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My dad just visited me for a while here at Mark’s Green Truck Ranch. While he was here, we posed for a picture in front of my M923 5-ton 6×6 truck.
Oct 132012
M923
M923 5-ton 6×6 trucks.
A Family Portrait
Motor Pool
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Aug 042012
The rural dirt road leading to my property has some trees along it that were starting to intrude into the road, so I pressed my M923 into service today for some tree-trimming. I used the bed and troop seats as a work platform, and cut off what I could reach. If I can’t reach it from the bed of a 5-ton 6×6, then it shouldn’t be in the way of trash trucks and fire trucks.
When I got home, I parked it alongside the new M936A1 for a family portrait.
Apr 222012
One of the modifications that I commonly make to my military vehicles is to add a keyed battery master disconnect switch. This adds a small amount of security even though the switches all use the same key and have simple warded locks, because the trucks normally don’t have any keyed locks or switches at all. The switch I usually use is Pollak part number 51-916, and I buy them from various distributors or on eBay. They are much better switches than the cheap plastic knock-offs of Hella switches or battery-mounted knife switches that are commonly found. There are also similar heavy-duty switches that other military vehicle collectors like to use, but I stick to this model so I only have one kind of key to keep on hand. I just finished installing one of these in my new M923, and here’s how I did it.
Apr 072012
I just took my new M923 for its first spin. I got it over a week ago, but I haven’t had time to play with it on weekdays, and I did a bunch of little stuff to it first like fixing some air leaks behind the dash, installing the cargo cover kit, adjusting tire pressures, cleaning windows, and so forth. I don’t have it titled yet, so I just stuck to the dirt roads around where I live.
Apr 012012
I spent much of this weekend playing with working on my new truck. I fixed some air leaks under the dash, and I installed the new cargo cover kit that I bought. The cargo cover kit, consisting of a large fitted vinyl tarpaulin and a set of bows, came in a large crate about the size of a coffin. I had to pick it up at the nearest truck freight depot.
So, the truck is ready for a spin around the neighborhood now! Unfortunately, by the time the truck was ready, I wasn’t. Getting old stinks! I’m exhausted, and my back, hands, knees and elbows are killing me. Oh, well, next weekend for sure! ;)
Mar 282012
The delivery trouble that I had last Friday turned out to be a temporary little speed bump, and I got my new M923 5-ton 6×6 truck today! All is squared away with the towing company, and I’m likely to use their services again.
The tow truck driver (he’s the manager of the company, as well) was able to start and drive the truck in the GL (Government Liquidation) yard in Barstow, and this was quite fortunate because he says that the trucks were all packed in there like sardines. If he wasn’t able to drive it, then he would have spent hours dragging it into position where he could load it onto his Landoll tilt-bed trailer. The power steering came in handy then, too!
When he arrived at the end of the pavement about a quarter mile from my home, he correctly realized that it’d be silly to drag his low-bed over-the-road rig over my local rough dirt roads when his load is a well-running off-road tactical truck. So, he offloaded at a convenient clearing, called me up for the go-ahead, and drove the truck the rest of the way to my property. It was delightful to see that giant beast driving up the road to my property!
Mar 022012
I’ve found a solution to my dilemma about whether and how to convert my HMMWV! By the simple expedient of buying an M923 5-Ton 6×6 truck in a government auction, I have determined that I’ll keep my HMMWV as a commo shelter carrier for the time being.