What's the best starting point?
- Thread starter Kiriesh
- Start date
jscherb
Expedition Leader
This one's built on a Harbor Freight 1720-lb. capacity heavy duty trailer frame that can be bought for less than $300. It's had lots of off-road abuse. The axle has been upgraded to a 3500-lb. capacity axle to better handle the 33" tires to match the JK, but that's a fairly inexpensive upgrade (~ $125). The tub is a fiberglass kit.
OwyheeMagpie
Adventurer and Explorer
There are plenty of good trailers on CL that don't have to be a military one. Quite frankly the military stuff is awesome and literally bomb proof but why not build something to suit your needs for cheaper or the same price in the end. The nice thing about getting a common size 4x6 or 4x8 or what ever trailer is you can buy common up grades for them with out breaking the bank on M416, or what ever, specific parts.
I picked up an American Made Haulin tilt 4x8 trailer on CL for 325 bucks locally. Its got a 2,500 pound capacity and the frame is boxed, not C channel and everything is welded (no bolts to rattle loose) its solid. I have some 31's including a spare I'm going to throw on it once I order a wider axle with 5 on 4.5 lugs. I already made a great header rack for it and ditched the wood sides. It holds 3 motorcycles like a champ. Tons of tie downs and I added LED lighting. Next I'm going to make a removable rack for a RTT and awning, fenders suited for the bigger tires and maybe sides...I'm trying to keep mine as a dual use camping/I don't have a truck kind of trailer. Non the less, trailer, steel, hardware, wheels/tires, axle and so on I'll be in it for probably 800ish bucks!
I look forward to pictures and a build thread when you get yours figured out! Good luck.
I picked up an American Made Haulin tilt 4x8 trailer on CL for 325 bucks locally. Its got a 2,500 pound capacity and the frame is boxed, not C channel and everything is welded (no bolts to rattle loose) its solid. I have some 31's including a spare I'm going to throw on it once I order a wider axle with 5 on 4.5 lugs. I already made a great header rack for it and ditched the wood sides. It holds 3 motorcycles like a champ. Tons of tie downs and I added LED lighting. Next I'm going to make a removable rack for a RTT and awning, fenders suited for the bigger tires and maybe sides...I'm trying to keep mine as a dual use camping/I don't have a truck kind of trailer. Non the less, trailer, steel, hardware, wheels/tires, axle and so on I'll be in it for probably 800ish bucks!
I look forward to pictures and a build thread when you get yours figured out! Good luck.
The jetski trailer I bought for $100 is made from 3"x2" rectangle tubing, all welded. So it is definitely strong enough. Also something I did was cut the tongue (tongue was box not rectangle) and purchased a smaller tube that slides into the tongue. That way I can extend the tongue if I want to so it pulls a little further back from the Jeep and makes pulling and backing a little easier. This also lets me open the swing tailgate on the Jeep with the trailer hooked up. Then offroad I can shorten it so it is easier to pull on tight trials.
Just another thought to throw into the mix of 1000's you probably have floating around in your head.
4runnerteq
Explorer
Take your time and just keep your eyes and ears open. I paid $400 for my m416 with lunet hitch and insert. Put new bearings and 12 volt lights on it. Ready to go. Have added a lid now. Looked and searched for well over a year and heard about it. It was only 2 MILES down the road from me in a barn. Patience pays off sometimes. Good luck.
Tt
Tt
BenjaminAsher
Observer
Where are you looking? Most M1101 trailers I've been seeing are in near mint condition. Some have a few dents or chipped paint, but many sell at auction with brand new tires. It's almost worth buying a second trailer, just for extra wheels and tires.
Kiriesh
Adventurer
I checked on government auction sites, craigslist, for sale sections of forums etc, the issue being I wanted a smaller (thinner) trailer which tended to be the older models. There were plenty for sale don't get me wrong but they were usually asking outrageous prices (700+ at a minimum) for M416/bantam trailers, with your options being rust buckets or fully restored. I would be content buying a rust bucket if it wasn't so over priced anyways. I'm getting my usual purchase prices from people on these forums so I'm not sure if my price point was off or what. I've been looking passively for about 8 months with the same prices and quality being sold, I wasn't overly thrilled with military trailers.
I found a holiday sale and ended up with a Harbor freight 1720 lb chassis for just shy of $300 after taxes. I'm usually a stickler about buying cheap, but with other "cheap" options like utility and jetski trailers selling locally easily over $400 for rusted crap (impressive considering I live in california...) so I decided to take a risk. I'm actually fairly impressed with the quality for what it was. Looks like I'll be repainting it as the "powdercoating" is pretty subpar but the frame it self seems to be pretty good quality. What really sold me was that I could get it registered with the DMV prior to putting a tub on it and not have any hassle. The axle and fenders seem to be good but I wasn't overly concerned as I'll be replacing the axle with a bolt matching my tow rig and the fenders will be integrated into the tub. I was planning on a custom tub so the 1720lb capacity will definitely be used wisely. I have the trailer assembled and ready for registration but sadly ran out of time so it'll be parked for a couple months, giving me plenty of time to CAD some ideas for the tub. Thanks everyone again for their input! I may end up making a build thread to get some feedback on designs but I'm on the fence.
For those who are curious here's the type of trailer I ended up with:
I found a holiday sale and ended up with a Harbor freight 1720 lb chassis for just shy of $300 after taxes. I'm usually a stickler about buying cheap, but with other "cheap" options like utility and jetski trailers selling locally easily over $400 for rusted crap (impressive considering I live in california...) so I decided to take a risk. I'm actually fairly impressed with the quality for what it was. Looks like I'll be repainting it as the "powdercoating" is pretty subpar but the frame it self seems to be pretty good quality. What really sold me was that I could get it registered with the DMV prior to putting a tub on it and not have any hassle. The axle and fenders seem to be good but I wasn't overly concerned as I'll be replacing the axle with a bolt matching my tow rig and the fenders will be integrated into the tub. I was planning on a custom tub so the 1720lb capacity will definitely be used wisely. I have the trailer assembled and ready for registration but sadly ran out of time so it'll be parked for a couple months, giving me plenty of time to CAD some ideas for the tub. Thanks everyone again for their input! I may end up making a build thread to get some feedback on designs but I'm on the fence.
For those who are curious here's the type of trailer I ended up with:
quickfarms
Adventurer
I have found that the M101 trailer is the best military trailer out there.
The Bantam, M100 and M416 trailers are just a little bit to small for my camping stuff. They have also become collectors items.
The M101 trailers are built like tanks compared to the harbor freight trailers. The springs are longer, they have shocks, they use vehicle wheel bearings ( not the tiny trailer ones) and the A2 and A3 variants have brakes.
They are very handy for everything from camping, dump trailer to hauling firewood.
If any one is interested I have several extra M101's that I would part with.
The Bantam, M100 and M416 trailers are just a little bit to small for my camping stuff. They have also become collectors items.
The M101 trailers are built like tanks compared to the harbor freight trailers. The springs are longer, they have shocks, they use vehicle wheel bearings ( not the tiny trailer ones) and the A2 and A3 variants have brakes.
They are very handy for everything from camping, dump trailer to hauling firewood.
If any one is interested I have several extra M101's that I would part with.
BenjaminAsher
Observer
The M1101/M1102 trailers are pretty wide, just depends on your needs. If you go with an older M105, and put it on a diet by removing extra weight and put on a lighter axel, Amtech makes some REALLY nice "Helmet Hard Top" tops for them. They are rare to be issued in the first place, but you can keep an eye out for one that ends up on the civilian market.
BenjaminAsher
Observer
Of course, you could just start with an M101 trailer, but the Amtech hard tops only fit the M105 trailers.