1 ton load in a M101A2

[bookpile]

Hi,

I'm new to the site and owning surplus vehicles, however I'm not new to driving them. I drove primarily M981 FISTV, M7 BFIST, and M1114s in the Army.

I bought a 2012 F150 Ecoboost rated to tow 11,300 lbs. I own a wood pellet stove and buy 1 ton of pellets about 6 times a year, usually less than 20 miles from my house.

I am looking at some of the M101s on Government Liquidations. There seem to be a lot of M101A2 which are rated for 3/4 ton. Is that weight rating for off road use? Could I get away with 1 ton on the road?

I see the A3s are rated for 1 ton. Would I be better off waiting for one of those? Do they go for a lot more money?

One more question. why are some listed as Demil Q? I see the site says I need a EUC certificate. What exactly does that mean? Do I need to destroy it if I buy it? I'm sure this has been discussed somewhere if someone can point me towards it.

Thanks,

Looks like a neat site.

 

[trooper632]

I have put about 2000 lbs of dirt in one and towed about 50 miles pulled great

 

[rosco]

2000# won't hurt it at all.

 

[harleyhouse]

2000 pounds won't hurt it " the crappy Pennsylvania roads don't help though"
I have a M101A2 and it is a work horse and pulls great from 8 to 80 mph.

 

[patracy]

I know doghead pulled his M101 with a M916 (I think, it was a dang huge transmission no matter what) transmission from NY down to GA and back without issue. They're very under rated IMHO.

 

[KsM715]

Nice timing on this question. This week Ive been using my 101 to haul gravel for a small job at work. This pic is 3200# in the trailer. You can hardly even noticed its squated down.

*edit* demil Q just means you have to fill out an EUC to own one.

 

[K9Vic]

You are not going to find a civilian built trailer for the cost that can handle the load of a M101 trailer. They are built to last and designed to hold a heavy load compared to that cheaply made one get at Home Depot. I just got a 1967 M101A1 and if one does not know anything about these trailers, you would think it is only a few years old.

The only thing with these M101 is that they are NOT designed to dump as some say, the tilt it is for transportation purposes. Some have broken their trailers using them to tilt a heavy load.

There are three versions of the M101; A1, A2 & A3. The major difference is just the years of manufacture with wheels/axle and brakes.
A1: Manual brakes for parking only (no surge) with 5-lug wheels.
A2: Surge brakes with GM 8-Lug wheels. (Most popular for easy of finding rims)
A3: Surge brakes with HMMWV wheels & I believe also wider gap between the wheel wells. (not as common)

The M101A1 does not have surge brakes so with these you have to be careful with large loads when stopping. I have had to panic stop with both a A1 & A2 and the stopping distance is allot more without surge brakes and I was empty in the trailer.

 

[swbradley1]

I sold one to a co-worker and we loaded it with solid Ash wood heaped above the side racks and it still didn't come down to the stops. I'm guessing it had between 3,500 and 4,000lbs on it.

(We had to load it with a backhoe the pieces were so heavy.)

 

[gungearz]

I know doghead pulled his M101 with a M916 (I think, it was a dang huge transmission no matter what) transmission from NY down to GA and back without issue. They're very under rated IMHO.

Agreed, most MV's and trailers are under rated for off highway use and usually you can double that for highway use. Welcome to the site...q

 

[sigo]

One version of the TM even lists off road rating at 1500lbs and highway rating at 3000lbs. 2000lbs is no problem at all for a M101a2.

 

[sxemike]

I think they're good as long as you keep them under 2 tons....2 looks like it's pushing it to me.

I towed 4 tons of gravel a few miles with mine....not a good idea, but it didn't break.

 

[doghead]

I know doghead pulled his M101 with a M916 (I think, it was a dang huge transmission no matter what) transmission from NY down to GA and back without issue. They're very under rated IMHO.

That load was very heavy. I had about 1/2-3/4" between the bump stop and the axle.

It towed perfectly and stopped perfectly.

I checked the trailer,suspension,hitch and frame several times on that trip, knowing I was overloaded.

For the OP's purpose, it would be a good trailer.

An EUC may be required(background check and some time).

Demil Q, just means the EUC is required. (no need to destroy anything)

An SF-97(certificate of origin stating the government owned it and never titled it) may be required to get it registered or titled in your state. This cost you extra.

 

[86humv]

M101A2 is a better trailer for work due to wheels and tires are available just about any place and are less weight than the Humvee tires / wheels which cost more and harder to balance.
The early A3 is a A2 conversion with the same bed width inside, and they added fender flares and changed the axle and landing leg.
I put an A3 landing leg on my A2 because its a crank-up leg which is nice.

 

[bookpile]

Thanks, these were pretty much the replies I was expecting. After looking at some of the trailers at the big box stores I knew I wanted something better.

Thanks for pointing out the A3 takes HMMWV tires. I was looking at two A3s on GL near me, I thought they would be better because I could fit sheet goods between the wheel wells but those tires are expensive. I guess I'll just have to weigh the pros and cons.

Are most of these things from GL towable as is, or should I plan on trying to find a trailer to put it on and tow out of there? Anything else I should know about buying something from GL?

Thanks

 

[Bob H]

You can put regular 8 lug wheels & tires on an A3.
The M101As are versitile, never know what you might use it for

 

[Recovry4x4]

I've had great luck towing my trailer bounty home. You must make several stops to check connections, hub heat and tires. Don't forget towing lights, they mil trailer has a unique plug on it.

 

[marchplumber]

Welcome aboard! I concur with others, weight isn't usually an issue. Brakes can be. Prefer military over civilian for capacity. I am looking for a M101a1 or a2 for around here. Lighter than a M105a2 and easier to fan-dangle around.
God bless,
Tony

 

[bookpile]

You can put regular 8 lug wheels & tires on an A3.
The M101As are versitile, never know what you might use it forView attachment 351014

Do you need to change out the hubs to put on 8 lug whee ls and tires? If so are they readily available? Or do you have to change out the entire axle?

 

[jbingvtx]

I believe the wheels are a direct bolt on swap, but there are several folks selling surplus HMMWV wheels and tires dirt cheap.

 

[Bob H]

Do you need to change out the hubs to put on 8 lug whee ls and tires? If so are they readily available? Or do you have to change out the entire axle?

Same bolt pattern.
I would not have said that you could put regular 8 lug wheels on an A3 if you couldn't.
I'll clarify though that the Metric bolt pattern 8 lug Ford wheels will not fit.
CUCV & M880 wheels will bolt on.
the pattern is 8 on a 6.5inch pattern.