New to me 1962 M416

[Losthiker]

So my first post and not my last.
Last night I picked up a M416 trailer in decent enough shape for a 49 year old hunk of steel.

With the exception of the Tires (Repo tires, spare seems to be original) on the trailer and the lights, it is all original and very solid.
Rust and I are well known to one another and all that is on this is all surface rust.
Couple of dings and the rail has a few small bends that could be fixed easily enough.

Built in 1962 by Fayettte Mfg in Fayette Ohio. Serial number 637.

Originally I bought it to make into a trail trailer for my Off Road rig, but i just do not have the heart to do this to it. So now I will take the better part of next year and have my 4 yo old son (he is all gun ho) to help me rebuild it to the best that i can. I would like to bring it back to its former glory. I will still use it as a trail trailer and something i can tow anywhere, just unmodified..

For $600 with a newish pintle receiver hook, and a spare, I thought this was a heck of a deal (new Pintle as i did not have one would have been about 100 on a quick buy at tractor supply)

Any idea on what lights this originally had? i will be looking for something to convert to 12V as i really dislike the generic trailer lights.

Sorry pic are not better i will take some this weekend.

 

[drgreg]

Now you just need an M151 to hook it to. Trailers are just the gateway drug, next thing you know you'll be hooked on a Deuce.

 

[maddawg308]

You will find the M416 series of trailers to be so useful you won't be able to live without one ever again. Wish 1/4-ton trailers were still an item you can find on GL, but those days are long gone.

Good save!

 

[plym49]

Now you just need an M151 to hook it to. Trailers are just the gateway drug, next thing you know you'll be hooked on a Deuce.

It happened to me.

 

[drgreg]

They would be a bit more useful with a tailgate. I like the sides and cover on the M101 series also.

 

[plym49]

Yours and mine are twins. Mine had the period tail lights (one on each side) and a separate blackout light (just one). The tail lights were the non-combination style. The mounts were heavy steel L brackets that bolted to the rear sides of the frame with two bolts and the lights mounted to the brackets. Best picture I have handy just now:

 

[Pawnshop]

Welcome aboard! And welcome to the wonderful world of small trailers! THANK YOU for not cutting her up, she will work just fine on the trail in stock form, that was what she was designed for in the first place.

That trailer originally had the little bitty lights that were on the M38A1, small and very hard to see. I put the big modern LED composite lights on mine, they just bolt onto the stock bracket (that means no permanent harm done for future "correct" restoration if desired), run on anything from 10v-36v so they will work behind your civvie vehicle, and are BRIGHT and easy to see. There are new wiring harnesses and inter-vehicular cables available as well as adapters for the plug to your vehicle.

1-M416 stock lights (found on the WWW, not mine)
2-M416 with trailer lights, YUCK (mine when I bought her)
3-M416 with LED composite lights
4-M416 off road behind my M1009

 

[Pawnshop]

...next thing you know you'll be hooked on a Deuce.

I tried that, does not work too well:

 

[Losthiker]

Fantastic,
Thanks everyone.
My wife saw a M151 for the first time and wanted one...so maybe one day.

For now this is it and i have been hunting for a decent reasonably priced one in Virginia with a title for some time.
This one came up Monday on craigslist. I grabbed it right away.
Picked it up in the dark (Did not care). once I got it in my well lit Garage I realized just how nice it really was and made the decision to rebuild rather than chop.


Thanks for the ideas on the lights. I like the LED, but might go with the same style but regular bulbs (just me)

Starting on it this weekend so i will throw some more pics here.

 

[Pawnshop]

And yes, trailers ARE a gateway drug! Mostly because they CAN be used with your civvie vehicle for all kinds of jobs. My M416 was the first of five (so far...)

 

[Pawnshop]

The only real advantages to the LED are omnivolt and brightness, the standard composite with 12v bulbs work very well too, and are a LOT cheaper!

 

[emmado22]

LEDs are very convienient when you tow with both civy and mil tow rigs.

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

glad its gonna be restored

heres a pic of the original lights, just use 12v bulbs in them, and you can swap out the lenses for bigger ones if you don't like the tiny cats eye lenses.

 

[englishmauser]

They would be a bit more useful with a tailgate. I like the sides and cover on the M101 series also.

They wouldn't float if they had a tailgate.

 

[m109a3uk]

Just got my one here in the UK its a 1965 built by Johnson Furnace Co Will look great behind my Mutt when they are both painted.
Hmmmm 3 or 4 colour camo? which should I go for?

 

[Ripcord01]

^^Looks good the way it is..

 

[DesertRunner]

I started with this one .... and they just keep multiplying


The MV disease continues to spread.

Jay

 

[Lex_Ordo]

Definately a gateway drug. Because you can't have just one military vehicle.
Absolutely, get the multi-volt LED taillights. They would have been found on these trailers as they got on in years and remained in service, becasue the military continues to update it's equipment with re-builds and such. And, they give you the option of towing with 12 volt Civi, or 24 volt Military, and you need not change anything.

Will lead to something else. In my case a duece, and yes they do look good towed behind it.

 

[Pawnshop]

Just got my one here in the UK its a 1965 built by Johnson Furnace Co Will look great behind my Mutt when they are both painted.
Hmmmm 3 or 4 colour camo? which should I go for?

M151 and M416 were mostly painted a single color, however later ones were MERDC (four color) camo (mid 1970s), and MUCH later ones were 383 (three color, mid-late 1980s) Your call really. It was pretty rare to see a US M416 painted 383. My 1966 Johnson Furnace M416 left the 49th Armored, US Army National Guard painted MERDC.

 

[Pawnshop]

I would dearly love to have a CDN M101! Those little cuties just did not make it down to Texas much, they crossed into the US from Canada and were mostly snatched up near the border, sort of like spilling a Coke on carpet (it is NOT going to make it to the other side of the room...)