Well I was the proud owner of a M416 trailer for about a week. That was a cool little cucker, but I could not see towing that little thing behind Kate...it just did not make sence to work on that thing for the amount of stuff it would hold....

That said, has anyone ever fooled with one of those trailers they tow behind a Deuce and a Half? They have the same 40" tires to match the Deuce and they are a lot bigger.

I think that would be the trailer of choice for me :D

I could get some 42's to match Kate and really load that bitch down :laughing:

What is the designation for these and can they be had fairly inexpensively? I would love to do the White Rim trail for 3 days in Canyonlands pulling that monster full of food and beer :p

They say this one is 1.5 ton....the M416 was a 1/4 ton trailer....is there one in the middle or is this what I am looking for?

1.5 Ton Military Trailer (http://www.clarktruck.com/trailers/15t.htm)

nolen call me, i will hook you up. mike

paint it red and load it up...thats sounds like it'll be hella fun!!

Nolen, Those things are seriously heavy. IMO you're better off building your own with the features you want.

Ditto what Eric said. After having spent years on a still-going trailer project, if I had the chance to start over I would build (or have someone build me) a custom trailer that incorporates ALL the features I want and doesn't include any of the shortcomings of existing models....

Anyone in NorCal have a source for the little M416 trailers?

I want one.

Morgan

hey nolen, my boss has one of the 1.5 ton ones and it kicks ass...true it is heavy, but its a totally badass thing to haul stuff with...we've used it tons of times to transport material and tools to different jobs...he had 35's, drum brakes, i think an on trailer gas tank, and some other little things...if you can find one, i'd definitly get it..granted it aint small, but then again Kate's a big girl and could easily handle it

Originally posted by peterfj40
....but then again Kate's a big girl and could easily handle it

That is what I am thinking. That M416 is seriously Pee Wee....

Originally posted by peterfj40
but then again Kate's a big girl and could easily handle it
what if kate is a little sensitive about these things? :flipoff2:

but thats the truth, it has the beef, and the meat, and the power in the right places, i hardly think she'd notice that trailer behind her!:p ;)

www.colemans.com

Military surplus. they have a trailer page.

http://www.galleria-e.com/cgi-bin/colemans.storefront/en/catalog/1029

they have 1/4 ton, 3/4 ton dumps, 1.5 ton and 2 ton flatbeds. And they ship.

here is the 3/4 dump

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/search

Try here. Scroll down the category list to 2330- Trailers

I think you want the M103 & M105's.....

They do weigh about 2200lbs empty.... :eek:

One thing about the M416 that is an advantage to the 3/4 ton and bigger trailers is off-road use. From experience I can tell you that a trailer can become a BOAT ANCHOR, and Rustycruiser and I can share stories of having to winch loaded M416's up steep slopes and rocky terrain where towing them just wasn't possible. Said trails would have been *impossible* for a 3/4 ton trailer.

So yes, if all you want to do is tow it on flat dirt roads, a 3/4 ton trailer definitely holds a lot of stuff and is big enough to sleep inside. But if you want to do even moderate trails with a trailer in tow, I would suggest staying with an M416. Besides, a stock M416 is small, but by the time you get to where mine is (sprung-over on 35x12.5's, widened, low-profile fenders, extended tongue (2' longer), cooler rack, jerry can holders, etc...) it's pretty big and heavy, even for monster-size FJ40's like Kate.

Ask John Pardi about his yellow trailer and the Rubicon!

Originally posted by 60seriesguy
Ditto what Eric said. After having spent years on a still-going trailer project, if I had the chance to start over I would build (or have someone build me) a custom trailer that incorporates ALL the features I want and doesn't include any of the shortcomings of existing models....

Henry,

Can you please elaborate about this ? I'm trying to gather ideas in terms of features, designs, troubles, performance, materials etc. for an offroad camping trailer. A friend of mine will be building one to pull behind his LJ73 and I'm kind of his design/ engineering/ fabrication consultant... :D

Thanks,

Absolutely!

When I first bought my M416 project trailer I was in college, with a shoestring budget and big dreams. I had a lot of experience with trailers on expeditions in Venezuela, so I knew what I wanted out of the trailer, I just had to get the resources to execute those ideas. Well, after almost 7 years and more money than I care to discuss, I realize that it would have been *MUCH* easier to start from scratch, building a trailer to meet a complete list of specifications rather than adapting an existing trailer to meet some (but not all) of those requirements. I'm talking about size and location of a tailgate, materials used, axle width, capacity and characteristics, body dimensions and characterisics, etc...

There are THREE key things to consider when building a trailer:

1. Size (dimensions)
2. Weight (materials)
3. Suspension

The last is very important for offroad use, especially protracted offroad use. It's not the same to tow a little trailer through the Rubicon at 2 MPH than towing the same trailer at 50 MPH for 15 straight hours. You gotta build the suspension for the use intended, and make sure that it works. In terms of size, I think the M416 is *almost* perfect. It could stand to be a wee bit wider and about a foot longer on the tub, so that people could sleep inside comfortably if the need arose. The tongue is obviously too short, that needs to be addressed; it should be matched to the vehicle towing it, so that the height is balanced and so that the breakover angle isn't too pronounced. Weight is pretty self-explanatory; again, it should match the capabilities of the truck.

I realize that it would have been *MUCH* easier to start from scratch, building a trailer to meet a complete list of specifications rather than adapting an existing trailer to meet some (but not all) of those requirements. I'm talking about size and location of a tailgate, materials used, axle width, capacity and characteristics, body dimensions and characterisics, etc...

Henry,

Thanks a lot for the advise, but now I need more :D
We've pretty much figured out the size, weight and suspension issues.

The trailer will have to go through rough off-road as well as long road trips across the continent, as well as desert trails, dunes and rough tracks...

- the size will probably be just a bit bigger than an M416, according to the sleeping and storage requirements...
- the gross weight will not exceed the legal 500kg so that the trailer needs no registration on its own. More realistically, the trailer should weight no more than 400kg loaded with all the necessary gear, so that we keep a safety margin for whatever..., the empty weight will have to be under 150kg.
- the suspension will most probably be independant style with transversal torsion bars and shock absorbers, taken out of a lightweight european car which has a rated weight on the rear axle good for ~650kg.

The axle will be pushed rearwards, for better manoeverability, and improved rear overhang. The load will be balanced so that the weight on the tongue is not excessive...

At this point I need some first hand experience for stuff than can't be easily figured out unless you've experienced them, such as :
desirable/ undesirable features, and subsequent mods you've done to your M416 to meet your requirements... design issues that should be avoided....

Could you share more ideas, designs and pics, if you have some ?

Thanks a lot !

Morgan,
I don't know if you ever get to bend Oregon, but the Army Navy Surplus store in town has those trailers and they also have several deuce and 1/2's for sale there. No sales tax to.

Denis, I would advice against using an axle/suspension out of a car; if the trailer is too withstand the rigors of constant offroad use, the trailer and suspension MUST be strong enough!! In my case I swapped out the oddball military axle for a simple square axle and 3,500 lb. capacity hubs with a 6 on 5.5" bolt pattern (same as the Cruiser). The axle is exactly the same width as the Cruiser axle, so the trailer tracks directly behind the Cruiser. This is very important for deeply rutted tracks and tight trails.

One feature that I am really pleased with is the lockable steel lid on the top of my trailer. Not only does it make the interior virtually waterproof, it allows me to padlock the trailer and secure its contents. Because it's heavy, I mounted mine with gas-assist shocks similar to those on the liftgate of a 60 series. The lid hinges on the front of the tub and is easily removable in the open position.

Another thing I changed from the M416 were the original fenders, which were bent out of thin gauge steel and bend easily. The new fenders are slightly wider, sit lower on the tub of the trailer and are strong enough for someone to sit on. I also think they'll stand up to tight trails much better.

Be careful about placing the trailer axle too far back, you need to make sure the trailer is balanced or it will squirrel at higher speeds.

Placement of the trailer's lights is another thing that needs some thought. You want them to be visible and you want them to comply with local and international regulations, but at the same time you want them as high and protected as possible. The original placement of the M416 lights make them VERY vulnerable, and it's common for surplus trailers to be missing one or both lights.

I just had JKCustoms add a cargo basket on the front of the tub. For overland travel, though, I would consider a permanently mounted and securely fastened cargo box. This would be a great location for things like gear oil and other nasty stuff you wouldn't want to spill inside Cruiser and/or trailer.

Walk a fine line between building a trailer that will be stout enough to survive the constant strain of overland travel and making it light enough that the added stress on the Cruiser and reduced fuel consumption won't overshadow the benefits of additional cargo capacity.

Henry,

Thanks for the great pieces of advice.

Yes I'm aware of the strengh issues with a car axle, but I think we'll give it a try anyway. The trailer will be built as a prototype, and everything should be modifiable to accomadate any issue that should appear during the test period. It'll be built with the car axle, which is probably the most cost effective, light and easy solution at this point ; then we'll test it extensively and harshly offroad to see if the setup can take the abuse. If yes, that'll be fine. If no, we'll have figure out what is the problem, and find a solution. I know the stength issue is a major one, (yeah I've read "who needs a road" ;)), but I don't want to overdesign or overbuild the beast too much, which would mean an awful lot of weight. For now the lighter the better. I think it's easier to reinforce the design or parts that have shown to be weak, than lighten an overkill design on which we wouldn't know where to gain weight.

Do you have an opinion on pintle hook vs ball receiver ?

Thanks,

Personally, I prefer a old-fashioned military pintle hook, but there are *BETTER* solutions out there, that allow the hitch to pivot on the vertical and horizontal planes without the noise associated with some pintle hooks. In my case I happen to have a pretty tight one and whatever small clanking occurs gets lost among the Land Cruiser's cacophony of squeaks, creaks and rattles! :)