Maine m101a2

[kevinrx7]

Picked this one up in Vermont this past weekend. It's in very good condition but not mint as was lead to believe. The tires are severely weather cracked. The guy knocked a little off the price but I was still pissed because the guy knew I had a 5 hour drive home. It did come with a spare but it was in the same condition. I took it slower than I wanted and stopped often the check on them, thankfully made it home without issue. It has been repainted and over all is very good, however the bottom is pealing badly and has exposed lots of reddish orange paint that I believe Is primer. That will have to be addressed soon, most likely monster liner. It has new parking brake cables but seems to be missing a bracket on both sides? It just has the cables coming from the back of the drums then run loose to the handle assembly. If someone could point me in the direction of what a complete linkage should look like that would be great.
Last question how do I know if the surge brakes are working? Couldn't really tell on the drive home. It has all new lines and clean fresh fluid in the booster.
I plan to just find some good used tires for now, clean up the hack job done on the wiring and use it as is. I have Thule xsporter racks to mount my Tepui Autana on it.
I'm sure over time I will swap the axel and match the wheels and tires to my tundra. Not sure I want to keep the lunette either, time will tell.

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[tarditi]

I like the lunette on my M100 trailer, but it's much smaller and lighter - I also don't plan to do much hardcore off-roading with it, or I would consider a multi-axis coupler instead.
For the surge brakes, you may be able to jack it up and test the functionality. You can really tell a lot once you pull the hubs, inspect the drums, etc.

Check out Steel Soldier - they have a ton of resources, FMs, specs, and lots of experience with military vehicles. I've found them to be tremendously helpful.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/

 

[Sikocycles]

I was watching that on CL. Great deal and great condition. If the CFO approved I would of bought it

 

[Mark Harley]

Nice looking trailer good looking cover too!

 

[kevinrx7]

This is the area where I believe I'm missing a bracket for the parking brakes to function. The areas that look like rust is just the exposed primer from the flaking paint. Really can't wait for spring so I can prioritize what changes to make after a few camping trips. I've been searching for about a year now and had to drive 5 1/2 to get one that didn't need a complete rebuild.
Thanks for the help and compliments.

 

[Scrapdaddy]

I'll take a look at mine tomorrow and try to get a picture. I would also drain and flush your brake fluid. It looks like you have a M101 front landing leg. I believe the A2s had a crank down leg ( adjustable ) like the A3. If you're replacing all of it, then don't worry about the brakes or cables.

 

[kevinrx7]

Pictures would be great, thanks. The fluid in the booster looks nice and golden clear. New lines with shiny brass fittings. The parking brake lines are brand new, just missing the bracket? When I have time I'll pull the drums for inspection. I was told by the seller this was refurbished at fort drum, never put back in service and sent to auction. I tend to believe him because of the condition. Not a single scratch inside the bed. It just sat inside his barn for years.

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[Scrapdaddy]

Here's a couple from an A3 and a A2 body on a A3 frame. They mix and match a lot. Same bracket, but one with an extender. The old M101 is totally different. Should be able to make one easy enough. The holes should be right by the front spring hanger.

 

[kevinrx7]

Thank you, that's exactly what I needed. I told myself I wouldn't do anything to it other than replace the tires and redo the wiring but I broke down and bought a bottle opener to mount on the side last night. Let the mods begin.

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[Scrapdaddy]

Hey, got to have a bottle opener!

 

[rokrawlr]

Thank you, that's exactly what I needed. I told myself I wouldn't do anything to it other than replace the tires and redo the wiring but I broke down and bought a bottle opener to mount on the side last night. Let the mods begin.

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IMO, that's not a mod, just a necessity that should have come stock... :camping: :beer:

 

[kevinrx7]

I spent a few hours stripping and painting the rims. I was unable to find any reasonable prices 16.5 tires so these are for sale if anyone is interested. Looking to get $40 each or all 3 for $100 + shipping

I have 16 inch rims on the way. I pulled the brake drums in inspect and found everything good except one badly stripped wheel stud and three others that are questionable. So off to the parts store I go, no luck. I went to 5 different auto part stores and 3 different trailer dealers. My trailer has a Dexter tag in the center of the axle, 2 of the places had Dexter catalogs and yet we couldn't find a match to my studs?
My studs are 3" in length the section that is splined is 1 inch long and .583 in diameter. The threads are 9/16
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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[kevinrx7]

Well I told myself that I should take lots of pictures and post my progress with this build often. I have failed miserably with that. I have taken many ideas from other projects and thank you all for the inspiration.
Anyways here is my project as it currently sits.

I built a cover from plywood, the center section is held in place with a thule xsporter rack . I have a 2 foot section on either end that flips up to access the bed. The entire thing is just painted with exterior paint with sand added to help with traction. Self stick weather strip was added all around. It's about 95% water tight, good enough for camp gear. Miniature rubber latches on each end hold the hatches snugly closed and padlocks to keep things from walking off.

The racks were a steal on Craigslist for only $75. I had to mount them outboard on the trailer instead of inside, as they would be on a truck. This made the crossbar to short, so a trip to the local steel yard for some stout 1x3 cost $35 add in a few cans of black rustoleum and I have as cheap solid rack that has the ability the raise or lower. I have it set at 6' right now which is the ideal height for the annex. It is still lower than the racks on the truck with the paddle boards on, and with it raised I can see clearly what is behind me.
The spare tire is held in place with a carriage bolt and wing nut that is only accessed from inside the cover. It was the cheapest and easiest solution to mount, and doesn't take up space under the cover. Seems to be working well so far.
We have taken 2 weekend trips and I'm very happy with this setup. The only near future plans at this point are for a pull out kitchen or maybe just a better organized Chuck box.
I can see myself swapping out the axle and losing all the heavy brake parts, just seams like overkill for hauling around camping gear. I'm liking the pintal / lunette and will probably keep that minus the booster.
For now I just plan to camp at least every other weekend and the entire 4 th of July week.


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[kevinrx7]

I also wanted to add that I'm loving the colors of this setup, I can blend right in to the woods.
Having the ability to walk around on top of the trailer makes setup and break down super fast and easy.

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