M105 Trailer Question

[Valley Rock]

M105 Trailer Questions etc.

I am buying back my M105 Trailer that I sold last year, and I am seeking some SS wisdom .


I have (2) Deuce engines, (2) Deuce transmissions and (1) Deuce T-case AND (1) Nissan UD 6 cylinder diesel engine w/trans that I want to store inside the trailer under it's nice new-ish cover before monsoon season .

Questions:

1) Will the trailer be severely overloaded ?

2) How much will the trailer be overloaded by approx. ?

3) Should I go ahead and do it anyway since it is just basically for storage (and if it does move it won't move more than a few miles and not very fast) ?

If I have to I can leave the Nissan powertrain out of the mix, since it may not play well with the others over the winter anyway and I don't need the inside of the trailer damaged from fighting .


What would SS Nation do ?

 

[BKubu]

I've had about 7,500 pounds of hardwood stored in my trailer. I've never taken it on the road with that weight, but I move it on my property. The trailer does not look any worse for wear, but the landing leg left a mark on my driveway.

 

[Coug]

I am buying back my M105 Trailer that I sold last year, and I am seeking some SS wisdom .

If it was me and just doing it for storage, then I wouldn't worry too much about the weight. Slow speed for a couple of miles also shouldn't be an issue, but for that as long as the truck can operate the trailer air brakes it also shouldn't be an issue.
I have (2) Deuce engines, (2) Deuce transmissions and (1) Deuce T-case AND (1) Nissan UD 6 cylinder diesel engine w/trans that I want to store inside the trailer under it's nice new-ish cover before monsoon season .

Questions:

1) Will the trailer be severely overloaded ?

2) How much will the trailer be overloaded by approx. ?

3) Should I go ahead and do it anyway since it is just basically for storage (and if it does move it won't move more than a few miles and not very fast) ?

If I have to I can leave the Nissan powertrain out of the mix, since it may not play well with the others over the winter anyway and I don't need the inside of the trailer damaged from fighting .


What would SS Nation do ?

Looking at the internet and other threads on SS...

Deuce engine is about 1300-1400 lbs depending on what all is attached, if missing starter and other parts might be less.
Transmission is in the 250 lbs range.
So the 2 engines and 2 transmissions together are only going to be around 3200 lbs, maybe a bit more or less.
Transfer case is in the 500 lb range, so that brings you up to 3700ish lbs.

Max gross weight on the trailer is over 7k lbs for on road use, weighs just about 3k empty, so you should be good with all the deuce parts. The nissan engine and tranny probably won't overload it to the point of having any issues for storage/short trip.

 

[rosco]

You can't hurt that trailer with the load that your suggesting, even if you took it on the road. But better have it behind a Deuce!

 

[M543A2]

Your trailer will be fine with that loading. Just be sure the tire pressure is correct to protect them.

 

[FloridaAKM]

Weight is no problem, ponding water on the cover is a different story from your Oregon Monsoons. Water will get trapped & start leaking like a funnel right on top of what you are trying to protect. I have found that if you put 1/2" to 3/4" foamboard on top of the staves & below the cover that the water sheds off quickly & will not pond. You can cut it into 2' x 8' strips, just make sure both ends ride on top of the staves or you will just create ponds. Just a bit of info from another member who uses the trailers to store stuff in.

 

[Aussie Bloke]

G'day everyone,....


Can't add to much to whats been said so far but if your going to store any weight like you propose for any length of time you may want to put the trailer up on blocks by the frame so any weight is off the axle ect,...

Put blocks on the chassis rails at front and rear.


Just my thoughts.




Aussie.

 

[Valley Rock]

Thanks for all the info, I was probably going to do it anyway out of necessity and because I figured it would take the weight ok, but I do appreciate the reassurance, and wanted to see some numbers .


Off topic, one odd thing I noticed about this trailer when I towed it home less than two years ago was that the tires got hot, it was a 4 hour trip and I stopped halfway home to expel some coffee and check things, one thing I usually do is feel hubs and tires for a pre warning to a problem, and those trailer tires were surprisingly quite hot !

The only thing in the trailer was two sheets of plywood, a 90s model 2wd gas powered John Deere Gator, and a spare tire, not anywhere close to max capacity of that trailer, anyone else experience this ?

Seems like the tires would wear out in a week of travel with that self creating heat scenario

 

[Coug]

did you check the tire pressures? My experience with hot tires is usually due to flexing from underinflation.

The trailer is kind of heavy to begin with, even empty.
Might be heat generated by too tight of hub bearings or dragging brakes, but rubber doesn't transfer heat that well so I'd vote for tire pressure being a possible cause.

 

[BKubu]

Admittedly, I don't know how hot "hot" is, but tires get hot from the friction of driving, more so if they are underinflated as Coug pointed out. I used to have some 900s on a deuce that were labeled HEAT MASTER on the side walls (might have been Armstrong); I forget the brand.

One thing to mention...take a look in your trailer during a rainstorm. Water drains across the bed floor. If you don't want rust stains on anything you put down on the floor, I suggest putting everything up on pallets.

 

[Tinstar]

Trailer up on blocks, pallets, and foam board under tarp to prevent ponding are excellent suggestions and probably your best bets.

It will handle your cargo just fine, but unless it’s parked on a hard surface, the tires will slowly sink into the ground.

 

[Valley Rock]

So far, the Nissan w/ trans up front, along with two multi-fuel Deuce engines tucked in behind, everything stuffed in there as tight as I can get it .

Not sure I have room for two transmissions and a T-case with less than two feet in between back engine and tailgate .

It looks like plenty of room in the pic but it's deceiving, these trailers really aren't very big, plus not sure where the tongue weight will be after that if i do jam them in .

 

[Coug]

will the transmissions stand on end?

 

[Tinstar]

It is a big trailer.

You just need an even bigger one

 

[Valley Rock]

So I actually had a T-case I had forgotten about buried under some junk, so added that to the list of trailer stuffers .

So three Diesel engines
Three manual transmissions
Two T-cases
5th wheel ramp
Misc. engine mounts etc.


Got everything stuffed in there, it was pretty tight, didn't have much for tongue weight, could lift the tongue with one arm had I tried, so I added a 5th wheel ramp and a few other items to the front inside of trailer to get to what I calculate to be approx 175 lb tongue weight, good enough for the 4 mile trip to the property where it's stored .

Tires were super squaty, put a gauge on to find they had about 30 lbs, looked on the tire for the inflation amount, nada, looked on SS for inflation amount, nada #2, so I put in 55 lbs and they looked good and round and no longer squaty so called it good, anyone know the proper inflation for those M105 trailer tires by chance ?

And I went to Lowe's and got a thick piece of that insul board that was recommended, thank you for that idea 13 dollars well spent, and put it up on top of the bows to support the top and keep water from puddling .

And Blue pulled it just fine, stopped and everything

 

[Coug]

the TM says 50 for highway use, 55 seems like it would still be good. Do the tires say anything on the sidewalls for max pressure?

 

[Coug]

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?99419-M105A2-M103-1990-version

1-10 Equipment Data page has tire inflations on it.

 

[BKubu]

I suggest putting down the rear stabilizer leg. It should be stowed up under the rear of the trailer (assuming it has not been removed)...it looks to be visible in the last picture.

 

[98G]

Tire pressure on the tires on the last M105A2 I delivered was marked 55-65psi.

 

[Valley Rock]

I looked at the tires and all they said was OZ Military and the size, also saw no nomenclature plates like on my M1101 trailer .

Thanks for all the info and suggestions everyone, truly appreciate it .