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'father' of 'twins'...

hplacess

Member
37
7
8
Location
Faciststateof, NJ
Many thanks to this forum and the people who post here. As a result of this forum and you, I now have two m101a2 trailers - pic below. the 'twins'.

Got them off of an auction on GovPlanet. I had to have them shipped (from Ohio to NJ), and that was not cheap, but I am very happy to have them. on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being best condition, they are both 8-9s. What luck!

20170419_080722.jpg

So, here is my story (as a way of showing my thanks to SteelSoldiers, and to give ideas to anyone in the future who might be on the same search that I was and finds this post):


I have a Toyota FJ Cruiser and was looking for a good off-road trailer. Not crazy off road, but just over dirt roads or grassy fields. And, it is nice to have a larger utility trailer around - even on paved roads. (Also good to have for WW3 or zombie apocalypse or bugging out.... :) )


I looked at ones you can buy for that purpose made by famous names in the off road community, but found that they cost a fortune. $5,000 for a stripped one; $10,000 or more for a nicely equipped one. Could not justify the cost. they were nice, but not for me - maybe too nice, if you know what I mean.


I started looking for posts on forums about people who had the same goal as me (for an off road trailer) to see what they eventually got. Many had bought military trailers. hmmm...

And, like the old saying of "..all roads lead to Rome..." (or something like that), all of the threads spoke about SteelSoldiers, and I found that ".. all talk of military trailers leads to SteelSoldiers...". :)

read a lot here. saw builds of people on other forums that linked to/from here. read some more.

I saw that some people use these military trailers as a base for diy campers. hmmm...cool. And many people went and bought a second one - where the first one was off road hauler and the second one was a camper - or visa/versa.

So, I settled on the m101a2 for size (vs the news ones for hmmv) and things like 8 lugs and surge brakes, and I hoped to get 2 of them.


I began my search. craigslist, ebay, etc. did not find much...

then I got lucky and found a link to an auction. there was a batch of about 9 m101a2s, all in the same location, in various states of condition. so, I bid on the 2 best ones (as did a bunch of other people who helped drive up the cost :)) , and won them both. hooray!

I received them today. what great trailers! great design. super tough. great ground clearance. I could go on and on, but you probably know all this already...


my plan (as a start) is to get them registered in NJ, get the lights working for 12v (as many posts describe how to do), and check out the brakes and bearings. for now I will leave the trailers as 'original' as possible, though I will certainly clean them up. paint is in good condition, expect for one where on the underside it is peeling off of the green paint - guess it was green and got repainted for duty in the Middle East.

Thanks again for being here!

Gene
 

Bill Nutting

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
573
1,284
93
Location
Chesterfield, Mi.
I turned mine into a camper. It's small but beats sleeping on the ground. I installed 12 volt LED tail lights next to the 24 volt stock lights. This way I can tow it with my M37 or a civilian vehicle. We have had a lot of fun with this trailer. Currently we are converting an M934 into a "motor home". I'm hanging on to the M101 for now to lend to friends...
 

Tinstar

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
4,281
1,759
113
Location
Edmond, Oklahoma
Congrats on the win!
The prices on A2's have been going up and that batch in Ohio didn't go cheap.

You will absolutely love the trailers.
I use mine almost everyday and am still amazed on just how tough and versatile they are.

No matter how they look, check everything!
If new brake or bearing parts are needed, use quality parts. No China stuff.

The surge brakes are wonderful if properly fixed/maintained.


I was approached a few days ago about my M101A2 that I was towing with my M1008A1.
A Couple in a jeep were asking about the trailer and if I would sell it.
They, along with other Jeep people they know, are looking for one.
I answered their questions and turned down a good offer.

Remember, the government supply won't last forever.
 

Recovry4x4

LLM/Member 785
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
34,012
1,807
113
Location
GA Mountains
They are an excellent all around trailer. Congrats and welcome aboard. The only thing wrong with them is they're only 45" between the fenders. The A3 version fixed that. You will enjoy the heck out of these.
 

bigbe5678

Member
306
22
18
Location
Pearl River NY
Hi Welcome to the green addiction I also have a Toyota FJ and M101A3 This trailer rocks I put new shoes bearings master cylinder shocks. I use it all the time Maybe you can find some parts at the MV show this weekend Good Luck
 

TrailLifeBill

Member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
178
4
18
Location
Brunswick, GA
Good lookin' trailers!! I just received my 12/24v LED "bulbs" to replace the originals in my new to me M101A3. Mine's not in as good a condition as yours, but for a utility trailer, I think I got a good deal. Picked up a couple sets of bearings/seals - so it's tear-down time to inspect/repack and/or replace bearings as needed. I plan to keep a spare set of bearings and seals with the trailer "just in case".
 

Trailboss

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,577
137
63
Location
Norwood LA
Welcome, nice looking trailers! I love the M101s and have used them to haul stuff and camp in.
 
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