The project begins.

The 396 threw a rod back in March. Life, money and Scouts have kept me from getting it running again. We are a year round school, but we really don't have class in August except for next week. After Labor day, it is a new school year. I wanted to start getting thing in place so when the students start back, we have stuff to work on. That meant the M715 had to be in the class.

The problem is getting it to my class and then getting it in my class. My room is 80 x 40 with 4 bay doors on one of the 80' walls. We all know a M715 isn't the lightest thing in the world or easy to push by hand. My doors aren't big enough to back a M715 on a trailer into the room and there isn't enough room outside to roll off the trailer directly into my room either. That meant it needed to be pulled into the room.

I did some measuring and moved a few things around. Then figured out the M1009 could fit with the M715 tow bar attached to it. Then, the M1009 would be small enough to turn itself around in the room and drive out another door.

The big question once that was figured out was, would the M1009 pull the M715? 3.08 gears aren't exactly the best for doing anything besides cruising down the road. Plus, the M1009 is a few thousand pounds lighter and a bit shorter with almost no heft over the rear tires.

Colton and I hooked up the tow bar last night. My M35 rear shackle mounts bored out to fit a 1" pin and installed on top of the bumper in 2008 had rusted up enough that the pins wouldn't fit. I got to use the M715 tow bar adaptors for the first time! It took some doing, but the M1009 pulled the M715 out of the field and over by my shop so I could remove as much stuff from both trucks as possible. At least I knew it would roll.





I can't have a phone or camera at work, so they couldn't make the trip this morning. I was pleased with how much umph the 6.2 showed pulling as fast as I wanted to go while I was trying to figure out if it would handle. Turns out the max Q for a M1009 pulling a M715 is the same speed as a M715 pulling a M35. 27 mph! That was the fastest speed I could go and not have the vehicle in back decide which way we were going to go. I probably could have gotten a few more mph if I had aired up the front M715 tires. They are at 25 psi or so.

I could accelerate past 35 with no troubles on straight road. However, once I got off the power, the M715 would decide we were going to go left or right, not me. Once I figured that out, we idled along at 27 all the way to work. It fit in my room like I thought, the M1009 got back out of my room and then I just finished checking the alignment on the M1009 just to see how the front end is living.

Now I just need to bring in a 6.2, buy a flywheel, clutch, figure out exhaust and decide if I want to stay messed up wiring 12V, replace all the wires on the truck with a new M35 harness I have and go all 24V, put in the new harness and make it a 12/24 system like a CUCV or put in the new harness and stay 12V. I can find positives to each as well as negatives. Oh well, I have a few weeks before I really have to figure it out.