

M35 For Sale. Deuces for Sale Turbo Diesel, Army Trucks, Logging, Heavy Trucks, Off-Road Big Trucks, Four Wheel Drive

doghead · 07-29-2009, 11:37

817s don't sell cheap.

Recovry4x4 · 07-29-2009, 11:43

Too heavy for the mud. If you can reach them from afar to retrieve them, so be it but other than that, your are going to stick 22,000#. They have enough power to move themselves but not enough to clear mud from the tires. Cool truck but you need to keep one out of the bottomless mud.

bigelk50 · 07-29-2009, 12:00

Being a mud man yourself you had ought to know that anything weighing 20k plus lbs is hard to recover when you stick it in deep mud. If you plan to put on the "big mud tires" Like the Goodyear or Michelin 53" tires also know that it will rob you of power. They have the power barely to clean out the mud with the stock NDT's. Something like a M818 (tractor) would sell cheaper than a M817.

Unless you are pulling out trucks that weigh more than say 12K plus, I would look at a M35A2. The Deuces stock weigh around 13,000# and are easier to recover when stuck. Lots of things about them are cheaper. And for fuel you can run about anything in them. They are common with winches. Cheaper to register and easier to insure. If you plan to do much off roading I would add power steering to it. That is one thing that a 5 ton has over a deuce.

bigelk50 · 07-29-2009, 12:02

Also you could look at a bobbed deuce. They look cool. put a winch and lockers in it and I think you would be fine. They weigh in around 10K#

scooter01922 · 07-29-2009, 12:57

I would think just about ANY MV would do better in the mud than a 5 ton dump. If you want a 5 ton at least go for the cargo. Cheaper, lighter and more common.

Luke · 08-03-2009, 03:29

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Your right, a deuce would be much better as far as weight. After figuring out what bobbing was and seeing some pictures, they look awesome! It loses so much cargo capacity but they look great. Loosing a few thousand pounds from the rig should improve acceleration and top speed a bit right?

I found some cool youtube videos of guys mudding their bobbed trucks.

I was thinking it would be cool to have a k5 or other vehicle in the back of the deuce but I would lose this ability with a bobbed rig ( worth it though with increased off road finesse with just 4 tires?)

What do you guys think of buying a bobbed deuce vs going it yourself? 100dollarman sells bobbed deuces for 7500, or 2500 to bob your already owned truck. The thing is I don't have much mechanical experience and haven't ever done any welding. Basically you remove the farthest back axle, cut the frame off short, and mount a trailer bed as a replacement to the long bed, and relocate the lights? If I took some welding classes and bought a torch It would be a doable task?

How much should I expect to spend on a good power steering setup?
How difficult is it to find a fording kit?
How big of a spare tire can be mounted in the original spot, all the bobbed rigs seem to have an original tire which looks like a "donut" spare in comparison to the new mud tires often fitted on.
Anyone run a custom shortened canvas top over their bobbed deuce? That's something I haven't seen a picture of yet and I think it could look really good.

bigelk50 · 08-03-2009, 03:48

Wow lots of questions, you sound enthused. Lets see what I can answer.

Loosing the rear axles and 3 feet of frame will drop the weight from 13k to 10k pounds. the top speed will not change. Stock they reached their top speed to the mechanical limits. So that will not change.

You could always trailer another mud rig behind it. In my opinion if you have it locked up you will still do great, but loose how the 2 articulating axles work and benefit the truck. Do not get me wrong in mud great trucks. Rock crawling I think the stock rears are better.

Buy one or build your self?? If you think that you need to take classes and buy things (you need an torch too) I would say to buy one or have it done. Someone MIGHT help you do yours. If your just want a hack job and slap a bed on it, it might be worth your time. If you want a great job done I think it is out of your reach. its all in what you want, thats not an insult. There is tons more to it than what you listed. You have to do wiring, move airlines, take the old bed off cut it down (or use a M105 bed) and re-install after the frame work. You will have to cut off around three feet and reinstall the rear cross member. Then modify your racks/troop seats to fit the custom bed. I have seen custom covers made and they look
great. Any local heavy truck tarp company can do this for you. To hang the axle you have to find a bobber kit like the ones on Boyce equipment. Add shocks and move and rebuild the drive lines too.

Good luck on a factory Fording kit. They are rare and spendy. Some people make them after market. I would just put a 90 degree upright on your air intake and extend your axle breather vents to the top of the frame to keep water and mud out. That should do.

The stock tire holder will hold just that. A stock tire. I hope this puts things in perspective.

tonka tester · 01-31-2010, 05:28

i know it sounds crazy, but for a little more than what you pay for a cheap duece, you can have this
112109-Case_2670_4.jpg
this is a better recovery vehicle. you dont have to do anything to it, and its woth its weight in gold
4x4x4, 74 inch tires, ps250 rockwell axles, 300 horsepower. ive seen em sell for $1,750. it will pull your house over while standing in mud