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All about the m35a2 deuce & a half 6x6 multi-fuel

223K views 123 replies 49 participants last post by  Preacherboy 
#1 ·
The m35a2 is a 2.5 ton truck (on road it is rated for 5 tons) that has an air engaging front axle. Some come with winches on the front...

These trucks are capable of going almost anywhere they can fit, they are large, loud, and slow (with larger tires these trucks will still barely hit 60mph).

But the amazing part about them is they have a true multifuel engine!

They run on primarily diesel, but will run on regular gasoline with some added oil to lubricate the IP (about 1qt for every 5-10 gallons). Other known fuels that it will run on are: kerosene, jet fuel, used motor oil, transmission fluid, hydrolic fluid, and veggie oil.

The only types of "fuel" that shouldn't be run in the truck are aviation gas and alcohol based fuels. Alcohol destroys the rubber parts on these old trucks.

I am very happy with my truck, plates are cheap ($35 for authentic historic plates for lifetime in Michigan) and insurance is cheap $260 per year for full coverage...and for me at least the truck was cheap!

These trucks can be had anywhere from $1000-3000 through the government auctions and $3000-10,000 through private sales (all based on conditions and options). There are all kinds of upgrades to do as well.

If you have any questions just ask away!
 

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#4 ·
I never saw one as nice as that photo. My issue truck stateside was a 1967 Willys built M35-A1. Going out into the field at Ft Carson in the winter, following along behind our self propelled artillery, was an adventure for this Florida boy! Just put the granny stick down and all 10 wheels would drive, useful in churned up mud.
In Nam the trucks would run snow chains during the monsoon period 'cause the mud would get really deep.
That picture brought back some memories, thanks for sharing!:thumb:
Ooops. Almost forgot - We ran no tops in Nam, it was easier for any guys in back to stand up and hang their arms over the wooden bows. Newbies learned real quick that sitting down would beat you to death.
 
#9 ·
Rice Paddy Daddy - Always cool to hear how these trucks were really used. And thank you for your service!

Preacherboy - Thanks for starting the thread on the Deuce. Truck looks great! The one I'm bidding on is a drop side with a winch, heater, and hard top. We're those tires on it when bought it? They look bigger than the stock tires.
 
#5 ·
You can have the truck, my trailer, and the title for 80 real $100 bills!

The fuel tank is 50 gallons, my truck is originally a 1952, but it was rebuilt by the military probably more than once. If it was from 1952 it would have been upgraded to the multifuel from a gas engine. But the military kept replacing parts over the years...the newest part I've found is the light switch from 2004 and the engine was rebuilt 87 or 89, the transfer case says 83 and the drive shaft looks pretty new.

There are no electronics to speak of except the ignition and lights; but the truck is a 5 speed, so it can be drag or push started without batteries even. Once the truck is driving down the road you can even turn off the "on/off" switch.

You can't borrow it, but our church is hosting a military vehicle show Nov. 13 and lots of different trucks will be there, in fact I'll be giving rides in mine!

My planned mods are to get the cab quieter and add another 50 gallon fuel tank. I figure that I'm getting close to 10 miles per gallon, I'm sure that I can go 400 miles on road without a fill up.
 
#10 ·
Preacherboy - I have a few questions about your proposed 50 gal additional tank? I also have a M35A2 Multi-fuel, I would also like to add another tank - because I want to have a "Virgin Diesel only tank" and an alternative fuel tank --- (I do not want to run veggie oil and then turn off the vehicle without running standard diesel through it) .

So my question is : where do you propose mounting the new tank? have you found a source for the tank, will it have it's own fuel pump? How will you disengage the original fuel pump.

I would really appreciate your feedback.

Thanks,

Disty
 
#12 ·
Those are not original tires, you will see that my dad's truck has the originals dueled out. My tires are 46" tires.

I plan on getting another deuce tank intact or a 5 ton tank and the parts off of a 5-ton to switch tanks. It will go where the spare tires usually goes. My spare tire rack will be mounted on my m105 trailer since the 46" tire and rim can't fit there anyway. Then I'll move the pioneer rack up a bit and have plenty of room for the extra tank.

It is winter here now though, so it probably won't get done this year. I still have to flip my hubs too.
 
#17 ·
Drove my deuce 2 days ago during our snow storm, it did ok. I was coming up to a stop light and down shifting and my back end started to come around some, but it did ok because the light turned green.

The bad was that it was very cold, my heater isn't working right now...haven't had time to figure out why. The passenger seat was covered in snow too, so that rider would have been really cold! Also, my wiper blade broke off, but it fell on the hood so I got it back!
 
#19 ·
I put thousands and thousands of miles on mine (4,500 miles in Iraq) while in the Army, and I loved it. It made all the right noises, and pulled like Jack-the-Bear! The only time I ever had an issue with it was in some really loose, fine sand in Kuwait. We called it "moon dust", and it was like 2 foot deep talcum powder. I had to get pulled out by a Bradley. Another time I drove it into a really deep mud puddle in Mosul, Iraq. I was thinking it was about 2 feet deep and it ended up being more like 5 feet deep. Water came into the cab. It stopped the truck, but I locked in the front axle and started to "rock" her front and back. It took about 10 minutes of coaxing, but I eventually got her out! The worst was driving her fully loaded stateside, on hilly roads. Lots of 30mph hills. Even if you hit the bottom of the hill at 60!
 
#60 · (Edited)
Preacher. I appreciate your offer to ask questions. Couple regarding your quotes below.

I recognise these are 40+year old giant bricks so barreling fast down the highway will never be an option. What gear set-up would get these to comfortably maintain 55-65mph ? When you quoted highway cruising speeds were what gears and tires did you run ? (46" or 53").

And would you suggest a purchaser thoroughly check any particular structural, weak or unreliable areas or mechanical parts before buying ? I don't mean the obvious, I mean model specific weaknesses. Anyone published a model specific buyer's guide ?

Thanks in advance



These are large, potentially dangerous trucks...especially if the brakes go out.
 
#24 ·
Yep we have a few resources here for them. I just can't justify a reason for having one, I have a 1 ton camper truck, a new Tundra, 3 four wheeler's, lots of other toys, you can't plow with a deuce, I guess I could just drive it around, giggling and smiling just to say 'look at me'! LOL
 
#27 ·
Yep we have a few resources here for them. I just can't justify a reason for having one, I have a 1 ton camper truck, a new Tundra, 3 four wheeler's, lots of other toys, you can't plow with a deuce, I guess I could just drive it around, giggling and smiling just to say 'look at me'! LOL
What are you talking about, theres a modded deuce plowing around me during storms often, even has a salt sander on the back.
 
#25 ·
Mine is comming next month. I found one in my area for 3100$. Now all i need is a trailor like the one the op has and ill be set. Still need a sorce for the bows and canvas.:rolleyes:
The one im getting has the Contenental Multifeul engine in it whitch i hear is a better engine than the Hurcules Multifeul in terms of RPMs...the Cont. engine will peak out about 400 RPMs higher than the Hurc. engine. You can also turn the IP up on thease engined so long as you watch the exhaust temp before entering the turbo, if it getts to high you will fry the turbo (and thats a bad thing):eek:.....I cant wait to finally get mine...:thumb:
 
#28 ·
Strong advocate of these trucks. You have to think about this. In the event of a collapse, where everyone else s trucks cars suvs or what have you are all dead on the road you, (with a couple of wrenches) drain all the fluids (engine oil, tranny fluid, diff. fluids) from these vehicles and fill your tank. Then push them off to the ide so you can continue on. Ya they are slow, but the threat isnt going to be driving crotch rockets, and if they are, it wont be hard to run the off the road with this big boy.
 
#29 ·
I've heard some fringe type stuff lately...someone told me that the government keeps detailed information about who owns these trucks and they count them as reserve in any given area. Meaning they count the vehicles that your local reserve unit has as strength in the area and they count our privately owned trucks as well!

I have been looking through my EUC paperwork to verify if they can come pick up these trucks in the event of an event...haven't found that yet in the fine print; but something to consider. Frankly, I highly doubt they would come after these trucks as they are phasing them totally out of the service, either selling them to US citizens or working deals with our allies. Now, if I had a hmmvw or even a H1 civilian Hummer I'd worry about having my vehicle commendeered, but not with a 2.5 or 5 ton.
 
#30 ·
I found out how well these trucks are in the snow. The 3-4' fresh drifts are not problem! Snow banks from plowing the parking lot (hard packed with fresh on top) are no problem up to 36"...50" is about when things started to become a problem. I got seriously stuck, it took me about 1 hour of digging to get out.
 
#35 ·
Just wanted to update the discussion with some of my experiences running "used motor oil"...run it only as an additive, of course the % is up to you!

In the winter I run almost exclusively diesel because I can't get the UMO to pump through my filter setup! With diesel in the tank my truck will start unassisted even when the weather was -4. My dad's truck that has a much larger % of UMO has a much more difficult time starting...hopefully that will clear up some of the questions about UMO.
 
#41 ·
can these be run exclusively on used motor oil/alternative fuels? i always thought the multifuel part meant it CAN be run on anything, but shouldnt be for long periods of time. is there any possible damage, or more frequent maintenance needed.
 
#36 ·
Thanks for pointing me this way.

I guess I have a few questions. 1) Did you do anything different with the pumps and filters to run UMO ect? 2) Do you filter the oils ect before dumping in your tank? 3) How much did those tires cost? 4) That is a bad ass Deuce...Ok thats not really a question.

I would love to get one of these at Gov auction. But transporting it back to LI is proving to be both tricky and expensive. I do have a friend that is selling his though. It is/was his daily driver and runs great. He even upgraded it with a dump bed, which is what I want, and only asking 4k. The problem is I just bought a jeep and have no room or money for cars, especially a giant Deuce lol.

5) Have you done any plowing with yours? I might be able to "convince" the Ol Lady that I can make money in the winter with it by plowing. Which would be a nice way to make some extra cash.

6) Have you used vegetable oil in it at all? Could that work better in the winter?
 
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