I see a few of these for sale periodically. Do you have to have a trailer being towed behind you for these vehicles to be stable at road speeds since the wheelbase is so short? Are they heavy on maintenance? And I would guess parts are much tougher to come by than for 2 1/2ton or 5ton vehicles. Any thoughts?
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Oshkosh MK48, any experience/owners?
- Thread starter azpatriot
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nf6x
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I've read that the front power units like to nosedive if you hit the brakes too hard. I gather that they're normally only moved around without a rear body unit at slow speed around the yard for maintenance purposes.
Easy solution, though... get a rear body unit to go along with it! I haven't seen auction prices on the front power units yet, but if I recall correctly, the rear body units have sold in the a-few-thousands range.
I'd like one of those Wajax knucklebooms from the MK17 RBUs for my M923... so if I get one still attached to the RBU, I'll have a crane-less RBU left over that I'll want to get rid of.
Easy solution, though... get a rear body unit to go along with it! I haven't seen auction prices on the front power units yet, but if I recall correctly, the rear body units have sold in the a-few-thousands range.
I'd like one of those Wajax knucklebooms from the MK17 RBUs for my M923... so if I get one still attached to the RBU, I'll have a crane-less RBU left over that I'll want to get rid of.
nf6x
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Sadly, I had a chance to bid on a batch of MK17 and MK17A1 trailers out of Barstow a few years back, but I didn't take it.
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I would like a MK48 but either find the 5th wheel unit or build one out of a 17/18 trailer, or find the recovery unit, or better yet TWO MK48s one with the recovery unit, the other with the 5th wheel unit, anybody can have the everyday crappy cargo verson. You SEE one cargo thingy, you have seen them all.
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Stalwart
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The last lot went for the mid 20k range as I recall.
nf6x
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I know! Bolt two MK48 FPUs back to back, link the controls, and make a push-me-pull-me truck! 
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Build a lowbed to fit BETWEEN the to MK48s with hyd. removable goose necks, could set the long flat deck flat on the ground, or just one end on the ground depending which end is needed to loadI know! Bolt two MK48 FPUs back to back, link the controls, and make a push-me-pull-me truck!
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nf6x
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By the way: After some searching around, I found a set of LVS TMs on Scribd. They're in the TM 08780B series. I was just interested in the crane stuff. One think I'd still like to see is the load chart for the Wajax/Palfinger PK19000 knuckleboom on the MK17 RBUs. It's not in the manual, which just refers you to the chart on the crane (the manual does include the chart for the Grove crane on the MK17A1 RBUs, though).
If anybody has a legible picture of the load chart that they can share, I'd be much obliged.
If anybody has a legible picture of the load chart that they can share, I'd be much obliged.
nf6x
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... with a side ramp and side-mounted draglines for side-loading!
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My son drives those and the LVSR in the Marines. He said the power unit, at low speed, with no trailer/bed, will fall over on its nose if you brake hard (or actually anything other than gently). He says it is extremely squirrely in that condition, and can only move about slowly to reattach another bed unit.
Cheers
Cheers
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I have a question. If the MK48 is anything like a HEMTt then it has 2 steer axles. If this is the case, how does one.steer just the front?
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wheels steer like normal
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So if it only has 2 axles and the both turn in the same direction, wouldn't it just crabwalk?
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see your point, bet there is a steering control that changes the orientation of the steering
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It would probably have to be some type of manual and mechanical control as steering components need to be mechaically connected on road vehicles. Perhaps since its the Mil, the don't.
nf6x
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With the FPUs about to come up on the auction block, I think we'll start seeing more LVS's on SS in the next few months. I won't be one of the owners, but I hope that one of them will be within drooling distance of me!