Re: [MV] how do you get a truck home from Gov't liquidation

From: Ron (rojoha@adelphia.net)
Date: Tue Aug 30 2005 - 06:43:08 PDT


Wellll Rich......
    What do you know about these trucks? Have any of the manuals? Know any
one who has one? Been out to inspect the one you are bidding on? Government
Liquidation cannot be trusted about anything, be it description, protecting
your truck from 'sea gulls' while it awaits pickup after you 'win' it, or
providing the paper work you'll need to get it registered.
    Yes you can tow one with a pick up. You can't stop it though (13000
pounds empty). How much liability insurance do you have on your truck? Enjoy
prison food?
    Think about it. Very carefully. The truck you buy from Gov't Liars, er
Liquidation, is sometimes a stripper, some times a runner, always a crap
shoot.
    Best to buy one close to you, that you can inspect and see run. That you
can COMMERCIALLY tow economically from where it is to where you are going to
WORK on it. See, you work on it so you can occasionally drive it. It seems
the less you drive it, the more it breaks. Curious, eh?
    Check your DMV laws and see what type of license you need for it. Find
out what is considered an "Antique" in your state, because the difference of
registering, insuring and operating an 'antique' versus a 'commercial'
vehicle can be staggering (say a 1975 vs. a 1985 truck).
    Will your town ordinances let you keep it in the open? Neighbors jerks?
Wife know how to work firearms? Do you keep yours locked up so she can't get
to them?

    Most of us who have these beasts bought them when they were plentiful
and 'cheap' from DRMO about 5 to 7 years ago. Then Levy Latham followed by
Gov't Liq started to drive the prices up.
    Best bets now are GSA or private sales from individuals who have gotten
their puppies running and used them for a year or two and have realized that
they look neat but are a pain in the tokus to maintain. Pulling ten 9.00-20s
and their drums to check the brakes is not a job for the faint of heart. But
a deuce only has a single chamber master cylinder circuit, so if you have a
weak or bad wheel cylinder, and it goes, you got zip for brakes, so it's
gotta be done. Good tires aren't cheap, but there are lots of 'so-so' rubber
out there.
    I think your safest bet is a private sale. Lots out there, even by some
of the guys on the list. Get a recent copy of Military Vehicles Magazine
http://www.collect.com/interest/periodical.asp?Pub=MV&cookie%5Ftest=1 . YOU
HAVE TO GET THIS MAG IF YOU WANT TO OWN AN MV. PERIOD! Lots for sale by
individuals and dealers in the mag. Also on eBay, but some of those folks
are smoking too much crack while figuring out their reserve price.

    Go to https://www.logsa.army.mil/etms and in the "pub title text"
block put in 'M44' and you can down load the parts and service manuals for
the trucks ( TM 9-2320-209- xx {earlier, preferred manuals }and TM
9-2320-361-xx series {the newer, later style, M44s for Dummies, manuals} )
for free, though some of the manuals are 15 to 20 Mb and take a while to
download.

    Come on! Jump in and join the rest of us who own M44 series trucks.
Misery loves company!!!!

    Regards, Ronzo

----- Original Message -----
From: <vlmuke@comcast.net>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: 29 August, 2005 22:21
Subject: [MV] how do you get a truck home from Gov't liquidation

> HI, All
> I have a couple of questions, first I was wondering why non running trucks
> go so high on Gov't liquidation and how does one get one home? I thought
> about bidding on a truck and called Napier Logistisic and they wanted $500
> or more to load the thing and 4.00 a mile to ship it I figured it would
> cost $5,700 just to ship the thing plus the price of the truck!! I don't
> know about most of you folks but my money tree isn't that ripe! I know Joe
> young won't buy from there and I know this was a hot topic a while ago but
> since I didn't have permission to get a Deuce from the wife then I kinda
> ingnored them, I guess I should have read them, but anyway how have you
> folks gotten them home? Also I learned that the term Buyer Loads means it
> doesn't run, any tips, teminology and ways you have gotten one home would
> be helpful, also can you tow a Deuce with a pick up? Any comments or
> suggestion would be apreciated
> Thanks for your Time
> RichB



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Fri Oct 28 2005 - 23:25:31 PDT