Complete newbie question about trailers for hauling vehicles and equipment

[kurtomatic]

Hey everyone, great advice all the way around, and I agree that a MV trailer is not practical for me at this time, but I like testing ideas like this to see what I learn from them.

I've decided to follow my own bootstrapping mantra, and make use of the resource I already have. I own one 7k tandem car hauler now, it just already has assigned duties a couple of hundred miles away. Moving that over to the new property will be a pain and involve hours of driving and gas, but still cheaper than buying something new. However, at the end of the winter season, I will need some kind of car hauler back here in the Hill Country where I'm currently living. This thing's current mission is hauling around my Jag behind the coach, and when it comes to the Battle of Kurt's Favorite Toys, the Jag wins every single time. I may throw some money at a nicer trailer upgrade for Jag instead.

 

[kendelrio]

Just remember all military vehicles are herd animals that multiply with amazing speed. You have been warned!

Whole Lotta truth in that statement! Consider yourself duly warned!!!

 

[msgjd]

gooseneck beavertail trailer .. your 2wd will have better traction and better handling with the ball in the bed ..

when I switched from bumper-pulls to goosenecks for my lighter hauls, was almost a night-day difference..

 

[Barrman]

The Jag needs a box trailer! Then all your other problems are solved.

 

[chucky]

You probably already know this but you will sand/bead blast the front of anything behind the camper if you tow it much and if it turns winter like conditions depending on which state your in on what they put on the roads in snow/ice conditions you wont have any paint left on the front of that car !

 

[Tinstar]

There are numinous civilian trailers that will fit your needs with much less headache and expense.
Texas Pride trailers will build you exactly what you want/need and they are great trailers.

I have land just North of Marble Falls, TX and good trailer brakes are a lifesaver. Especially in the Hill Country.

The Military Surplus route is a VERY addictive one.
It starts simple, just a small trailer or generator or pickup.
Then snowballs with bigger trucks and multiple trailers and generators (which sounds like you will definitely need on your new property) and next thing you know, you’ll be needing more land.

Yea, laugh now, but you’ll see.

 

[MarkM]

A deck over trailer or a trailer with reinforced drive over fenders is pretty much the only thing that will work if you ever need up with a HMMWV as well.

I would imagine your 1/2 ton truck is rated at 10K towing only with a weight distribution hitch. All of the military trailers use a pintle hook attachment. That will not work with a weight distribution hitch made for a ball set up. Basically the lesson I have learned in the past 20 plus years of military vehicle addiction is this:

Military trailers get pulled by military vehicles meant to pull them. Civilian trailers get pulled by civilian vehicles meant to pull them following manufacturers guidelines.

The M416 and M101 trailers cross over with adapters. But, they are about the only ones I can think of.

Kendelrio posted his M715 is only 5,500 pounds. Which makes one think a 5 lug tandem axle trailer rated for 7K gross weight will work perfect. Not in my experience. Broken wheel lugs (3 time), broken wheels (2 times), broken receiver hitches (2 times) and more flats than I can count with load range D tires on the trailer have convinced me pulling M715 trucks on my then 5 lug trailer was a no go. It now has 6 lug axles and always 2 years old or newer load range E tires. Works great.

Which puts you in the chicken/egg scenario you mentioned already being in. Getting a civilian trailer over rated by a bunch for your current needs and current truck to get your home base started and set up won’t cost much more than getting one just good enough. Then once you have a base to work from you will be able to delve into the smaller MV world without upgrading At no extra infrastructure investments.

Just remember all military vehicles are herd animals that multiply with amazing speed. You have been warned!

Well put.

There are better choices for a trailer when being towed by a civilian pickup. The military trailers are just too damn heavy and then you have the air brake issues. I would opt for a 102" wide 20' equipment trailer with 5k axles (15" tires or 7k axles (16" tires) axles and electric brakes with drive over fenders. For hauling small cargo you can't beat the M101A2 or the M1101/M1102 and with surge brakes it takes care of brake issues. The M106A1 5 ton military trailers are fantastic for heavy loads but it's a lot of iron just to haul around and drives your mpg into the dirt. The tires are also very pricey. I have an XM381 lighting converter to use my HMMWV to haul my 28' enclosed trailer and it's plug and play. Extremely knowledgeable guy that puts these converters together and he can customize them to fit your needs.

The pic below would be my choice for hauling anything up to full size pickups. Also inclosed a pick of my enclosed trailer/storage/workshop. Just my .02 cents.

Mark

 

[kurtomatic]

Hey everyone, I appreciate all the great input. To reply to some of the concerns...

I can already taste the salty snack Potato Chip Addiction, and I haven't even bought anything yet. So, yeah. I'll consider myself properly warned.

OMG, would I love to have a full box trailer for the jag! I simply cannot justify the expense at this time, but I will move in that direction eventually. While I always intended to travel seasonally, I didn't originally intend to full time in my motorhome. But when my ex and I split at the height of the pandemic, going to live out at the lake where I kept my original motorhome seemed like a smart adaptation to my situation. A couple of years later when I was (finally!) able to sell my Dallas home and split everything down the middle, I became free to actually travel. Hauling a sports car around on a full blown trailer behind the coach is considered pretty far off from best-practice in the RV-world, but it was actually cheaper and quicker to get on the road with a car hauler than selling the Jag and trying to buy a decent toad and tow bar setup. So as impractical as it all is on paper, its what has worked for me and I love it.

I'm well aware of what a mess this makes when I actually go anywhere when it's wet or dusty (or worse, both). It's become something of an arrival ritual to unload the car, and then high-tail it over to a car wash before I even bother hooking up. However, I only "move" about every 3-4 months, and so far I've just been sticking to Texas. I usually winter in the Rio Grande Valley, although this year I've chosen the Hill Country just outside of Marble Falls. I've never had to tow in authentically bad weather, and why would I have to? I travel on my own schedule, and I can get internet for work anywhere I go. Also, the jag has taken way, way more dings, chips, and beatings being driven around the back roads of East Texas than any short-term abuse received on the trailer. Besides the front spoiler, which gets it the worst, my poor rims take a terrible beating sometimes. It bears all those scars authentically as a bad-ass daily driver that sees every part of Texas.

What I am looking towards to improve this situation, especially as I inevitably start traveling country-wide, is a solid wind screen of some kind, and/or a fabric enclosure like this: https://www.cover-tech.com/trailer-enclosures