Considering an M211 purchase

Hey all, I'm considering the purchase of an M211. I found one semi-locally that has no rust, starts right up, and seems to be 98% complete and original. It drives around fine, and appears to shift through all the gears properly. However, the current owner doesn't know much about it, so I figured I'd ask here. I know these trucks tend to have a rough 2-3 shift, which this truck exhibits, but it also won't shift into high range unless it's already moving along in low range at a reasonable pace. If it's not moving fast enough, or revving high enough, I can't tell, it seems like shifting into high range is like shifting into park in a normal car. All forward motion ceases, quickly. Is this a case of operator error, or might there be difficulties with the transmission? It also reportedly does not shift in Hilly mode. Again, this could be operator error, as neither the owner nor I know much about the operation of these beasts. I may get quotes on towing the thing to my house where I can work on it if these issues sound repairable without replacing the entire transmission, but I'm not wanting to get in over my head. I would like to restore the truck however, or at least preserve it until I'm better equipped to completely restore it. Any advice would be appreciated.

Normally the difference between Hilly (F2 High ) and Normal (F1 High) is when the automatic shifts happen.

F2 High will hold the transmission in a lower gear longer. But all the shifts should happen without touching the shifter.

You can go from Low range to High range at any road speed. But to go from High to Low you should be 10 mph or less.

If the transmission is not shifting correctly it could be low pressure inside the transmission, dirty and clogged or stuck shift valves. The linkage from the gas pedal and the governor have to be in the correct alignment and there are instructions for aligning them.

If you have your truck towed more than 5 miles you must disconnect the drive shafts so the axles can free wheel. If you don’t you will burn your transmission up.

Alan

If I have it towed, it'll be on a flatbed trailer, so no worries there. Would it not shifting into high range without being near the top speed of low range be major cause for concern?

You should be able to shift from low to high without the truck stopping.

If you start out in High F1 does it shift normal through the gears?

We didn't actually start it out in High F1, but once we got it in it does seem to shift okay. I don't know that we went fast enough to go through all the gears, but it did shift through them all in Low Level fine, but with a hard 2-3 upshift.

The shifting in low is done by the same components in the front of the transmission as for high.

Shifting to low engages the reduction unit in the rear of the transmission.

So you may be okay.

The problem is caused by the reduction cone clutch sticking. If you don't use low range, the cone should not get stuck. The "acts like park" is the high and low range applying at the same time due to the stuck clutch.

Good to know, thanks for the help fellas. Is that clutch repairable? I remember reading somewhere that cone clutches were impossible to find, but I've read a lot of things the past few days.

About what is this truck worth? Rust free, but needs paint, needs the transmission looked at at the very least, and needs all 8 rear tires. The fronts are pretty much brand new as far as I can tell. It's also missing the toolbox under the driver door, but I imagine I can fabricate a replacement without too much trouble, if they aren't easy to find. I also have to deal with the 700 gallon water tank in the bed. It's just a skid unit, as this truck was used as a rural fire truck for a few years before they upgraded.

Price is a good question. It depends. If the owner is/was in love with the truck they might ask too much just because.

I have heard the line a few years ago – Well the scrap price is so and so – good thing metal prices have gone down.

If it is not rusty like you say, (No Pictures!), and it has a title that makes it worth more but if the owner just wants it gone. You just have to feel out the situation. You might start around 2k and see what happens.

That size tire is not too hard to find. A few years ago the Military changed all the M105 trailers over to HUMMER sized tires so there were a lot of the Deuce size around.

SturmTyger380 said:

Price is a good question. It depends. If the owner is/was in love with the truck they might ask too much just because.

I have heard the line a few years ago – Well the scrap price is so and so – good thing metal prices have gone down.

If it is not rusty like you say, (No Pictures!), and it has a title that makes it worth more but if the owner just wants it gone. You just have to feel out the situation. You might start around 2k and see what happens.

That size tire is not too hard to find. A few years ago the Military changed all the M105 trailers over to HUMMER sized tires so there were a lot of the Deuce size around.

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For what it's worth, I was considering a 211 near me for $2500 that isn't driveable, and it still seemed like a good deal.

The price of older Deuces has dropped since the military began surplusing out the newer (current) models. A good ready to go Deuce (M35) can be found readily for $5000 if you do some searching. This would be worth less, I'd say.

Sounds like a good truck. Here are the TM and Operator's Manual, which mentions includes some notes about the finicky transmission: https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?106483-More-M135-TM-s https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?119880-M135-amp-M211-TM-s

Bulldogger

Bulldogger

It has a title, and the owner luckily isn't very attached to the truck. They purchased it to haul water around their ranch, and then never really needed to actually do that. It hasn't been used in several years but it does appear to have been driven at least somewhat regularly throughout that time. I was considering purchasing the truck as my dump run/Home Depot truck to do all the things which don't fit in the trunk of my car, all the while restoring it to better condition. At this point I don't think it can be my only truck, so I'm going to make an offer on another truck I have my eye on, and tell the owner of this truck that if they still have it in a couple months that I'll make an offer then. I really like this truck, but if something breaks, I'll need another truck with which to go parts hunting, etc.