M931a2 Trailer question

[greenmonster]

I am looking at getting a 53' commercial dry van trailer, Has anyone pulled this big of a trailer with their trucks? I have a m-146 trailer and the feet hit and it is a low rider in the back. I would like to convert the trailer to a camper and it will only go 400 miles a year 200 miles there and 200miles back and I will be going through Yellowstone park so speed is not really a care for me just need to know if it fits better than my M-146. Thanks Pics would be cool to if anyone has them.

 

[quickfarms]

Both of my M146's are level on either a dolly or a civilian tractor. A 53' trailer is going to cause you height issues. The problem with the trailer not being level is that the fifth wheel on the M931A1 and M931A2 is high for two reasons. The first reason is the super singles. The second reason us the articulating fifth wheel. You can lower the fifth wheel and gain more landing gear clearance by installing a civilian long slide fifth wheel.

 

[wreckerman893]

If the rear axles on the 53 foot trailer won't slide you will be dragging those wheels over a lot of curbs....you will also have to swing real wide on turns and that can be an adventure in urban areas.

I used to pull a 53 foot dry box with a lift gate on the rear.....I kept the tandems slid all the way forward because I had to get into a lot of tight places.

With a short wheelbase tractor it will not be as bad as dragging it around with a long civy tractor but you will still have to think ahead when traveling in new territory.

You will also have to get a converter box to run the 12 volt lights on the civy trailer....Csm Davis in MS had some of them a while back.

 

[greenmonster]

Thanks for the input, I was planning on using this truck to pull a trailer and leave it at the sand dunes in Idaho, I have a 35' bumper pull camper that I leave there now but I thought it would be nice to get a dry van and convert it to a toy hauler. I was going back and forth about converting my tractor into a truck I wanted to keep the fifth wheel but I am thinking now of just getting a dolly and forgetting about any fifth wheel stuff it is just to tall for everything. I keep just leaning towards the cargo bed and bumper pull.

 

[jdknech]

i am also looking to pull a civvy van trailer with my M932A1 and wasnt sure about height.. has anyone hooked one up and checked?

 

[greenmonster]

Here is what it looks like

 

[jdknech]

Here is what it looks likeView attachment 400263

whats yout total height? i have a trailer in GA free for the taking, i just dont want to bo over height...

 

[greenmonster]

I was at 12'9" with the fed ex trailer

 

[jdknech]

well that would leave 9" play room... i dont think mine would be any taller.. that trailer looks good behind your truck

 

[Derrickl112]

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...-ton-tractor&p=1270173&viewfull=1#post1270173

 

[rebelcummins]

So let me get this straight. So I can pull a civilian semi trailer with my M931A2 without having height clearance issues?

 

[jdknech]

So let me get this straight. So I can pull a civilian semi trailer with my M931A2 without having height clearance issues?

A flat bed- no problem a (standard) van trailer- 6" OVER height..

 

[rebelcummins]

Lol, just relized who you where. Im the guy that broke my front leaf shackle on the deuce at the summer rally and I told you about me buying a m931A2 5-ton and you jokingly mad a remark if somthing happened tou your truck you know knew some one who could pull your trailer back... What if the the truck has g177-11.00x20's? Did swap them out from the big singles to shorter duals.

 

[jdknech]

Lol, just relized who you where. Im the guy that broke my deuce front leaf shackle and i talked to you about me buying a 5-ton and you jokingly mad a remark if somthing happened tou your truck you know knew some one who could pull your trailer back... What if the the truck has g177-11.00x20's? Did swap them out from the big singles to shorter duals.

Yep! that was me! lol and I'm not 100% sure with the 11.00x20 tires.. i only know that mine (with 14.00x20 tires) put it 6"-7" overheight, if you went with a civy 5th wheel, then you should be down in the correct height.. i would look around for military trailers though.. they would require no mods to use..

 

[rebelcummins]

Lol, im looking for one but so far no avail, I found a few old commercial trailers that are between 12'7"-12'9". But im not sure over all hight would be with my 5-ton yet. You going to the fall rally?

 

[jdknech]

I do plan to be at the fall rally..

 

[M813rc]

As mentioned earlier, you can swap your double-axis-tilt military 5th wheel to a civilian one pretty easily.
Unless you are planning to drive over some very rough off-road terrain (which might not go well with a civvy trailer anyway), you will never need that second tilt axis and it will be locked out.

I recently swapped a Fontaine slider onto one of my M931A2's. Since the 931 frame is the same width as commercial vehicles, it was a simple matter of drilling new bolt holes in the side flange that the military 5th wheel mounts to.
This lowered the 5th wheel plate slightly over 6". It also allows me to move the 5th wheel back a bit to haul short necked trailers, like my M146, and not have the tires rub on the landing gear. With the 931A1/2, the fat butt due to the tires can be an issue with a lot of trailers, even larger ones.

I did this mainly because my M129A4 sat at 13'9" at the nose when on the 931 (!) The ADC-TSS is almost as tall. 14' is max height in Texas, but if you are off the highway, things like traffic lights are supposed to be high enough, but are only required to clear a 13'6" vehicle, so if you are over 13'6 and hit a light or sign, you are liable for the cost of fixing it (! again).

I also haul a military-surplus civilian lowboy trailer with the 931. Even the slight reduction of height of the civvy 5th wheel made a difference in bed angle, and also made a significant difference to the suspension geometry of the rear bogie.
A pleasant side effect is that the landing gear will now lift the trailer clear of the 5th wheel without having to use the block plates I previously had to put under there.

Going to 11.00 tires would further decrease your height, and also give you a slightly better turning radius since you could move the steering limiters in some. They are pretty far out for the 14.00s to keep them from rubbing, so the 931s turn like a much longer truck (as in - turning radius sucks compared to other tractors I drive, like the M915).
Hauling my M270 around can be a pain, kinda like warping a destroyer around corners. It is 50' long, and the axles are all the way at the back.

Cheers

 

[railroadmike]

I'm having no luck finding a m146 trailer out west, so I'm looking for a food service trailer, like the ones Sysco uses, insulated, side door and lift gate, I pulled a buddy's 40' moving van shop trailer with little difficulty out side the lights. I think the 28' single axle trailers would work great so long as the landing gear is set up for a dual axle tractor, the single axle on the trailer will be a cost saver in the long run and they are cheap