How To Get Your Trailered MEP-803A Home

[steelydan]

This spring, I won a trailer'd MEP-803A via GovPlanet. I had to head down to Chambersburg, PA to pick it up.
I thought I'd write up some quick tips I learned - maybe it'll help someone else.

Things I did before leaving:

• I printed out the generator listing on GP, including each photo. That way I could dispute the condition of the generator if I got there and something was wrong.
• I bought a pintle hook rated for the genset and trailer and a pintle hook mount that would get the hook high enough that the trailer would tow level behind my truck. I didn't tighten down the nuts till I was on-site and I was sure the hight was correct for my truck and the trailer. Here are links to them both of you're interested:
  https://www.zoro.com/buyers-products...38/i/G3699561/
  https://www.zoro.com/buyers-products...12/i/G7131047/
• I bought a spare tire on CraigsList. In the generator's listing photos, the trailer tires looked good - no cracks and fully aired, but I wanted to be prepared in case something happened while dragging it home.
• I made sure I had sockets that fit the lugs on the tires.
• I bought the LED light kit from Harbor Freight. I figured if one of the LEDs went out, I'd still have some working vs having a bulb go out in the incandescent version.
• Before I left the HF parking lot, I hooked up the lights and tested them with directionals and braking. It would suck to get to the pickup spot only to realize that my new light kit didn't work!
• Also from HF, I bought their 4-in-1 Jump Starter with compressor. I figured I could use this to air up the trailer tires if they were low. I made sure it was fully charged before I left.
• I took a whole bunch of tools I thought I may need. Duct tape, screw drivers, pliers, hammer, crow bar, etc.
• I packed sandwiches, snacks and water in a cooler I kept on the passenger seat so I could reduce the number of stops.
• I printed the map from Google and highlighted the route - that was in case my GPS went down. I planned stops for food/fuel/relief. I tried to time my leaving so I'd be going through any cities during off rush-hour.
• I called the pick up site to confirm my pickup day and time. Good thing I did, because they had limited days and hours available for pickups.
• I booked a hotel reservation within 5 miles of the pickup site. My plan was to drive down on Sunday, get a good night's sleep and get to the pickup spot early. I'd heard horror stories of folks waiting a long time to hook up their generators and some even got different ones than the aution showed (this seems to be common for GovLiquidation, not GovPlanet, so I used GP.

Lessons Learned:

• Use the big-rig fuel stops (I have a diesel pickup truck) since they're built for long vehicles. It's much easier than trying to snake your way through the fuel stops made for smaller vehicles. But those diesel fuel pump nozzles are bigger than the ones you'd find in the 'regular vehicle' fuel lanes, so I had to pump really slowly so it wouldn't spill all over the place.
• Avoid cities like NYC. It's better to go around even if it takes a bit more time. It's less aggrevating and you can avoid expensive tolls.
• Driving 65 - 70MPH is fine with this trailer and tires if they're in good condition.
• I hate surge breaks. They definately take some getting used to.
• Drive reasonably. At one point, I had a state trooper pull up behind me to take a look. I tapped the brakes to show him I had working tail lights. He then pulled out and sped past me.
• Do more research on the trailer before leaving. If I did, I'd have known that the chains are too short to reach an anchor point on my truck, and I'd have prepared for that.

Here are some pics with explanations.


Trailer hook-up - the chains didn't reach my truck's hook points, so I hooked them to the pintle hook mount, and zip-tied them so they wouldn't easily rattle off. As folks have mentioned in the comments below, the chains need to be anchored to a point on the truck in case the hook, riser or pin fail. At least I knew to cross the chains. Same for the safety wire, it needs to be connected to a better structural point than the safety pin bracket (I had already untied it, then realized I wanted to take pictures, but was too lazy to property reconnect it before taking these pics).



I attached the HF tail lights on the rear bumper, right in front of the trailer's lights so it would look like they belonged there. I zip-tied and 550-corded each light to the bumper because I read that the magnets weren't strong enough to keep them attached:



I duct taped the wires to the trailer so they wouldn't get caught on anything, get ripped off, or frayed from rubbing:



Every door got duct-taped so they wouldn't fly open while I was driving. I didn't want to have to stop for anything if I could avoid it:



Even though I tested the HF LED lights in the store parking lot, and at my house before I left for the pickup, one of them decided to fail when I hooked them up at the pick up. Shesh.. After doing some troubleshooting, it turns out that the terminal had a loose connection and if I pulled up on it while it was plugged into my truck, the light would work. So, I grabbed a rock from the parking lot, wedged it between the terminal and the wire harness cap, and duct-taped the whole thing together (picture shows it after I removed the tape). Total McGiver action, but it worked!



Well, I hope this helps someone who's never towed anything before (like me) and is planning a trip to recover their won generator. Let me know if there's anything I could've done better for next time!

 

[Bmxenbrett]

Im sure its just because your on site and had to tow it home now but that safety wire for the brakes shouldnt be connected to the pin that releases the trailer from your truck.

 

[steelydan]

Im sure its just because your on site and had to tow it home now but that safety wire for the brakes shouldnt be connected to the pin that releases the trailer from your truck.

Good catch! I had it 550-corded to the pintle mount during the trip. But I only thought about taking pictures after I was home and started taking it all apart - and I was too lazy to reattach with the 550 cord I had just cut off. So I quickly put it back on for the picture.
Looking at that picture again, it looks like the chain hooks would've just rode up the angled support on the pintle mount and probably popped off under load. I should've done that better!

 

[98G]

I suggest use of a separate safety chain attached to something besides the pintle riser. (I realize that the stock chains won't reach). Otherwise, the loss of a single pin and you lose the trailer.

I think you did just fine. Good attention to detail and you made it home safe.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Good preparations and thinking ahead! Glad someone else is as anal about road trips as I am. I got that way when towing a "live load" (horses) from Colorado to California. I've towed a couple of M116a trailers behind my truck with generators. I can relate to your disdain for surge brakes. My first military genset trailer recovery tow was a real learning experience with a faulty surge brake system! If you barely tapped the brake it was like someone with a jack hammer was ramming my rear truck bumper. I got really good at using tow haul to down shift getting off interstate and feathering the trucks brakes at lights to not wake the wild bucking bronco surge brake behind me! I later learned it was due to a bad shock damper in the surge mechanism after I got home. I later found the surge lockeout hole and stuck a bolt in it, problem solved! Now I don't really need surge brakes behind my 3/4 ton truck to tow the trailer the 1 mile I now have to go from home to refuel the trailer's onboard aux tank's annual refill.

Yes, you really do have to anticipate what could go wrong and have a backup plan when on the road towing. I can also relate to refueling at truck stops when you are a long load. I remember the first time I drove to huge truck stop and drove in to a pump that had a dual two hose nozzle pump affair where the big rigs can fill both sides of truck's step tanks. I could not get the pump to turn on & had to go inside and ask how to turn on the pump. I felt like a real rookie not knowing how to operate a diesel truck-stop pump with all the other truckers standing around. The nice lady cashier took pity on me and went outside with me to find out why the pump would not turn on. She then showed me that I needed to remove both pump handles (the main pump handle AND the satellite handle) to activate pump even if only using one pump nozzel. Duhhhh.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Good writeup. Hopefully it helps the next guy. BTW, sounds like a couple of you guys need new surge shocks on your trailer. When functioning correctly, the surge brakes work pretty smoothly.

 

[M813rc]

One more point - check your state law, but in Texas at least, the safety chains have to go to something permanently mounted on the vehicle. Hooking them to the removable part of the hitch itself is not legal (though I maaaay admit to having done that myself once), because the point is to have the trailer stay with the vehicle if any of that part fails. And they must be crossed.

On a recent recovery trip, a buddy of mine was towing one of my trailers. At a stop light a couple of miles from our destination, there was a bigger than normal clunk from the back when we stopped, same when we started to go when the light changed. We immediately pulled over and found that the pin holding the hitch in the receiver tube was gone! The safety chains were just the right length to keep the hitch in the tube though. First time I've seen a pin lost in 30 years of pulling trailers.

I commend you for your paper map backup! I personally consider GPS as a useful tool, but do not trust them for accurate navigation. I've had them try to take me on some weird routes in the past. When I go somewhere unfamiliar, I work out the route in detail beforehand, and use the GPS to help guide me on the route I chose, rather than let it tell me where to go.

I have also found that nothing ever fell off because it was too well tied/taped/strapped on. Zip ties, wire, tape and chord are cheap - use lots!
Same goes for tie-down straps. The big laugh in the club is "Why did Rory use seven 30k# rated ratchet straps to hold mkcoen's Gama Goat to the trailer? Because that was all they had!" But that thing didn't move an inch on a 1500 mile trip, even when one of the tires went flat (on the Goat, not the trailer).

Cheers

 

[Zed254]

I like these carbiners for 'stretching' the safety chains: https://colemans.com/shop/hardware/cables-ropes-and-tie-downs/carabiners-4-pack/ and as you point out tools are a must. I had a warm bearing on a M1101 I pulled out of Bragg. I did not have the needed tools on that trip and found myself taking a cooling break at every rest stop along the way home. I forget size now - a search of the site will get it - but it's an easy job to pop the dust cover and loosen the castle nut one cotter pin hole.

 

[Guyfang]

GPS is nice, but I AWAYS have a map with me. Couple of times it was the difference between getting there and not getting there in a timely manner.

 

[steelydan]

GPS is nice, but I AWAYS have a map with me. Couple of times it was the difference between getting there and not getting there in a timely manner.

Yup, I guess it's the 11B in me . I like having a primary, secondary and tertiary options.
I had my printed map with routes highlighed and noted. Plus truck and phone GPS. It really helped that my truck and phone GPS were giving me different info while trying to get through NYC. LOL

 

[M813rc]

Last time I went to Ft Irwin as an instructor, I rode down from Las Vegas with a guy from "a government agency". He was following his GPS to get to the base, even when it took us off pavement onto tracks in the desert. I told him this was definitely not the right way, that we should be on a paved road.
He insisted of seeing where the GPS took us. The first time we got to crossed tracks and made a turn, I had him stop, and I dropped a water bottle pointing in the direction we had come from, and did this at each subsequent turn.
I eventually just told him "John, you're a nice guy, but I don't feel like dying in the desert with you when the car gets stuck", at which point he finally admitted that we were in fact chasing a ghost roll and turned around. The GPS then refused to cooperate at all, and we had no cell phone signal.
So, yes, we followed the water bottles back to the highway (picking them up as we went) and continued down the highway to the correct paved road!

Cheers

 

[steelypip]

Smart phone navigation software is getting crankier and crankier about leaning on the cell network for triangulation versus GPS. I'm sure that in cities this is a win (concrete canyons make it difficult to get a GPS lock), but if you're out in the weeds, the failure modes aren't always benign.

On top of that, there's the battery suckage angle - The cellphone screams at the top of its electronic lungs trying to get a cell to answer if not already connected to one and this drains the battery quickly. if you know you're going to be out of cell coverage for hours or days, put the phone in airplane mode and then turn on location.

I generally leave location services (GPS and cell triangulation) turned off on my phone to save battery power, so step one in phone navigation is turning on location. I always decline using 'enhanced accuracy' because it makes the phone more unpredictable. I also have an app (SatStat) installed, so I can see when the GPS reciever gets a lock and how good it is. Then, and only then, if accuracy is important right now, do I turn on the navigation app (Google Maps, or sometimes OSMAnd for variety).

If road navigation is really mission critical (like when I'm towing), I don't bother with the phone. I have a dash-mount GPS unit for that, which has internal maps and depends only on the GPS receiver, with optional traffic data coming over a cell network receiver.

And, of course, none of this is a substitute for looking at a map, particularly before you get in the vehicle. Then you have expectations to compare the GPS instructions with.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Speaking of GPS unintended directions...I went to do a Craigslist genset/M116a2 recovery. followed my GPS to the sellers house no problem. I made the purchase and hooked up trailer to truck and then set my GPS to "Home". On the way back I thought the back country roads looked a bit unfamiliar. I just shrugged it off and figured the GPS had found a shortcut rather than backtracking. Next thing I know I was headed down a road that dead-ended at a river bank. What the F...? As it turned out it was a ferry river crossing! Luckily I had some loose cash on me, so I said what the heck I'm here might as well take the ferry. Along comes a rather smallish ferry tethered to a overhead cable strung across the fast moving river from the opposite bank. As it approaches they lower the ramp and I head down the embankment and up ramp onto ferry boat. They direct me and the trailer I'm towing into the center lane up front so it was an easy shot into position. As soon as the ferry was full an attendant walked around to each car to collect the fee ($7 for my truck & trailer) and off we went diesel engine roaring on the ferry chugging us across the river with overhead cable keeping the ferry from drifting much in the fast moving river. That GPS short-cut probably cost me an extra 1/2 hour!

Anyway, the whole ordeal was not the route I had expected the GPS to take me home "via ferry ride" but it provided an interesting story to tell my wife when I got home! Now with lesson learned, I have my GPS set to ignore routes that include "Ferries".

 

[fcbrants]

Pintle Hitch Brand & Model?

<Snip>
Trailer hook-up - the chains didn't reach my truck's hook points, so I hooked them to the pintle hook mount, and zip-tied them so they wouldn't easily rattle off. As folks have mentioned in the comments below, the chains need to be anchored to a point on the truck in case the hook, riser or pin fail. At least I knew to cross the chains. Same for the safety wire, it needs to be connected to a better structural point than the safety pin bracket (I had already untied it, then realized I wanted to take pictures, but was too lazy to property reconnect it before taking these pics).
View attachment 700212

<Snip>

Do you happen to remember the brand / model of your pintle hitch?

I bought a MEP-806B sitting on a M2001A trailer & the hitch is 29" - 30" high when the trailer is level:



And, that's AFTER pulling (actually, beating with a sledge hammer until it came out...) the lunette ring out & flipping it over.
I'm pulling the trailer with my RV (should work a little better than my Jetta , but I will still need to add some height.
I really like the looks of that hitch - it looks strong enough to handle the forces when the hitch is moved to the top.

I've spent Hours looking at hitches & already purchased two, but I'm still not satisfied that I have the Best solution.

Thanks!!

Franko

 

[Bmxenbrett]

I like these carbiners for 'stretching' the safety chains: https://colemans.com/shop/hardware/cables-ropes-and-tie-downs/carabiners-4-pack/ and as you point out tools are a must. I had a warm bearing on a M1101 I pulled out of Bragg. I did not have the needed tools on that trip and found myself taking a cooling break at every rest stop along the way home. I forget size now - a search of the site will get it - but it's an easy job to pop the dust cover and loosen the castle nut one cotter pin hole.

I wouldnt recomend useing any carabiner like that. The only thing holding them closed is that little cross pin.

Screw shut steel is the safer product to use. Those chains can take some shock load if it comes un hitched.
https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Screwlock-Carabiner-Stainless-Locking/dp/B00MAOHE7Q

 

[steelydan]

Do you happen to remember the brand / model of your pintle hitch?

I bought a MEP-806B sitting on a M2001A trailer & the hitch is 29" - 30" high when the trailer is level:

View attachment 700409 View attachment 700411

And, that's AFTER pulling (actually, beating with a sledge hammer until it came out...) the lunette ring out & flipping it over.
I'm pulling the trailer with my RV (should work a little better than my Jetta , but I will still need to add some height.
I really like the looks of that hitch - it looks strong enough to handle the forces when the hitch is moved to the top.

I've spent Hours looking at hitches & already purchased two, but I'm still not satisfied that I have the Best solution.

Thanks!!

Franko

Hi,

I got both the pintle hitch and the riser at Zoro.com. If you sign up at their website, they'll alert you to sales. I bought when it was 25% off if your total was over $200.

https://www.zoro.com/buyers-products-pintle-hook-8-ton-10038/i/G3699561/
https://www.zoro.com/buyers-products-pintle-hook-mount-gvw-10-000-lb-pm812/i/G7131047/

Good luck!

 

[millerm13]

Reading your post about preparing to go get and picking up the unit made me and my wife laugh. We did the very same thing around the middle of August to get our MEP 803A. We left Lansing MI and spent the night in Chambersburg, but we toured Gettysburg on Sunday. Figured why not, may not get back down there anytime soon. Picked up the our unit on Monday morning, this is the second one we have gotten from GP in PA. Found the guys in the yard very helpful and pleasant to work with. Had the same issue with the tow chains, did the exact same thing you did. Now that it is home, I have it in place and ready for the power to go out. You will enjoy these units, powerful and if cared for correctly, very dependable.

 

[rhurey]

Reading these threads really makes me appreciate that I can leave my house at 0530, cruise down to JBLM, get on base, be loaded, and back at work by 10 AM.

 

[rogpike]

Reading these threads really makes me appreciate that I can leave my house at 0530, cruise down to JBLM, get on base, be loaded, and back at work by 10 AM.

I live 40 miles from Ft. Campbell, but to be honest, I think making a road trip out of it and spending the night and seeing some signs in a new locale might be fun.