If you’re a truck guy, you’ve probably noticed the military-grade supply trucks in warzone TV news reports. You’ve maybe thought about getting one of these 6×6 seemingly indestructible machines.
Well, now you can have one of your own — and prices are reasonably in-line with a new 4×4 pickup.
I’m not talking about old Hummers here. I’m talking about big trucks that haul missiles and portable hospitals and supplies.
The price tag reads US$110,000 for a big ex-army 4×4. The bigger 6×6 lists for US$120,000. An acquaintance recently paid C$120,000 for a fully loaded domestic pickup that won’t do a fraction of the work these ex-army trucks can do.
These units originally fell into the military category called family of medium tactical vehicles (FMTV). The class six-to-eight trucks were designed to meet mission needs of the United States Army combat support. They were built by Oshkosh Defense in Wisconsin.
Founded just after the First World War, this tactical vehicle manufacturer specializes in designing and manufacturing protective armoured military vehicles.
More than 50,000 FMTVs have been produced in the past 18 years, in both soft-skin and armoured versions. When the army switched to armoured versions only, they suddenly had a whole bunch of slightly used soft-skin FMTYs for sale. That’s where the Acela Truck Company in Bozeman, Montana, enters the picture.
Located 560 kilometres from Lethbridge, Acela saw an opportunity. There was a surplus of ex-military trucks and there was a demand for heavy duty trucks that lived up to the kind of beating off-road vehicles get. And, since Uncle Sam no longer owned the soft-skin FMTVs, they become available to Acela to sell to Canadian farmers, ranchers and oilsands folks.
David Ronsen, Acela founder and president, calls his company “the new automaker on the block for extreme-duty, high-mobility commercial trucks.”
However, that description doesn’t require you to convert your Acela into a water tending truck, feed hauler or service truck. The list of machines that can be mounted on the back is long.
In fact, you’re welcome to attach a luxury camper to that wide open rear chassis once spraying is wrapped up and the water tank is removed. Go fishing where your regular pickup friends can’t go. Monterra, the top model, has an off-road payload capacity of 31,100 pounds.
There are three models available from Acela: The 4×4 Monterra; the larger 6×6 Monterra and the new Straya which is a smaller vehicle.
Acela buys units from the U.S. Department of Defense. Acela technicians select only the trucks in the best initial condition.
“We determine if we have a viable donor. If a truck has major engine, transmission or transfer case issues, then we make an assessment whether or not we’re going to build on that platform, which would involve either rebuilding or replacing those components. Overhauls of the engine, transmission and transfer case are not part of the standard process. We typically pick FMTYs that are under 20,000 km.”
Each truck undergoes a vigorous 1,600-step process. Technicians install more than 650 new parts that carry OEM-guaranteed warranty from Allison, Meritor, Goodyear, Dana, Caterpillar and Parker. The process includes tear-down, complete overhaul, sandblasting and painting, performance testing and customer sign-off.
During the tear-down process, trucks are completely disassembled. The cab and nearly all frame-mounted parts are removed, inspected and cataloged. Cabs, chassis and take-off parts are then moved down the production line to paint, electronics, driveline and finishing shops for rehabilitation. Air conditioning is added if the unit doesn’t have it.
As part of the standard reset process, each cab is dismantled. All seals, glass, doors, door components, interior components and electrical harnesses are removed. Cabs and cab components are rehabilitated. Cabs are then reassembled with new interior seating, floor mats, heat and sound insulation, panelling, lighting, electronics and digital instrumentation. Chassis and take-off parts go through a similar rehabilitation process.
Hoses, belts, seals, gaskets, knobs, switches and gauges are replaced. Other parts are inspected and measured against OEM guidelines. Components out of specification are replaced. Wheels are rebuilt and mounted with new tires.
Ronsen said quality control during the Certified Reset Process is paramount.
Acela trucks are popular in the Alberta oilsands. Ronsen said the vehicles are used for a variety of tasks, from delivering fuel to utility trucks to load trucks to welding trucks.
“I saw one of our trucks with a 105-foot crane with a man basket. It’s used for nothing but cleaning the windshield of the shovel. They go anywhere they need a wheeled vehicle to get into the bitumen.”
The class six Monterra 4×4 model has an off-road payload capacity of 8,346 kilograms. The class eight Monterra 6×6 model has an off-road payload capacity of 14,107-kg.
The two models share their main specifications:
- 56 cm ground clearance
- full-time all-wheel drive
- 330 horsepower Cat 3126/C7 turbo-charged 7.2 litre diesel engine
- exempt from diesel emission standards applied to new trucks
- Allison automatic seven-speed transmission
- top speed of 119 km-h
On all models, the central tire inflation system provides adjustable pressure for the 116 cm tall tires that are 30 cm wide.
“You get the tires down to 22 psi with the touch of a button. That doubles your tire patch. You start to mimic a tracked vehicle at that point. You have so much traction on the ground.”
Under normal operations, transfer case torque split sends 70 percent of the power to the rear differential, with 30 percent delivered to the front. In off-road mode, power is split 50-50 between the front and rear axle.
In addition to serving the oilpatch and ranchers, Acela also builds Monterra trucks used in snow removal. Last fall, the company fitted one of its vehicles with a 3.3 metre blade to spend a month pushing snow and fine-tuning the plow design.
“We pushed a lot of snow. We accessed roads that are normally closed in winter. We experimented with some really deep snow, four to five feet deep. Monterras perform as well as a giant front-end loader, but they do it at 30 miles an hour. And you can drive to jobsite at 74 miles an hour,” said Ronsen.
With 50,000 FMTVs already built, Acela isn’t about to run out of “raw material” any time soon. But Ronsen saw there was a demand not being served by the big Monterra trucks, so he began sourcing components for a smaller Monterra that would feature the same extreme duty characteristics.
Introduced in March 2022 and named the Acela Straya, this new class five high-mobility military-grade truck will be built on the Isuzu NRR base chassis. It has a payload capacity of 19,500 lb. This is not a re-manufactured army truck, but a new production line truck.
The Straya is equipped with Meritor 3000 series axles with the same field-proven wheel-ends currently employed on the U.S. Army’s joint light tactical vehicles. It has differential lockers, 41-inch military tires and onboard central tire inflation system. The driver-controlled push-button system adjusts tire pressure from 17 psi to 95 psi. A Straya with 150-inch wheelbase and 12-foot body has a turning radius of 50 feet.
Due to supply chain issues, Straya will not go into production until next year.
Monterra trucks, however, are available, with an 18-month lead time. To date, 150 Monterra trucks have been sold. Acela trucks are sold directly through the manufacturer.
