I've been meaning to take some pics and share with others about this great little trailer I picked up a few months ago. It's an Army-surplus M-116A2 trailer, and boy is it built hell for stout!
Mine was originally designed to carry military gensets. It's 5 1/2' wide x 8' long and the guy I bought it from put 2 1/2' sides on it. If I put rail extensions on it, I can carry a full cord of wood in it. It's rated to handle 2,500 lbs of cargo, but I think it would easily take another 500lbs or 1,000lbs. more. I picked up about 2/3 of a cord of green white oak the other day, and the trailer didn't even flinch......it tows so nicely.....!!
It's got a heavy-duty 3/4 ton axle, heavy-duty 16" E-load range tires, 6 leaf leafsprings, and shock absorbers too! The bed is 1/4" aluminum, so no worries about replacing a rotting wood deck or a rusting metal one. It has a heavy-duty lunette ring/pintle hitch setup which I really like--it's super easy to hook up, and this has to be the strongest coupling I've ever had on any trailer. It's a bit more sensitive when backing the trailer, but once you get used to it it does very well.
The trailer is very nicely balanced, and comes with a built-in surge break system that is great for coming down from the mountains with a full load. It also has a handbrake system that is activated by two levers in the front--so no need for wheel chocks when it's not coupled to something or you're parked on a hill. It also has a front tongue jack and a rear leg, so that you can completely disconnect it, set the front and rear jacks and activate the hand brakes and it will sit level and straight and not go anywhere. And, should I ever get it stuck somewhere, I can just call a friend with a helicopter to come and get me as it's got lifting rings welded to the frame all around! Also, they are set up to be a tilt trailer, though if you have the surge brake model like mine you have to add some flexible brake line.
I'm driving a 2001 Tacoma 4x4 Ext Cab, and I must say that this is hands down the best, most affordable trailer I've ever seen for a mid-size truck. There's a few guys that sell them around here for $750-$1,200 depending upon the age and condition. Apparently, the ones with the surge brakes like mine are very sought after and thus hard to find. Even at $1,000 these trailers are WAY better built than the $700-800 ones like you see at Lowes and HD. I bought it from a guy who bought the flatbed version at a military auction and then added the 2 1/2' sides and rear gates. He did a real nice job on it, and then decided to get a flatbed truck. I only paid $500 for it--and it's paid for itself already! If you look around you can find these pretty cheap at military auctions, if the resellers don't buy them all!
NP
Mine was originally designed to carry military gensets. It's 5 1/2' wide x 8' long and the guy I bought it from put 2 1/2' sides on it. If I put rail extensions on it, I can carry a full cord of wood in it. It's rated to handle 2,500 lbs of cargo, but I think it would easily take another 500lbs or 1,000lbs. more. I picked up about 2/3 of a cord of green white oak the other day, and the trailer didn't even flinch......it tows so nicely.....!!
It's got a heavy-duty 3/4 ton axle, heavy-duty 16" E-load range tires, 6 leaf leafsprings, and shock absorbers too! The bed is 1/4" aluminum, so no worries about replacing a rotting wood deck or a rusting metal one. It has a heavy-duty lunette ring/pintle hitch setup which I really like--it's super easy to hook up, and this has to be the strongest coupling I've ever had on any trailer. It's a bit more sensitive when backing the trailer, but once you get used to it it does very well.
The trailer is very nicely balanced, and comes with a built-in surge break system that is great for coming down from the mountains with a full load. It also has a handbrake system that is activated by two levers in the front--so no need for wheel chocks when it's not coupled to something or you're parked on a hill. It also has a front tongue jack and a rear leg, so that you can completely disconnect it, set the front and rear jacks and activate the hand brakes and it will sit level and straight and not go anywhere. And, should I ever get it stuck somewhere, I can just call a friend with a helicopter to come and get me as it's got lifting rings welded to the frame all around! Also, they are set up to be a tilt trailer, though if you have the surge brake model like mine you have to add some flexible brake line.
I'm driving a 2001 Tacoma 4x4 Ext Cab, and I must say that this is hands down the best, most affordable trailer I've ever seen for a mid-size truck. There's a few guys that sell them around here for $750-$1,200 depending upon the age and condition. Apparently, the ones with the surge brakes like mine are very sought after and thus hard to find. Even at $1,000 these trailers are WAY better built than the $700-800 ones like you see at Lowes and HD. I bought it from a guy who bought the flatbed version at a military auction and then added the 2 1/2' sides and rear gates. He did a real nice job on it, and then decided to get a flatbed truck. I only paid $500 for it--and it's paid for itself already! If you look around you can find these pretty cheap at military auctions, if the resellers don't buy them all!
NP
