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I've had the idea since picking up my M37 to get a M1061 to haul it behind the 5 ton on camping trips etc so that when I set up camp, I would have a "grocery getter" (I like to camp a week at a time or better. I work 3 weeks on/off) so if I needed to go anywhere I wouldn't have to take the 5 ton setup down and back up. Also, my lady usually drives her truck as a chase vehicle/grocery getter and this would get rid of that need. Plus, it would look really cool!
So for a while I've been looking for one and lo and behold, our very own @fuzzytoaster let me know he had one and it was available for purchase.
Last week, my sweet @IRIS_Always said "Why don't we arrange to go get it." So I called him, arranged to meet yesterday and got on the road at 0500.
We got to his place around 1100 and I realized I had forgotten my magnetic trailer lights, so we hopped over to Home Depot and picked some up, then went back, hooked up and left and got home about 2000 last night.
Let me say thanks to @fuzzytoaster for keeping an eye out for me and being as awesome as he is, my sweet lady for being a real trooper about all of this and my kids for tolerating a 15 hour road trip to pick up more OD green.
Here she is in her glory; meet "The Wiggle Wagon".
Lessons learned:
When I hooked up to the pickup truck, this 5,800+ pound trailer didn't squat the truck at all and I couldn't figure out why.
I had looked at the data plate before we left and the lunette (tongue) weights kept picking at my brain... they were extremely low..... 340 lbs empty and 445 pound loaded.
After I got on the interstate to head home, I realized why they were that low: all of the weight is on the back end of the trailer. At about 60 mph, she started swaying like an incorrectly loaded trailer will (more weight in the back causes the trailer to sway side to side). So I slowed down to ~57mph (which did not endear me to Dalls/Ft. Worth drivers AT ALL) and she settled out. Occasionally I would hit a bump or something and she would start swaying and I would have to "drive it out". (Accellerate to reduce the sway then gently slow down to my desired speed).
I stopped about every 75-100 miles to check the tires etc and they all rode great.
So: the main lesson to learn is if this trailer is empty when you recover, keep on mind it's going to sway and how to stop that.
We get 15 miles from home after a full day of sunny weather and of COURSE it starts to rain.
I backed it up to the spot I wanted to park it and- problem: the ground isn't level enough to drop the front legs for me to lift it off of the pintle, so I adjusted placement and found a good spot. The boys were excited to help unhook, so she's parked.
What's next?
TMs: Going to find/download the TMs and get acquainted with her needs.
Cleanup. I'm going to pressure wash and clean her up.
Lube: every greaze zerk is going to get some love
Testing: I'm going to hook it up to the 5 ton to ensure the brakes etc all work.
Repair: there are some minor things needing attention (on of the covers of the gears on the legs needs to be reattached
Paint: The colors are being debated, but it'll probably end up green/black to match Bertha. One thing I WILL do is paint 16-18" wide strips of non-skid on the deck to help the M37 maintain traction when loading wet so there are no accidents.
Any advice or other lessons learned will be appreciated.
And of course my youngest was like a kid at a candy shop at Fuzzys:
I've had the idea since picking up my M37 to get a M1061 to haul it behind the 5 ton on camping trips etc so that when I set up camp, I would have a "grocery getter" (I like to camp a week at a time or better. I work 3 weeks on/off) so if I needed to go anywhere I wouldn't have to take the 5 ton setup down and back up. Also, my lady usually drives her truck as a chase vehicle/grocery getter and this would get rid of that need. Plus, it would look really cool!
So for a while I've been looking for one and lo and behold, our very own @fuzzytoaster let me know he had one and it was available for purchase.
Last week, my sweet @IRIS_Always said "Why don't we arrange to go get it." So I called him, arranged to meet yesterday and got on the road at 0500.
We got to his place around 1100 and I realized I had forgotten my magnetic trailer lights, so we hopped over to Home Depot and picked some up, then went back, hooked up and left and got home about 2000 last night.
Let me say thanks to @fuzzytoaster for keeping an eye out for me and being as awesome as he is, my sweet lady for being a real trooper about all of this and my kids for tolerating a 15 hour road trip to pick up more OD green.
Here she is in her glory; meet "The Wiggle Wagon".
Lessons learned:
When I hooked up to the pickup truck, this 5,800+ pound trailer didn't squat the truck at all and I couldn't figure out why.
I had looked at the data plate before we left and the lunette (tongue) weights kept picking at my brain... they were extremely low..... 340 lbs empty and 445 pound loaded.
After I got on the interstate to head home, I realized why they were that low: all of the weight is on the back end of the trailer. At about 60 mph, she started swaying like an incorrectly loaded trailer will (more weight in the back causes the trailer to sway side to side). So I slowed down to ~57mph (which did not endear me to Dalls/Ft. Worth drivers AT ALL) and she settled out. Occasionally I would hit a bump or something and she would start swaying and I would have to "drive it out". (Accellerate to reduce the sway then gently slow down to my desired speed).
I stopped about every 75-100 miles to check the tires etc and they all rode great.
So: the main lesson to learn is if this trailer is empty when you recover, keep on mind it's going to sway and how to stop that.
We get 15 miles from home after a full day of sunny weather and of COURSE it starts to rain.
I backed it up to the spot I wanted to park it and- problem: the ground isn't level enough to drop the front legs for me to lift it off of the pintle, so I adjusted placement and found a good spot. The boys were excited to help unhook, so she's parked.
What's next?
TMs: Going to find/download the TMs and get acquainted with her needs.
Cleanup. I'm going to pressure wash and clean her up.
Lube: every greaze zerk is going to get some love
Testing: I'm going to hook it up to the 5 ton to ensure the brakes etc all work.
Repair: there are some minor things needing attention (on of the covers of the gears on the legs needs to be reattached
Paint: The colors are being debated, but it'll probably end up green/black to match Bertha. One thing I WILL do is paint 16-18" wide strips of non-skid on the deck to help the M37 maintain traction when loading wet so there are no accidents.
Any advice or other lessons learned will be appreciated.
And of course my youngest was like a kid at a candy shop at Fuzzys:
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