M870 M870A1 Trailers

[M1075]

In my search for a lowboy trailer, I have found/taken a few pics of the M870 and M870A1 trailers. I think my favorite is the M983 HEMTT and M870. The M916 with armored cab is a close 2nd.

 

[Derrickl112]

i too want an m870, but i cant find any for sale

 

[fasttruck]

Remember they come with the big king pin same same a M747 and you need a tractor with a winch to put it down or pick it up just in case you do not already have a 916 or 920.

 

[Derrickl112]

Remember they come with the big king pin same same a M747 and you need a tractor with a winch to put it down or pick it up just in case you do not already have a 916 or 920.

it has a removable kingpin, so you can get a standard pin for it.

 

[BKubu]

Well, I have the M983 HEMTT tractor. Now all I need to do is find the M870A1. I, too, am looking for one.

 

[Derrickl112]

Well, I have the M983 HEMTT tractor. Now all I need to do is find the M870A1. I, too, am looking for one.

do you have any pics of its current condition? i have not seen it yet.

 

[M1075]

Remember they come with the big king pin same same a M747 and you need a tractor with a winch to put it down or pick it up just in case you do not already have a 916 or 920.

The trucks are a dime a dozen compared to the trailers (cheaper too!). Not the M983 though.....

 

[BKubu]

do you have any pics of its current condition? i have not seen it yet.

I will get some and send them to you. The truck was complete, less the motor. I found a zero mile rebuilt motor in a can. Much of the sheet metal was replaced. The truck has been gone over and anything that needed to be replaced was replaced. I still have to swap out the seats for new ones (I have a lead on two new HEMTT seats), replace the insulation in the cab, and have the truck sandblasted/primed/painted with CARC. I am thinking of going with 3 color camo, but I might opt for tan.

 

[m16ty]

I've got a M870. Our trailer came from the Tennessee Valley Authority and already had the smaller kingpin when we got it. We had to shorten the neck height to get it to work with our civilain trucks. We normally pull it with our W900 KW. The KW has a 45K 5-ton wrecker winch converted to hyd mounted on the back to operate the neck.

You can use the M870 just fine without a truck with a winch. It has a dovetail on the back and ramps to load from the rear. Front loading is easier though.

 

[M1075]

I've got a M870. Our trailer came from the Tennessee Valley Authority and already had the smaller kingpin when we got it. We had to shorten the neck height to get it to work with our civilain trucks. We normally pull it with our W900 KW. The KW has a 45K 5-ton wrecker winch converted to hyd mounted on the back to operate the neck.

You can use the M870 just fine without a truck with a winch. It has a dovetail on the back and ramps to load from the rear. Front loading is easier though.

Can you post pictures of the neck modification? I might need to do something similar.

 

[wehring]

M870

Dove tail and ramps... is it an A2? Got pics? Is it for sale?

Thanks for the pics James. I love the armored M916... got an armored cab for sale??

Justin Wehring
979 997 3112

 

[m16ty]

Can you post pictures of the neck modification? I might need to do something similar.

When I posted last night I was going to post a pic but realized I didn't have one. I'll take some pics and post them.

Dove tail and ramps... is it an A2? Got pics? Is it for sale?

Justin Wehring
979 997 3112

It's just an M870. As far as I know, all M870s have dove tails. Our M870 also has detachable ramps. I'm not sure if they are military or were added by TVA though.

I'm pretty sure the A2 has a detachable neck. Am I right?

 

[Danger Ranger]

Here are the info links to olive drab...first is M870a1, second is a2...

M870A1 40-TON LOW BED SEMITRAILER
M870A2 40-TON LOW BED SEMITRAILER

Looks like the A1, A2, and A2S all have folding necks. A1 has no ramps, A2 (and A2S) both have ramps.

The A2E1 and A3 models both have detachable necks...adn are a completely different style.

 

[m16ty]

I know a promised some pics of my M870 a while back. I finally had it hooked to the truck so I took some pics.

 

[Derrickl112]

I know a promised some pics of my M870 a while back. I finally had it hooked to the truck so I took some pics.

Is that an actual m870? Or is it the civilian equivalent?

 

[M1075]

I know a promised some pics of my M870 a while back. I finally had it hooked to the truck so I took some pics.

Wow, nice conversion. For some reason, the trailer looks really short in the pics.

 

[Castle Bravo]

It does look short, but I don't think it is. I think it appears that way because the fold out side supports are not there.

 

[m16ty]

Is that an actual m870? Or is it the civilian equivalent?

Yes, it's a actual M870. We shortened the neck to be better suited for civilian trucks.

I've got the outriggers but don't use them very much so I haven't put them back on since painting the trailer. The trailer is the same length as all other M870s I've seen.

The KW also has a 45K wrecker winch mounted on it to fold/unfold the neck.

We mainly use it to haul our 40,000lb Taylor forklift and a 15ton BE rough terrain crane.

 

[Castle Bravo]

Rather than make a new thread, I figure I'd add on to this one -

In the M870 trailer TM, under 2-8. PREPARATION FOR USE, it states that "An adaptation kit must be installed on the M916 towing vehicle before it can be used with the semitrailer. Failure to do so will result In damage to the equipment."

Furthermore, under 1-12. EQUIPMENT CHARACTERISTICS, CAPABILITIES, AND FEATURES, it states "The M870 and M870A1 semitrailers are used to transport construction equipment and materiel and are towed by an M920 truck tractor. Either semitrailer can also be towed by an M916 truck tractor using the adaptation kit listed in TM 9-2320-270-34P."

That 270-34P TM is the -34 for the M911 C-HET and none of my searches can bring anything up. Thinking that maybe its a typo and the M915 series trucks are the 2320-273 vs the 2320-270 TMs, I looked in all the 915 TMs and was unable to find anything.

In the M870 TM, it does list an "adaption kit," (fig. 33) which I've attached a pic of. It lists part #10 as a "cable support frame," #1 as an "approach plate center extension," and #6 is a "hang up plate."

The codes in the kit part numbers reference only using it with the M870 and M870 Marine version, but not the M870A1.

Does anybody have any idea what this thing is? Heres my guess - The angle that the winch line comes out could be different in terms of how it passes over the fifth wheel on a M916 vs a M920. Maybe this thing is to keep the winch cable off of the 5th wheel on a M916?

 

[M1075]

Rather than make a new thread, I figure I'd add on to this one -

In the M870 trailer TM, under 2-8. PREPARATION FOR USE, it states that "An adaptation kit must be installed on the M916 towing vehicle before it can be used with the semitrailer. Failure to do so will result In damage to the equipment."

Furthermore, under 1-12. EQUIPMENT CHARACTERISTICS, CAPABILITIES, AND FEATURES, it states "The M870 and M870A1 semitrailers are used to transport construction equipment and materiel and are towed by an M920 truck tractor. Either semitrailer can also be towed by an M916 truck tractor using the adaptation kit listed in TM 9-2320-270-34P."

That 270-34P TM is the -34 for the M911 C-HET and none of my searches can bring anything up. Thinking that maybe its a typo and the M915 series trucks are the 2320-273 vs the 2320-270 TMs, I looked in all the 915 TMs and was unable to find anything.

In the M870 TM, it does list an "adaption kit," (fig. 33) which I've attached a pic of. It lists part #10 as a "cable support frame," #1 as an "approach plate center extension," and #6 is a "hang up plate."

The codes in the kit part numbers reference only using it with the M870 and M870 Marine version, but not the M870A1.

Does anybody have any idea what this thing is? Heres my guess - The angle that the winch line comes out could be different in terms of how it passes over the fifth wheel on a M916 vs a M920. Maybe this thing is to keep the winch cable off of the 5th wheel on a M916?

Great question! I look forward to knowing the answer.