On Fri, 3 Feb 2012 19:17:29 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


"Ignoramus31868" wrote in message
m...
On 2012-02-03, Jim Wilkins wrote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M35_2%C...on_cargo_truck

OK, tell us, how do you like driving it, what was your experience. No
power steering, right?
The army base 2.5 hours away from me has those on sale all the time.
i

That was in the early 1970's, the multifuel with manual transmission. I
usually drove an M109 shop van.
http://www.nf6x.net/wp/wp-content/up...999/05/p05.jpg

Driving them for several hours on the Autobahn was a workout. The suspension
is stiff and the seats were little more than canvas-covered plywood.
Military supplies are packaged well to survive their rough ride. I think the
bed might be higher than a standard loading dock.

More recently I've done repair calls with a commercial box truck which I
greatly prefer. I think the Army trucks are better suited to collectors than
heavy users, unless you really need their off-road capability. They really
weren't much fun in heavy European city traffic either. If given the choice
we took the Suburban instead.

But give one a try if the price is right. They command respect even if you
aren't carrying loaded machine guns.

Ours never broke, which was good because we couldn't get parts for anything,
half the motor pool was out of service. Europe was starved to pay for
Vietnam, and JC Whitney kept the jeeps running. I finally bought an old VW
with two weeks Temporary Duty extra pay allotment and disappeared amongst
the civilians on trips.

jsw

I used to run a 1943, I believe, Ex Military Power Wagon as a tow
truck back in the late sixties.