I finally got to go and retrieve my M447C Shop Van from the DRMO. It rolled pretty good. No flats, no DOT problems and no cooked bearings. It's in pretty go shape except for the fore-deck which looks like somebody tried to lift it with a forklift and it's bent up pretty bad.
The feature that makes it an M447C and not a regular 6 ton Expansible Shop Van is the load banks for testing generators. I can't make up my mind as to whether to restore it as an M447C or just a regular 6 ton.
If there aren't a lot M447C's out there, it would be more original. An M447C is usually pulled by a 5 ton tractor, whereas the regular 6 ton van is pulled by a 5 ton tractor/wrecker. Decisions, descisions...
When I got there both glad-hands were snapped off. I had to fix them. They were frozen on so I had to pull it to a shop to have it done ($40 ka-ching!). All the tires were low so I had to go get an air hose that runs off the tractor, it's a BII so I needed one anyway ($20 ka-ching). Ofcourse, I had to make a lightbar for it ($50 ka-ching).
I'm not looking forward to doing this again.
Chris
M52A2
M447C