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2642 miles in 3.5 days in an M814 Ohio to Washington State.

64c30

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Spanaway WA
On April 27th, I bought an M814 (same as an M813 but with a 20 ft bed) and M105a2 trailer on an ebay listing from a fella in Ohio near Columbus.
Because of work, I wasn't able to get it, and it had to be picked up by May 26th, as Dan, the seller, was moving to Virginia, and the vehicles needed to be gone a few days before then.
Soooooo, yours truly contacted a member of my Mil Veh Club (Puget Sound Military Vehicle Collectors Club, aka PSMVCC) that lives in Ohio near Columbus, and asked if he could find some place to store it until I could get there.
After a couple days, he called and said he found a place to put it about a mile from his house near Ostrander, and it'd be just fine until my arrival.
Dan drove the truck and trailer from Springfield to near Ostrander around the 30th or so.
Along about April 20th or so, work slowed enough for me to book a flight to Columbus, arriving on the 28th.
A couple days before departing, the boss calls and asked if I could delay the trip as we needed to be on the jobsiteon June 1st. It couldn't be done as the ticket was non refundable or changed without a sizeable payment though I said I'd get back as soon as possible. The race was on !!!
I left Seattle Tacoma International at 0830 for Houston, then caught a connecting flight for Columbus OH, arriving at 2020 the same day.
After a night at Ians, we got to the truck at about 0830 Eastern time.
We put it over the shops grease pit to check it over, and did some light maint, PM and pulled out at around noon after working up to Interstate 90. I never really wanted the trailer, so it was offered to Mike, the owner of the lot where it was stored, and he bought it.
That leg of the trip got us (My better halfs Brother in Law Jim came along) to Portage WI, where we stopped for a few winks.
From Portage we got as far as Rapid City SD, about 830 miles before bagging it for the night.
I lived and worked in the Rapid City area for 7 years, so a little visiting was in order, but just an hour or so coupled with a steer tire rotation at the Windmill truck stop.
From there, we got off I90 and ran SR 34 to Belle Fourche SD, and US 2122 from Belle, 20 mi through the upper NE corner of Wyoming, through Ashland and Lame Deer Montana, and getting back on I 90 at Crow Agency, about a mile from the Custer Battlefield. No, we didn't get to see due to having to get back ASAP.
From there we made it to Bonner MT (just a few miles east of Missoula)for the night. Before Bonner, we hit heavy rain snow mix, and is why I decided Bonner was far enough, as I was tired and didn't waant to deal with possible bad weather and road conditions on Lookout (Montana - Idaho border) and Fourth of July Passes (about mid way in Idaho) as I've seen it snow on both in early spring while running long haul with a Peterbilt and Kenworth pulling flatbeds and step decks.
We stopped at Spokane for fuel, and while there, I turned the phone on (It was turned off to save the battery as there was no way to rcharge it during the trip.) to check messages.
Lo and behold, there was one from the boss saying the job that was so important to be at on Tuesday had been delayed, and I could take my time gatting back. Just dandy, huh?
We got back to the house near Puyallup at about 1700, on Tuesday the 1st.
Other than being intense, and a bit boring, it was rather uneventful.
There were a couple of scares though nothing major. The first was a bad front alignment, hence the tire rotation in Rapid City. Then the massive oil leak that was thought to be a blown transmission or transfer seal (Oh Groan!!) that turned out to be an oil jug with a loose cap that fell over in the tool box leaving a big puddle on the tire shop floor.
I'm here to tell all of you that 2,600 miles plus is not something you want to do in about 3 1/2 days, no matter your age. (I'm almost 55.) It was an adventure to say the least. I got lucky, not ending up broke down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, possibly after dark, on a Labor Day weekend.
 

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davidkroberts

Active member
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west tennessee
ummmm WOW.......:shock:

I have a few points...
1. Thats the farthest recovery ive ever heard of on this list
2. you must be a great guy or have crazy friends because i dont know too many people who would ride with me on a trip like that
3. After this you realise that nobody is going to believe you when you say that the rally is too far away....lol

Great looking truck, what speed were you able to maintain

If you did it again what stuff would you bring to make that long a trip more comfortable

Great recovery, glad you didnt have any problems
 

Recovry4x4

LLM/Member 785
Super Moderator
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The 814 teaches you the lesson that spacious and huge are completely opposite.
Congrats, sounds like a trip I'd like to make.
 

64c30

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In all "modesty" I am a great guy (just ask my dog) and I do have some crazy friends and relatives. :lol:
Actually, three people wanted to go, but 2 couldn't get time off from work on short notice.
54 mph was as fast as it would go, though military speedometers aren't exactly the most accurate.
What would be taken if done again? A thick, soft cushion for my boney butt.
No, no major problems coming home, but spent most of today chasing an electrical short. Found it, fixed it.
Yep, just one picture. There was little time for anything other fueling, eating and sleeping during the stops.
We slept in the back, having taken air mattresses and sleeping bags in our baggage on the flight to Columbus.
The only way I'd be ready to do it again in a week is if it were a military Freightliner or someting on a trailer behind my pickup.
The fuel bill was $1515.53 for 419.318 gallons.
 

nhdiesel

New member
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Location
Milan, NH
You make my 1100 mile m35 recovery look like nothing. Nice report, and NICE looking truck! I wish I had seen any pre-trip posts, I would have made a couple suggestions...mainly about in-cab electronics.

You see, I like my electronics. I wired up a simple cig. lighter plug running to 1 of the batteries to get 12v power. From that I powered my Sirius radio and MP3 player, and was able to charge my phone. Because i was alone I used over-ear headphones. At one point i even stopped at a truck stop and bought a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer. My truck had no heater, so it was fun to read when it was 35 outside, 45 inside.

Anyway...nice job on the recovery, and good luck with that beautiful piece of green iron!

Jim
 

lonegunman

New member
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Location
Eastern, Washington
This has to be a Pacific northwest thing. I did a solo recovery of my M35A3 from Ft.Gillem Georgia to eastern Washington in early April. That was about 2,500 miles of adventure at 48mph.

I had the same sort of work problems too, so no goofing off and a lot of driving. The good news is that the truck ran wonderfully and actually got decent fuel mileage.

I am using the truck for working on my property, it runs like a champ on and off road and got over 11 mpg on the last cruise out to my place. For a big truck it does well around town and keeps up with traffic no problems.

I had a Zune player with me and it did not have enough radio reception or songs to last the days driving. It rained and I discovered the seals around the front windows are dried out and my feet got soaked when I drove.

Funny, they never seem to have these things for sale at Ft. Lewis.
 

nhdiesel

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Milan, NH
hahaha...I had the same problem as well! Nothing a roll of Gorilla tape couldn't fix! I've since pulled the tape off, but was reminded of the seal leaks today when I drove it home in a downpour. Funny how that water lands right over the throttle pedal!

Jim
 

quarkz

Supreme Galactic Cleric
805
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28
Location
Kennewick, WA
Glad the trip went well.:beer:
It is a testament to your adventurous side.

When I moved to Eastern WA from Tidewater, VA I drove a short school bus pulling a CJ-7.
It had slow 7.17:1 gears in it.
It was a great trip, but you are always listening for that noise that signals the demise of your trip.

So, will it be at the PAC NOR WE Rally in Napavine?
 

Stalwart

Well-known member
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Location
Redmond, WA
Rydel, you don't add the mileage you flew for the recovery, just what you drove to get it home. I'm VERY glad you and your bony butt made it home safe. Can't wait to see your new toy!

I could be wrong . . . on how it's measured.
 

Nonotagain

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Parkville, MD
Rydel, you don't add the mileage you flew for the recovery, just what you drove to get it home. I'm VERY glad you and your bony butt made it home safe. Can't wait to see your new toy!

I could be wrong . . . on how it's measured.

I know it's late on the left coast, but in post 9 he stated that he purchased 419.318 gallons of fuel.

With the trip being listed as 2642 miles, that works out to 6.3007073390600928173844194620789 miles per gallon, if thats close enough.

Now where is that tongue in cheek emoticon?:beer:

The OP needs o be the receipant of an Iron Butt award.
 

64c30

New member
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Location
Spanaway WA
nhdiesel; Not to worry. Eventually there'll be a 3 plug power outlet under the dash, and one in the back for the air mattress pump. Before leaving, I bought 2 aviation headsets and a 9v powered intercom to use as hearing protection and so we wouldn't have to yell to be heard. Good idea in theory, but after about 3 hrs, it felt like my head was in a vice. Otherwise they worked graet other than picking up some engine noise. I have a hikers thermometer, but didn't get around to getting a new battery for it.
As for pre trip posts, I hadn't thought of any posts until the dan, the seller suggested it after returning home.

lonegunman; M35a3? Good score and 11 mpg to boot. Gotta love those Cat engines! My window seals leaked badly also. We just stuffed paper towels in the corners until the rain stopped. There have been a few trucks of various models available at Ft lewis, but are mostly junk or parts trucks. The last good batch was when most everything was brought up from Camp Withycome (in Portland OR area) last year or the year before. Also, somehow Brad gets a lot of them that never get listed on GL, then cuts them up for scrap, and sells a lot of parts.

quarkz; Unless something gets in the way, we'll be at Napavine with the 814 and M1009.

Stalwart; From the house to the truck, the mileage was approx 3,658 mi. So, the entire trip was about 6,300 mi. I swear the truck seat was far more comfortable than the so called seats in the sardine can airliners. Say hi to your Bride for us. See ya at Arlington if not before.

Nonotagain; 6.3 isn't bad for an old Cummins. The 460 in the Mack dump I drive only gets an avg of 4.5, but am pulling 105,500 lbs with it half the time too. I pretty much knew what I was in for after driving a fully loaded M35A2 from Rapid City SD out here in 2003 with just one night at a motel. Plus, nearly 40 yrs and 3.5 million miles of driving for a living is a good teacher as well. This trip was more intense. The Iron Butt award is firmly burnt in my memory for all time.

5tonpuller; Love your wrecker. I ran one of those, then an M816 in Europe in 75 while with 37th Trans Group. I'd really like to get one, but they are rather hard to sleep in the back of according to the better half. :)
 
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