KaiserM109
New member
- 1,108
- 4
- 0
- Location
- SE Aurora, CO
Some time ago we had a thread running about converting trailers, but I couldn't find it. It was long enough ago that I might as well start a new one.
I bought a scrap M101A1 that was missing enough parts that I didn't need an EUC, but it had a complete box in excellent condition. I wanted a trailer that I could pull behind my '69 Bronco or our '61 Willys with a Ford power train and IH Scout axles, so I wanted small diameter hubs and a 5 on 5 1/2 bolt pattern to keep the spares the same.
I chopped off the axle ends and welded on spindle hubs from a '75 Ford Bronco. The Inside Diameter was the same as the OD of the axle (with just a little polishing) so it was real easy to make a good connection. That's the first photo. Next we built a tongue from square tubing. Ours looks a lot like the original, nothing special.
About the welding: If you look at the at first picture it is easy to see the circular weld. To reinforce against weight we added a triangular flange at the top and the bottom. That's a little harder to discern, especially the top one.
The brake backing plate is from the front of the ’75 Bronco. Later I plan to modify it to accept an emergency brake cable and connect it to the original brake handles. The wheels and tires are temporaries, pull-offs from another project.
The hub, picture 2, is still original but I plan to chop it off just outside the end of the spindle and put on the blank ends from a Jeep Wagoneer. That will put them inside the tires; right now they stick out about 1 to 2 inches. I had to put the whole thing, except the actual lockout gears, on to make it water proof. I positioned the wheels so that with fat tires the rubber will line up ½ inch inside the box.
I put a combo hitch on it so that I can switch it between military and civilian vehicles. I am presently using temporary lights but I plan to put on a set of LED lights that take from 12 volts to 38 volts. That way I can hook it up to 12 or 24 volt systems without any type of conversion.
I towed the trailer first empty at 65 MPH and it was great. My Bronco has one loose steering joint and the trailer actually stabilized it a bit. Next I towed it with around 1500 lb. at 50 MPH and it was a little too much for the Bronco with soft sidewall tires. It tended to waggle a bit and showed a very slight tendency to oscillate. Better tires on the Bronco would help a lot. On a towing vehicle with more distance from the axle to hitch and soft tires it could be a problem.
I plan to sandblast and paint the rig later this summer. When I do I will show pictures of the whole thing. Right now it is a bit ugly, even for an MV enthusiast. All in all, I am very pleased with the results. Even with 15" tires instead of the original 16", it has great ground clearance for off road towing.
I bought a scrap M101A1 that was missing enough parts that I didn't need an EUC, but it had a complete box in excellent condition. I wanted a trailer that I could pull behind my '69 Bronco or our '61 Willys with a Ford power train and IH Scout axles, so I wanted small diameter hubs and a 5 on 5 1/2 bolt pattern to keep the spares the same.
I chopped off the axle ends and welded on spindle hubs from a '75 Ford Bronco. The Inside Diameter was the same as the OD of the axle (with just a little polishing) so it was real easy to make a good connection. That's the first photo. Next we built a tongue from square tubing. Ours looks a lot like the original, nothing special.
About the welding: If you look at the at first picture it is easy to see the circular weld. To reinforce against weight we added a triangular flange at the top and the bottom. That's a little harder to discern, especially the top one.
The brake backing plate is from the front of the ’75 Bronco. Later I plan to modify it to accept an emergency brake cable and connect it to the original brake handles. The wheels and tires are temporaries, pull-offs from another project.
The hub, picture 2, is still original but I plan to chop it off just outside the end of the spindle and put on the blank ends from a Jeep Wagoneer. That will put them inside the tires; right now they stick out about 1 to 2 inches. I had to put the whole thing, except the actual lockout gears, on to make it water proof. I positioned the wheels so that with fat tires the rubber will line up ½ inch inside the box.
I put a combo hitch on it so that I can switch it between military and civilian vehicles. I am presently using temporary lights but I plan to put on a set of LED lights that take from 12 volts to 38 volts. That way I can hook it up to 12 or 24 volt systems without any type of conversion.
I towed the trailer first empty at 65 MPH and it was great. My Bronco has one loose steering joint and the trailer actually stabilized it a bit. Next I towed it with around 1500 lb. at 50 MPH and it was a little too much for the Bronco with soft sidewall tires. It tended to waggle a bit and showed a very slight tendency to oscillate. Better tires on the Bronco would help a lot. On a towing vehicle with more distance from the axle to hitch and soft tires it could be a problem.
I plan to sandblast and paint the rig later this summer. When I do I will show pictures of the whole thing. Right now it is a bit ugly, even for an MV enthusiast. All in all, I am very pleased with the results. Even with 15" tires instead of the original 16", it has great ground clearance for off road towing.
