Help ID Military Trailer M105?

[signsup]

Picked this trailer up today from a farm auction. Data plate says Stevens A2501M67. Don't know why it is not in order, but I'm guessing this is a variant of the M105 1 1/2t trailer around 1967. But I can't find any reference to the steel landing wheel. It is 24v with military tail lights, lunette, and pelican bill safety chain hooks. Military style wheels. Some welded on stake pockets outside the OE stake pockets that run the entire height of the tub sides. Two nicely cut square holes in the front panel for something and welded on tabs to ID the trailer center on front panel and tail gate. Lift rings welded on side and at rear of trailer tongue.
pics of property tag and data plate may not show anything as they are pretty burnt up.
Any help in ID'ing or helping me to look for other clues, greatly appreciated.
I got this thinking it would fit my M715, but I think it might be the correct era, but too large to correctly be used behind the Kaiser. Probably an M35 fit. So, this may not stay long in the motor pool.
Thanks in advance.

 

[98G]

Looks like early variant M105A2. Air actuated brakes. Appropriate to tow behind an M35A2.

I tow them with a pickup truck, and I have even towed them with a jeep wrangler. (Not recommended)

 

[marchplumber]

I moved one with a large lawn mower.....yeah, im stupid....no pics taken and deny deny deny

 

[msgjd]

It is a M105 for sure, (possibly an A2 version) .. It would've come with 900x20 NDCC tires.. It is the correct S/A cargo trailer to use behind deuces as well as 5-tons .. Rated 1-1/2T off-road/on-road but the armor BN S4 section always stuffed 2T or so of misc crated or palleted cargo into a M105 they towed with a M54A1 .. Company field kitchen trucks (deuces) hauled tentage and supplies with their M105's.. I would suppose a FMTV can yank them as well .. They have steel landing wheel(s) just like water buffs and other trailers of same vintage .. They are totally miserable to back up with a deuce or 5T because by the time you see it in a mirror, it's too late and unrecoverable ... If there was no ground guide available, the trick was to set the reverse move up so the trailer would be on a gentle arc to the driver's side of things.. But most of the time it was quicker for a bunch of guys to help a driver unhook the damned things and hand-shove them backwards to wherever they had to go

 

[G744]

That's why one mounts a receiver hitch unit flush in the driver's side of your 2.5/5T front bumper, and use one of those pintle adapters to push that trailer around so you can actually see where it is going.

Park the thing, then pull the pintle out and store it onboard.

 

[tommys2patrick]

definitely M 105 trailer, early tongue wheel, check underneath to confirm someone has not replaced air brakes with electric. may have converted the brake lights to "civilian" as well. like others have said it is somewhat towable by a pickup. stopping with a load and backing up not so much. if the tongue does not ride level with tow vehicle it may not tow very well(safe). it is quite heavy and will push a light weight( read not a deuce) vehicle forward and sideways when you try to stop.

 

[msgjd]

That's why one mounts a receiver hitch unit flush in the driver's side of your 2.5/5T front bumper, and use one of those pintle adapters to push that trailer around so you can actually see where it is going.

Park the thing, then pull the pintle out and store it onboard.

yep , but obviously not an available option in the military, nothing could ever be handy or easy..

Your hitch logic can be seen on pre-1960's farmall farm tractors, a drawpin-hitch was an available option to bolt readily to the steering post on narrow-fronts, or to a bracket for wide-fronts, for shoving 4-wheel wagons and other towed stuff into barns and whatnot .. Yep, quicker tracking recovery and can see real good, unless you are shoving a big old wide threshing machine or wagonload of hay into the barn.. Then ya better have someone eyeballing the backside before you shove it thru the back wall of the barn !! Or at least some kind of wheel stop spiked to the floor.. Don't need to ask me how I know

 

[cbrTodd]

I think a lot of these trailers had parts mixed between versions over the years. The earlier axles used deuce hubs and one brake cylinder per wheel but the later axles are different and have trailer specific hubs and have two brake cylinders per wheel like the older trucks. The later ones have three 1/4" fasteners holding the dust covers on instead of eight 1/2" fasteners like the deuce hub variant. Those "whale tail" parking brake levers are also an indicator of an earlier trailer, instead of the later cam-lock design.

With that said, I have one trailer with the later brake handles and the early axle and I have one with the later axle and the earlier brake handles, one marked M105A1 and one marked M105A2. So anything is possible.

 

[silverstate55]

I have had 2 or 3 of those at one time, it looks to be an original M105 (A0) or M105A1 model. Look at the data plate, the Federal Stock Number is short 2 digits to make it a NSN. The landing wheel is non-adjustable and quite fun to try to retract by yourself…I usually used a Hi-Lift jack on level ground with wheel chocks all the way around.

On all the A0 or A1 models I have had, the axles ends were interchangeable with Deuce parts & brakes, quite handy when sourcing parts. One didn’t even have an air tank, the hoses went right to the master cylinder but I sold that one several years ago.

 

[Guyfang]

Indeed, its a basic M105 trailer. The M105A1 and newer trailers are all listed in TM 9-2330-213-14&P. That style Landing Wheel, (An incredible PITA) was deleted for the TM's long ago. So if you just HAVE to have it, junk piles and scrap yards are a good place to start looking.

 

[marchplumber]

Tis a beauty to work with!

 

[signsup]

Well, here is what we can make out on the data plates and a pic of the air brake set up, appears to not have an air tank, but just the master cylinder. Tail lights are the rubber Douglas connectors. the 2/68 date may refer to the TM and not the DOD of the trailer. If the TM is correct, this would be an A1 or A2 with the other items leaning towards an A1. If I want to find this trailer a new home, I'm just trying to acurately represent it. I'm reading where some guys put the bed on other military trucks like a bobbed duece. This bed is solid as a rock.

 

[G744]

The master cylinder on the M105 trailers is the same as that on the older Checker cars...

 

[signsup]

Sorry, forgot to cut and paste data plate info. Here is what we can make out:

First tag toward tub
Columbs labeled Responsible Agency ; xxxx; maintenance;
Us army repeated in columns for
Chassis
Xxxx Body
Xxxx Equipment


Second tag
Weights columns empty; cross country
166 1/2 long
83 wide
57 inside wheel- spread 57
Cg loaded 43/55
Empty 98

113 1/8 front to center of wheel
Tongue 34 1/2
30 1/4

Weights Empty. Cross country. GHWAV

Payload. 2440. 3000. 4500
On wheels 310. 5260. 6670
Front gear 2750. 490. 530

Xxxx 5750. 7250

Third tag
1 1/2 Ton & Wheel MR 512
Federal Stock No. 23301418090
Mfg. Stevens Mfg. Co.
Ebensburg, pa

Mfg serial No. 518
mfg model. 2A501M-67
DO. Da-AE07-67C-5


Tech manual. TM 2330-213-14

2-68 stamped below TM