"Turtle" my M101A3 build

[BadPunkin]

I have been looking for a M101A3 trailer for a few months now and finally bit the bullet on GL. When the bidding was closing down I got a good deal on the trailer I wanted and there were a few more still being bid on cheap. I took a gamble and put a low bid on another trailer. Now I have 2 M101A3s sitting in the driveway. Before the end of Fall I hope to go over both trailers, pick the one that meets my needs best and sell the other.







The short list is:

-Get one trailer registered and plated so I can start pulling them and find any existing issues.

-Covert/swap electrical to 12V and make the lights DOT compliant

-Prep one trailer to haul our gear for a trip to Ely, MN for our annual canoe trip

Long term I hope to make a full expo trailer that can be stripped down for around town hauling.

 

[BadPunkin]

Got a few miles in while getting the trailer weighed and registered today. It pulls well and tracks clean. I am very happy with it so far

 

[tclaremont]

If you plan on towing with the Jeep, ensure you make the trailer as light as humanly possible, and make absolutely certain the trailer has good working brakes, with the necessary brake controller in the Jeep. You are not going to like towing anything over about 1800 pounds, regardless of the 3500 pound tow rating of the Jeep.

 

[BadPunkin]

If you plan on towing with the Jeep, ensure you make the trailer as light as humanly possible, and make absolutely certain the trailer has good working brakes, with the necessary brake controller in the Jeep. You are not going to like towing anything over about 1800 pounds, regardless of the 3500 pound tow rating of the Jeep.

Good to know. I am hoping to strip some extra weight off with a new axle, electric brakes,adventure hitch and general removal of the extra stuff. With it being a family hauler for longer trips 1800 lbs is a lean goal, but something to aim for.

thanks for the advice

 

[koolex11]

Got a few miles in while getting the trailer weighed and registered today. It pulls well and tracks clean. I am very happy with it so far

Your DOT makes you weigh them? What was the weight if I may ask?

 

[koolex11]

Oh and it looks like you might have some M116A2's. The wheel wells and axles give it away. In my opinion a better trailer than the A3. Lighter, less complicated, and still tough as nails with a 4" frame and reinforced walls. Nice trailers. Very good for all-purpose use. My brother just got one of them as a firewood hauler.

 

[Scrapdaddy]

Those are great trailers for anything you throw at them. But Koolex is right they are not A3's. A3's have a upgraded axle to match the Hummers. They are alittle wider and have a bumped up area on the axle for ground clearance. You will really like your trailers, are very well built.

 

[BadPunkin]

Oh and it looks like you might have some M116A2's. The wheel wells and axles give it away. In my opinion a better trailer than the A3. Lighter, less complicated, and still tough as nails with a 4" frame and reinforced walls. Nice trailers. Very good for all-purpose use. My brother just got one of them as a firewood hauler.

Good to know about the trailers. They were listed and invoiced as A3s and have the wider 45" space between the wheel wells in the bed. I guess it doesn't matter to me what they are because I like them. Just what I was looking for.

The scale at the scrap yard put the trailer at 1550 lbs. I am hoping with a few mods and streamlining to get the base weight down to 1300 lbs. Which would put the total expo setup weight at or below 2500 lbs loaded, 1000lbs under the towing capacity of my jeep.

Anyone have ideas for upgrading/converting the lights?? I have heard about swapping bulbs, but 3/4 housing are cracked. I can get sealed led kits from my local trailer supply that I could use to replace the existing, but I don't like the idea of having the lights hang down below the body. I looked at flush mount LEDs but can't find a spot wide enough on the back to mount them. Any ideas are appreciated.

Thanks everyone for feedback/input

 

[Scrapdaddy]

you'll have to cut off the military plug or get an adapter for it. I can look up what wires you would need for a civy plug, they are all numbered. As for as new lights, everybody has their own idea about what they like. I like the mil. look. You can buy new led ones for 20 dollars a piece on E-Bay, that work with 12 volts.

 

[BadPunkin]

you'll have to cut off the military plug or get an adapter for it. I can look up what wires you would need for a civy plug, they are all numbered. As for as new lights, everybody has their own idea about what they like. I like the mil. look. You can buy new led ones for 20 dollars a piece on E-Bay, that work with 12 volts.

I was at TSC today and picked up a complete dual setup 4 pin wiring harness for like $25. I need to figure out what to put on the ends. My local trailer place sells protective metal
boxes for the under body mount led kits. Lightweight are $18 and heavy duty are $24. Plus the lights it looks like $70-$100 for tail/turn/brake/license plate lights that could get ripped off.

I wanted to get a 2" round sealed kit but can't find a good spot to mount it on the body.

Plus for DOT I need clearance lights and I need to have it all wired up in 2 weeks for our first road trip. I guess more Internet research tomorrow.

Thanks again

 

[koolex11]

you'll have to cut off the military plug or get an adapter for it. I can look up what wires you would need for a civy plug, they are all numbered. As for as new lights, everybody has their own idea about what they like. I like the mil. look. You can buy new led ones for 20 dollars a piece on E-Bay, that work with 12 volts.

I used the TSC kit (tail lights, orange side running lights, all wiring and 4-flat harness for $20, actually made by Blazer) and removed all existing wiring. I saved the screws and clips and used them to hand the new wiring.

That said, the military 12V LED replacements that Scrapdaddy mentioned are very sweet, and I think they are waterproof.

 

[koolex11]

My lights:

 

[BadPunkin]

you'll have to cut off the military plug or get an adapter for it. I can look up what wires you would need for a civy plug, they are all numbered. As for as new lights, everybody has their own idea about what they like. I like the mil. look. You can buy new led ones for 20 dollars a piece on E-Bay, that work with 12 volts.

Can you post pics or a link for the mil LEDs. Not sure which ones you are talking about. Googled and Ebayed them and got nothing.

 

[koolex11]

eBay tail light

 

[BadPunkin]

eBay tail light

Got it thanks.