what to do with surplus Beds and Trailers?

[markaroe]

First I would like to say that I am a new guy and this is one of the most ingenuous, dedicated, straight forward bunch of all around good people I have had the fortune to become acquainted with. Now on to my dilemma.

With all of the Bobbing going on, It appears that a number of Deuce beds are going to the scrap yard. I suspect that a number of them could be in decent shape.

Other casualties in this process are, the M105 trailer frames and axles, the articulated deuce axles. The tongue part of the 105 trailer would make an excellent hitch as it has proven. The M105 frame is sturdy, the axles strong and the wheels and tires plentiful.
There are and abundance of springs and parts from the articulated deuce axles.

The elements to consider in this thought are, how to bring all of this stuff together, the spring set. and the potential of the 105 frame being to short.

Consider the trailer that the Deuce bed would make, if we could come up with a way to configure all of this surplus from the rash of bobbing's going on, into a heavy duty trailer. land scape trailers, dump trailers, car haulers, take your pigs to market trailers (needs sideboards), Build a camper in it, (for those sleep on the couch nights)
Or the ultimate insult to good military material, a junk built trailer to haul your scrap parts the the junk man. It just sits there and collects in the trailer until you have a load and off it goes. The potential for this is huge.

These Deuce beds are too good a platform to just cut up for scrap.
Try pricing a similar sized new flat trailer and you'll see what I mean.

Think about it. And if anyone has some ideas put them out there. It is a shame to see all of this good material go to the scrap heap.

SAVE THE DEUCE BEDS !!!!
DON'T LET THEM DIE.




Disclaimer
this message paid for by the committee for preservation of freedom foundation and your local ad council. no endorsement is implied or intended by this message. No monkeys, lab rats or other animals were killed or injured in the research for this potential product.

 

[91W350]

I think the best solution for the deuce beds is to put them on 5 ton tractors, M818s if you please. What a sweet truck that makes! Then you could pull as many 105s as your state would allow.....

 

[68t]

You, sure are right on this. I hate to see any of our military vehicle ,trailers and parts going to the scrap yard. They get what they want, then scrap the rest. One of these day all this stufff will be gone, like the ww2 vehicles and parts. Just try to find a bed for a ww2 truck, or a halftrack.

 

[XanRa]

nothing more true has been said my friend...

 

[mikew]

For every two bobbed trucks I build, I put together a trailer.

I "graft" together two M105 frames, mount them on a bogie and add a M35 bed.

When I'm done my "scrap" is some M105 frame channel and two M105 axles.

I also have leftover a M35 bed and a bogie assembly without axels, but there's always someone who needs those items to repair their truck.

So in the end waste can be pretty minimal.

 

[4x4e350]

I already have planned on putting a deuce bed on my M818. And will be watching for two sets of M105 axles to put under my camper.

 

[mikew]

4x4e350,

I'll give you a pair of M105 axles, but you've got to figure out how to get them home!

 

[jimmcld]

The problem is that everything is too heavy to make a utility trailer out of. It's also too high for most applications. A set of ramps would have to be at least 12 feet long to make it a car hauler, and then it would have to be a short car. The only thing you could pull it would be a deuce or bigger. Even a M105 is impractical for those same reasons.

 

[m-35tom]

why aren't people just shortening the deuce bed? that would be my way of bobbing.

tom

 

[markaroe]

mikew love the Trailer. that is the direction I was thinking.

Are you draging around rockwell rears or using trailer axles?
Did you rework the spring pack to ride softer. Would there be an advantage?
What if one were to use the 105 axles and built some low profile wheels with the 15" and 16" Rockwell centers being sold by the rock crawler crowd? Though I am not a real advocate of building wheels for road use. There are lower profile rockwell pattern mil wheels though. Why not use the two 105 axles on the trailer? that would make it a 3 ton? which as we all know would most likely haul 10k+ with no problems.
Is the graft and frame strong enough to make a dumper?
your trailer would look awesome with the 105 axles and super singles. throw on the hoops and canvas, put it behind a dressed out deuce or 5 ton. a bit lost to authenticity, but you get a lot of looks and questions, Did the mil ever try this? Seems like a sound plan.

m-35tom, 91W350, 4x4e350 that would be my method. I like the look. I even like the bobed with bogie look. though it may be a little difficult to handle? I like the M818 with a bed. Too bad the m275's are so scarce and pricey. they would have been my choice for a bobed look.

4x4e350 Talk to mikew about those two axles.

jimmcld Your are right they are heavy and high. But what if we could lower them? Could require crappy commercial axles and springs. But would save the bed. I'd rather be lame than dead.

Now all that said
1. it looks like mikew's trailer is a good plan, but one to be pulled by a deuce or 5 ton. I think the 105 axles though. OR ........ pull it with ........a Bobed Deuce, Which approaches the realm of Oxymoron.

2. Shorten the Beds and put them on M818's is good.

3. Crappy commercial axles which leaves two dead 105 axles and bogie springs, but shortens and lightens the trailer.

4. Everyone selling Scrap is getting Scrap price for this stuff. STOP IT. There has to be a way to swap it, sell it to each other, Trade it for a "women with boat" (or better yet, a loyal dog that doesn't spend all your money.) or whatever !!! but don't Scrap it. Can we not somehow easily list this stuff on the site and swap it. start a flea market in the classifieds maybe? The hobby (I call it that reluctantly) can be expensive. Barter is not a bad thing.

My choices are 1 and 2

By the way. Please excuse my long winded rambles, I do get a bit caught up in it all.

you guys are awesome as usual.


Disclaimer
This message paid for by the committee for preservation of freedom foundation and your local ad council. (the Site originator actually, who we all need to support). No endorsement of this fool's (me) ideas are implied or intended by this message. No monkeys, lab rats gerbils or other animals were killed, injured or defiled in the research for this potential solution.

 

[KsM715]

Im looking for one rear rockwell to go along with my left over parts from my bob to do exactly what mikew did. You could get some wheels off a bolster trailer to lower it abit. the M105 axle is round whereas the rockwell is square, I didnt think you could make it work with the bogey set up until this popped in my head, couldnt you weld a square box around the round axle the same size of the rockwell?

 

[markaroe]

KsM715 I love his trailer. I hadn't thought of using the bogie that way. I think you could even set it up like the 101's to tip a little.

I think the 105 axle is a better choice.
Otherwise you are dragging around all of the Diff crap.

I think all you would need is a pad welded to the 105 axle and rounded U bolts. Or Pads on both sides, But I think Yes it would work. how about a saddle from a piece of heavy pipe cut in half and welded in your appropriately sized square tubing, leaving enough gap so the seats don't meet in the middle.

A good seat is all you need. one that would spread out the load. The springs are flat on the 105. what is between them and the axle?

Those are the exact wheels I was talking about. I think they are about 32 inches tall. that would lower the trailer at least 8 inches.

I think you will get something to be proud of out of it. Just think it through and plan it out first.
And as always Safety first.
Good luck

 

[markaroe]

How about this one. You leave the Rockwells on the bogie and get a hydraulic motor from that Surplus industrial place on line. mount it on the front axle. Put a pump on your PTO and you have the ultimate Off road Trailer. Low range use only most likely. Hydraulics take some calculations to get to work right. A drive shaft would be better if you could get it back there.

Now you have a mini Hemitt.

 

[KsM715]

You can pull the chunk out of the diff and pull the axle shafts for less weight. I have thought of taking the one good M105 trailer I have and putting the tongue off the one I cut up under it and set it up to hinge exactly like the M101 does.

 

[Unforgiven]

For every two bobbed trucks I build, I put together a trailer.

I "graft" together two M105 frames, mount them on a bogie and add a M35 bed.

When I'm done my "scrap" is some M105 frame channel and two M105 axles.

I also have leftover a M35 bed and a bogie assembly without axels, but there's always someone who needs those items to repair their truck.

So in the end waste can be pretty minimal.

Mikew,

Do you have any M105A3 axles sitting around? I need one to make a tandem-axle trailer like yours. But I want to use the M105 A3 surge axles. I already have the trailer w/ one axle. I just need the other axle, no springs or hangers necessary.

That goes for anyone else out there reading this as well. I need an A3 trailer surge axle.

 

[Unforgiven]

You can pull the chunk out of the diff and pull the axle shafts for less weight. I have thought of taking the one good M105 trailer I have and putting the tongue off the one I cut up under it and set it up to hinge exactly like the M101 does.

The axles aren't necessary to support the bearings? I didn't know the rears had spindles. Do you have any photos of your build?

 

[mikew]

Some answers:

The Rockwell axles are "semi-floating" meaning that the hubs are supported by the axle tube not third member or axle shafts, so those things can be removed.

Rockwell axles are square tubes that are 3.5". M105 axles are round tube and about 4.5", they won't mount in the bogie.

Stock springs on bogie.

Yes, for use behind a deuce, not a pickup... it might weigh more than most smaller trucks!

I don't think an M105 frame is stout enough to be used for a dump bed (with an M35 bed that is).

I've not yet gotten an M105A3 trailer, so no spares for one.

 

[KsM715]

I was thinking the round 105 axle was bigger than the rockwell but I never compared them side by side. Thanks mikew.

I havent tried to build my M105 dumper yet but I dont see why it wouldnt work. May have to do some modifying of the parking brakes.

 

[FrankUSMC]

Back in the 1980s and up into the 1990s, you could go into a surplus yard and there would be stacks of cargo beds from M35s and 5 tons. The price of scrap in the last several years sent many of these beds to China.
The late Jack Tomlin back in the late 1980s, took all the M35 beds he had, placed them on end, then welded them together. He made a HUGE sand blasting barn out of the beds. To this day, that is the greatest thing I have seen done with the beds. In this sand blasting barn, he has saved and restored some nice military vehicles.

One of the few, Frank USMC RET

 

[usmc320]

I like the idea of not scrapping the bed when I bob my truck. I've been trying to come up with a practical solution, either finding someone who needs a deuce bed or using it with the cover as a storage area. I think it is most likely too heavy for a usable trailer and definitely overkill for me. I will be watching this thread for more suggestions/ideas.