My 1009 folding license plate bracket

[richingalveston]

For those of you with new (new to you) 1009's and those who do not like the way they have their license plate mounted, here is what I did with mine.

I used a trailer licesnse plate bracket which had a ligh and a bar with two holes two fasten the plate too.
I mounted it to a piece of 1.5X1.5 aluminum angle which was bolted to the top of the pintle hitch plate.
The light bulb is behind the bumper shining up, It is hooked to my tail light so when I black out the lights, this light goes out also.
I attached hinges to the plate bracket and then the plate to the other side of the hinges. I glued magnet strip to the back of the plate to hold it up against the tailgate.

The plate folds down when you need to open the gate and I did not have to drill any holes exept the two that bolt it to the pintle plate which cannot be seen.

hope this helps others.

 

[Paladin6]

That was a great idea - looks good too. Thanks!

 

[Grega]

Havnt seen that before, looks good.

 

[baldyviewdesignlab]

Any chance you have a wide shot? One that shows the whole back end.

 

[richingalveston]

Here are pics with it up and down. I painted the back of the plate and as much of the front as possible. I plan to get custom plates soon which will have a black back ground and white letters. When it is down, you cant tell its there from a distance because it folds down to a 90 degree angle and the back is painted.

 

[Warthog]

Are those training wheels on your truck???

Just kidding. The optical illusion makes it look funny.


Great job on the tag mount.

 

[ThunderCracker]

Lol Warthog I thought the same thing. They look small and really far in on the body.

 

[wallew]

I love what you did with the folding plate idea.

AND you have a light. ALWAYS a great idea if you run plates.

 

[cliffyp]

Ya when that plate's folded down you can't see it if you didn't know to look for it. Perfect for that bank robbing gig!

 

[richingalveston]

I thought about getting a solinoid to kick the plate down when I hit the black out switch. so when the lights go out, the highly reflective license plate blacks out also.

In texas we have to use front plates also. When I install the front winch, I may put the hook and all behind the front plate so there is potential for a front fold down also.

I would not advise using a 1009 for any bank robbing, They would have a small handfull of people to question since there are only a small handfull of 1009's in the Houston Metro area.
If the get away road was a 4x4 trail then you might actually be able to out run the cops. Otherwise, it is barely fast enough to get out of its own way.

 

[twlinks]

I thought I remembered someone saying you do not have to run plates in Texas???

 

[richingalveston]

You do not have to, you can run numbers stenciled on the bumpers as the military did, if you are calling it a historic vehicle. If you do this then you need to carry a folder with a copy of the law to show the policeman who pulls you over that it is legal. Probably less than %10 of police know this law. And if you modified the vehicle like I have it no longer qualifies. It has to be in origional condition.

The plates and tags cost less than $75 per year so it is worth it not to get pulled over all of the time to argue with the cops.

 

[cliffyp]

I was under the impression we didn't need front plates in Texas also. I've run many different vehicles without front plates over the years and have never been pulled over for it. I never had an officer mention the front plates when I've been pulled over for other traffic infractions. I guess they just don't care in my area.

 

[wallew]

cliffyp,

Actually, FMV bumper numbers are $10 a year ($50 for five year period that is starting over again in 2013). Plus if you go with the FMV (you can actually run plates if you want), you don't have to get it inspected either.


Here's my M1028A2 dually front and rear -
View attachment 397661View attachment 397662


and my MKT75A trailer (all the FMV rules apply)
View attachment 397651View attachment 397652


and I pull the MKT75A with the M1028A2 - here we are, leaving the Alliance Airshow - note my M1009 Blazer pulling my MEP003A on trailer (both with bumper numbers) directly behind me driven by another club member
View attachment 397668

 

[richingalveston]

I read up on just doing the numbers but from my understanding, the truck had to be stock military or real close to it in order to qualify for this. I was afraid my 1009 would not meet this requirement so I took the safe route and got plates.
My 1009 will still look military however it is much taller and will have much bigger tires than stock so if I ran across a cop with an attitude, It might cost me more money than the plates and inspections.

If you have plates in texas you are required to have one on the front of the vehicle. This is enforced in my area may not be in others. I beleive the State Troopers will get you for this if they pull you over for something else.

 

[Repo3004]

Great idea, will be doing the same to mine.

 

[Racallahan1]

cliffyp,

Actually, FMV bumper numbers are $10 a year ($50 for five year period that is starting over again in 2013). Plus if you go with the FMV (you can actually run plates if you want), you don't have to get it inspected either.


Here's my M1028A2 dually front and rear -
View attachment 397661View attachment 397662


and my MKT75A trailer (all the FMV rules apply)
View attachment 397651View attachment 397652


and I pull the MKT75A with the M1028A2 - here we are, leaving the Alliance Airshow - note my M1009 Blazer pulling my MEP003A on trailer (both with bumper numbers) directly behind me driven by another club member
View attachment 397668

Sorry for going off topic. Did you get the M2 burners with the MKT? I can't imagine the military would actually sell those at auction. They're dangerous enough for those trained to use them, let alone the untrained! Then again, I have seen immersion heaters being sold and they're even more dangerous to the untrained.