Trailer Question for M1009

[trkosaur]

Hey Guys,
Recently purchased my first M1009 and this thing is a beast! Thanks for putting together this fine body of work. This site has really helped me out. Finally, I have my dream vehicle. I bought this to replace my 1st gen yota and give me some options for fuel, while still having a solid off-road/daily driver. So far, I am stoked. I am planning to pack my bags and leave Texas once again, heading back west to Cali. or Oregon to settle down. I don't have much stuff, but have a question about pulling a small trailer lightly loaded with my belongings.

Option 1: I looked at civy trailers and hitches, but a good 5x8 enclosed is running about $1200-1500 in my neck of the woods, plus I would need the ball hitch mount.

Option 2: I can get a mil spec trailer for around $200 or so. I would enclose with wood, water seal, and have a canvas top. I was hoping to keep the mil hitch and call it good.

I want option two mainly because of cost. What can I expect when pulling a military trailer with the 6.2L? I don't plan on having too much weight or driving too hard, but I have read some warnings on this site about pulling trailers with the M1009.

Here are the trialers I am looking at, one obviously lighter and smaller than the other, but curious what you think the truck could handle.

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]MDL#M105AS 1 1/2 ton [/FONT](3000lbs)
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]MDL#M101A1 3/4 ton[/FONT] (1340 lbs)

Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

[trkosaur]

Sorry, here are some better pics.

 

[nk14zp]

Go with the 101 the hitch is a lot higher on the 105.

 

[trkosaur]

The more I think about it, the more the 101 makes sense. However, I want to make buying and pulling a trailer worth it. What are the inside/usable dimensions of the 101?

 

[MWMULES]

The M101 is made for it, and looks better being pulled. Trailer weight = MPG

 

[Recovry4x4]

101 bed is about the size of a pickup with the exception that there is only 45" between the inner fenders. 105 has a 9' bed with wider fenders. You can tow a 105 with the 09 but not advisable on a regular basis. Wished you were close by, I'd let you try the M105 to help you change your mind. Go with the 101 for sure. If you go civvy you can always use a ball pintle combo that will bolt to the bumper and get you going right quick.

 

[trkosaur]

fair enough, the 101 makes sense. out of curiosity, why is everyone down on the pintle hitch? I have never used them on a regular basis myself, but assumed because the military used them, they worked well. What is the major downside?

 

[nk14zp]

I'm not down on them the do have slop tho.

 

[Sarge]

Whoo-boy! I hate to beat a dead horse here, but......
The M105 should not be pulled by anything smaller than an M35.
Why not? Brakes, brakes, brakes. You cannot stop quickly without them.
The M105 uses air over hydraulic brakes and I'm not aware of anything smaller than an M35 having the correct hook-up for the M105.
Yeah, yeah, I know, your Chevy/Ford/Dodge/Mini Cooper has oodles of power and you can tow an M105 up the side of a cliff at high speed in 5th gear.
Okay, you are a star. Can you stop that M105 going down that cliff? Honestly? I would like to shoot that with a video camera for America's Funniest Home Video's. Hee-hee!
So how about the M101? Perfect right? No, not for an M1009. Perfect for an M1008 or a Humvee or pretty much any other military one and a quarter ton truck. that's why they built it, for the 1 1/4 ton trucks. The later versions even have surge brakes. Last time I checked the M1009 was a 3/4 ton truck and is only rated to tow the M416. (1/4 ton trailer)
WHAT!!! Has Sarge finally had his stroke? Has his memory failed him (again)?
Well, TM 9-2320-289-10, M1009 Operator's Manual, page 2-57, paragraph 2-14a(1) says, and I quote, "M1009. Equipped to tow M416 Series 1/4 ton trailers with maximum load of 1200 pounds for both cross country and highway travel. Load on tongue should not exceed 100 pounds." End quote. Ha-ha! Sarge still has his marbles.
Can you tow something bigger? Sure, if you're not in the military. You can tow your 5 ton with an M1009 if that's what you want to do. I just hope that a State Trooper catches you before you hit me.
So Trkosaur, welcome to Steel Soldiers! You asked for advice, you got it! Maybe not exactly what you wanted to hear, but perhaps my post will save you some cash and save you the crash you may have had pulling an M105 down Deadman's Pass.
If you don't know what an M416 looks like, go to E-bay and look at the military vehicles page. An M416 typically sells for $300 to $1200. A $300 one is rough, a $600 is usually pretty and a $1200 one has gold plated hucaps.
So you live in Austin, Texas? Hey, did you know that we have an MVPA chapter here?
Some of us live, sleep and eat Military Vehicles. Well, not literally, I prefer Ramen Noodles. Send me a PM, I'll give you my e-mail address and telephone number. At the Flying F Ranch (20 miles North of you) I have two dozen weird and wonderful MV's. A day trip to visit me would be worth your time. I also happen to have an M416, an M101 and an M105 for you to look at. Not for sale though, Sarge buys, Sarge does not sell.
See ya!
-Sarge
P.S. No angry replies about how your Mini Cooper tows horse trailers up Mount Everest, Thank You!

 

[KaiserM109]

I have a 101 that I bought as "residue". It was missing the tongue, both wheels/tires and 1 brake drum. I cut the hubs off and welded on the front hubs from a '75 Bronco. That did reduce the weight capacity a bit, but it makes it so that it uses the same 5 on 5 1/2 bolt pattern as our '61 Willys Wagon, my '69 Bronco and other Fords. The front hubs gave me a full floating axle w/2 bearings per spindle.

It tows great behind my '69 Bronco with loads up to 1750 lb. My Bronco is probably 800 - 1000 lb. lighter than your M1009. Even the small 289 CUID engine pulled it well at 10,000 elevation.

I also have 2 M105s and have pulled them behind the Bronco empty. They would be too heavy with any kind of load for my Bronco or your M1009.

There is also the issue of brakes. A loaded M101 is right at the limit of no brakes. There are some M101s available with surge brakes and I would recommend that. I plan to add that to my rig when $$ are available.

GO M101!!

RE Pintle VS ball: The pintle will stay on even in real tough conditions. That's why the military uses them but they are sloppy.

I have a duel end on mine so that I can have either pintle or ball. I use the ball any time I am on regular roads.

PS Ever see a trailer with lockout hubs before?

 

[Midnight Rider]

Whoo-boy! I hate to beat a dead horse here, but......
The M105 should not be pulled by anything smaller than an M35.
Why not? Brakes, brakes, brakes. You cannot stop quickly without them.
The M105 uses air over hydraulic brakes and I'm not aware of anything smaller than an M35 having the correct hook-up for the M105.
Yeah, yeah, I know, your Chevy/Ford/Dodge/Mini Cooper has oodles of power and you can tow an M105 up the side of a cliff at high speed in 5th gear.
Okay, you are a star. Can you stop that M105 going down that cliff? Honestly? I would like to shoot that with a video camera for America's Funniest Home Video's. Hee-hee!
So how about the M101? Perfect right? No, not for an M1009. Perfect for an M1008 or a Humvee or pretty much any other military one and a quarter ton truck. that's why they built it, for the 1 1/4 ton trucks. The later versions even have surge brakes. Last time I checked the M1009 was a 3/4 ton truck and is only rated to tow the M416. (1/4 ton trailer)
WHAT!!! Has Sarge finally had his stroke? Has his memory failed him (again)?
Well, TM 9-2320-289-10, M1009 Operator's Manual, page 2-57, paragraph 2-14a(1) says, and I quote, "M1009. Equipped to tow M416 Series 1/4 ton trailers with maximum load of 1200 pounds for both cross country and highway travel. Load on tongue should not exceed 100 pounds." End quote. Ha-ha! Sarge still has his marbles.
Can you tow something bigger? Sure, if you're not in the military. You can tow your 5 ton with an M1009 if that's what you want to do. I just hope that a State Trooper catches you before you hit me.
So Trkosaur, welcome to Steel Soldiers! You asked for advice, you got it! Maybe not exactly what you wanted to hear, but perhaps my post will save you some cash and save you the crash you may have had pulling an M105 down Deadman's Pass.
If you don't know what an M416 looks like, go to E-bay and look at the military vehicles page. An M416 typically sells for $300 to $1200. A $300 one is rough, a $600 is usually pretty and a $1200 one has gold plated hucaps.
So you live in Austin, Texas? Hey, did you know that we have an MVPA chapter here?
Some of us live, sleep and eat Military Vehicles. Well, not literally, I prefer Ramen Noodles. Send me a PM, I'll give you my e-mail address and telephone number. At the Flying F Ranch (20 miles North of you) I have two dozen weird and wonderful MV's. A day trip to visit me would be worth your time. I also happen to have an M416, an M101 and an M105 for you to look at. Not for sale though, Sarge buys, Sarge does not sell.
See ya!
-Sarge
P.S. No angry replies about how your Mini Cooper tows horse trailers up Mount Everest, Thank You!

Informative and funny.

 

[319]

Sarge is dead on! I wouldn't tow an M101 unless it was an A2 and empty, and never an M105.

 

[trkosaur]

thanks guys. so, I guess i am going civy unless i feel like pushing my luck, which i don't. this road trip could be massive, like 6k mi. massive. i am not sure when/where i will end up, hence the trailer. don't want all of my crap packed in my truck for 6 months and not be able to get to anything. thanks for heads up on the weight and brake issues. anyone selling a cheap 5x8 enclosed trailer??? or have that a link to the adapter that allows the pintle and the ball hitch to be interchangable?

thanks

 

[papercu]

Don't know of a adapter, they do make a combo that will replace the pintle and will pull civilian or military trailers.
The problem is while the truck would pull it, you still have just a lightweight bumper hitch and I imagine that is why the military has it rated so low.
Whatever trailer you get I would find a frame mounted hitch to pull it with.
And in case you don't have one yet a transmission cooler is good insurance. Wayne

 

[Wolf.Dose]

trailer for M1009

Trailer according to the TM9-2320-289-10 is a M416A1 (means with overrun braking device) officially in the military. However, a M101A2 with overrun brakes is a not to big obstacle for the M1009, if you do not overload it, means respect the 2840 lbs max. trailer weight (TM 9-2320-202-14P, page 1-14). Highter weights are due to the rear axle ratio not good for the truck, also not for the breaking performance. The problem for the moment is not up hill, however down hill there are heating problems. The TM400 with the rear axle ratio of 3.09 also on longer terms will not survive expected life times.
Civilian brake ratio of the truck is 8000 lbs with a gross combination weight of 10000 lbs according to the information folders of the mid 80's, issued by GM. I own some of them.
In my 16 years of owning and driving this truck, I found out, that even a Jeep trailer really fully loaded on a hilly hightway will be no good for the TM400 trans even at the realatively low speeds of 50 to 55 mph as allowed in Germany. This is due to about 2000 miles (out of 232,000 miles I drove the truck) with a Jeep trailer (type MNT250, Mitsubishi licence of the Bantam T2 trailer) fully loaded, going to Normandy in 1994 and to a meeting in 1996. Except the trailer the truck was loaded to the max with a family of four.
Hope this helps for the decision.
Wolf from Germany

 

[nk14zp]

Sarge I did not want to get into the brake issue. The 101 makes more sense.

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

Just rent one from Uhaul or somewhere.

 

[mkcoen]

Hey Sarge, how about a M116A2 with a 10kw genset? It's got surge brakes so hopefully I can pull it. The M1009 is supposed to be in this weekend so I'll try to swing by and you can tell me how great it looks next to the Golden Throne barn!

 

[CrewCab59]

Use your head and the M101 will be fine .

 

[Sarge]

But honestly, my Mini Cooper can pull a HEMMT!!!
And I am not worried about the brakes because Fred Flintstone is riding shotgun!
Hey guys, seriously, the TM says 1200 pounds max towed load for a reason.
You have that itty-bitty TH400 transmission and those wimpy axles under a 1009.
The 1008 has way better axle gearing for heavier loads.
I have a 101 that I might someday tow with the 1009 but only with two caveats.
1) I need to put a tranny cooler on the 1009 first.
2) The 101 would be very lightly loaded and have no cargo cover (wind drag)
Bottom line is:
Tow whatever you want, it's your 1009, your tranny, your axles.
Just please don't hit Granny Frickett when you lose control!
Thus endeth the sermon, go forth in peace.......
-Sarge