M105 as utility trailer (1 Viewer)

[HJ-45CrewCab]

Just finished modifying this trailer. It is not an expedition trailer for trails, but a utility trailer for Home Depot, leaves, firewood, mulch etc. Changed the axle, put toyota wheel studs and lugnuts. Make no mistake; the M105 is large and heavy, but fulfills my needs perfectly. Price on Government Liquidation was right, and it came with new racks, bows and tarp.

 

[HJ-45CrewCab]

axle is 5200lb axle with 4" drop. Had to use a die and thread another inch on the ubolts in order to account for the difference is axle diameter.

 

[Cattledog]

Nice. Saw your cruiser today, enjoy the bridge.... Saw the school bus die, couldn, understand the driver not pulling off earlier...

BTW, nice cruiser!

 

[boss73]

Wow that thing is big!! I am glad to see your rig with the thing.. Its huge!! nice find though. I have been looking on government liquidations for a while but its hard to find anything small. Nice looking Rig and trailer..

 

[HJ-45CrewCab]

Nice. Saw your cruiser today, enjoy the bridge.... Saw the school bus die, couldn, understand the driver not pulling off earlier...

BTW, nice cruiser!

That was a little frustrating. Looked to me like the cop could have let him coast back down the bridge, then into the emergency lane.

 

[WES1977]

Hey I saw your rig in the shipyard last year. The guys i was ridding with even liked your rig and they aren't into things like that.

 

[HJ-45CrewCab]

Hey I saw your rig in the shipyard last year. The guys i was ridding with even liked your rig and they aren't into things like that.

Thanks, the uniqueness of this truck catches a lot of attention, but I just happened to be in the right part of cyber space at the right time. Bought it in Australia when no one else was looking.

 

[Brian in Oregon]

Good grief, it looks like your trailer is trying to catch and eat your Land Cruiser.

There's a LWB Land Rover with a SWB hardtop on it running around the Portland east side. Similar concept to your Land Cruiser but a lot shorter.

 

[HJ-45CrewCab]

Trailer is mostly towed behind the FJ Cruiser. I have hauled a cord of wood, but the largest load was a 3 yard bucket of compost; pretty sure it was overloaded that time.

 

[HJ-45CrewCab]

Update

It seems others are giving these trailers a try (because they are so cheap on GL) and I have been getting more questions about my modifications. So, I will update this thread.

The axle was ordered from ABC Trailer Parts - Trailer Axles - Trailer Axle Kits They have been referenced by other mudders and everything shipped perfect. The axle was a 3" 5200lb axle w/ a 4" drop. To order an axle, you need to provide 3 dimensions.
(1) is the hub pattern. I went w/ 6 lug 5.5" same as Toyota
(2) is the spring center to center width. This is measured on the original springs to be 40"
(3) is the width hub face to hub face. This was a little more complicated and I cant find my notes. I ordered the axle 79 inches hub to hub and If I had to do it again, I would go with 78 inches. This was derived analyzing the fender lip on my 4runner and factory alloy wheels. After installation, there was room to make it an inch narrower. Again this depends on tire size, wheel offset etc.

The axle has brackets for brakes, but I have not installed them yet since the law in NH only requires trailer brakes if over 3000 pounds.

With the trailer now lowered I still use the front landing gear okay. On level ground it would still park nose up due to the landing gear, so I park it in my yard with a small hole dug for the landing gear to ease hitchup. With the hole, the lunette is at same height as pintle when I back up. Without the hole, I would have to use a hi-lift to manipulate the hitch for connection.

The rear landing gear was stuck in the raised postion, so I haven't needed, used or modified that, but it looks easy to cut/modify it to be shorter.

Lighting was changed to 12V LED boat trailer lights

Future mods are to install trailer brakes, trailer tongue box, and a heavy duty 12vdc tongue jack.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Which boat trailer lights did you use?

 

[HJ-45CrewCab]

Which boat trailer lights did you use?

I went with these. I wanted LED for extra safety...the lights are in the same location as original, so they are recessed a few inches under the trailer to avoid damage. I went w/ submersible lights just for durability. Nothing worse than plugging in your trailer and have lighting issues.

Blazer / LED Submersible Trailer Light Kit
Amazon.com: Blazer C7421 LED Submersible Trailer Light Kit for Trailers Under 80" Wide: Automotive

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Nice. I was considering using LED lights on my 416, but wanted to keep the military feel, so was considering converting my stock lights.

Have more recent pictures?

 

[yoda-g3]

Nice, I'm considering heading the same route. A few questions for you to help me figure out how to get it level to my 80.

When the trailer is sitting level, what is the height to the bottom of the lunette?

What tire / wheel combo are you using? Better yet, what is the overall diameter vs the stock wheel /tire combo diameter?

Overall how much would you say the entire trailer was lowered after the new axle?

I've been considering putting an electric brake axle on while I'm at it, have you felt like it could use the additional breaking?

Thanks!

 

[HJ-45CrewCab]

I saw your post on Steel Soldiers. I will be using it this weekend, so I can get measurements and additional pics then. I also have to find my notes for all the original heights and specs. The pics on this thread are with 32x11.50 tires. The trailer currently has 31x10.50 on it. As far as brakes, everyone will recommend adding trailer brakes and I plan to in the future. Right now, everything I use it for is within a mile of my house, so brakes aren't my priority. This is another advantage to swapping the axle; conventional electric trailer brakes and controller can be used. I cant imagine anyway to use the stock air over hydraulic setup.

 

[wakesetter]

looks good, if I find one without so much rust I will probably pick it up.

Thanks