Wreckerman's diabolic hitch conversion invention

[wreckerman893]

Never underestimate the inginuity of a redneck with a welder.
I am probably going to buy the rest of the chemical shelter trailers and scrap them out.
To maximize the profit margin I needed a way to hook them to a Reese type hitch and eliminate the delivery charge (saving 50 bucks per unit).
I went to the local flea market and for about 35 bucks I bought what I needed to make an adapter to hook the lunnete to a regular hitch.
I had the angle iron laying around to add extra support and I figure my labor was worth another 40 bucks.
The bugger ended up costing me a lot less than adding a pintle hitch to the Ford.
I flipped the hitch end so the trailer would ride higher.
I will only be moving them about 15 miles on back roads so I think my design will work to that end.
I'll post pics when I go pick up the first trailer.

 

[mangus580]

RE: Wreckerman

Ummmm... why not just buy a pintle to go in your reese??

 

[builder77]

RE: Wreckerman

That looks a little scary to me. I am glad you live in Alabama, so I don't have to worry about you coming around the corner on the back roads says the man who towed a M105 home with the Volvo station wagon I personaly would have gotten a pintle hitch for your vehicle as you are going to need one eventually to move military stuff around.

 

[wreckerman893]

Man...you guys are mean.
I actually have a pintle that I could do that with but this design allows me to get the trailer up higher.
I will be pulling it with a 4WD Ford F-150 and I'll have a couple of loader buckets of dirt in the back of the truck for ballast. Top speed will be about 35 and I will have the safety chains hooked up.
LittleBob pulled the one he bought from NE Ala to LA with his Suburban.
I also have the magnetic turn signal/brake light setup so that I will be able to run flashers while towing the trailers.
As my old buddy used to say "it's my dog and I'll whup if I want to".

 

[doghead]

Why not wait until you get your deuce home?

 

[Flatlander]

I think it looks fine! That bolt is as big as the ball stud...shouldn't be a problem for what you're planning.

 

[builder77]

Man...you guys are mean.

Always happy to give a fellow Steelsoldier member a hard time

The safety chains on the M105 are probably going to be too short with the extra length of your adapter. They do make raised pintle hitch mounts like these that I used.
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_22067_22067
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_29325_29325&issearch=1285

 

[WillWagner]

Hey wreckerman. I'd do that in a pinch! I vice gripped a trailer tongue together to get out of the desert before and once the lock lever broke out of a 2 5/16 ball tongue, I beat a piece of oak into the tongue to make it lock and pulled it 250 miles. Gotta do what you gotta do!. Since you're gonna pull more than one time though, i'd probably find a hunk of steel to fit inside the lunette so it wont beat back and forth on the shank of the bolt. Paint it, no one will know.

 

[wreckerman893]

Why not wait until you get your deuce home?

Well duh.......that thought crossed my mind.
Unfortunatly the EUC hasn't crossed my palm.
The knuckle dragging, mouth breathing, oxygen stealing pogues at Battle Creek can't seem to take time from their coffee breaks to run my background check.
I'm sure it's very difficult to do a background check on an active duty soldier with a secret clearance.
I'm trying to make hay while the price for scrap is high.

 

[doghead]

The knuckle dragging, mouth breathing, oxygen stealing pogues at Battle Creek can't seem to take time from their coffee breaks to run my background check.
I'm sure it's very difficult to do a background check on an active duty soldier with a secret clearance

Wow! Once(if) they read this, your EUC application might just land in the circular file! Or, at-least add a few weeks time to process!

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

Very much McGivered I will say. I think the lack of a full nut worth or theads in the nut concern me the most. I would make sure I have at least an even with the nut amount and then drill it and put a spring click or cotter pin in to make sure. I also like brakes on anything bigger than one small trailer and surge brakes are quite easy to add to an adapter if you have the welder and steel on hand.

 

[Manstein]

Hey man, that looks like one of my non-xrayable dirt dob jobs. I'll put my money on you and that it holds and you'll do fine.
I'm in the same pinch. I bought one, waiting on the EUC and planning on getting it with my pick up. What are you doing for brake lights?

 

[No.2Diesel]

Hey Wreckerman. Nice Job. It doesn't look so bad.

If you go to any rental place they use adapters all the time and even those have alot of slop.

 

[rizzo]

I used my 1/2 ton suburban and pintle to bring my 105 home.

I would like to put in a order for a ball to pintle adapter so i can pull my car hauler with my MV's

 

[wreckerman893]

I also have the magnetic turn signal/brake light setup so that I will be able to run flashers while towing the trailers.

I am very much against running trailers without lights and signals.
The setup I bought plugs into the plug on my son's truck and has 30 feet of wire.
You just stick them to the back of the trailer and away you go.

Wow! Once(if) they read this, your EUC application might just land in the circular file! Or, at-least add a few weeks time to process!

Well...the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If I could find a contact number I would call their public affairs hack and make him an offer he couldn't refuse.
This process can't be that hard. Run the name through NCIC, call the local law enforcemt people (took me 5 minutes to get my concealed carry permit) and if no flags pop up, issue the EUC.
This ain't rocket science.
I can see needing EUC for sensitive items and technology, but 30 year old trucks and trailers....give me a break.
If a bad guy wants one of these vehicles he can easily get one through a private sale.

 

[wreckerman893]

I think the lack of a full nut worth or theads in the nut concern me the most.

Armyman.....the nut had not been tightened. I had just fit it loosely together to make the photos. When it's tightened up there is enough thread sticking out to have a hole drilled in to hold a carter pin.

Considering the short distance and low speed I think it is over engineered.
I tend to err on the side of caution since me and Murphy have a long relationship.

 

[rdixiemiller]

Are you chopping up the trailers completely?

 

[wreckerman893]

Are you chopping up the trailers completely?

RDX,

When I get through all that is left is the trailer with bed. It has a few holes in it but those can be patched easily.
I leave the engine/air pump/AC compressor and 220 3 phase alternator together since they are built as a unit. If they don't sell like that I may cut them up as well but for now I am holding on to them since that engine was used in a lot of MV applications.
Ferroequinologist got the fuel tank out of the one I just scrapped.
I also have the inflatable shelter too but the airlock doors were scrapped.
See Littlebobs post to see what the shelter looks like inflated.
The engine on mine had 28 hours on it.

I'll sell fellow members a trailer for 300 bucks or trade for anything that don't eat.

Me and Freighttrain are kicking around the idea of putting a 5th wheel and duals on one and making a converter dolly out of it.

Check my previous post under "revese engineering the Chemical Shelter Trailer" for pics.

 

[rdixiemiller]

I might be interested in one of the 3 phase generators. How many KW?

 

[wreckerman893]

RDX......I'll have to check on that when I get home today. I'm taking a 4 day weekend to take care of some business.
I know it is 220 volt, 3 phase...I'll let you know about the KW ASAP.