M1101/M1102 Trailer Body Panels

[Spagman]

Hello forum members.
I have been reading the information on this forum for some time and it is always very helpful. I purchased my first Humvee (M988 A1) last year and added a second one to the stable a month ago (M1045 A2).
I recently picked up an M1102 trailer that is in great shape except for some panel damage on the outside of the front bed panel. I am assuming that it is easier to replace the front bed panel than to try and straighten out the damaged aluminum, especially since a good portion of the damage is in areas that can not be accessed with a hammer and dolly.

Does anyone know of a good surplus source for these trailer body panels?
I believe that these trailers are made by Schutt and Silver Eagle, but not sure they will sell to a non military buyer and even if they do the cost is likely to be quite high.

Any help you can provide steering me in the right direction is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Buffalobwana]

Wow, really no easy way to fix that. And each method the desired quality outcome will hinge on the price you are willing to pay.

Weld a skin on top of the damaged piece. Hard to say, since I can’t see the damage. You might have to turn the trailer up on it’s side to get a good weld.

Take a piece of aluminum bent to mimic that part and either cut it out, leaving enough “meat” to work with, and rivet or weld the pre-bent piece in its place in the corners. You can bondo the seam if necessary.

A body shop can help you or a welder with a spool gun or a tig welder.

Id explore skinning it with a pre bent piece a little bit larger than the original area. Nobody will notice the size difference.

 

[Spagman]

Thanks for the input Buffalobwana. I will post some pictures when I return from traveling, but in the mean time I have a few questions. You mention welding the body panels as an option, but I was under the impression that the trailer body is made from the same type of aluminum as the Humvee which is supposed to be "unweldable".

I have an TIG welder but have yet to try welding any Humvee body panels. Do you know what type of aluminum the body panels are made of, for example 5xxx series or 6xxx series? This is important to know for welder settings as well as filler rod material. I suppose I could call AMG and ask them for the specifications, but they might not be open to telling me this level of detail.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Buffalobwana]

I do not know the alloy. I didn’t think it would be identical to the Humvee. I did look at mine today and thought that fabing a piece of aluminum and riveting it in might be the best bet.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[bikeman]

So... the Army determined it was cheaper to replace the whole bed than to procure replacement panels and expend mechanic time cutting and replacing. Any trailer that I knew, that had either bed damage or side/front body damage just had a new bed ordered.

Not the best for us as collectors/repairers, but that's what happened while I was in.

 

[86humv]

I replaced the front wall once.....once.
To much work, and the rivets are steel...had to grind heads off.
Schutt was cheaper for panel and rivets......years ago when trailers had lots a value.
Now days, I'd patch it.

 

[Tinstar]

There is structural adhesive for aluminum that, when fully cured, is stronger than the metal itself.
It’s used on aircraft.
I used it to patch some holes in my S-280 shelter.
Stuffs amazing and unbelievably strong.

Loctite H8100 I believe.
Something like that. Gets you in the ballpark anyway
Two part epoxy and while not cheap, sets up like steel and handles temperature swings just fine.
No rivets needed.

Another option to consider.

 

[Spagman]

Thanks to everyone who responded with helpful suggestions. Does anyone know where I can find the correct tailgate pin and wire rope retainer?

I pulled the following info from the maintenance manual.

Tailgate Pin:
PN: 98320A625
Description: PIN,QUICK,RELEASE
(Note: The manual does not have an NSN listing for this part, only the partnumber)


Tailgate Pin Retaining Rope:
NSN: 4010014130269
PN: 12449510
Description: WIRE ROPE ASSEMBLY


I am missing both the pin and wire rope retailer from one side and have yet to locate a source.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Tinstar]

Post what you need in the parts wanted section.
You will have better results there.

 

[oregonfirefighter]

AS far as "unweldable" There are a couple welds on the M1101/2's

Thanks for the input Buffalobwana. I will post some pictures when I return from traveling, but in the mean time I have a few questions. You mention welding the body panels as an option, but I was under the impression that the trailer body is made from the same type of aluminum as the Humvee which is supposed to be "unweldable".

I have an TIG welder but have yet to try welding any Humvee body panels. Do you know what type of aluminum the body panels are made of, for example 5xxx series or 6xxx series? This is important to know for welder settings as well as filler rod material. I suppose I could call AMG and ask them for the specifications, but they might not be open to telling me this level of detail.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[tobyS]

I had some damage area on an M1101 that I bought when nobody would bid. It sounds like nearly the same damage. Here is a photo of it with the areas removed and made to fit my S-788 enclosure. Once the top rail was removed, getting into the inaccessable areas was much easier. Steel rivets are a pain in the as(butt).

I have the pieces that I cut off that may help you to piece patches together. For the top rails, I had a U formed from galvanized steel, which when finished would not look much different than the painted aluminum. I'll give you the pieces if they will help your repair. The longer front area had a lot of usable material but the back corners were badly damaged.

If interested, I'll take a couple photo's of the sections.

 

[Spagman]

Hi Tobys,

I appreciate your generous offer to help me with the pieces you removed. Most
of the damage to my front panel is on the top rail. One of the boxed sections
that holds the brackets for the stabilizer legs is crushed in a bit as
well.

I finally got some information out of Silver Eagle. The entire from panel
assembly pained in Camo is around $340, which is not too bad. The problem is
the shipping which is around $170 to my home in NJ from their location in
Oregon.

According to the inside sales person at Silver Eagle that is helping me, the
trailer body panels are made from 5086 series aluminum, so this is weldable
with an AC TIG machine.

Would be great if TJN Murray or Eastern Surplus had the body panels in
stock as that would save me a ton on shipping, but nobody seems to carry these
parts for the trailers.


Everyone says the steel rivets are a pain to remove, but I have yet to try
this. I did purchase a rivet removal tool from ATS, but it is made for 3/16'
aluminum rivets and I am not sure if it will work on the 1/4" steel rivets
that are use in most places on the body.

Any recommendations that you have for removing the steel rivets with minimum
damage to the panels is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Tinstar]

I’m kinda surprised that they even talked to you.
Every manufacturer of military equipment usually will not respond, let alone sell anything, to a civilian.
Doesn’t matter if the person is a veteran either.

So your doing great in getting as far as you did.

Recommend posting the SIlver Eagle sales contact info and salesman name as others will need parts for these.

 

[bikeman]

Recommend posting the SIlver Eagle sales contact info and salesman name as others will need parts for these.

Honestly, I'd recommend against this, unless the sales person is ok with it. After seeing what happened in the licensing thread when someone was named, we don't want to get this salesperson in trouble.

 

[Buffalobwana]

I’m with ya Tinstar. Kind of amazing to see them deal with such “small potatoes”.

No offense.

I have tried to get TMs for items from companies with crickets chirping on the other side once they found out I bought it on auction. I did get a quote for completing missing pieces for a radio for $10k+ ... ah, that was funny.

This seems reasonable compared to all that!

 

[tobyS]

You know that the trailer would be very handy cut down like I have mine, not even replace the bent pieces. And make a custom canvas and frame (camper or whatever). I've thought many times of mounting a welder in that nice open front. Just have a U channel formed that is snug to cap the sides/front with, after you cut it off.

 

[emmado22]

Check with Schutt Industries in Wisconsin. They also make (made) the 1101/2 series trailers.

 

[Buffalobwana]

...

 

[Buffalobwana]

Thanks to everyone who responded with helpful suggestions. Does anyone know where I can find the correct tailgate pin and wire rope retainer?

I pulled the following info from the maintenance manual.

Tailgate Pin:
PN: 98320A625
Description: PIN,QUICK,RELEASE
(Note: The manual does not have an NSN listing for this part, only the partnumber)


Tailgate Pin Retaining Rope:
NSN: 4010014130269
PN: 12449510
Description: WIRE ROPE ASSEMBLY


I am missing both the pin and wire rope retailer from one side and have yet to locate a source.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Unless you are trying to go full original, and I don’t see why at this point ... but it is your trailer. Just a suggestion, go to Tractor Supply or Atwood’s (down south) McMaster Carr, Granger, whatever, and buy two matching pins with ball detent that you like, maybe ones with pull handles. Get some nylon covered cable and some crimps, and double heat shrink your crimps. Voila! New pins ... that match!

You will be the only only kid on your block with those pins in your newly remodeled 1101/2 trailer!

 

[Buffalobwana]

Spagman, we still want photos!

Well, I do.

just hit the little picture icon icon in the toolbar, second from last, select your picture, hit upload, wait for a while and show us what’s going on. You would be amazed at the ideas some of these guys come up with.