M116 Military Trailer Build (Expo Style)

Amongst a massive trade and ending up with just shy of 3 pallets of Hummer wheels I also ended up with a 1992 M116A3 flatbed utility trailer. when the trailer was first offered i thought I should see what the wife thinks. I talked with her and showed her some pics and she said "yep, let's get it" so here it is.

In many ways I will miss the first one I built because I built that from scratch with my own two hands. This one has its benefits though.

1. its mostly built first off.
2. It has the 8x6.5 8 lug bolt pattern that will be the same as the Mules once i do the axle swap.
3. It has function parking brakes
4. it was the same track width as my Suburban
6. it already has proper size fenders.

Right now I have no exact plans to share. I have officially created way too many projects so this one may get put to the side for a while.

I actually started this build thread on a few other forums and I decided to start it here as well. I chose this trailer because of its frame, parking brakes and the 8 lug pattern will go nicely behind my 1 ton axles on my 91 Suburban I am building.

Now before I get jumped by people telling me not to hack this up I do have plans for it. Any parts I will not be using will carefully be removed and I plan to put those parts in the classifieds section here on steel Soldiers because someone may need it for their own trailer restoration. I have passed on a 416 because it was to nice of condition and I didn't want to hack that up. This one i think has already had a bit of work done to it I dont know for sure. If there is anything you see that is odd, rare, not right or foreign please let me know.

Below is a brief list of what might be removed and sold.

purge brakes and Lunette assembly
the fender extensions (those 4" additions on the edges)
ALL wiring - The wiring looks to be in good condition but instead of hacking the ends off and splicing I am going to remove it in whole and rewire myself.
All reflectors
the tail lamp assemblies.

I have these items available

Full wire harness - $40
Tail light assemblies $30 (for pair)
Fenders extensions - $40 (for pair)
Surge brake assembly - $100 SOLD
Corner reflectors - $5.00 each
Open to offers.

pma4x4 said:

...i thought I should see what the wife thinks. I talked with her and showed her some pics and she said "yep, let's get it"

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Do you really expect us to believe that part?

Actually yes. My wife is not "normal" she likes to go offroading with me. has her own 45 auto and can change her own oil and other mechanical things. I was thinking of passing on the trailer idea but she liked the idea of still havign a trailer on stand by to be pulled behind our Suburban (aka Mule). She is also of the "If we can build it, why buy it" type. That's why I love her so much!

pma4x4 said:

My wife is not "normal" she likes to go offroading with me. has her own 45 auto and can change her own oil and other mechanical things.

Click to expand...

Your wife, does she happen to have a younger, unmarried sister?

All joking aside, you know how RARE that is in a wife? You are a lucky man.

Why rip out the wiring? Put 12V bulbs in the light buckets and be done. You can get an adapter plug for the truck end.


Augi

Augi said:

Why rip out the wiring? Put 12V bulbs in the light buckets and be done. You can get an adapter plug for the truck end.


Augi

Click to expand...

I am going to have the lights high-n-tight and LED. These tail lamp assemblies are in really good condition. I dont want to destroy them when on the trail.

I don't want to get this thread off track, but last weekend (Thursday) my wife and I took a trip.

We drove across the state of Iowa into Illinois to pick up a new gen-set engine for my (our?) broken Mule.

Thanksgiving meal was at the Cracker Barrel in Bettendorf, IA.

On the way back home we stopped in Des Moines for the night and went to the gun show the next day.

It was out anniversary.

I love her!

Got the Fender extensions, the channel iron mounts and all the electrical removed today. The Blue tape is an idea of where we may cut and add a tub wall.

Proof the wife wrenches!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdAiD8a-Eko

Well the wiring harness cam out all in one piece and the connections seem really good. The tail lamp housings both are cracked but the lens is in really good condition. I have 6 of the 8 reflectors the other two were bashed up pretty good.

I have these items available

Full wire harness - $40
Tail light assemblies $30 (for pair)
Fenders extensions - $40 (for pair)
Surge brake assembly - $100
Corner reflectors - $5.00 each
Open to offers.

All items are sold as is untested.
Buyer responsible for shipping costs. USPS priority mail or UPS Ground.

Will you be changing the axle or running different wheels?The A3 axle shoves the wheels further out and the extend pretty far past the fenders.

For now I plan to run the A3 axle. I know it stick its out pretty good. Was it just the A3s that did that?

If we decide we want brakes I will swap out axles to a conventional one and put electric brakes on that and then change the track width a bit.

I believe the A3 trailer axles were widened to match the Humvee and the center section was raised for ground clearance.The m101A2 trailers matched the CUCV blazers and Pick ups. I like the taper you have planned for the deck.

Yeah it is a bit wider. I was hoping it woul dmatch the 14 bolt FF i have going into the suburban this winter.

Much wider than the 14 bolt. Why did you remove the fender extensions, they cover it perfectly.