M1101 trailer build thread

ponykilr

Guest
I got a M1101 from Tacoma747 today. We plan to transform it into an expedition/camping trailer.
First thing is lowering the hitch and then painting it.
Plan to do a bed with storage, seating, wire for 110v and 12v and perhaps a slide out grill.
More pics and updates soon.

not mine but identical.

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I wired up the trailer lights harness/cable today to a regular 7 pin connector. The one that comes on it is some crazy military pattern. I was able to just cut that connector off and put the new one on. Some of these don't come with the cable that goes to the truck, mine did thank goodness. It is plenty long enough to reach my truck's outlet. I still need to switch the bulbs out to 12V, the ones it comes with are 24V. They work, but are a little dim.

I took the aux (12V switched from the truck) from the 7 pin to an unused wire so once I put a deep cycle battery in it, it will charge when connected to the truck. I plan on the battery and two 20LB propane cylinders on the trailer for lights and heat. I also plan to put a marine plug on it so I can hook it to 110V service. I will put a couple of outlets inside connected to the marine plug as well as a smart battery charger to keep the battery topped off when hooked up and all 12V stuff working. I think this will give the most options. We can stay in it completely off any power source with 12V lights and propane heat or hook it to 110V service for extended use. We can also use electric heat when hooked up. I plan to have a propane infrared heater in there as well as a electric heater.

I pulled it on the hwy today up to around 60MPH with the top on. It pulled great. When I brought it home the canvas was not on the bows. I was a little worried it would flap all over but it looked like it just stayed put. It has vents in the back to allow pressure to escape so I guess that they work. It looks great behind my truck. I can't wait to paint it.

My friend Dan says to make a Queen size bed with storage under it in the front. I may do that or may just buy a futon so we can use it like a couch when not sleeping. I see a TV mounted in there somewhere and maybe a stereo system.

I want to mount a spare under the back of the trailer. Does anyone have an old truck I could get the spare tire hoist off of?
 
ponykilr said:
Does anyone have an old truck I could get the spare tire hoist off of?
Click to expand...
IF you can't grab one from somebody, junkyards normally carry them for $10-$15.
 
I finally had some time to work on the trailer. After much thought, I decided to remove the pintle hitch and surge brake setup from the trailer. It was just too high as it was and this trailer at 1400 lbs does not need brakes. The parking brakes will still work however and I really like that they are there.

This is what the factory setup looked like

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I removed the brake and hitch assembly and cut a piece of 2x3 x.25 steel to 30" to be added under the stock tongue. This increased the tongue length about a foot and should make backing it a little easier and allow more room for stuff to be mounted on the front. I used 3 grade eight 1/2 x 1.25 bolts with grade eight lock washers, washers and nuts to bolt it on. I was going to weld it, but decided I may want to change it up later so bolts were better. It is bolted inside the tube on the old and new tongues and torqued to 150 lbs. This required some stick magnets and crafty wrenching to get to the fasteners.

Grade eight 1/2 bolts are 17000lbs each proof load (tension) and 14730lbs (shear) I doubt the trailer could create enough shear to cut them, even in a wreck.

Getting that brake assembly off of the tongue made a good bit of difference on picking up the front to hook it up and such. The longer tongue helped give more leverage too. It was a good improvement all the way around.

I bolted the chain tabs back on a little forward of where they were and plan to run the light cable through the new tongue to protect it. I will get a new ball type coupler from Agri Supply and bolt it to the new tongue. The height should be perfect for my truck now with no riser needed.
Some etching primer and OD Rustoleum and there she is. I will get going on the inside soon.
I swept and vacuumed it out today, I will wash it inside with some purple power one day this week.

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This is what was required before :p:p

It was a really tall riser. The pintle hitch makes it have to be even higher of a rise than a ball hitch would be due to how it bolts on.

It kept me from lowering the tailgate when it was installed, It had to go LOL

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Finished up the tongue and installed a much nicer 7way plug

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The unit it came from, I was in back in 85.

Keep up the work on the trailer.
 
noooooo!

I have never figured out why people would rather have a ball hitch than a pintle! Remember, off-road the ball hitch does not have near the 'travel' a pintle hitch does.

Tongue looks good, I agree, no need for surge brakes. I just hate ball hitches, always have for whatever reason?
 
Tacoma, I just could not see a good way to drop the hitch height with the pintle. I have seen guys weld extensions on them but it always looks so hokie.
This took care of lowering the height as well as making more room on the tongue for propane tanks and batteries.

krzyabncanuck (wtf LOL), crazy you were in that unit. Pretty small world all things considered.
 
Yea the way you did it appears almost too easy. Mounting a pintle to that tube would have required a little welding. Unless you get it really crossed up off-road it should be fine. The military pintle hitches rotate on the back of the vehicles, so that adds even more rotation to the pintle hitch on them. A ball hitch probably isn't that much less travel than a pintle that doesn't rotate side-to-side, but cresting hills I could see the ball binding up more. Shouldn't ever have a problem unless you take it through actual trails.
 
Roughest trail it will see will be a rutted gravels road or a sand dune.

I am really thinking about fabbing a hard top for it from 1" square tube and covering it with sheet aluminum.
Then I could add windows and mount other stuff on the walls inside.
 
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