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What trailer is this? M870? or ?

pistonring

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Location
Elkton MD
Can anybody ID the trailer in the first two pictures that is hooked to the M931 tractor? This looks like a lighter trailer than the M870a1 as in recent threads and also in the third picture. All of these pictures are from the Camp Pendleton CA site Marine Corps Mechanized Museum - Est. 1999 to give proper credit to where it is due. The museum has an excellent collection of the kind of green trucks that we dream about at night.:-D Please look at the first picture of the awesome CCKW with attached half inch gun. CCKW's have 20 inch tires. The trailer has 22.5" tires if my eyes are calibrated right. The M870a1 has 15" tires. Also compare the lighter neck area and lighter side beam and lighter swing out extensions for the overwidth boards. The neck lays down on this trailer. Note the big square holes in the neck and sides. Also there looks to be more D ring tie down points than an 870. I can't tell if this is a tri axle or tandem.:?: How does the neck lay down? by cable winch as on the M920 and M870a1? Or is it hydraulic run from a wet line? Also how long is this trailer? What is it? An M??? I know from seeing this much that i need one really bad to drag around with the M818 in my avatar at left. I can see possibilities of future posts of the big project of "How I mounted a rear winch and roller on the back of my M818" So many projects....Such a short life......:roll: I see a "m113" on the right front area of the trailer deck, but do not see any trailers in the "m list" with a 113 after the M. Or is this really an M870 trailer before they came out with the m870a1????? All that I know is that I am almost guaranteed to be able to sleep better at night if one of these trailers is sitting out here in the motor pool ready to be hooked to the M818. :grin: OK, who wants to be the first one to ID it? My next question is surely to be "Where can I find such a trailer?" Anybody on SS got one?:-D
 

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fasttruck

Well-known member
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113
Location
Mesa, AZ
Trailer under cckw appears to be a commercial trailer not a m870: has disc wheels with 22.5 low profile tubless tires on it, m 870 has 10:15 tube tires on cast spoke wheels. M 870 is laid down with winch on rear of tractor or if no winch, a forklift on site. Also comes with 3" pin, so to pull it with 5t & 2.5" invh fifth wheel a stepped down king pin is required. My unit had one adopted from m172 king pin to use trailer with m818 instead of m123. loads were craned on and off on that mission.
 

rmgill

Active member
2,479
14
38
Location
Decatur, Ga
That IS an M870 trailer. The 870 and A1 are a folding low boy.

The M870A3 is a detachable gooseneck,

Both have a 40 Ton capacity.

See TM 5-2330-378-14&MP M870 and M870A1
and TM 5-2330-325-14&MP M870A3
 

pistonring

Member
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Location
Elkton MD
Thanks Ryan for the TM numbers. A search turns to what this really is, fsn 2330-01-534-4570. A MHET 40 ton capacity trailer M870a2-S. This is also known as a Medium Heavy Equipment Transporter. Empty weight 19600. The primary removable kingpin is 3.5-inch diameter with an alternate supplied 2-inch diameter kingpin. Go to
Program Manager Motor Transport and there it is. This is a 40 ton version of the 870 that loads from either end. The M870a2-E-1 is the 50 ton capacity 120" wide detachable gooseneck trailer run from a wetline. See Program Manager Motor Transport . :-DApparently the 870a2 can be depot rebuilt into a M870a2-s. See the site at Program Manager Motor Transport for a listing of current USMC trailers in use including decades old standby the M105a2 still on the roster. Specs such as weight, height and what recommended tow vehicle is needed is listed here and is handy to have available. I doubt that many of these will be coming thru GL any time soon unless one gets in a wreck. I will have to look at getting one of the older design trailers like a 172 or another type. Jason it sounds like you have first hand knowlege on these trailers. Anything that you could add would be most welcomed. :idea:I had no idea that there were so many flavors available for the M870 series trailers. How many are in SS members hands?:smile:
 

blackdog

New member
211
0
0
Location
us
Can anybody ID the trailer in the first two pictures that is hooked to the M931 tractor? This looks like a lighter trailer than the M870a1 as in recent threads and also in the third picture. All of these pictures are from the Camp Pendleton CA site Marine Corps Mechanized Museum - Est. 1999 to give proper credit to where it is due. The museum has an excellent collection of the kind of green trucks that we dream about at night.:-D Please look at the first picture of the awesome CCKW with attached half inch gun. CCKW's have 20 inch tires. The trailer has 22.5" tires if my eyes are calibrated right. The M870a1 has 15" tires. Also compare the lighter neck area and lighter side beam and lighter swing out extensions for the overwidth boards. The neck lays down on this trailer. Note the big square holes in the neck and sides. Also there looks to be more D ring tie down points than an 870. I can't tell if this is a tri axle or tandem.:?: How does the neck lay down? by cable winch as on the M920 and M870a1? Or is it hydraulic run from a wet line? Also how long is this trailer? What is it? An M??? I know from seeing this much that i need one really bad to drag around with the M818 in my avatar at left. I can see possibilities of future posts of the big project of "How I mounted a rear winch and roller on the back of my M818" So many projects....Such a short life......:roll: I see a "m113" on the right front area of the trailer deck, but do not see any trailers in the "m list" with a 113 after the M. Or is this really an M870 trailer before they came out with the m870a1????? All that I know is that I am almost guaranteed to be able to sleep better at night if one of these trailers is sitting out here in the motor pool ready to be hooked to the M818. :grin: OK, who wants to be the first one to ID it? My next question is surely to be "Where can I find such a trailer?" Anybody on SS got one?:-D
This is a little late, but I thought I'd offer up everything I know:

That's an M870A2 with tubeless 22.5" tires that is sitting underneath the CCKW and behind the M931. It was borrowed from an active unit. The M113 is actually M11303 which is the RUC # of the unit it was borrowed from. The M870A2 has ramps that drop down on the back, too.

The museum only has an M870 and M870A1, both of which have 10R15 tubed tires. Neither the M870 or M870A1 have folding ramps, but rather removable ramps that weigh about 300lbs a piece.

The trailers, or at least the M870 and M870A1, are manufactured by Load King, and are based off a commercial trailer design.

As another poster mentioned, the gooseneck folds down and must be either winched, craned, or forklifted onto the tractor. Or you can leave the gooseneck up and back it onto some old rims as seen in one of the photos you've posted.

The M870 series of trailer has a removeable kingpin, so you can put it on trucks with different kingpin sizes interchangeably.

Somewhat recent developments, at least within the Marine Corps, include the usage of the M870 behind MK31 tractors...

As for the M870A2-S MHET, I don't know WHY they call it an M870. It is a VERY different trailer, and is almost comparable to the M747 trailers. I've only ever seen one in use, and it wasn't even carrying a load.

Brian
 

Danger Ranger

New member
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Location
Roland, IA
I think maybe everything has been covered...I read and skimmed through the posts, but like the above I thought maybe I would offer an answer.

The trailer in the 3rd pic is of an M870A1. Lowboy with no ramps.
The trailer in the first two is an M870A2 or A2-S, alost the same, 40-ton, with ramps, and folding neck.
 
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