MachIVshooter
Member
OK, not a ma deuce, but really cool militaria nonetheless. I'm just really proud of this thing, especially after all the hassle to get it. Mod's please humor me, as I was sure to include a firearm in each pic
It is a 1966 Kaiser M35A2 6x6 "Deuce and a half" with Hercules LDT-465 Multifuel Turbocharged I-6 and PTO driven winch.
I've wanted one of these for a long, long time, but they're not exactly the easiest vehicle to come by. Once I got the coin, it still took months just to find a decent one. I ended up getting this one through Government Liquidation. Let's just say that winning the auction was the easy part. After that, you have to do an end use certificate. Once they approve that, you have 5 days to pay for the vehicle. Then you have 14 days to get it picked up. This one was at Robins AFB, about 80 miles S-E of Atlanta. So after waiting a month for the EUC to be approved, I paid for the vehicle and made hasty preparations for a really interesting trip. I figured the most sensible way to do it was a 1,500 mile burn down there on the bike and then to drive the deuce back with the bike in the bed. Total time alotted-5 days . Despite torrential rain and 50+ MPH winds From Hays, KS all the way to St. Louis, I made it 1,080 miles on the first day. The second day I went the other 400 miles and got a hotel in the town of Warner-Robins. Got up at 9 AM and got to the base. After a nearly 2-hour fiasco of trying to figure out what to do with my CCW (couldn't leave it with the bike), I finally got to the truck-only to find dead batteries and no brakes. With no way to carry over 100 lbs of batteries on a motorcycle, I caught a ride with one of the contracted workers there. Got batteries, brake fluid and some tools in town and made it back to the base at 2 PM. That left me one hour to get the thing started, get the brakes working and load the bike. The lord was smiling on me, as the brakes bled easily, the vehicle started almost instantly and everything but the lights was working. Got my weapons back from the armory and headed over to the NAPA in town to figure out why I had no lights and make the other preparations for the long trip home. God love the guys at NAPA, they helped me screw with this thing for over 2 hours. Finally got lights working and all fluids full by 7 PM, then started the long haul home. After 2 full days (as in 39 hours actual drive time, not counting fuel and food stops and the little sleep I got) on the Interstates at 48 MPH and shaking like you wouldn't believe, I rolled into my driveway.
Despite having no plates and sticking out like a sore thumb, I only got lit up once just outside of Salina, KS. The officer was much less concerned with my lack of registration than he was with verifying that my vehicle was NOT the one reported stolen out of Missouri
. At this point I was very happy that Kansas had finally got CCW and had reciprocity with CO, though, as i had no problems regarding my weapons. After 1/2 hour of checking ID's and talking to dispatch, he cut me loose.
Perhaps the funniest thing is that the ride is so rough and so noisy, I actually had a hitchhiker I picked up (trying to get to Denver) decide to get out after less than 200 miles.
Surprisingly, this 7+ ton behemoth actually averaged 9.96 MPG over the entire trip. I expect in-town economy to be lower, but I was pleasantly surprised. Again, it is a multi-fuel engine (Diesel, Gas, Kerosene, Jet fuel, Heating oil, etc.) but runs best on diesel.
Anyway, I feel after this that I have earned the vehicle and the right to brag about it. I also must thank the angel that was on my shoulder for a 23 year old bike to go that far down and a 42 year old truck to make it back, and for me to be in good health and uninjured (though very tired and sore).
It will be a memory to last a lifetime, and I thought I would share it with fellow THR members.
It is a 1966 Kaiser M35A2 6x6 "Deuce and a half" with Hercules LDT-465 Multifuel Turbocharged I-6 and PTO driven winch.
I've wanted one of these for a long, long time, but they're not exactly the easiest vehicle to come by. Once I got the coin, it still took months just to find a decent one. I ended up getting this one through Government Liquidation. Let's just say that winning the auction was the easy part. After that, you have to do an end use certificate. Once they approve that, you have 5 days to pay for the vehicle. Then you have 14 days to get it picked up. This one was at Robins AFB, about 80 miles S-E of Atlanta. So after waiting a month for the EUC to be approved, I paid for the vehicle and made hasty preparations for a really interesting trip. I figured the most sensible way to do it was a 1,500 mile burn down there on the bike and then to drive the deuce back with the bike in the bed. Total time alotted-5 days
. Despite torrential rain and 50+ MPH winds From Hays, KS all the way to St. Louis, I made it 1,080 miles on the first day. The second day I went the other 400 miles and got a hotel in the town of Warner-Robins. Got up at 9 AM and got to the base. After a nearly 2-hour fiasco of trying to figure out what to do with my CCW (couldn't leave it with the bike), I finally got to the truck-only to find dead batteries and no brakes. With no way to carry over 100 lbs of batteries on a motorcycle, I caught a ride with one of the contracted workers there. Got batteries, brake fluid and some tools in town and made it back to the base at 2 PM. That left me one hour to get the thing started, get the brakes working and load the bike. The lord was smiling on me, as the brakes bled easily, the vehicle started almost instantly and everything but the lights was working. Got my weapons back from the armory and headed over to the NAPA in town to figure out why I had no lights and make the other preparations for the long trip home. God love the guys at NAPA, they helped me screw with this thing for over 2 hours. Finally got lights working and all fluids full by 7 PM, then started the long haul home. After 2 full days (as in 39 hours actual drive time, not counting fuel and food stops and the little sleep I got) on the Interstates at 48 MPH and shaking like you wouldn't believe, I rolled into my driveway. Despite having no plates and sticking out like a sore thumb, I only got lit up once just outside of Salina, KS. The officer was much less concerned with my lack of registration than he was with verifying that my vehicle was NOT the one reported stolen out of Missouri
. At this point I was very happy that Kansas had finally got CCW and had reciprocity with CO, though, as i had no problems regarding my weapons. After 1/2 hour of checking ID's and talking to dispatch, he cut me loose.Perhaps the funniest thing is that the ride is so rough and so noisy, I actually had a hitchhiker I picked up (trying to get to Denver) decide to get out after less than 200 miles.
Surprisingly, this 7+ ton behemoth actually averaged 9.96 MPG over the entire trip. I expect in-town economy to be lower, but I was pleasantly surprised. Again, it is a multi-fuel engine (Diesel, Gas, Kerosene, Jet fuel, Heating oil, etc.) but runs best on diesel.
Anyway, I feel after this that I have earned the vehicle and the right to brag about it. I also must thank the angel that was on my shoulder for a 23 year old bike to go that far down and a 42 year old truck to make it back, and for me to be in good health and uninjured (though very tired and sore).
It will be a memory to last a lifetime, and I thought I would share it with fellow THR members.
