Johnson Furnace # 6-8384 is mine!!!

[Hugh Heifer]

I am also shopping for tires. While shopping I discovered this very useful tool:
OnlineConversion.com - Tire Size Conversion

And another one:

Tire size calculator

Since the 7.00 16s that are on there are about 30 inches tall, I am considering 215/85R16s which are made by Goodyear and 30.4 inches tall, or 235/85R16s which are BFG ATs and 31.4 inches tall. The other option is going with the original military 7.00 R 16 which is a 6 ply with a tube and a bit cheaper. What do you guys think about tires if I do not plan on changing hubs to run Toyota rims?

A note to myself that 225/85/16s are 31.1 inches and a close match in size to the original military tire.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Hugh:

For the record: I HATE YOU.

Apparently, I stumbled upon this one shortly after you did and you got there first.

By the way, it was 15 minutes from my freaking front door! Talk about being in my backyard.

Congrats on your purchase.

And yes, I just joined so I could tell you that you beat me to it.

Did you call the PO? He said someone called from Rome just after I did but would be unable to get to him until Saturday. I just happen to be working an odd schedule and off Fridays right now. Early bird gets the worm!

Good luck on your search. Not to rub it in, but you would have been pleased. It is in good shape. Again

 

[Wahoo Creek]

Did you call the PO? He said someone called from Rome just after I did but would be unable to get to him until Saturday. I just happen to be working an odd schedule and off Fridays right now. Early bird gets the worm!

Good luck on your search. Not to rub it in, but you would have been pleased. It is in good shape. Again

C'mon. Make me feel better. Tell me it's a POS.

I freakin swapped emails with the dude and then nothing.

Cheers to you and your find.

WC

 

[Hugh Heifer]

I hated to do it but I just dropped $135 on Fleabay for a lunette. Seems they are getting more and more difficult to find at a reasonable price. While I was searching I hit upon a Craigs List add where somebody answered a wtb and said he had a ring from an M416 and would sell it to the dude for $25



I guess all these trailers that have undergone the mod to a ball hitch are owned by homeowners and cities that bought surplus. I would wager to say the lunette rings were lopped off or simply thrown in the garbage. A shame.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Cut the tailgate

I started. The hardest part was just the first slice!!!

I started by removing the reflectors and grinding the nails that held the data plate.
I thought it was cool to find the 43 year old paint under them.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Then, using a protractor to ensure it was straight, I clamped a piece of angle iron to the back to help with the vertical cuts.

Right



Then left



And then across the bottom allowing the bet to guide the sawzall.

Tah Dah!



I cut about 3 inches from the side to allow plenty of room for the 2 inch square tubing I plan on building my RTT frame out of. Tomorrow I will start welding all the bracing on the gate.

 

[Koffer]

I know your going to want to hear this now , but you should of cut the bottom , put your hinge on then cut the sides that way you're all lined up and ready to go when its time to put it back on

 

[Hugh Heifer]

I know your going to want to hear this now , but you should of cut the bottom , put your hinge on then cut the sides that way you're all lined up and ready to go when its time to put it back on

Everybody's a critic. Thanks for the input but that would not work for what I am doing.

Anyway, I used on of those hole punchers I bought a couple years ago on sale to punch a series of holes in the tub and the tailgate to aid in the welding process.





Then I beefed up the tail gate the same way as Zekester did. The difference is the M101 is a bit beefier that the old M416 so I had to add an additional piece of cross bracing.



An interesting note. I started wondering where this trailer had been. There were many coats of paint on it. First was what the PO had done, then there was a kind of bright green. Then I found military tan and then the original olive drab. So it was delivered with the olive and then spent some time with a unit that would have deployed to the mid-east. Around the time the cold war ended, the 24th ID and a number of other units at Fort Stewart, Georgia had all their vehicle painted tan. To my recollection, those were the first to use the tan regularly on all vehicles. While I was in the Army in the late '80s and thru the '90s these trailers were going away so it was not until Desert Shield that tan vehicles were common in the States. Wonder if this spent its final years of service at Stewart. Just a reflection on the history of the thing. Would be interesting to know.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Welding the bracing. I didn't take a pic of the bracing across the tailgate since it stormed. I get one later.



Then I welded a piece of angle to the bed (again as Zekester did) in order to have something to weld my fabbed hinged to. I did not weld the angle to the frame, only to the bed. I also used the bed fasteners I had cut off and welded those to the angle iron so I could use them to mount the bed. Also you will note the 2" hitch mount. This is so I can mount any number of accessories - motorcycle carrier, cargo tray or a grill. I will brace it from the back when I remove the bed for sandblasting.



I thought I had some 3/4 angle to weld inside the bed but I didn't so I ran up to Home Depot. This is when the s*** hit the fan and we had a huge rainstorm and a tornado. Suffice to say, the day ended here.

I need to fashion a propane tank holder and a gas can mount (front left and right) and then figure out a tongue box while retianing the stock handbrake.
The plan is that once all this is fabbed, I am taking the entire trailer apart and sandblasting everything, painting everything with POR15 and having the bed Rhino Lined.

Stay tuned. I am going away the next two weekend so who know how long this will take.

 

[Koffer]

Looking good .
as for the tail gate I was just saying what Ive seen before just to help some but looks like you have it under control .
When I got my M416 there was so much paint on the inside that it started to crack and looked like a dry desert floor with the edges curling up.
I was told that it was common around here to have the new privates do busy work and paint them every month during their "1 weekend a month" reserves .
this was a good thing as when I got it there was no rust even though it was filled to the top with water (that hid a brand new tarp still in its wax coated cardboard box sitting in it )

 

[Hugh Heifer]

That's pretty funny. Not that many layers here. I never had to do any motor pool work. I will say that the original paint is freaking hard to get off the thing. All the other layers were pretty easy but the original olive drab is stubborn!

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Here are pics of the tailgate so far. Not nearly finished.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Just was continuing my research and discovered this thread:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/trailer-tech/264614-what-tires-you-guys-running-your-m101-cdns-m416s.html

So 235/85/16 will be my choice. Thanks Mud.

I also ordered a couple of these guys for my tailgate:



And have been considering a couple of these for Jerry Can holders on the outside but may try to make them myself:

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Made some progress today.







The De-Sta-Co latches are
I ran out of hardware for those so I have to hit Ace tomorrow.
I also have a few holes to weld closed and some welds to grind but I was worn out so I quit.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

The other thing I did this week was get the wheels sandblasted and powder coated. Noice.





The gray is "slate gray."

I did all the wheels so they will match.



When I took the tires off the trailer I noted that they were manufactured the 40th week of 1973!

 

[kilo]

Very Noice!!

 

[browser5031]

I bet the yard looked sweet with all the cruisers and trailer up on blocks waiting for the wheels to come back. Really bringing down the neighborhood.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I bet the yard looked sweet with all the cruisers and trailer up on blocks waiting for the wheels to come back. Really bringing down the neighborhood.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

I bet the yard looked sweet with all the cruisers and trailer up on blocks waiting for the wheels to come back. Really bringing down the neighborhood.

At least I don't drive a Honda because I put my gears in backwards in my split case

 

[semlin]

At least I don't drive a Honda because I put my gears in backwards in my split case

they were prolly reverse cut