Towing a M105a2 w/ civilian Pick Up ?

[tigerplayer70]

I have tried to look at some other threads but I am not sure it was covered this way. I am wanting thoughts on towing a M105A2 with a 97 Dodge with a 360 V8. I tried to bid on a 101A1 but at the last minute was outbid and I am noticing that 105's go for much cheaper. I also like to have brakes, but GL is not selling any around Middle TN.

My question is is there a way to adapt a truck to run air to the brakes of the 105 using a compressor mounted in the bed of the Pick up truck ?

Would it be easier to do a surge brake conversion and run a totally hydraulic braking system rather than air over hydraulic ?

If any one can give me pictures, directions or a link has to how this might be done ( or whether or not it should ).

 

[skajm]

a m105 trailer is alot of trailer. I pulled one 60 miles in the hills with my ramcharger. the trailer pushed and pulled my truck all over. the trailer was nose down do to how tall the wheels are. I can not say anything about the brakes other than adapting will cost a ton. I would try to find a M101 . the m105 is a back braker to manually move. I have a M416 that sits in my backyard down a slope. it is a pain to pull 100' up a slight hill.
Joe
but that is my 2 cents

 

[crownjewel4]

I pulled one back 150 miles with my 2008 F-250 Power Stroke with ease, and had a pallet of Ammo cans inside the trailer.
If you have enough truck you can pull easily, just watch braking, as without trailer brakes, it would be a lot for the truck brakes to handle on a regular basis.
I just made a straight trip on the interstate, and home. I would not recommend this set up for everyday usage. The nose of the trailer will point downard, and is also tough coupling and uncoupling.
F.Y.I.
It is for sale on Ebay if anyone is interested.

 

[Nonotagain]

For the cost of the surge brake unit (about $175) you are half way there to converting the truck to a civi trailer axle with electric brakes.

I have three M105 trailers. One A2 and two A3's which have surge brakes. I'm in the process of lowering the lunette on one of the A3's so that I can level the trailer out.

I towed one of my M105A3 trailers down to my parents house 250 miles using my 4runner. Other than loosing 6 mpg verses an empty truck, the only time I could tell the trailer was behind me was on the hills of I-81.

Depending on your plans for the trailer, if you are looking for a heavy hauler, the M105 will fit the bill. Converting the trailer to a 5200 lb civi axle and electric brakes will run you another $350.

If you can find a M101A3 trailer, jump on it as the are the latest version 3/4 ton mil trailer available.

 

[tigerplayer70]

Good Ideas, I am planning on using this trailer to do hurrucane security. so I will be towing down anything and everything...food, fuel, water, provisions of all kinds. I hope after one cane' I can buy a deuce to tow it. In the mean time I will have to make due, I did not know the difficulty level in terms of cost and effort putting in different brakes, surge or electric, but I know that a half ton PU towing a trailer, when it is empty weighs 2500 lbs, if it were loaded with no brakes is NOT safe and therefore unacceptable. If it could be done and safely towed with the truck I currently have with a braking system that would be great, but GL is not selling any M101A2's around where i live, an the cost in paying to ship it here, or to go get it would be cost prohibitive.

 

[wreckerman893]

If you get an offset receiver hitch it will raise the level of the pintle and level out the trailer.
Flipping the lunette can be a booger if it is rust welded in place.
They are available at Tractor Supply and all the usual suspect auto parts houses.
All of this has been posted before but I have a hard time searching for them myself.
I have pulled empty 105's with a Ford F150 but I would not try it with a load.
The trailer itself is pretty heavy for anthing less than a 1 ton dually.
As for using the stock brakes you might be able to use an electrical soliniod to actuate the master cylinder instead of air. It could be accutated by a regular trailer brake control.
I have two of the 101 trailers and they are much more suited to being pulled by a pickup.

 

[jrou111]

It's a very tall, boxy trailer. Behind a deuce it looks tiny but behind a fullsize truck it looks huge.

BTW, that receiver/pintle is on a 4" rise from the receiver. When I was picking up 4 of my 6 m105's at GL there was an older F250 with the tailgate removed. They mounted the hitch to the bed and the trailer was level. I guess they must do that regularly.

 

[DeuceNewb]

I towed with my 2001 suburban with the pintle hitch that lifts about 5" above the rear hitch, still nose down a bit but not that much. It towed home fine at 70 no problems. I could feel it with side winds every now and then but it wasn't bad. I then moved it around with my jeep cherokee, and that was bad.

 

[tigerplayer70]

My plan was to get a solid piece of 2'' square steal - the same as on a standard truck hitch that looks like this then get a .5 in to .75 in steel plate rectangle cut to 15'' ( my hitch is 22'' off the ground now to accommodate the 36' trailer tug height) weld it on top of the square bar with holes in it to accommodate

this with a right triangle to support it from the truck side ,and lastly weld it all together. Would this work or would the stress of accelerating and braking be too much for a design like this ? I was going to do this for a 101 or 105.


Ideas ? thoughts ? Suggestions ?

 

[coyotegray]

I would keep looking for a 101. You will be unnecessarily towing extra weight that will serve no other purpose than burning fuel and wearing out your truck.

The 101's are perfect for a 1/2-3/4 ton truck or SUV..

If you will be taking it off road you will need a pintle that rotates.
Here is my setup. The bracket is custom. I ordered the hitch from Saturn Surplus.. At some point I will replace the bumper and have the hitch mounted directly to it.



Andy...

 

[SCSG-G4]

I pulled an empty 105 from Montgomery, AL to Columbia SC with a hitch rig similar to Cyotegray on a Ford F-150. Got 15 mpg at 60 mph. Not the fastest trip, but it worked just fine. Had the tailgate open to cut down on wind resistance, and the nose was still lower than the back. Easy braking (no emergencies) and it pulled smooth. YMMV.

 

[Trailboss]

When I was picking up 4 of my 6 m105's at GL there was an older F250 with the tailgate removed. They mounted the hitch to the bed and the trailer was level. I guess they must do that regularly.

Now, that's a neat idea for highway travel. Bolt the hitch plate to the bed frame at the back edge and the hitch pointing up. May have to use a larger plate on top, as well as a brace under the bed to spread the lateral loading. I can unhitch now using a farm jack, but hooking up by myself is dangerous with a regular receiver hitch on my F250 and F150. The farm jack can drop to the bottom when lowering under load - found this out the hard way. You really need two people to safely hitch a M105 to a receiver hitch.

 

[srodocker]

duh...i need to get a deuce now...got a m105...

 

[jrou111]

Now, that's a neat idea for highway travel. Bolt the hitch plate to the bed frame at the back edge and the hitch pointing up. May have to use a larger plate on top, as well as a brace under the bed to spread the lateral loading. I can unhitch now using a farm jack, but hooking up by myself is dangerous with a regular receiver hitch on my F250 and F150. The farm jack can drop to the bottom when lowering under load - found this out the hard way. You really need two people to safely hitch a M105 to a receiver hitch.

Since I had to load and unload my trailers mostly by myself, I learned a few tricks to that... The easiest way to load the lunette ring onto a pintle/receiver is to remove the top bolt that holds the upper part of the hitch. Then back the truck until the ring is right over the bottom hook of the hitch. Then, using a long prybar, pry the handle of the swing away jack open so that the front of the trailer drops and the ring lands right on the hitch.

It's harder to describe it than doing it, just make sure to keep your hands and feet out of the way.

I've got to load up two trailers this weekend by myself, I'll see if I can get a video of the process.

 

[tigerplayer70]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I guess the consensus is since I will be using my 1/2 ton PU for towing a loaded trailer into an area that was recently hit by a hurricane ( that is why I need some sort of off road capability.... so I can travel across roads that have all sorts of debris on them ). It looks like a 105, loaded will be too much trailer for my 1/2 ton PU to handle. So is the way to give 101a1 brakes just to replace the axle with surge or electric brakes by replacing the axle? Or is there an easier way ( GL is not selling 101A2's anywhere near me. )

 

[Recovry4x4]

Best to hold out for an M101A2 or M101A3. You can scrounge the parts but the money adds up quick. I just got an M101A3 and M116A3 in JAX FL.

 

[srodocker]

hehe yea i have my 1/2 ton and i did just get a m105 so i definatly need a deuce now hahaha

 

[coolnick73]

I bid and won a M105 and figured I could pull it back up empty with my Chev 1/2 ton. I was going to use it for firewood and pull it around full with my tractor. I ended up buying a deuce private party to pull it around.

Talk about putting the cart before the horse or the M105 before the M35

 

[tigerplayer70]

This hobby is addictive, once you get started it is impossible to stop. Is A&E doing a SS intervention ?!?!?!?!

 

[HJ-45]

Here is a thread on my modified M105. Changed the axle to bring it down to earth a little. Has worked great for the last year. If you need the size/capacity, M105 is great. If you dont need size/capacity hold out for M101.

M105 as utility trailer - IH8MUD.com