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[Follow Ups] [Post Followup] [Dodge Power Wagon Forum]


Posted by Dennis from Memphis on Thursday, September 11, 2003 at 1:21PM :

To dispel the notion that you can transport a Power Wagon with a U-Haul car transporter comes my latest experience.

I purchased a Kaiser-Jeep M715 on a government auction website. This vehicle had pictures of some kind of maintainance cabinet installed behind the cab. After looking up the weight specs (5500 lbs) and after not being able to locate a larger trailer I rented the U-Haul for one more trip. (Remember me, I hauled a Power Wagon from Texarkana, Texas to Memphis on a U-Haul with not much difficulty.

The Kaiser was located at Fort Meade (Baltimore-Washington,D.C. area). Upon arrival I looked at the manufacture's plate and noticed the GVW was 8,000 lbs. Since I already had the U-Haul with me and owing to the fact that I arrived on the last removal date I had to move it. (Vehicles not removed by the last removal date are considered abandoned, your money is not refunded, and the units are listed in the next auction.)

I placed the M715 on the trailer and could not get it balanced. The trailer began swerving at Ft. Meade at 30 mph, so I reversed the truck (tailgate toward the trailer tongue) and was able to move up to 40 mph without swerving. And that is how we brought it to Memphis . . . 950 miles.

This trip took 29 hours of non-stop driving averaging 31 miles per hour. The tow unit, an '83 Chevrolet 3/4 ton van with a 350 engine did fine. The only problem was the hills I encountered all the way to Memphis. I could not get above 35 mph going downhil so when I would reach the bottom of a hill and starting on the next hill (mountains in some places) I had no momentum to climb the next hill. Quite often I climbed these ascents at 24-25 mph. Gas milage between fill ups averaged 5 miles per gallon in some places.

Still I got it home but U-Haul was not happy! Seems like two of the tires on the trailer were chewed up and they were brand new when I left. The weight was far over the maximum that the trailer was spec'ed to handle.

It appears that I am in the market for a good trailer with at least an 18' deck.

I know the Kaiser-Jeep is of no interest to this forum. (My first love is still my PW.) However, there is one interesting feature to this truck that was not advertised in the listing. It has a bumper mounted Braden winch (complete) and a rear PTO hooked to a Hobart generator in the rear of the bed. This generator in turn is mounted to a complete Hobart 3-phase welding unit that shows a total usage of 127 hours. There is also an air compressor mounted in the rear of the truck.

The engine will need rebuilding or replacing but when restored I will be able to run nail guns, lights, air up tires, weld or dismantle parts in the middle of a pasture. The truck may be a keeper.



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