Jim,
First off, I didn't know there WERE any military suburbans!
I paid $2500 to have two M35 trucks shipped form Fort McCoy, Wisconsin to
Seattle about two years ago. The price would have been the same for one
truck. I talked myself out of going after them once I thought it through
carefully. I now have six of these trucks (and a towbar).
A deuce will typically get about 6 to 7 miles per gallon in freeway driving,
so your cost of driving will be around $600 at $2 a gallon. The big
question you have to consider is what will you do if something breaks? You
can't buy parts for these things out on the road. On the rear axle there
are six rubber mounted bushings that are called torsion rod inserts. I had
one pull out on me once and it took me a week to get a replacement (and I
already knew who to call). You can't even tow these trucks with those
things broken; they hold the axles in line. The tires are not standard
items, either. Most tire stores won't even mount them because they are
split rim. Headlights are an issue, too. Windshield wipers have to be
special ordered. Sometimes the brakes get funky on you, and they are not
double safety brakes, either. I like to replace all the brake cylinders and
the master cylinder on a truck when I get it, just because of the downside
risk of not doing so.
Dallas to the Bay Area is a do-able run, and it would be a load of fun if
you had someone to go with you. The safe way to do it would be to take a
deuce with a military tow bar and go get your truck. You could alternate
tow vehicles if both trucks were good runners. This option would cost $1200
in fuel, though, and take twice as long. You are going to want a muffler on
your truck for long trips, too.
I'm not trying to discourage you. I'm giving you the benfit of my
experience so you can make an informed decision. Another thing to consider
is that if you blow the engine, another running engine is way, WAY cheaper
than a rebuild done in NM or AZ at a truck stop (with parts from Memphis a
week later).
Joe Garrett
cell 425-344-1402
-----Original Message-----
From: Military Vehicles Mailing List [mailto:mil-veh@mil-veh.org]On
Behalf Of Jim Newton
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 12:20 PM
To: Military Vehicles Mailing List
Subject: [MV] Aprox Costs, Company Recommendations to Ship a M35A2 from
TX to CA...
Hello All...
I already own a military Suburban, and as of this morning am the proud
owner of an M35A2.
I am ready for a road trip to drive it from the seller's location in
Dallas, TX to my shop in the SF Bay Area in California (I know, I'm
going to really hack off my neighbors and I can't wait!).
Does anyone know about how much it would cost to have the truck picked
up at the seller's location and have it shipped to me in CA?
If you have any recommendations of trucking companies that could
transport this vehicle, please forward them to me.
I just want to know what my alternatives are to driving it so far.
I hear snickers already about an M35 newbie driving a strange beast
across the plains!
Thanks.
-- Jim "Ike" Newton 1984 Military CUCV Suburban 6.2TD, 3/4-Ton 4WD http://www.cucv.net/suburban/cucv.html=Mil-Veh is a member-supported mailing list= To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: <mil-veh-off@mil-veh.org> To switch to the DIGEST mode, send e-mail to <mil-veh-digest@mil-veh.org> To reach a human, contact <ack@mil-veh.org>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 23:18:42 PDT