M416A1 Trailer Build

[67tank]

Picked up a M416A1 trailer in 2009 from a friend. The landing leg was missing and the trailer had some surface rust and some dents but otherwise was in great shape. The trailer had been sitting up in the Redwoods in Mendocino County for a decade or so. Outside of hauling wood, the trailer saw little use and never left the property.

I decided to convert the M416A1 trailer back to a M416. The only significant difference between the 416 and 416A1 was (as the TM states) "inertia-actuated hydraulic brake system." - in other words, the A1 had been upgraded with brakes and a bigger/heavier coupler. I always preferred the simple look of the 416 and do not feel the need for brakes on a 1/4 ton trailer - I have disc brakes on my 83 CJ-7 and it seems to handle the trailer fine. I went to the Midwest Military website and ordered the forged lunette, a new landing leg, the 416 trailer casting and few other odds and ends - http://www.midwestmilitary.net/trailerparts.html -great resource for old hard to find Army parts.

Photos above are of the trailers first day at my house. The skepitcal looking old fart is my father - who was a big help in stripping down all the paint and rust from the frame, axle and tub.

 

[67tank]

After pre-soaking, breaking bolts and banging knuckles - we had the entire trailer disassembled. Decided to powder coat the frame - found some rust pitting (as seen above) so sandblasted and had it coated black. Everything else was stripped down, sealed and prepped for painting. Prepped the garage as a temporary paint booth and a good friend who is a professional painter come over with his gear.

The M416 trailer was designed for the M151 MUTT of the 60's and 70's and I wanted to keep it somewhat appropriate for that era of the US Army. I found the 1960's OD paint - and we put on a couple of coats, or rather my buddy did as I watched.

 

[67tank]

After the paint dried, and we reassembled the trailer, it was time to stencil. I contacted Rick Larsen - owner of Military Stencils - http://www.militarystencils.com/default.aspx - a company who specializes restoration US military markings for jeeps/halftracks/tanks etc. Rick gave me the general layout for properly marking a M416 trailer. I had decided to mark the trailer up for Charlie Company, 3rd Bn, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division ' Hell on Wheels'. I had served in Charlie Company as a tank platoon leader and XO back in the early 90's.

3 light coats of flat white from a spray can and remove the stencils - easy. One white star on each side, TP 25 on each fender (tire pressure), and unit markings on the back.

 

[hesterj]

Your M416 looks really good behind the CJ-7.
What tires are you running on the trailer? They look OEM but its too hard to tell on my iphone and with my old eyes.

 

[achampagne]

Great find and quick restoration, enjoy it, as it looks right at home behind your CJ.

 

[67tank]

Since I decided to keep the Army look to the trailer, I wanted to keep the trailer as original and that included keeping the OEM tires. I stripped down the wheels, powdercoated them black then applied 2 coats of the OD Green. I have a buddy that i grew up with who owns a local tire store and he took care of finding the original Army tires. I was actually surprised how inexpensive they were. Figured if those tires and were good enough for the Army, they were good enough for me. Turned out that the height turned out just right - and everything sits level behind the CJ.

Shermantank55 gave me an spare wheel and tire off his M716 project http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/105750-M716-into-a-Camp-Trailer since he was not keeping the tires. However I cannot decide where to mount the spare. Thoughts?

 

[67tank]

I picked up the original Army canvas tarp for the trailer. Liked it and like the look. But after a week long expedition down the 395 corridor into Death Valley - towed behind my buddies Toyota due to my CJ going tits up at the start of the trip - dust gt into everything. I spent enough time in a turret of a M1A1 eating dust - so if I decided to add a steel top and seal all the gear up.

Spent a lot of time on this forum looking at build ideas - some amazing trailers on this site BTW - and trying to get an idea for making a top that would still look original and keep the classic lines of the m416

 

[67tank]

At the time I decided to make a top, my friends who have welding skills - Sadly, I have none - were slammed with projects of their own. I contacted the guys up at Sierra 4x4 trailers in Nevada and they would make the top that I wanted. Great guys, great shop and great work. http://www.sierra4x4trailers.com/ While we were at it, installed a lockable shotgun rack underneath the top - Why? "Well, we are holding ourselves in reserve in case the Germans launch a counterattack that threatens Paris, or even New York..."

Since the trailer was built for the MUTT - I placed the old warning rollover sticker found on the MUTT windshield on the back of the trailer.

 

[67tank]

Sierra 4x4 painted the top for me after I gave them a can of the OD Green paint that I had leftover. When my buddy, who is a professional painter in the city of San Francisco, and I painted the trailer we did not realize that you needed to add hardener to the oil based paint. He is a pro painter for interior and exterior of buildings/homes - not automotive and I had no clue. Huge difference between the top painted with the hardener added and the body of the trailer without. Lesson learned the hard way. Our first automotive paint job - will get it right next time

To date - Paint on the trailer is holding up fine. Couple of chips here and there from rocks being thrown up - but who cares. It's an expedition trailer and meant to be banged up.

 

[67tank]

The naming of the trailer was easy. I was reading 'Anabasis' -the ancient Greek historian Xenophon's account of the March of the Ten Thousand - at the time I was working on the trailer. In ancient Greek 'Anabasis' referred to an expedition from a coastline into the interior of a country. Living here in Northern California near the coast line and always driving east into the 'interior' for offroad trips- I thought it would be an appropriate name.

Stencil and spray.

 

[67tank]

I decided against a RTT for the trailer. There was a lot of reasons why. But on a recent hunting trip up in the Sutter Buttes, we had an early morning wake up call from the locals that made me sort of regret that decision.

 

[67tank]

After the steel top, I no longer wanted to store extra fuel inside the trailer. Looking at old photos of M416's in Army service, some of them mounted spare jerry cans off the front side. We fabricated a couple of brackets to give the jerry can holder some much needed support and strapped it down. With 2 jerry cans on the jeep and one on the trailer, I now have 15 gallons of extra fuel.

 

[Septu]

I decided against a RTT for the trailer. There was a lot of reasons why. But on a recent hunting trip up in the Sutter Buttes, we had an early morning wake up call from the locals that made me sort of regret that decision.

Does this mean you're considering a RTT now?

 

[67tank]

Does this mean you're considering a RTT now?

I would like to. But my problem is a 110 lb Lab that my girlfriend and I take everywhere. He loves to run in and out of the tent.

 

[maglight]

Why? "Well, we are holding ourselves in reserve in case the Germans launch a counterattack that threatens Paris, or even New York..."

Awesome movie to match an awesome cj and trailer.