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1,040 mile trip.... no problems!

Jayco36REQS

Member
300
2
16
Location
Orlando/FL
Well my truck made the 1,040 mile trip without any problems....
I had around 8,000lbs in the bed, and towing 9,000lbs.

Here is a pic of my M923A1 truck and M796A1 trailer at a scenic view in TN..
In-TN.jpg

- It averaged 68mph on the flat areas, and got as low as 35mph on major hills (like Jellico mt), but for the most part it would only drop to about 50mph or so.
- Mileage wise... 5 mpg on the first tank with lots of mt passes, and 5.9mpg the rest of the way. I figured that was pretty good considering the load and speeds.

I got a TON of salutes, waves, thumbs up, etc during the trip... and every place I stopped someone came up to ask about the truck..lol

All-in-all... I'm very happy with how the truck performed! :)
 

Jayco36REQS

Member
300
2
16
Location
Orlando/FL
Looks like the pic was taken on parts of Jellico. Congrats on a safe trip
Yep... you are correct. It was coming out of the peak.... Going up the mt it was raining buckets with 40mph head winds... windshield leaking all over, and EGT's at 1250 all the way up... but she handled it all in stride and that was the middle of the first day! lol The 2nd day was a breeze.. Perfect sunny, low 80's, slight breeze, and ran most of the day with the hand throttle pulled out for my "cruise" control. [thumbzup]
 

goldneagle

Well-known member
4,434
868
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Location
Slidell, LA
Nice truck. I see you were carrying your own wheel chuck. Air ride seat are a must in all my trucks. Springers are back breakers! I also found that there is more space between the steering wheel and my stomach with the air ride seats.

One mod I would recommend for all 5 tons and Deuces is SUN-VISOR for the driver. (especially when traveling W or E)
 

Recovry4x4

LLM/Member 785
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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GA Mountains
Trying not to derail your thread, here's my favorite pic from Jellico. Taken in Aug 2003 on the northbound side!
 

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Jayco36REQS

Member
300
2
16
Location
Orlando/FL
Your truck did 68mph on singles, while towing a trailer? I can't get my truck to 68mph going down hill... nor would I want to!
Yea... my truck runs 68mph all day long loaded. I just aired the tires up to 95psi, and it ran like a champ! No shimmy, or instability what so ever. I'm not sure what they did to my fuel pump.. but it had a 32 button in it stock. I dropped it to a 22, and it ran a bit too hot, so I dropped it to a 25 before my trip and she ran around 980-1050deg at 68mph loaded.... and 1250 deg on the long hills. SO not sure how they have my pump set from Red River, but it has always ran like a champ.

Actually, the heavy load and the M796 Bolster trailer loaded made it feel even more stable and ride like a caddy compared to empty... The braking power with the trailer was a surprise... it would stop REALLY quick!! One other surprise was the zero need for brakes on the long down hills.... the engine did a great job of holding the truck right at 68-70mph on long steep down hills with zero brakes... surprised, but HIGHLY welcome!! lol
 

goldneagle

Well-known member
4,434
868
113
Location
Slidell, LA
Yea... my truck runs 68mph all day long loaded. I just aired the tires up to 95psi, and it ran like a champ! No shimmy, or instability what so ever. I'm not sure what they did to my fuel pump.. but it had a 32 button in it stock. I dropped it to a 22, and it ran a bit too hot, so I dropped it to a 25 before my trip and she ran around 980-1050deg at 68mph loaded.... and 1250 deg on the long hills. SO not sure how they have my pump set from Red River, but it has always ran like a champ.

Actually, the heavy load and the M796 Bolster trailer loaded made it feel even more stable and ride like a caddy compared to empty... The braking power with the trailer was a surprise... it would stop REALLY quick!! One other surprise was the zero need for brakes on the long down hills.... the engine did a great job of holding the truck right at 68-70mph on long steep down hills with zero brakes... surprised, but HIGHLY welcome!! lol
So you were doing 68MPH on tires rated 55MPH max...
 
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