Estimate fuel costs or shipping?

[100acre]

I do not currently own either truck or trailer but, I want both and I want to move out west. If one were to drive a M931 with a fully loaded M146 cargo trailer from Asheville NC to say Kalispell Montana how much would it cost in fuel, or would it be cheaper to ship the whole thing out there? Any responses much appreciated. Tanks!

 

[rtk]

Figure 4-5 MPG , top speed 40-50 MPH , long trip, plus any "FLAME OUT'S" along the way . A breakdown on the road can be VERY expensive , plus the time lost . FWIW , I would think about trucking the whole lot . BUT , on the other hand , what a adventure that would be ! pick a nice time of the year , it would be great ! good luck bob k

 

[rosco]

RTK has a way with words.... its the "Flame Outs", that will jack the cost. That M931 is no town car to bring in for service - few shops will have experience or parts. Another option is that the trailer would be towable by some OTR trucker (if the lights would hook up). Also, I would figure 3 MPG, on the conservative side, especially if its a winter time adventure (if its cold, don't shut it off). Of course the more you are confident with the equipment, its dependability, your tool Kit, you lesson the risk factor. My opinion is, Go For It! Few Folks today ever experience, "having all their eggs in one basket". The trip won't be cheap... get over that part. If you ship stuff via a legitimate carrier, you get insuance, in case they dump it in the Mississippi. So figure in insurance. Good Luck

 

[100acre]

I never thought about having an OTR trucker haul it all out there, at least in just the trailer aspect. Hmm the plan was to move all of my preps ect out west and then buy some naked property and live in the M146 and build around it.

 

[Rifleman]

If you drive it yourself lets use some round numbers to figure the cost, say your route is give or take 2000 miles. Using 4 miles to the Gal. your going to need 500 Gal. of fuel,now at my local cost of 3.65 a Gal. that's $1825. The trip will take you 4 days so your going to need a hotel for 3 nights at say 100 bucks a night, for 300 bucks. Next your going to need to eat at least twice a day while on the road, so lets say on the cheap of 30 dollars a day for food for a total of 120 bucks. Round about total to do it yourself is $2245.00. To have your whole rig shipped by an OTR trucking company will run you 2.50 to 3.00 per mile for a total of $5000 to 6000 dollar's. Now if you know your truck and you feel it's in good shape i would save the money and drive it myself.

 

[swbradley1]

Go for it. While breakdowns won't be cheap the 931s have a reasonably common engine and transmission that can be worked on by just about any heavy truck shop.

 

[m16ty]

You may be able to get it hauled cheaper than you can drive it. Driving it you'll have fuel cost, wear and tear (5-ton trucks are kind of hard on tires on the hwy), and hotel expenses. If you have a breakdown expenses can go up really fast. You also need to figure in your time that ought to be worth something.

 

[av8or]

If you have a truck that you have driven some & are confident with it's readiness I say do it. I have a number of 2000 mile round trips doing recoveries. All of these were in a 915 or 915a1 getting 6 or 6.5 mpg, And have yet to have a on the repair required on the trip. Did 1200 miles in a M932A1, no problems but it was slower, less comfy,& eat about 5.5 mpg. In a m939 series disconnect the front hubs. Look for a m915 series you will like the truck & the trip a lot more. Owe by the way, forget the hotels consider rest stops or truck stops.

 

[Tow4]

If you figure about $1 per mile to operate a 5 ton, you will be pretty close.