PROJECT HEAVY BETTY. My 5 ton military truck

[Trike_crazy]

Great progress! That rear cross member didn't look too bad? I don't see any oil leaks from the pinions which is a plus.

It was missing the pintle and the bottom part was bent upwards about 3 inches. I figured it would be easier and look better overall to just replace the whole thing. Now I'm going to splice the truck wiring into the wiring I took with the new cross member because the wiring on the truck got wrapped around the rear axle output at some point and messed up the wires. I got the lights working but there are a bunch of exposed wires showing that I would have to cut out and replace anyway so I'll just make 6-10 connections versus more for repairs lol.

The picture is a little better shot of the cross member. It still doesn't show how bent it is though

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[oldskool83]

What does one do with somthing like this? Very off but interesting project.

[Trike_crazy]

What does one do with somthing like this? Very off but interesting project.

Well if I still have it next year I'll be taking it to trikefest. I didn't have any particular reason to buy other than I've always wanted one. I figure if I get the flatbed with the liftgate my dads boss has it will actually be useful. Other than that I'd like to use it in local parades.

I'm also planning on crushing some cars with it for fun and generally doing crazy stuff with it like mud bogs and some offroading.

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[coolpool]

Now I see, looks like someone had wrapped a chain or cable around the x-member at some time and pulled. One area that gets overlooked easily is the trunion bearings under the rear leaf packs. There's a grease nipple recessed into the casting underneath that's easily missed. The bearing allows the rear axles to rotate up and down with the suspension. As for off roading I'd be cautious, the diffs are all open and not true posi tracs. It can be 3 wheel drive when you don't want it to be. And the front wheel drive only engages full time in low range. I believe a certain amount of slippage in the rear will engage the front end in high range. Maybe im off on this, fabio?

[Trike_crazy]

If I take it to haspin its $100 to get it pulled out anywhere on the property lol. I don't plan on taking it off road anywhere else until I or a friend get another one.

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[fabiodriven]

Now I see, looks like someone had wrapped a chain or cable around the x-member at some time and pulled. One area that gets overlooked easily is the trunion bearings under the rear leaf packs. There's a grease nipple recessed into the casting underneath that's easily missed. The bearing allows the rear axles to rotate up and down with the suspension. As for off roading I'd be cautious, the diffs are all open and not true posi tracs. It can be 3 wheel drive when you don't want it to be. And the front wheel drive only engages full time in low range. I believe a certain amount of slippage in the rear will engage the front end in high range. Maybe im off on this, fabio?

^^^This is gospel. Keep your trunions greased because that is not a job anyone wants to pay for, it's a doozie. Most army trucks the trunions last a long time because they simply don't get the loads you see on civilian trucks usually. They certainly can wear though so keep them greased.

Pete is spot-on about the final drive system. Assuming the 500 series is the same as the 800, the front diff is only engaged in low range. In high range there is a sprag which will engage the front axle if the rears slip, but it's more of a little effort as opposed to being fully locked in. The air you hear when you put the truck in reverse is the front axle lockout because the sprag cannot operate in reverse, so no front axle effort at all in reverse in high range. I'm not positive but I'm assuming the front axle stays engaged in reverse in low range, but I suggest you double check that. I'm doing all of this by memory. It very well may have zero effort to the front axle in reverse high and low range, I'm not positive. The 900 series had a manually engaged front axle that could be fully engaged in high and low range, just flip it on or off. I would imagine that's not a cheap upgrade, but I would consider it essential if I were going to keep the truck. That's just me though.

[Trike_crazy]

I know the 900 series can't be backed up in low because of the reduction in the transmission will break the transfer case. Either way I would like to at a later date upgrade to a 800 series trans and transfer case or just find a complete 800 series with a winch if possible. The only benefit to upgrading my current truck is that upgrading is easier on my wallet over the course of time rather than one large expense on a whole truck even though its cheaper overall.

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[Trike_crazy]

No real updates as of now. I did send off all of the paperwork to the Indiana BMV to get the truck titled and registered....... that's been a bit of a headache but I think we finally got everything worked out. The first time I sent the paperwork to them they sent it back because the number I had painted on the sides of the hood and the rear of the truck weren't the ones they wanted. I called and explained to them that the website said the registration number had to be painted In Accordance With applicable military regs and the painting the VIN on the there wasn't an actual regulation the military used if that's the number they wanted on the truck. Once we got that sorted out they called about a week and a half later asking about an odometer disclosure statement needed for vehicles under 16,000. I politely told them that my truck didn't need one because its over 16K. So hopefully I'll be getting a title and my registration soon in the mail. I'm ready to drive this thing now that it's getting cold because I'm looking forward to the snow lol.

[Trike_crazy]

Got the title back for the truck this weekend. Now I'm just waiting on my registration to show up then I can swing by the insurance company to get this beast 100% legal because I know I'll end up getting pulled over for something in it (definitely not speeding though). I anticipate that when they don't see a license plate that they will have questions so I want to be ready.

[big specht]

The only way you would get a speeding ticket is in a school zone

[plastikosmd]

With a tail wind, sweet ride

[Trike_crazy]

Update: Truck is 100% legal now. $118 for 26,000 pd permanent military registration and $70 a month for liability insurance. The ladies at the BMV suggested that I wait to drive it until I get the paperwork in the mail but the only thing stopping me from driving it is the fact it won't start because of the below zero temps we've had over the last few days. My fix is to use 4 yellow top optima batterys in series-parallel to get the power I'll need. I'm planning putting 2 batteries in the original location on the right side under the cab and put the other 2 under the seat in the cab in a dual battery tray.. I also have a batter isolator and controller to separate each 24v bank so I'll have reserve power if the main batteries are dead

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[coolpool]

Great news bud, glad it all worked out. That sounds like a good plan to have reserve batteries ready to go. You know the military vehicle hobby is every bit as addicting as trikes, you'll have a trailer for it soon enough or possibly another vehicle ;-)

[Trike_crazy]

Great news bud, glad it all worked out. That sounds like a good plan to have reserve batteries ready to go. You know the military vehicle hobby is every bit as addicting as trikes, you'll have a trailer for it soon enough or possibly another vehicle ;-)

Already looking for another lol. I've had a few leads but no money to pursue them. I'm looking for an 800 series 5 ton with a winch so I'll have my own recovery assets if one gets stuck or breaks down. I've also been looking for a 20,000 24v winch for my truck because I don't want the bumper extensions that go with the stock setup. I figure I can mount it behind the stock bumper with a little bit of creative reinforcement and mounting. I like how overall short this truck is and would like to keep it that way or close to it.

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[coolpool]

Didn't know such a winch existed, that would be neat setup. I always liked having a pto winch with the extended bumper setup to give you a better platform to stand on when working under the hood. A level wind system looks cool too but they're rare I suspect. What's going on the back, box, 5th wheel? Hows your old Ford pickup running, that's a nice rig! I remember seeing it at TF2015.