From: GOTaM35 (GOTaM35@joetrapp.com)
Date: Sun Oct 24 2004 - 17:52:18 PDT
Two quick notes.
First, we have decided to keep the 5 ton truck I post a note about last
week. Lots of you guys expressed interest in parts from it. Sorry.
Second, the reason we decided to keep the truck.
My brother, the owner of the 5 ton, saw two M35's at an auction for heavy
equipment. He said they looked good and wanted to know if I though we could
just part out the old 5 ton. Hence last weeks post. He went to the auction
the next day convinced he could get one of the truck cheap. We have seen
them go pretty cheap at these types of auctions. The difference with these
two is both had winches and both ran good and where driven across the
auction block. The bidding started out at $15,000 each. No one bid until
it bottomed out at $6500. Then two dudes battled it out until one stopped
at $8000. The guys had a choice of either, he took both at $8000 each.
I was stunned. I think if any of you guys are trying to move a truck and
you have a winch on it, a heavy equipment auction may be the way to go. A
guy that went with my brother said he would like to bid on one of them to
pull his grinder around on job sites. My brother told him, he probably
needed something a little bigger. I think most of these construction guys
think a M35 with it's all wheel drive and big monster winch can do anything.
I saw a M35 a few months ago with a big dump bed on the back on a large
construction site. I of course when over and looked it over. The bed could
easily hold 10 tons. I though, "that would break the poor thing in half".
I was amused to find that someone had put a solid piece of rubber between
the axle and frame on both sides of both rear axles. I then realized some
one found out the hard way the M35 can't haul what they thought it would.
On a happy note, I took a bunch of boys, and their dads, for a ride in the
back of my truck Friday night. Don't worry, two of the dads where lawyers
:-) They thought it was so much fun, I have been assigned to be the new
"hay ride" at our church Halloween party this week end. Why do kids love an
old army truck with a fake machine gun on top?
Joe Trapp
Blythewood SC
www.joetrapp.com
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