Rookie with new m101a1, pintle hook questions and more

[mudder92]

hey everybody, i am new to the mv scene and i just won a m101a1 trailer from GL and i am waiting for my euc to clear. my question is, what kind of hitch hook do i need to buy to be able to pull this trailer? i have a 1992 fullsize bronco, and i have a frame mount reese hitch, but i have never messed with anything with a pintle type deal on it. i went to tractor supply and the guy there said i had to cut off the tongue and weld a regular style hitch up, but i want to keep it like it is, and just buy a pintle hook that i can put into my reese hitch. i searched the few posts that came up with pintle and m101a1 and none answered my question about how to hook it to a regular hitch and what size/weight to buy. also, i will only use this to haul trash to landfill, my atv, and maybe my lawnmower, nothing heavy. also, when i go to pick the trailer up, is there any special stuff i should look for or adjust before i tow it home? i got tired of borrowing my friends trailer and i ended up google'n trailers and ran across GL. and it was way cheaper to buy from them and they look freaking cool and heavy duty too, the look is the main reason. but anyway, i appreciate everyone who reads/replies help. thanks

Also, this site is awesome, there is tons of cool pics and all kinds of info on here.

 

[hndrsonj]

First off go back to tractor supply and smack that idiot upside the head, don't cut up your trailers tongue. They make slide in receivers for the pintle hitch trailers. I believe tractor supply even sells them. Any decent truck 4wd store should have them.

 

[hndrsonj]

T/S has 6 different types:F&R Receiver Mount Pintle Hook - 1891064 | Tractor Supply Company

 

[gimpyrobb]

I agree with post #2! If it were me, I would get a pintle hitch that has adjustable height.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Like this :

Pintle Hook Mount - Army Surplus Warehouse - Army Surplus Warehouse

 

[gimpyrobb]

And this:

Pintle Hitch 5 Ton-Never Used Military Issue : eBay Motors (item 280524357556 end time Jun-28-10 19:00:00 PDT)

 

[wikallen]

Also, you need to figure out what you want to do for the lights. Either make yourself an adapter to plug the trailer plug into, and switch to 12 volt bulbs, or get yourself the magnetic harbor freight tow lights to get you home, then figure out what you will do from there.

 

[Nick]

I use this to pull my M101 behind my Dakota Quad Cab. Fits right in the receiver, like your talking about wanting

Nick

 

[Recovry4x4]

Lighting! What I did was put a trailer plug off of a dereilct M1009 right in the bumper of my Suburban. The wiring end has a 4 flat and I plug that into the truck 4 flat. What I should have done was mount that CUCV plug right on the hitch and used a 4 way. That way I could use the hitch with any vehicle. For 12V bulbs I use 97s for the running lights and 1156s for tbe brake/turn slots. I keep a spare set of these in the burb at all times just in case I need to drag another mil trailer home.

 

[mudder92]

wow, thanks for the quick answers. my biggest concern was if there were different sized hooks for the pintle and what size i would need to match up with the trailer. one more thing, i been researching on here about the lights, what is the difference b/t 12v and 24v? thanks again

 

[mudder92]

hey Nick, where did you get the parts to make that receiver? i am googling it and dont see one like yours. that is exactly what i need for my bronco, adjustable it is. can yaw give me the height of the eye when the trailer is level so i can measure up and make the kit the right towing height? thanks

 

[lonegunman]

Like this :

Pintle Hook Mount - Army Surplus Warehouse - Army Surplus Warehouse

I just recovered my M105A2 trailer with an F150 Ford. I used this hitch plate and a pintle with ball. It worked perfectly, cost about 150 bucks for the entire set-up and caan be used to tow regular trailers as well. I also stopped by Wallyworld and bought some magnetic trailer lights as well.

Go back to retard supply and smack that jackass.

One thing to remember, the chains on a GI trailer are probably to short to reach the reciever, so bring some spare chain to insure a safe drive.

 

[ida34]

Smack the guy at tractor supply twice. Once for suggesting you cut up the trailer and once for not knowing what his company sells.

IDIOT.

I went into an auto store in Tennessee about 15 years ago asking for anti-seize lube. I told the guy it was gray and was like paste for putting on bolts that typically seize such as steel bolts in aluminum. I had worked as a parts store buyer and parts manager and even told him it was made by permatex. He insisted there was no such thing and was trying to get me to use high temp bearing grease. He was still arguing when I found it on his shelf and showed it to him.

It kills me when store employees do not know what a place stocks or where it is.

To the question at hand, I use a bolt on 12 inch offset pintle hitch and bolt a jeep pintle hitch on it. Works great and the trailer is level. Make sure you have the lunette in the lower position. You can loosen the main nut and pull it forward a bit then swing it so the lunette is either lower or higher than the a frame.

 

[Recovry4x4]

See post #9 for 12V bulb info.

 

[wikallen]

wow, thanks for the quick answers. my biggest concern was if there were different sized hooks for the pintle and what size i would need to match up with the trailer. one more thing, i been researching on here about the lights, what is the difference b/t 12v and 24v? thanks again

12 volts!

 

[Nick]

hey Nick, where did you get the parts to make that receiver? i am googling it and dont see one like yours. that is exactly what i need for my bronco, adjustable it is. can yaw give me the height of the eye when the trailer is level so i can measure up and make the kit the right towing height? thanks

I got the whole set up off ebay for like 40 bucks. heres one, used, but the same as mine
HITCHMASTER 2" RECEIVER TO PINTLE HITCH 15 TON : eBay Motors (item 260624225891 end time Jul-02-10 16:46:32 PDT)


IM on duty right now and dont have the hitch with me, so Ill measure the height tomorrow when I get home.

Nick

 

[LanceRobson]

OK, the difference between 12 volt and 24 volt lamps arises for the M880 series and M1008 type CUCVs having a 12V trailer light circuit and the humdingers, M715s and M37s having 24 volts lights. Using a 24 volt lamped trailer with a 12 volt truck nets you dim lights. Using 12 volt trailer lights with 24 volt truck lights results in blown lamps. Since you have no way of knowing which lamps are in the trailer, take 12 volt lamps and change them.

You could also use a tow light set or flashing magnetic hazard light for the tow and figure out the trailer lights later. If you use the magnetic flashing light use hand signals, too. The trailer will mask your turn signals and brake lights when seen from the rear and you don't want to get an 80,000 pound push start from a semi while braking.

For the pintle, assuming your truck has a 2" square tube receiver and not a smaller square tube or just a draw bar, I agree with Robb. Get a 2" draw bar with the vertical plate that lets you adjust the hitch height and bolt the pintle hook to it at whatever hole position gets the trailer closest to level or slanting a little upward at the rear. Most civy pintle hooks are rated at 10 tons or more. That is not the same as a military rating because the military rating assumes extreme abuse. The hitch frame will be pulled off your truck frame long before a civy 10 ton pintle is overloaded.

Since a receiver style hitch puts the pintle a good way behind the bumper and the M101A1 has safety chains sized for military hitches which are directly on the bumper, you will likely need to change them or augment them to hook up the safety chains. The M101A1 chains are too short and the hooks on them are too large to work with most receiver hitches.

When you go to TSC for the parts use them to bang the ignorant guy over the head until the snots are running down his chin.....

Lance

 

[nhdiesel]

I have nothing to add to help the OP, you all did an excellent job of that. Re: Bonehead employees at some of these stores, I see them as a necessary evil. If I already know what i want, I'd rather go to TS or a similar place and look for it myself and save some cash. The minimum wage employees are often times useless, unless you happen to catch the rare knowledgeable person who is willing to work there for those wages, but because TS saves on employee pay, we pay a little less.

I will go to Napa if I need technical questions answered or need a place that lets me look in their books. I then give them my business for that item because of their help. But the same trailer wiring adapter harness that costs $28 at Napa is $15 at WalMart. I wish I could afford to give all my business to the more knowledgeable stores, but I have to watch my pennies and buy where I can afford to.

Good luck on that trailer recovery.

Jim

 

[TucsonVTXF]

http://www.imagetex.com/albums/userpics/10086/normal_DSCF0032.JPG

http://www.imagetex.com/albums/userpics/10086/normal_DSCF0033.JPG

 

[gimpyrobb]

Wow, what exactly are you pulling with that setup!? I was able to use mine to pull start my wrecker and still haven't needed to weld mine in place like that.