M35A1 REO M45 RARE DECONTAMINATION SPRAYER TRUCK USED FOR AGENT ORANGE M35A2
1955 Other Makes MILITARY REO M45 DECONTAMINATION UNIT SPRAY TRUCK Description
I recently picked up a true barn find survivor, up for sale is a rare 1955 2.5 ton REO gasoline powered truck with a decontamination apparatus, which was also used for spraying the agent orange chemical.
**SCROLL DOWN FOR A WHOLE BUNCH OF PICTURES!!**
I dont know what the M series designation for this unit would be, but it has an NSN of 4320-00-276-7341 to classify it as " truck mounted, 22 ft 11 in lg, 7 ft 9 in W, 8 ft 0.25 in. H O/a; liquid agent type; vehicle ord, truck 2.5 tn 6 by 6 cargo long wheel base less body model M45; 400 gal load cap; truck eng thru pwr take-off; 14800 lb approx wt of end item" according to government records.
This truck is not some farmer abortion, but the real thing. I have included some pics I found online of similar trucks, as well as a pic of the NSN breakdown. The historical pictures I have included show a similar model truck spraying the agent orange defoliant chemical around a military base in Vietnam.
I do have a title for this truck, it was titled by the farmer I got it from, it was titled in November of 1971. The farmer had told me he got it and didn't really use it much. He said it didn't run right and had a miss and he had planned on changing the motor out but never did. It sat in side his barn for 30 plus years buried in by other junk he had. I was informed that something in the pump froze and it had cracked. He pulled the cover to inspect it as you can see in the pics, but never put it back on. The cover is in the tool box. The PTO and control linkage is there, but the PTO shaft is missing.
He told me it would start and run with fresh fuel and batteries, but I have not tried this. I dont necessarily think the engine is bad, but more along the lines of he may not have known what he was doing to fix it and changing the engine was easier. There was no google 30 years ago to help with answers to technical problems.
From what I can see, this truck is relatively unmolested for the most part. There is some rot to the cab, but it doesn't look like anything that cant be easily fixed.
Even if not fully operational due to the pump issues, this is an extraordinary piece that needs to be in the hands of a serious collector or museum. I do not have the time or desire to put efforts into a restoration on this truck, but hopefully someone here will. The only other place I know of one of these in existence is at the chemical museum at Fort Leonard Wood, but it looks to be an older truck but the same apparatus on it. There is a picture of the back end of it on the museum website.
Other than what I have listed above, I do not personally know much more about the condition of things on this truck. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have and to take more pictures of anything on the truck you would like to see.
The asking price on this unit is $5,000 or best offer. I do have a NJ title in hand as well.
I can help load a trailer with ramps using machinery and winches, and may also be able to deliver for a fee. I do not have a loading dock, so your trailer will need to have drive up ramps for this to be loaded. I am located in Browns Mills NJ 08015 near Fort Dix and off of RT 70 and near exit 7 on the NJ turnpike. I will not ship this vehicle.
This truck will need to be towed from my property. It is not in roadworthy running condition and I will not permit it to be worked on here other than anything involved with the towing process. Even if you could get it running here, I'm not letting a vehicle that has been sitting that long leave here under its own power due to liability concerns.
The black and white pictures above are, to my knowledge, are not pictures of this exact truck listed here on ebay for sale. I have added them to the listing for reference purposes only, and they do not represent the truck that is for sale here.
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