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New Uses for M840 Shelter Dolly Trailer?

goldneagle

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Has anyone found any other uses for the M840 Shelter Dolly Trailer? I would also love to see some pictures of it in use.

I know they have a cargo capacity of 9000 pounds so it can carry quite a bit.

1 Cargo platform (custom made)

2 Small Shipping container transport

3 Custom made camper module

4 Actual Military Shelter
 

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goldneagle

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I recovered the trailer today. All parts we intact and in great shape. They used a very large all-terrane forklift to move the trailer that was blocking mine. Told the driver not to move mine! Told him I'd hook it up to my Deuce.

I drove my Deuce in to the field and with Warren's help backed up to it. Warren and his son were there to look at the wrecker they purchased. They were nice enough to help me hook up the trailer to the Deuce. After a bit of back and forth maneuvering I managed to get the truck and trailer out of the field and back on the road.

I drove the truck at 50 MPH down the interstate 40 miles home. The trailer tracker really well. No issues at all along the way. Dropped it off in the yard and parked the truck.

After a brief lunch break I went out to inspect my acquisition. The trailer looks in very good shape. Needs just a little TLC. The end of the cord that plugs into the truck was full of rust. Banged it out to dump the rust. it will need some cleaning and possible 1 pin epoxied in. The tires are in great shape and there were 2 wrenches still in the tool box. The wrenches are used for the bolts that secure the 2 halves together and 2nd as pump handles.

I took some nice pictures of the trailer and will attach.
 

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goldneagle

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HAs anyone had experience using this trailer? How long of a container/shelter can this dolly carry without modifications?

I was thinking of welding a permanent platform between the front and back sections so they act like a drop bed trailer. Will the trailer allow the welded platform to lower straight down to the ground?

Anyone have pictures of the trailer loaded?
 

gimpyrobb

dumpsterlandingfromorbit!
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There are pics of that dolly attached to an S280 shelter in the Haspin threads for the last 2 years. I have seen a flat bed made for that converter too. I will dig through my pics and see if I can find them for you.
 

goldneagle

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Slidell, LA
All I need now is for an engineer to give me the C-channel or i-beam sizes I need to fabricate the platform. I figure at least 16 feet long and about 8 feet wide. If anyone can help I'd appreciate it.
 

LuckyDog

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Freedom, NH
All I need now is for an engineer to give me the C-channel or i-beam sizes I need to fabricate the platform. I figure at least 16 feet long and about 8 feet wide. If anyone can help I'd appreciate it.
PM me with more details. I might be able to help.

Do you have a sketch of what you're thinking it will look like?
16 ft long, how wide?
how many beams underneath?
Weight limit?
Safety factor? 2x 3x or more?

Distributed or Point load? (i.e. load of dirt or small heavy box set in the middle and strapped down? )

I can KISS it and just over-engineer if you want or optimize (take time and add complexity)
 

M1031CMT

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We have one as well. Got it really cheap through gov auctions. All the others in the auction (~15 of them) were scrapped as far as we were told since they were made to only pickup the military shelters so they weren't very useful for anything else.

We were thinking of expanding it and making it into a trailer as well but haven't gotten around to it.

We would be interested in seeing someone else do it as well.

Does anyone have a pic of it actually being used by the military? Never found one online other than in the technical manuals.
 

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goldneagle

Well-known member
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Location
Slidell, LA
PM me with more details. I might be able to help.

Do you have a sketch of what you're thinking it will look like?
16 ft long, how wide?
how many beams underneath?
Weight limit?
Safety factor? 2x 3x or more?

Distributed or Point load? (i.e. load of dirt or small heavy box set in the middle and strapped down? )

I can KISS it and just over-engineer if you want or optimize (take time and add complexity)
OK here are the spec's:

18 foot long by 8 foot wide
Number of beams is your call (I am hoping for 6 to 8 inched of total deck height when it is sitting on the ground)
Weight limit of 9500 pounds
Safety Factor (have no idea) what is the norm for trailers?
Going to weld a Diamond Plate steel deck on top (please factor in)
We can do either a ladder pattern for the beams or all parallel beams front to back
(may have to add some perpendicular pieces in between the parallel beams to keep them from twisting under load)
 

maddawg308

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Front Royal, VA
Those are useful items, heck it would be worth getting one of those to strip down for wheels/tires/parts that are all over it.
 

Idfarmer

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Jerome id
Does anybody have a m832 or m840 for sale. I would like to modify it to move a 20 ft ISO container. The Pacific Northwest would be wonderful, however I am not hopeful of that.
 

M813rc

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Near Austin, Texas
There was actually a military low-boy platform made for these. I have only ever seen one (and I've been looking for a while), but they won't let me have it! I'll look at the nomenclature when I am next over there, and take some pictures.

I am currently working on a SPAM (yes, that's the official acronym, Shop, Portable, Aircraft Maintenance) to carry on mine.

I have also attached a picture of an S-280 being carried on one behind a deuce.

Cheers
 

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