Questions Before I Buy

[pcdditorpro]

I have been researching 5 tons for about a year and a half now. My plan to to buy one in the spring but I have compiled a list of questions i could not find a concrete answer to.

1. *** REDACTED *** Read the Insurance Sticky at the top of the page
2. Whats a good budget to spend a truck? I have seen some go for over $20,000 and some for less then $1,000 and I could not see much of a difference between the two.
3. How well do they do on sand?
4. How hard are they to work on? I have changed the oil in lawn mowers and I work at a boat yard in the summer so getting tools is easy.
5. Do I need a CDL if i only drive it recreationally? It going to be a daily driver the mile to work in the summer and I want to take it to the beach on the weekends.
6. Can I drive it on the highway? Most I have seen have a top speed of 65 mph. I would have to drive from Illinois to Massachusetts once a year.
7. Is there much of a difference operationally from the m923 and the m925? I know the m925 has a winch and sometimes has duallys in the rear.
8. Has anyone bought trucks off ironplanet.com, govplanet.com, or govliquidation.com? I have never bought a car or truck that I could not see in person. But they seam to have great prices, quality inspections and lots pictures.

I plan to use the truck for a daily driver for the mile to work in the summer and take it to the beach. Besides that it is either going to sit on my collage campus or at home in the driveway.

I am only 18 years old.

 

[dilligaf13]

I'll answer some of you questions.
1. *** REDACTED ***
2. A decent truck from a private party runs $7-12K depending on condition, location and features. Auction trucks run $3- 9K depending on the same stuff but have many more unknowns.
3. If the truck has CTIS and can air the tires down automatically they do fair in the sand.
4. They're not terrible difficult to work on put the parts are extremely heavy and the tools required are bigger than what it takes to work on your lawnmower.

 

[1 Patriot-of-many]

1. slapped around by moderator. PM me
2. There's plenty of different 5 tons, you'll have to specify what you're looking for.
3. Don't know, but using the sand/snow selection on the A2's sure makes a difference in snow.
4. You're going to have to invest in some heavy duty stuff. Big sizes, air compressor and air wrench. Places like Harbor Freight sell it fairly cheap.
5. Depends on your state laws.
6. If it's titled, registered and insured.
7. You're confusing models. M923 and M925 have dual tires. M923A1 and M925A1 have singles. M923A2 and M925A2 have singles and CTIS. Yes between the 923 and 925 of the same models, the only difference I know of is the winch and winch controls.
8. Bought all 6 of my vehicles from Govliquidation with no inspection but expect to purchase from Govplanet by next spring.
Since you're planning on using it as daily transport , that leaves out collector plates(in my state anyway).

 

[Ford Mechanic]

Those guys pretty much summed it up, but I'd have to disagree on one point. They're great on the Beach! Mine goes at least twice a year for several days at the time. Always does wonderful, we just got back yesterday.

 

[pcdditorpro]

Thank you for the quick responses.

2. I was looking to get a m925. I wanted to have the wooden sides and have dually rear tires.
4. I don't think I will need to invest in heavy duty tools. I work at a boat year in the summer and have access to the shop. We have worked on forklifts that can lift a 40 ft boat out of the water.
5. Dose an one know about Illinois laws on driving for personal use.
8. Has anyone used govplanet.com before? Are they trustworthy.

 

[Ford Mechanic]

Pics of the footprint differences between a 5 ton and a 2500. The 2500 was sitting right next to me in the pic.

 

[dilligaf13]

1. You can convert any M925 back to duals. You need to figure out if you want a M925A1 with the 855ci engine or the M925A2 with the 8.3 motor. The only thing I'd make sure I got was a M925 with ABS. Most were retrofitted with it but a few M925A0 are out there with out it.
4. Ok
5. Rather than utilizing hearsay from this site, please do yourself a favor and consult your local DMV and law enforcement agency that regulates motor vehicles/CMV.
8. Like all businesses, people have mixed feelings on govplanet. I haven't dealt with them yet, but most people seem to say they're above board. There have been some complaints though but they only recently started handling the rolling stock of FMTV's.

 

[FarmerLee]

In Illinois, as long as you don't use it commercially, all you need to drive a 5-ton is a Class B license, not a CDL. To get the B you have to take written and in-cab driving tests. Also, in Illinois, you can get a "former military vehicle" license plate. It costs $150 for a 5-ton. Don't tell the Secretary of State people that it can haul 10 tons because that will put it in another class and the cost of the license plate will go up. It's officially a 5-ton and that's the story you stick with. Many of the folks in the Secretary of State's driving facilities do not know about the former military vehicle licenses and will try to make you get a very very expensive commercial license. I can provide you with the statutory citation for the FMV plate or e-mail you a copy if you want. It's a good idea to bring the statute with you to the Secretary of State's office because some of the personnel can be very pig-headed and know-it-all. My insurance runs $310 a year -- just liability and at minimum levels -- but I'm in a very rural county. It'll probably be more in towns or cities.

 

[porkysplace]

Be sure to read this sticky Insurance

and in reference to question #1 your age (you didn't include that in your post) *** REDACTED ***
As a daily driver with you being in college I would recommend starting with a M1009 ( 17-20 mpg ) compared to a 5 ton (5-7 mpg) . You also have see if your college will allow a heavy truck in student parking . And can you park it where you currently live ?
A lot of town and HOA's have restrictions on big trucks .

 

[pcdditorpro]

I am 18 years old sorry I didn't state that earlier. I readied the insurance post but I was trying to find a good number. For licensing when I called the DMV and I talked them and they said they could not help me and hung up. For the Class B licences do I have to take a class or just a test? I do not mind the gas mileage the truck I have now gets 6-8 mpg so it wont be to far off and to park it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I see a lot of farm equipment around my college and at home. For my work the amount of 18 wheeler and dump trucks I see would lead me to believe that they allow heavy truck such as these on the roads there too. Last is the conversion hard? Is there just spacers I need to remove or is it a whole new axle. Thank you FamerLee, dilligaf13, and porkysplace for your responses.

 

[Ford Mechanic]

Just different rims and tires to convert to super singles

 

[dilligaf13]

different lug nuts too. You can usually swap someone on here your tires/wheels/hardware for there's