Bought my first M101A3.... now what? :D

[Drunktank]

Well gents.... I won what looks to be a pretty darn nice M101A3. Ended up being $630 once you add on the 10%.... then the sales tax.... blah. No biggy as Ive always REALLY wanted one of these to tow behind my Dodge 2500 CTD; should make a great everything under the sun trailer.

BUT... this is the first time ive ever bought anything off Govliquidation. The location is Golden, CO and the nice thing is I live exactly 7 miles away from the place. Matter a fact, its only a few blocks of my job site! Based on what Ive read, I wont be able to hook the lights up since its based on a 24V system and has some odd connection.

So will i be allowed to just toss the bugger on my hitch and drive off with it or are they not going to let me take it without having the lights up and running or loading it on a trailer with running lights? Personally, I dont give a hoot about driving 7 miles on a back road home with no trailer lights... my truck is pretty darn high as is so some lights are visible. If I need to run lights, what bulbs do i need to put in the lights? And is there an adapter for that .mil plug to either a 7 pin or a 4 pin? (my truck has both) Im sure this is covered in some other thread.... but I got so many darn responses searching that I couldnt seem to find what I need.

Thanks for the help gents! Heres some pics of the bugger. Ill get some good ones once I pick it up. I filed my EUC last friday after I won the big on thursday and its already at quantico... hopefully I can pic it up by the end of this coming week.

 

[spartan_185]

Well gents.... I won what looks to be a pretty darn nice M101A3. Ended up being $630 once you add on the 10%.... then the sales tax.... blah. No biggy as Ive always REALLY wanted one of these to tow behind my Dodge 2500 CTD; should make a great everything under the sun trailer.

BUT... this is the first time ive ever bought anything off Govliquidation. The location is Golden, CO and the nice thing is I live exactly 7 miles away from the place. Matter a fact, its only a few blocks of my job site! Based on what Ive read, I wont be able to hook the lights up since its based on a 24V system and has some odd connection.

So will i be allowed to just toss the bugger on my hitch and drive off with it or are they not going to let me take it without having the lights up and running or loading it on a trailer with running lights? Personally, I dont give a hoot about driving 7 miles on a back road home with no trailer lights... my truck is pretty darn high as is so some lights are visible. If I need to run lights, what bulbs do i need to put in the lights? And is there an adapter for that .mil plug to either a 7 pin or a 4 pin? (my truck has both) Im sure this is covered in some other thread.... but I got so many darn responses searching that I couldnt seem to find what I need.

Thanks for the help gents! Heres some pics of the bugger. Ill get some good ones once I pick it up. I filed my EUC last friday after I won the big on thursday and its already at quantico... hopefully I can pic it up by the end of this coming week.

I had to pick my trailer up with a civi vehicle and I just used a set of those cheap magnetic trailer lights from Harbor freight. They worked well and kept me legal until I got it hooked up to my m1009.

 

[jimmy-90]

You can get those magnetic tow lights at alot of places like lowes, the home depot, auto zone ect. Also you will have to take your GL pappers to your dmv and at least get a piece of papper that is good for a day or two that says you can transport it.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Well gents.... I won what looks to be a pretty darn nice M101A3. Ended up being $630 once you add on the 10%.... then the sales tax.... blah. No biggy as Ive always REALLY wanted one of these to tow behind my Dodge 2500 CTD; should make a great everything under the sun trailer.

BUT... this is the first time ive ever bought anything off Govliquidation. The location is Golden, CO and the nice thing is I live exactly 7 miles away from the place. Matter a fact, its only a few blocks of my job site! Based on what Ive read, I wont be able to hook the lights up since its based on a 24V system and has some odd connection.

So will i be allowed to just toss the bugger on my hitch and drive off with it or are they not going to let me take it without having the lights up and running or loading it on a trailer with running lights? Personally, I dont give a hoot about driving 7 miles on a back road home with no trailer lights... my truck is pretty darn high as is so some lights are visible. If I need to run lights, what bulbs do i need to put in the lights? And is there an adapter for that .mil plug to either a 7 pin or a 4 pin? (my truck has both) Im sure this is covered in some other thread.... but I got so many darn responses searching that I couldnt seem to find what I need.

Thanks for the help gents! Heres some pics of the bugger. Ill get some good ones once I pick it up. I filed my EUC last friday after I won the big on thursday and its already at quantico... hopefully I can pic it up by the end of this coming week.

As an MV collector I would like to say congrats on a great trailer. You are correct in the fact that the trailer will have 24V bulbs. These can be swapped out with 1156 and 97 bulbs. Again, as an MV collector I would say your trailer has a standard connector and your truck has the odd connection LOL. ODI makes an adapter or you can unplug that vehicle connector on the frame and make your own pigtail.

In my experience with GL, they just want the stuff out of their yard. I have never had them do a check on tralier lights leaving the yard.

Good luck with the EUC. It went to Quantico? Usually go to Battle Creek.

 

[3dAngus]

My two cents worth is this, and I have done this a half dozen times now or so...

Just bring a 9/16" wrench and a set of the Walmart trailer lights, along with some 12" tie wraps. Total cost about $30.

Pull your trailer out of the weeds into some clean ground area, and quickly remove the two bolts on the trailer lights. There is a rubber groummet with a slit in it where the wires go through the chassis, Remove the rubber grommet by working it loose one way then another. The after the rubber grommet is through the hole on one side or another, pull the plug wires which are connection points about 10" or so from the hole in the chassis. Don't worry, they're marked with bands so you can put them back later if you wish.

Pull one rubber cup off the trailer light through at a time. The first will be the most difficult and you have to lay the other three wires down flat in the hole to get the first cup through OK. Then pull the others and the light assy will come off with a pigtail about 18" or so. Save it for later.

Do the same on the other side.

The WalMart/Tractor Supply/Northern Tool/Harbor Freight trailer light sets all have the same mounting holes as the trailer lights and they fit right in the same mounting holes. Read the directions on the lights before you go up there and make sure it is clear in your mind how to hook them up. It will take about 5 mintues to do your homework at home before departure. You can even lay the wiring harness out. Make sure you get the set with the 4 pin wiring harness, not just the lights.

It takes about 20-25 minutes to wire up your first set.

It takes about 10 minutes to wire up the second set after the MV trailer light is removed.

Don't leave home without them. Magnetic lights suck. They either blow off or bump off, even with tape holding them down. Some people here seem to have found their "secret" and I commend them for it, but I do not personally recommend them even with Short trips with no bumps that may give you a greater chance of success with magnetics, but, .....Why bother with the ease of installation of a real set of lights.

It's so easy, a caveman can do it. To be honest, I have made short trips home without any lights at all in lightest of traffic, but I don't recommend that either. Now I've gotten so fast at putting them on it's not a problem at all. Good luck, whatever you do. The M101A3 is my favorite trailer with the HMMWV tires, that is.

 

[Drunktank]

Good luck with the EUC. It went to Quantico? Usually go to Battle Creek.

Ya! that place... no idea why i thought of Quantico

 

[Fudge0514]

Congrats on your purchase. I got my M101A3 for a little more than that. Ft Sill had 10 M101A3s in separate auctions (but at the same time) and all were in pretty much like new condition. On average they went for $815 (before fees) with the most expensive selling for $1,070 (before fees), so I think you did just fine. Of course the one I won I paid $760 (came out to $836 with fees). But I'd never seen so many in good shape so I went for it.

Anyways, to tow it home I'd get the magnetic trailer lights from Harbor Freight. $9.99 with a coupon. Which is actually what I've done with the three trailers I've won from GL.

 

[Nonotagain]

On one of my first trailer recoveries I used the Harbor Freight magnetic tow lights. The first issue I ran into was that the lights weren't wired correctly.

Someone how the Chicom's wired the running and stop lights wrong. The running light activated when the brake pedal was pressed and the stop lights came on when the running lights were on the tow vehicle.

The other issue I had was that I lost lights from two different sets of lights due to the magnets being very weak. Granted I was running on I-95 in Florida and Georgia and the roads were very bumpy, but the second light was taped down with speed tape and still liberated it's self.

Purchase a set of trailer lights from Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart, but leave the HF lights alone. Remove the two bolts holding each mil light on the trailer and attach the new lights in the same holes. It will take you less than 10 minutes to install the new lights and won't attract the attention of the local police if you are running without a tag or using a tag from another trailer.

The mil lights use two 9/16" cap head bolts. The trailer lights will come with a split wiring harness that you run down both sides of the trailer. Like I said, less than 10 minutes to install.

 

[rfischba1]

m103

Nice trailer, lots of good uses they have.

 

[Smier]

I just picked up an m101A2 a week and a half ago from Letterkenney army depot in Pa. The GL people didn't care about lights or any paperwork other than my paid in full invoice and that my dodge Durango was registered and insured. I hooked up, pulled out of their gate and into the parking lot, swapped the 24v bulbs for 12v (1156 & 97 as mentioned above) and quickly spliced in a 4 prong connector at the junction box on the trailer tongue. Took about a half hour and I had working lights!!! Really easy, all the wires have aluminum tags on them and there's a thread on here somewhere that tells you which ones go to what colored wire on the civilian wiring harness. I think it cost me $6 in bulbs, and I already had the trailer wire kit, I think they sell for around $5 or $7...

 

[Whitey]

On one of my first trailer recoveries I used the Harbor Freight magnetic tow lights. The first issue I ran into was that the lights weren't wired correctly.

Someone how the Chicom's wired the running and stop lights wrong. The running light activated when the brake pedal was pressed and the stop lights came on when the running lights were on the tow vehicle.

The other issue I had was that I lost lights from two different sets of lights due to the magnets being very weak. Granted I was running on I-95 in Florida and Georgia and the roads were very bumpy, but the second light was taped down with speed tape and still liberated it's self.

Purchase a set of trailer lights from Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart, but leave the HF lights alone. Remove the two bolts holding each mil light on the trailer and attach the new lights in the same holes. It will take you less than 10 minutes to install the new lights and won't attract the attention of the local police if you are running without a tag or using a tag from another trailer.

The mil lights use two 9/16" cap head bolts. The trailer lights will come with a split wiring harness that you run down both sides of the trailer. Like I said, less than 10 minutes to install.

Experienced this with my father's first trailer pick-up. Prob the exact same HF lights. They were the cheapest junk I've ever seen. They are rewired and now mounted on a wood rack than slids over the tailgate. Much better setup.

 

[swbradley1]

Okay, much as I dislike some things as much as the next person it wouldn't be the Harbor Freight mag lights. I've got two sets and paid $9.95 each. I use them a lot and never had one fall off. No tape or wire ties. I just put the lights on the lower lip of the tailgate OUT OF THE WIND.

Works for me, YMMV.

 

[Fudge0514]

Okay, much as I dislike some things as much as the next person it wouldn't be the Harbor Freight mag lights. I've got two sets and paid $9.95 each. I use them a lot and never had one fall off. No tape or wire ties. I just put the lights on the lower lip of the tailgate OUT OF THE WIND.

Works for me, YMMV.

Same here, I've had two sets that have been great. Never once had one come off, never had one that was wired incorrectly.

 

[Ratch]

I have a HF magnetic light set. They've never fallen off in about a dozen uses, but I've zip-tied them down several times just in case. Never had a wiring problem, but they are incredibly dim. I'd almost be better off leaving the 24v bulbs in the mil lights and plugging into my 12v truck.

 

[mrfishaholic]

I use the harbor freight magnetic lights they fit perfectly under the lip of the trailer on either side right at the back. Get it home and I have the codes for the wires, I replace the top and big bulb in the light recepticals, and install a 5' 4 wire in place of the factory military harness, whoolah, takes about 15 minutes to convert and about 12.00 using parts from O'rileys. PM me if you need better directions, I can give you the wiring harness numbers and talk you through it in less than 3 minutes.

 

[Drunktank]

OMG! This is torture! Waiting on this bloody EUC is no fun.... I just wanna go get my trailer

 

[Drunktank]

Picked my trailer up today! The gents at the Depot in Golden were super helpful.... they were pretty pissed with govliquidations though.... aparantly they suck at sending them paperwork they need.

This thing is seriously BRAND NEW! It has never had a load in the bed. Matter a fact, the tail gate had never been opened since it'd been painted! Only thing is the very front lip at the top of the trailer has to little bends Ill straighten out from when they hooked on the shackles and picked it off the ground at one point. Not bad for $630 out the door! Too bad i had to go spend $60 to get a title.... youd think the **** thing would automatically come with one when sold to the civilian market. Ah well!

BTW.... no hassle from the cops while towing it around without lights or a plate half the day (had to run back to work). The new 7-pin cord should be here monday and Ill get it wired up and sitting pretty!

 

[3dAngus]

Yep, that is one fine looking trailer all right.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I have one just like that, it's my "go to" trailer.

 

[rosco]

The problem is that you won't just want one. A super trailer.