Meet Tugger

[TheAxeman]

My brother Martin (HAVOCDOG) and I traveled to upstate NY yesterday to pick up my new truck. Its a 1953 M37 Dodge Power Wagon. It used to be an Air Force vehicle back in the day and then was owned by a Navajo guy 25 years ago or so who named it TUGGER because he used it to haul out vehicles that would get stuck in a mud bog. Inside the truck is the amulet that he put in there for good juju. The truck was then purchased in New Mexico and driven to NY where it has sat in a heated shop for the last 25 years. Top speed down hill with a tailwind is about 50mph. It has an 8 speed transmission, removable hardtop, collapsible windshield, and all sorts of charm. The guy I bought it from was a Marine, a teacher at a nuclear sub training facility in Ballston Spa NY, a professional Kart racer, a pilot of a plane he keeps on his 500 acre property, and a hunting guide...nothing like having a full resume! It would have been an adventure to drive it the 300 miles home and would have performed admirably in NYC traffic with HAVOCDOG at the wheel, but I thought it more prudent to have it transported instead.

After a little USMC stenciling is applied in the appropriate spots it will be ready for the road.... :yahoo:

 

[Checkswrecks]

+11 on the coolness index.

& NOBODY will fight you for parking.

 

[Checkswrecks]

+11 on the coolness index.

& NOBODY will fight you for parking.

 

[tmc]

Wife's family is from right next to there in Galway. I'd bet good money that my FIL knows the guy you bought this from.

Small world - especially around there....

PS: sweet truck man. Looks like good times!

 

[ionbeam]

Cool truck. Winter snow machine? Beach terrorizer? Parade duty?

On this Forum, when you see Meat Meet Tugger I was really afraid of what this post was going to be about.

 

[Old Michael]

On this Forum, when you see Meat Meet Tugger I was really afraid of what this post was going to be about.

:rofl:

 

[SkooterG]

Whoa! Waaaay Cool!

 

[TheAxeman]

Wife's family is from right next to there in Galway. I'd bet good money that my FIL knows the guy you bought this from.

Small world - especially around there....

PS: sweet truck man. Looks like good times!

Coincidentally, one of the seller's friends was an FJR guy. I don't think he frequents the forum though.

Driving a tugger certainly has to be better than driving a stroker...I'm going to be outfitting it with some USMC stenciling and then I'm going to go out terrorizing all the Lambo, Ferrari, and Bugatti guys that continually clog up my parking space in front of the hardware store on Main Street.

 

[SacramentoMike]

+11 on the coolness index.

+1. Just the NAME. Mmmmmmmm POWER wagon!

 

[snikr]

Cool truck/tugger. I wanna ride in it.

Tom

 

[BikerGeek99]

Now THAT is cool!!

Axe - ya oughta mount a .50-cal in the back for, uh, traffic control purposes...

 

[bikerskier]

Wow, I am totally envious! That is a great score.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Cool truck/tugger. I wanna ride in it.

Tom

Hell with the ride...I wanna go drive over some traffic :blink:

 

[vabrzn]

We had one of those on the forest for many years. A true go anywhere vehicle. I think it got about 4 mpg

 

[TheAxeman]

We had one of those on the forest for many years. A true go anywhere vehicle. I think it got about 4 mpg

Let's see.....10 gallon temporary tank/4mpg=a shorter walk home than when the bike breaks down.

 

[Auburn]

Really cool truck!

 

[fljab]

I looked into these for a time and even located one near me, butt in the end was a no-go for a variety of reasons.

I do remember that they have a divorced transfer case making it easy to put another engine/trans combo in; that with some higher gears, and front manual hubs that allow you to drive in 2wd are all popular mods. IIRC, Chrysler engine/trans were common.

Dunno what you're thinking for it's use, but thought I'd throw that out...

 

[madmike2]

A friend of mine had one with an early Dodge Ram hemi in it ('53? and small...like 260 c.i.).

Enjoy the heck out of your "new" machine. :yahoo:

 

[painman]

Very nice mochine. Things like that never wear out, they just keep on truckin. My father, brother and I years ago re-built a 1945 Ford GPW (Jeep). And yes Ford made them as well. Take care, Painman. <><