Finally! My first M101A3

[FMFDoc225]

Hello all,

Have been lurking on hear for over a year reading, studying, taking notes and gleaning all the information necessary in preparation for purchasing my first M101A3 trailer. Living in a condo I couldn't buy one as I had no where to store and work on it. All I could do is read, learn and research on this site. Now that I've moved into a home, I have the room, time and all the necessary information needed to finally get one. That said, I successfully bid on and won a nice M101A3 from Portsmouth, VA. Sorry, no pics yet...

Thanks to this site I already know pretty much everything I need to bring for the recovery. Trailer lights, the correct 12v bulbs, how to adapt to a civvy harness, compressor, the correct bearing in case they seize up for the VA>NJ trip, tools, etc....You guys are an incredible wealth of information, and I thank yo for it.

Interestingly enough, despite the fact that the trailer auction said EUC required, I received an email from eucinfo@govliqidation stating that it is being discarded as it is not required for this item...Hmmm. I know, don'
t look a gift horse in the mouth and make arrangements to grab it as soon as possible..

Only question I have that I haven't seen here is Portsmouth, VA...How easy is it to deal with them during a recovery? Do they want you out asap or will they allow you some time for a thorough running gear inspection? If not, is there a convenient place to stop outside the base to do a full inspection prior to the 6 hour drive?

Again, thanks for the wealth of information you all have provided.

 

[g2065g]

Congrats on the win. Did you win it on GL? If so I believe it is 10 business days to pick up and I believe you have to make an appointment(not positive I need to double check). I just won a trailer from GL and also need to pick up. Best of luck with it.

 

[FMFDoc225]

Congrats on the win. Did you win it on GL? If so I believe it is 10 business days to pick up and I believe you have to make an appointment(not positive I need to double check). I just won a trailer from GL and also need to pick up. Best of luck with it.

Yup, GL. Waiting on the invoice to show paid in full before making arrangements to go get it. Did yours require an ECU? The ECU for trailers seems hit or miss based on what I've read here...Good luck with your recovery...

 

[g2065g]

No EUC for my m105a2. But i believe the others(all 1 tons) that were up for bid all had EUC required.

 

[therealsundance]

There were some great deals in the Portsmouth auction on Thursday. Thought about bidding on a few and then decided I didn't want a 8 - 10 round trip. Post pictures of the one you won.

 

[FMFDoc225]

There were some great deals in the Portsmouth auction on Thursday. Thought about bidding on a few and then decided I didn't want a 8 - 10 round trip. Post pictures of the one you won.

I know what you mean. Its 5 hrs each way for me, but don't have much of a choice living in the NorthEast, where bases and trailers are few and far between....I'll post pics when I recover it late this week...

 

[FMFDoc225]

Finally recovered her this AM. The folks at St Juliens Creek Annex were exceptional. They allowed me all the time I needed to inspect the trailer before towing her away. That said, I got lucky as there doesn't seem to be a spot of rust on her and everything was there (the rest of the rails and cover are in the trailer). She towed just fine and I'm looking forward to working on her. All in all it was a flawless recovery and all the "just in case" tools and equipment I brought weren't used...On to the pics:






Although it looks like the trailer is responsible for straining the Jeep's rear suspension, its more because of the 200+ lbs worth of tools, an air compressor, two HD jacks and a pair of surge assemblies I picked up locally for two friends of mine that I had in the back of the Jeep...

 

[harleyhouse]

Nice looking trailer.
Keeping it green or going expo?

 

[FMFDoc225]

Nice looking trailer.
Keeping it green or going expo?

Definitely expo....Ditching the tires, axle, hydro system/actuator and going electric braking, Dexter 3,500 axle and fabricating a lid....

 

[quickfarms]

Definitely expo....Ditching the tires, axle, hydro system/actuator and going electric braking, Dexter 3,500 axle and fabricating a lid....

What is the fascination with electric brakes. I have never had good luck with electric brakes. My experience is they do not like being dunked in water or sand, we had a lot of trouble with them in the pine barrens of south jersey growing up. Never had half the trouble with the surge brakes on the boat trailers we were dunking in salt water.

 

[truck1]

I agree with Quickfarms. My M101a2 does fine with a properly operating surge brake. I prefer it to the electric brake on my 14' flatbed trailer. And the suspension is great. I think the military nailed it all around with this trailer as is. Just my 2 cents. VERY nice trailer .

 

[harleyhouse]

This one has the nicest hard cover I have seen.


My build on Expo: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...d-a-Military-trailer-to-build-a-family-hauler

 

[harleyhouse]

This one was featured at the 2013 SEMA show..

 

[FMFDoc225]

What is the fascination with electric brakes. I have never had good luck with electric brakes. My experience is they do not like being dunked in water or sand, we had a lot of trouble with them in the pine barrens of south jersey growing up. Never had half the trouble with the surge brakes on the boat trailers we were dunking in salt water.

Yup. The Pine Barrens can wreak havoc on everything. That fine sand/mud does a number on vehicles and trailer alike...Although I agree that the surge brake system is simple and reliable, its a matter of weight. Although my Jeep is supercharged, weight is always going to be an issue. Dumping the axle, 37" wheels and hydraulic actuator will lighten the trailer. Ideally, an M416 would be perfect for me, but I've been on the hunt for one (unsucesfully) for over a year...Also considering electric over hydraulic but the cost may not be worth the end result. Still exploring options...

 

[Recovry4x4]

Places like Colemans used to have M416 trailers stacked pyramid style. They sold for years for $350. Now a rust bucket is up to a grand. Just found one a while back in a local paper for $850. Looked good in the pics.

 

[quickfarms]

Yup. The Pine Barrens can wreak havoc on everything. That fine sand/mud does a number on vehicles and trailer alike...Although I agree that the surge brake system is simple and reliable, its a matter of weight. Although my Jeep is supercharged, weight is always going to be an issue. Dumping the axle, 37" wheels and hydraulic actuator will lighten the trailer. Ideally, an M416 would be perfect for me, but I've been on the hunt for one (unsucesfully) for over a year...Also considering electric over hydraulic but the cost may not be worth the end result. Still exploring options...

A good option for what you want would be to ditch the heavy military tires and axle and install a new axle with hydraulic brakes and matching bolt pattern and tire wheel combination as the jeep. The surge brake actuator is not that heavy. What is heavy are the military tires and axle. This would save you a lot of weight and still keep the brakes. It would also save additional weight by not carrying a second spare.

 

[FMFDoc225]

A good option for what you want would be to ditch the heavy military tires and axle and install a new axle with hydraulic brakes and matching bolt pattern and tire wheel combination as the jeep. The surge brake actuator is not that heavy. What is heavy are the military tires and axle. This would save you a lot of weight and still keep the brakes. It would also save additional weight by not carrying a second spare.

Thanks. That's exactly what I plan on doing as far as an axle/tire swap. Only issue I see is the JK wheels will require a 2" spacer due to the diameter of the dexter hub on the 3500 axle i was looking at. Not sure to what extent the spacer will put additional stress on the axle bearings/spindle.

 

[quickfarms]

Thanks. That's exactly what I plan on doing as far as an axle/tire swap. Only issue I see is the JK wheels will require a 2" spacer due to the diameter of the dexter hub on the 3500 axle i was looking at. Not sure to what extent the spacer will put additional stress on the axle bearings/spindle.

The modern jeep wheels have a very small pilot hole due to the lack of locking hubs these days

Here is an answer I found

http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-64.html

 

[harleyhouse]

F and L on Expo just bought a new axle for his trailer to match his Jeep.
It is in his build blog http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/117096-1953-M101A1-RESURRECTION

 

[FMFDoc225]

F and L on Expo just bought a new axle for his trailer to match his Jeep.
It is in his build blog http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/117096-1953-M101A1-RESURRECTION

Thanks. Although that's what I'm going to do (spacers), I'm concerned about undue stress and premature wearing of the bearings due to wheels sitting farther out than intended...