I got my deuce and a half tag on my military license when I was in the Marines in the early 90's. I was the only guy in our platoon with experience driving a larger truck, thanks to driving an old International potato truck on my uncle's farm when I was in high school. I still remember the advice the motor pool chief gave me when we went on our check ride. "Don't baby the shift PFC. Drive 'er like an old 50's or 60's Mack. Slam your hand in the door and drive 'er angry." Used to love tooling around on base in that truck.

You hear that?? Sounds like freedom’s coming! And hell’s riding shotgun!

I'm a 33yr retired lomg haul ( Florida to Yukon , Alaska to NYTs ---Yellow Knife) n I gotta say it was sweet hearing ur shifts in that lumbering old beauty. Wish it was mine.

quick way to get to 1st at a stop is throw it in third or second. it will stop the transmission and allow you to get it in alot easier.

Wow, that sure takes me back! I was taught a trick by one of the guys in my company who'd spent a lot of time driving these trucks in tactical scenarios in Korea. I always wondered how he was able to get his truck up to speed so quickly inside the motor-pool yard in such short distance. He taught me to start out in low range but in 2nd gear; then shift from 2nd low to 2nd high, then the rest of the gears how you see fit. Starting out in 2nd low gets you rolling a little bit faster than starting in 1st high and then the shift to 2nd high can be done quite quickly. Thanks for the ride!

We had one of these for us to get around while on deployment. I loved driving it. You definitely had to have 6X etiquette when you had guys in the back. No slammi g on the breaks and no popping the clutch. You can get 15 guys angry real quick back there bouncing and sliding around. Oh and splinters. After about 6 mos driving that thing my g/f picked me up when I got back in her Mazda RX7 and it was a standard. I had a hell of a time driving it, lol I about pushed the clutch throu the firewall. And the gear shift only traveled about 5 inches. She was yelling at me like be careful, I laughed and said give me a break, ive been driving a monster for 6 mos. Not some little hoiti toiti sports car.

I drove these trucks for several years in the Army (in Germany) and, absent a significant load or significant upwards incline, I’m in the start with 2nd crowd. Small inclines or loads never posed a problem. If you drive it enough, you’ll quickly get the hang of what it can and can’t handle.

140 horse is what my old Chevy 3/4 ton pickup made and it had no problem taking off in 2nd. It was a grandma gear first gear just like your Duce. The owners manual said to use low only when pulling heavy loads.

I haven't touched a deuce since the Army, 22 years ago, but I have seen a lot of recent surplus and old converted units from fire companies and municipalities. I've been around trucks and equipment my whole life so I know when I see worn out and abused trucks and yours appears to be a good runner. Growing up I drove a deuce dump truck off road laying stone for logging roads, I was 12, and years later when I was in basic training in the Army we were out in the field and one of the drill instructors couldn't start the truck one morning, so a wise ass me, I asked if I may assist and look into the reason. The drill Sargent said " what the hell do you know about deuce's " I replied maybe something or maybe nothing. The Sargent let me look into the problem it turned out to be the battery connections I fiddled with them and started the truck. So simple, however it made me look like a genius!

Sweet Deuce man! I love the sound of going through the gears and hearing the engine pur! And you made my father and I laugh so hard when you said "fast and the furious in a deuce". Also I have to say you've got the best quality and informational videos.

Regarding the U to 4, the original Reo gas engine revved to about 3k: to accommodate the slower Multifuel, an overdrive was needed. (Even so the gas deuce is still a faster truck.) So: 4th was re-geared from an underdrive to an overdrive, while 5 stayed direct. The rest of the ratios were changed as well, again to accommodate the narrower speed range of the Multifuel, making them marginally closer together, and to fill the gap left by the re-purposed 4th. (This is where the gas truck's granny 1st was lost as well; all 5 speeds are needed all the time.) Unlike Mack or others who made the same overdrive transmission conversion, Spicer did not add an internal lever to reverse the 4-5 shift: the direct shift is still back, moving the shift fork forward to tie the output shaft directly to the input shaft. Thus when you shift the next gear after 3 is the direct former 5th (back), followed by the overdrive former 4th gear (forward). Spicer did relabel the shift pattern: 4th became 5th and vice versa. And we've been shifting in a U ever since.

I can't wait to have a deuce of my own someday. I've always wanted one. Basic engineering and very easy to work on. Hearing you drive it reminds me of the old 85 Mack I used to haul water in. It was an eight speed thought, but it had straight pipes and lord how that thing bellowed. Man I miss it.

If you are running with no load, or a light load and not pulling anything, just forget about 1st gear take off in 2nd and give her some throttle, you can drive that big girl like an overgrown pick up. I got thousands of miles in them to back that up. One important safety feature i want to really have people take notice of. Never, ever, put your arm, or your hand inside of the steering wheel of these old girls. The front wheels can catch, and that big old steel steering wheel will break your damn arm. Seen it happen to alot of GI's.

Your presentations are well thought out and organized. They are a big help. Thank you, Sir!

At stoplight you could put it into 2nd, to sync, then go to first. That's what I do.

Thanks for the ride, I really miss driving those trucks. When I was in Panama I drove a mobile shelter version (It was a portable photo lab). The 1st and Reverse came in handy when I took a wrong turn and had to make a 400pt "K" turn at gun point..... Yea, good times.... B-)

I actually used to drive one of these in the Norwegian army about 26-27 years ago. Here it was called the m-621 and it had single wheels in stead of duals on the rear axel, and it had air operated lockers for the front and rear axels. You didn´t want to use the front locker if you were going any where but straight ahead though. I also remember using the high-low shifter together with the 5 speed. A bit "unsafe" some times as you actually had to reach down quite a bit to put it down into low our pull it from low to high and you would loose your view of the traffic ahead of you for a brief moment every time.

I like all of your programs.Just got my Duce.An education for me.Thank you.

I'm watching videos about a TRUCK I can only dream about owning..LOVE the INFO.. God Bless!!!

A quick tip on getting into first or reverse a little faster, either push the selector into a syncronized gear first, or apply _really light_ pressure on the selector in first or reverse to "feel" the gear, once they match it'll just slip right into gear.

I own M342a2 Dump and bought for move dirt around on the farm. I am military vehicle collector and also own ‘43 GPW and ‘64 M151a1 but wasn’t really familiar with large vehicle like Deuce so this is very helpful!

Just watched all 6 vids! Great work! Love the truck I hope to get one sometime in the future. Keep up the great work!

Music to my ears (Sgt. Gary, Army 1970-1976)!

Yea Sam you can start in second low then go to second high the just run out 3rd 4th 5th high. Won't hurt the truck and it shows people you realy know how to drive a truck.

Thanks for the vids I'm thinking about getting a deuce when I get my drivers license in like 2 yrs and these videos help me learn more so I will know more about them when I have one

I noticed you left out a tip that all experienced Deuce drivers would know but many first time drivers may learn the painful way. In the Deuce and the 5 ton I drove in The Army you had better have your hand in the correct position on the shift knob or you could crack your knuckles on the metal dash going into second gear.

Hey BC, I've been watching all the videos thus far, and man oh man are these great! Everyone debating owning a large MV should watch these. This video was awesome for talking about the transmission and her "quirky" ways :D

This is a great video, well done, i've never seen one before, but i'd sure like to, thanks! from Australia.

I always split the 5-ton with the transfer case hi-lo and it was a very strange pattern. And I always pulled it till the governors got it. But I was hauling a D-7 but the old rig just hummed. You can look at the speed data plate on the dash and see where I went as far as shift points go. I always wanted a 10-speed Roadranger or an 8 Double-L but you drive what you've got. The old rig sounds sweet. I never drove a 2 1/2 with a blower. But this was in 70 to 73.

Slotting the gear lever into a synchronized gear prior to reaching for first will make first gear selection a grind free operation much more quickly than waiting for the shafts to spin down on their own. Essentially you're using the synchro, from second gear most likely, as a brake for the spinning shafts. Works great.

Love that little treat at the end where we go cruisin'! I live smack in the middle of Silicon Valley in a subdivision -no way I could park one of these on my street :(

A trick for ANY vehicle (big or small) with unsynchronized transmissions for first gear. When you have been sitting in neutral with the clutch out, push the clutch in and go for second gear. The syncros in second with stop all of the gears in the trans. Then go strait to first or reverse and let the clutch out as normal. With some practice you can do this fast and smooth.

Great videos DC! I am looking into buying a duce and you have helped me in so many ways. I know a few things to look at and I have a better understanding on how to operate one of these monsters. I am interested also in how to maintain and also just how and where to check the fluid levels at. Thanks for the great videos and hope to see more soon!

the day of the third pedal is fast coming to an end..what a shame..i grew up with 3 on a tree and loved the feeling when i mastered the smooth shifts...but was nervous on a steep hill with a stop sign..lol..great video..

it sucks that you haven't got a ton of views on these vids, as they're pretty cool in my opinion. and most definitely useful to anyone who's going to or just bought a deuce and a half!

I LOVE the sound of an old deuce and five tons!

I never did drive one in the Marines but did extensively as a Converted Fire Dept. Brush/Tanker with a 2,000 gal. steel water tank in back. Plenty of power and could go anywhere, easy to drive just didn't turn corners very tight.

Starting off in second is quite alright. I hardly ever use 1st gear, and that is with 80,000 pound trucks. 1st is a “pulling gear” for offroad and heavy load, and for starting off uphill. Most road driving you can use second. Before the self appointed experts jump on me, I have driven deuces, as well as most every other type truck that has been on the roads since 1970’s. 25 years trucking does actually mean something. At least when it comes to knowing how to shift and drive trucks.

That sound is music to my ears!

Me too... 2000 is a good shift number. Good video.

sounds beautiful!

Great video , I did get to use one in Australia ( not many here , pity ) it had an allison .You could train a good chook to drive that one .

I have always started out in second gear. I have never use first gear. I have started out in mud pulling a 105 howitzer with section equipment and crew in second gear. I have haul a 105 howitzer and section equipment while pulling a 105 howitzer and I started off in second gear. I had no problems doing it. I had plenty of power. I was in high range all the time doing this. You got to remember that transmission is gear down really low. That's the reason you can start out in second because the transmission is gear down low. The only time I used low range is when I am backing up. I have use low range in mud before. You don't have to start off in low range and then split gears to high range. They doing that just for fun. Well that's my two cents , for whats it worth. Go drive the truck the way you want to and have fun. That is part of the reason of driving the truck is to have fun. Enjoy.

I was a SeaBee Construction Mechanic and had a hell of a time getting the Equipment Operators to understand the truck well enough not to grind first.

Excellent vids man

Check out the 3 speed brownie from Spicer or Brown-Lipe. It would placed between the transmission and transfer case and connected with short drive lines.

The 4th and 5th gear holes are reversed because they are based on the design of a 5 speed direct drive transmission. The back right hole doesn't engage a gear, but links the input and output shafts together. The overdrive 5 speeds in deuces basically just turned the upper right hole into an overdrive and changed the 1-3 ratios for more even gaps between gears

It’s in all the technical manuals with most ww2 and post war vehicles select starting gear depending up conditions, rough and at an incline, 1st. Flat or downhill 2nd. Same for high and low. Or low direct, and overdrive.

LUV UR TITLE...LUV UR VIDS....AWESOME!!!!

Great video BC!

Well done, good information

That's why big rigs have a clutch brake. It makes getting into gear very simple and quick.

why not just put it in 2nd with the splitter in lo since it would be lower than 1st in hi?

Very cool. I want one!

When I used to drive a truck we'd say starting off in an empty truck in 1st or 2nd depended on who was paying for repairs.

Most large trucks, if you are coasting to a stop in neutral you can slip it into first at around 4 or 5 mph (without the clutch).

People: "why is your right arm so big?What did you do this summer?" Me:"I was driving a deuce and a half..."

FWIW I learned *much* of how to drive (in the 60s TYVM) in a '64 IHC Scout-80. That puppy's 3-on-the-floor Spicer had synchro only in 2 and 3. It was easier to stop the gears for another shot (at 1st or reverse) by hitting 3rd than by hitting 2nd. Anyone with an ear for pitch can learn to goose it for the right note to hit an unsynchronized Low-gear from 2nd at {some-road-speed} with no *crunch* w/ just a little practice. Best regards, all.

I've driven a lot of trucks and pickups. A good rule of thumb is with a granny gear 1st. If the truck go in 2nd when you let out the clutch with no throttle. You are good & not going to hurt anything. If you need throttle use 1st gear. International uses that same trans in a lot of their light trucks. Starting in 2nd gear is not a problem. I also have a question. Why don't you use the engine as a brake rolling up to a stop sign. You are wearing out your throw out bearing and your brakes unnecessarily. Like the videos. Am looking for a deuce to build a go anywhere camper

I would so need a paper on windshield as down to four in a 5 speed is so odd. Used to a 10 speed split shift.

Nice country out there, reminds me of the foothills of Appalachia.

It's a Spicer H-pattern with reverse and low on the left side. If you think about it, it sounds just like a semi, except where you'd split the gears, the transmission stops.

I have found in OTHER trucks & tractors .. if you want 1st or R , hit 2nt gear first THEN try for 1st or R , seems to get the gears in a better spot for the shift >> ALL WITH THE CLUTCH IN , full stop . Less grind . Yes I have no problem with 1st gear start , If empty & down hill I would use 2nt .

Thank you Brother

Good advice and smooth shifting. The only thing I would add is dont push the clutch to the floor while shifting gears, it engages the clutch brake and you will wear it out much quicker and at some point you wont be able to get it into gear when you are stopped. Only push it to the floor when you are not moving at all.

The idea of owning a deuce+0.5 excites me, but, manual shifting and clutching sicken me. This from a guy who learned to drive a manual from the get-go and even knows how to drive an 18-wheeler. I like automatic transmissions and I'm over manuals. I'm not sure if it's possible, but if I had a deuce+0.5 I'd convert it to AT. I'm wondering if there are AT versions or if someone's already done one. Great entertaining video, I've subscribed too!

Fast and furious in a Deuce; now there’s a sequel I would be interested in seeing.

I love that truck. I live in the city so I need something a little smaller.

Thats like my old 80s f150s first gear. On that truck youre actually supposed to take off in 2nd for normal operation and 1st gear is a "granny gear" used for taking off either up a hill or if you have a heavy load

In my experience, I always figured shift points by the sound the deuce was making

Sounds great

Wow i'm surprised how little difference there is between 4th and 5th. I'd really like to drive one of these things some day.

It's just like an old 4 speed just with an extra gear

I love your video's about the Deuce ,,, do you have plans make video's how to do maintaine ?

First gear in a deep reduction use to in very soft ground intill you have reached solid ground or to ford. The Deuce is fine to start in second gear low. That's the problem you read the TM's that were printed for dummys that never drove a truck. I did not say to run at the Govener but you need to shift at maybe 2500rpm every gear till you reach the speed you are looking for. Then cruse at 1850 to 1900 for best fuel milage.

If you do need to go into first gear at a dead stop, try slipping it into second or third first.

Excellent!

in the late 1970 & the early 1980 the military put out a MWO modified work order, on the multi fuel in the M35 series vehicles removing the compensator from the fuel pump ( injector pump ) not making the M35 series a multi fuel engine. the reason for the MWO is the military went to a single fuel source for all military wheeled vehicles & powered generator systems DISEL.

Great video

When I was as in. Air Force training was not to use first unless towing. Low range was for off road use only. Not trying to say your wrong by any means. It's just how I was trained.

I learned to shift driving a Deuce. I could never drive shift in smaller vehicles without stalling it for some reason. I just kept to automatics.

I just purchased my first one this week, I now understand why there is a rub mark in the OD green dash from a boot

If it is taking along time for your clutch slow to get into 1st gear, your clutch break either needs adjusted or replaced. FYI to prevent your clutch break from wearing out quickly, never press the clutch all the way to floor unless you are trying to get going from 1st gear.

love it !!!!!

Hey BC! Have to tell you thanks for the great review of your deuce! Can't remember how long I've wanted one the time has come to go shopping Knowing what you know I need an opinion, I prefer the older multifuel like you have but interested in the central tire inflation on the A3's! Do the A3's have better highway gears? I'm in Colorado where a trip to the mountains would take a heck of a long time at 45 or 50. I've seen overdrive units installed but at serious cost. Really enjoyed your series!

I heard some say you can turn up the injectors on the multi fuel and make more power and top end to make highway driving a bit easier and no lag on the hills...

Nice video. I would have been very helpful if you could have given us some guidelines on stoppping distance. Of course the health of the brakes dictate that but ...for instance...does stopping a duce take twice the distance of a 1 ton pickup truck ....1.5 times the distance...basically same distance as a 1 ton pickup?

With the five-count clutch before starting (and before stopping it looks like, from the stop sign before the main road in this vid), is there a relatively short life in the throwout bearing?

two things: adjust the clutch brake and, when empty or light load, start off in second or third -no harm unless you try to gas on it too much

All deuces with the 5th gear toward the dash are overdrive units. In a direct tranny (no overdrive) 5th gear is coupled to the input shaft, witch is the smallest gear on the top shafts ("normal" shift pattern). An overdrive tranny, the second gear back on the top shafts is the smallest, (this gear would be 4th on a direct), being smaller it turns faster than the input shaft, and you have overdrive. The stick being toward the dash is by no means for creature comfort, it is simply because Spicer used the same shift top on the direct and overdrive transmissions (this switches the last two shifts on most older truck 5 speeds, Spicer, Fuller, New Process, etc.). You have to remember the only ratios available for the Rockwell axles were 6.72, without overdrive you could only go as fast as you can now in 4th gear (direct). Great video, you did a fine job, keep 'em comin'.

I wonder if there is a list of specs on the transmission as far as gear ratios usually in big trucks when high gear is forward like that it's usually a bit of an Overdrive but not always

Double clutch is the way to go

I wish I had one of those, simple, reliable & can do MOST anything that anyone would need but my wife says that we have no need for a truck like that since I have a 2005 GMC K2500HD EC/LB with Duramax & Allison so for the time being I'm working on converting it to a civilian version of a LSSV. Later when I can convince her I will be getting one of the A2's.

did you use a cummins diesel or a gas engine I love the sound of the engine in this guys truck real similar to a first gen cummins I don't own a deuce yet ,,but I do own a couple of other trucks namely an old airforce water truck ,used for watering cattle on the surrounding farms and a 1973 jeep J30 truck which I rebuilt from ground up ,, my J30 now has a 8V-92 Detroit diesel with dual turbos and a 13 speed transmission engine/trans came from a dumptruck

Funtastic!!😋

You'll be a great help!

Have you tried starting forward in 2nd when you're at a dead stop? And as a truck driver, I double clutch when shifting. Apparently, you don't have to do this?

often what every one round here just stops there truck and holds the clutch with it in gear. So when rig as they can shift they shift and hold it.

Hey BC, hope you are doing good. I was wondering what is the height of the bed to the ground of your deuce?

I had a 1958 GMC duce with a 302 straight 6 and an alison auto trans. great old girl, rip a house off its foundation low gearing. I miss the old girl, the fella I sold her to stripped her and scrapped her. been thinking about picking up another one, Kaiser or newer this time. what is your best suggestion as to year or make? just looking for a back woods truck to get to my claims.