can anyone tell me why 90% of them are convertibles and not hard tops and if you can get hard tops for them and where thanks
the soft tops were use for mounting a 50cal the hard tops were not designed for weapons to be mounted. after the first gulf war we fitted them with a armor cab, then converted them back to soft top and hard tops then army sold the fleet out. You might try a surplus supplier. As for as I know they are no longer in production.
You can get hard tops
Google Eastern surplus in Pa.
I've looked at getting one, parts availability and cost is my concern ???.
if you can find one with a rebuild sticker on the inside of the door from RRAD it might be a new we rebuilt several hundred from 2008 to 2010 the old Cummins engine is a tuff one in these old truck running gear is tuff also.
its an 81 general 250 cummins thanks for the info I thought thats what the soft tops was for
yes sir
I have an '81 M931 5 ton truck tractor I use to pull a lowboy with dozer. It has a hardtop but most I see are canvas.
The 250 Cummins is pretty gutless... I might recommend the later models that have the 400 Cummins with turbo.
They're all pretty low speed. No way I'd ever put mine on an interstate.
The 8.3liter 6CTA is a better engine common to 5tons imo. Good motor with a good pump.
To answer your original question most 2.5/5ton trucks are soft top in order to facilitate being able to reduce the overall height of the truck for transportation by ship, train, truck or aircraft. Ones that have hardtops generally were rebuilds. Current trucks are all hardtops/armored cabs
Our road district purchased a duce and half for snow plowing, it came with no top so I welded up a top frame out of thin 1x2 in tubing. was pretty easy due to the straight lines of the truck cab. As I recall it took me a couple of days to measure , cut fit and mig weld it together on top of the truck, then we got a sheet metal guy to bend galvanized tin to fit the from and pop rivet/ screw it on the frame. I think we had a couple hundred in the top.
Last time i checked, there was a guy selling 1, and i think it was in arizona. But he travels between az, to ks and 1 more state in the ks area. He was asking 1500 for it. Iv got an entire spare truck for parts. Only thing iv robbed so for is the level winder for the front winch.
I have a friend in cookeville TN in the mil truck parts business. From hummers to 5tons, and tires by the container load. He has a DRMO contract. Pm me for his cell.
@coxy (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=14170)
you still looking for a hard top for your 5 ton? evidently the top on the military forum is still for sale.
Coxy dont you have a fetish for broken 518s?
https://www.lsn.com/heavy-equipment/cat-skidder-518/6312072.html