1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale. New price. SOLD

Military Trucks 2 1/2 ton and greater, Wanted, For Sale (NO AUCTION or EBAY), and Knowledge Base

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JH
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1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale. New price. SOLD

Post by JH » Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:27 pm

1953 REO M108 crane truck, technically. The same as a M60 wrecker, except the M60 has a 5th wheel plate on the tail end.
Color: Yellow. It was issued to the US Air Force in yellow. There is no green paint underneath the yellow. It was issued to Air Bases to lift the heavier bombs and missiles of the post WW2 era. It was yellow for high visibility.

It is basically a Deuce and a half chassis with an Austin Western crane on the back, in place of a cargo bed. It's rated as lifting up to 8,000 pounds in close and 4,000 pounds at full extension. Those numbers go up if you use the A-frame support bars (included in the sale). The crane hydraulics were overhauled in 1996 and work fine. The REO Gold Comet 336 gas engine was replaced with a good working engine a few years back. A couple of years ago, the transmission was upgraded to an overdrive unit, a new clutch and throwout bearing were installed, and the transfer case was upgraded to an air-shift model.

The engine runs very smoothly. The cab has a hard top on it. Also included in the sale is a front winch, frame extensions, PTO, and PTO drive shaft. No serious rust issues at all. There is a patch or two here and there, but nothing big. I have a full set of very nice tires mounted on rims for it. Also have a NOS front wiring harness to install. It has not been installed yet, because it's awaiting a full restoration. Currently it is used occasionally around the property and stored under a tarp. The engine doesn't leak oil or antifreeze. The truck is still 24 volt and was never civilianized to 12 volts. I have some spare parts to go with it, too.

I have a clean title in hand. Looking only for cash. $6750. No trades. Located in Duvall, WA 98019. An hour northeast of Seattle.
Jim
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Last edited by JH on Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.


Joe Gopan
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Re: 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale.

Post by Joe Gopan » Sat Jan 27, 2018 5:08 am

Nice find, rare truck.
M-108 was the Crane Truck,M-60 was the Wrecker.
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Walter
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Re: 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale.

Post by Walter » Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:01 pm

Hi JH:
I dont believe that the M-60 had the 5th wheel. I believe that you will find that they came with a rear winch. Bob is correct the M-108 was the crane truck and the the M-60 was the recovery vehicle or wrecker. Both were part of the 2 1/2 ton M-34/35 series of trucks.

The M-246, built on the 5 ton Chassis, was a special built recovery vehicle for the USAF. It had the 5th wheel. In addition, its boom had three sections, one shipper and two boom sections, instead of the two section, boom and shipper combinations on the rest of the 2 1/2 and 5 ton Wrecker/Cranes. The reason for the 5th wheel on the 246 and the three section boom was for the recovery of wrecked aircraft. The 246 pulled a trailer and used the longer boom to reach out further to recover the larger but lighter aluminum sections, loading them onto the trailer.

I spent 4 years in the Air Force. For two of those years I operated and drove an M-543A2, 5 Ton Wrecker in a DASC unit out of Shaw AFB, SC. We used our 543's as both cranes, loading and unloading electronics vans as well as more typical recovery of vehicles that broke down. I own an M-62A2, 5 Ton Wrecker.

I certainly agree with Bob, a nice rare truck!

Regards,

Walter

JH
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Re: 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale.

Post by JH » Sun Jan 28, 2018 8:15 pm

Ah, yes. It WAS a winch, not a 5th wheel. I stand corrected. I like the M108 because it can get in places that the 5 ton can't. It weighs half as much, too. However, our current collection of stuff needs the heavier capacity of the 5T.

Jim

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Re: 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale.

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Jan 29, 2018 4:41 am

Army should have kept the M-108 in the system another 30 years.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
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clintm20
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Re: 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale.

Post by clintm20 » Wed Jan 31, 2018 2:33 pm

I've really wanted a 108 for a long time wish it was closer.
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JH
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Re: 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale.

Post by JH » Wed Jan 31, 2018 2:40 pm

Yeah, too bad. About as far away as you can get! :-0 I really like it. Had it for several years. Very handy.
Jim

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Re: 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale. New price.

Post by pslink » Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:44 pm

Still for sale?

JH
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Re: 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale. New price.

Post by JH » Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:25 pm

Thanks for asking, but it has been sold. I thought I had posted that. Guess not. sorry.

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Re: 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale. New price.

Post by D.R.H. » Sun Apr 28, 2019 5:30 pm

Hey JH, might be a good idea to change your topic heading to SOLD.
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JH
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Re: sa SOLD 1953 M108 Deuce wrecker for sale. New price.

Post by JH » Sun Apr 28, 2019 5:48 pm

It has been sold.


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