This is an Australian military No. 5 1/2 ton trailer.
Over here in Australia you see people making all types of modifications to these - adding RTTs, installing slide-out kitchens and such. Sadly mine is pretty standard.
I was after a 4WD trailer which I could simply use to extend the cargo carry carrying capacity of the BJ40 during an outback trip later this year. No roof top tents or slide-out kitchen for me. In the trailer I want to be able to carry a minimum of six jerrycans (4 x 20l diesel cans and 2 x 22l water cans), spare wheel, a space case, and a big tent. The interior of the trailer has tie-downs which are left over from its military service where each No. 5 trailer was fitted with mounting points for a water bladder.
The trailer is a tub-type like the American M416 with no tailgate. If you lash two empty jerrycans to the drawbar of this trailer you can paddle it in the water like a dinghy. Like most military trailers it is fitted with a lunette ring hitch system.
When I bought it, it was painted camouflage, and since the trailer was built in 1963, I decided to bring it back to its Vietnam-war era look. To do that I needed to give the trailer a complete respray in basic olive drab, then make up a canopy bow and finally source a canvas canopy. This work took a couple of weeks and now it's a good, honest trailer which is perfect for remote outback use.
The only other modification I am making to the trailer is to have an axle made up which will accept the same 6-stud Toyota 16 inch split rims as the tow vehicle. At the moment the trailer is fitted with 5-stud Land Rover wheels. They work fine, but they aren't split rims, which means I can't fix the tyre myself out bush and the Land Rover wheels are quite expensive compared to the dirt-cheap Toyota split rims. I've gotten a quote for the new axle and it's not too bad actually - around A$400 from hub to hub. I'll get this axle made up in May or June.
The tow vehicle has a tow bar with a Hayman Reese style towbar fitted. So far I have tried two different styles of pintle hook on the vehicle. The first type is a solid hayman reese compatible hitch. It works fine, but sits a little too low. The second is a plate to which a separate pintle hook can be bolted. This one gets the trailer's drawbar to the right height, but due to the plate, I can't unlatch the stock spare wheel carrier on the 40 and the tailgate wouldn't open either. Plan C is to remove the Hayman Reese towbar and bolt a pintle hook directly to the factory mount using the four holes.
Here are some pics of the trailer.
Over here in Australia you see people making all types of modifications to these - adding RTTs, installing slide-out kitchens and such. Sadly mine is pretty standard.
I was after a 4WD trailer which I could simply use to extend the cargo carry carrying capacity of the BJ40 during an outback trip later this year. No roof top tents or slide-out kitchen for me. In the trailer I want to be able to carry a minimum of six jerrycans (4 x 20l diesel cans and 2 x 22l water cans), spare wheel, a space case, and a big tent. The interior of the trailer has tie-downs which are left over from its military service where each No. 5 trailer was fitted with mounting points for a water bladder.
The trailer is a tub-type like the American M416 with no tailgate. If you lash two empty jerrycans to the drawbar of this trailer you can paddle it in the water like a dinghy. Like most military trailers it is fitted with a lunette ring hitch system.
When I bought it, it was painted camouflage, and since the trailer was built in 1963, I decided to bring it back to its Vietnam-war era look. To do that I needed to give the trailer a complete respray in basic olive drab, then make up a canopy bow and finally source a canvas canopy. This work took a couple of weeks and now it's a good, honest trailer which is perfect for remote outback use.
The only other modification I am making to the trailer is to have an axle made up which will accept the same 6-stud Toyota 16 inch split rims as the tow vehicle. At the moment the trailer is fitted with 5-stud Land Rover wheels. They work fine, but they aren't split rims, which means I can't fix the tyre myself out bush and the Land Rover wheels are quite expensive compared to the dirt-cheap Toyota split rims. I've gotten a quote for the new axle and it's not too bad actually - around A$400 from hub to hub. I'll get this axle made up in May or June.
The tow vehicle has a tow bar with a Hayman Reese style towbar fitted. So far I have tried two different styles of pintle hook on the vehicle. The first type is a solid hayman reese compatible hitch. It works fine, but sits a little too low. The second is a plate to which a separate pintle hook can be bolted. This one gets the trailer's drawbar to the right height, but due to the plate, I can't unlatch the stock spare wheel carrier on the 40 and the tailgate wouldn't open either. Plan C is to remove the Hayman Reese towbar and bolt a pintle hook directly to the factory mount using the four holes.
Here are some pics of the trailer.
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