.MIL Surplus Dump Trailers

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Guy on the local CL has some nice looking .mil surplus dump trailers for sale. 5x8 3/4 ton for $600. These are the kind where you set the parking brake, put the truck in reverse and the trailer dumps. Anybody have any experience with these..? Would it actually dump a full load of wood..? Is the concept kind of iffy..? The price seems right if it will dump worth a hoot.
 
I emailed the guy, and he says they have six bolt wheels so I think you could fit a 16" E-rate tire on them rather than the milspecs. No brakes other than parking brakes, but it is under 3k GVWR so not needed. Sure would be nice to hear how well they dump. I do like the compact size.
 
They must be like these!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Military-M101A2-3-4-ton-poor-mans-dump-trailer_W0QQitemZ130459758530QQihZ003QQcategoryZ80770QQcmdZViewItem
!B-,L1wQ!Wk~$(KGrHqZ,!j!EzNWoSihsBM8oZ683Mg~~_12.JPG
 
There is a U.S. surplus website that routinely have these trailers auctioned off and they rarely go for more than a couple hundred bucks. Might want to try that out.
 
I have one and yes they do dump but not easily when loaded. I carry a handyman jack and 2 blocks to put behind the wheels. Set the brakes, pull the pins, jack up the front of the trailer about 4 inches then back-up. The jack falls as the trailer tilts.

Mine is the M101A2 which has the surge brake and 8 bolt wheels. It will haul a lot more than 3/4 ton. I also got the side extensions, bows and tarp with it. The one you are looking at must be the M101A1 which doesn't have surge brakes and has the 6 bolt wheels.

I will try to post a picture after I throw a few more splits in the stove.
 
Well, you have to click on them but they are there. One of these days I'm going to figure this out.

I bought this trailer at govliquidation.com for $323. With their fees, taxes, license and the road trip to get it I have $383 in it. It had just been thru the shop and had new tires, brakes, tarp and wheel bearings packed. I had to put in 12v bulbs and put on the 7 way plug for the wiring.

I have hauled 3100 pounds of gravel in it without any problem.
 
Guns or coog, if ya want me to go kick the tires on one of them for ya, that dude's only about 10 miles from me. I'd probably be tempted myself at half the price he's asking.

Doesnt look like theyd be hard to make hyd dump, with a little fab work and some scavenging of parts.
 
Guns or coog, if ya want me to go kick the tires on one of them for ya, that dude's only about 10 miles from me. I'd probably be tempted myself at half the price he's asking.

Doesnt look like theyd be hard to make hyd dump, with a little fab work and some scavenging of parts.


Agreed. I think even if you only used a manual ram like on some car trailers you could get it done for under $100 if you were handy in th shop.
 
Forgot I was gonna give the link to the post, this guy sells a lot of military equipment (well I don't know how much he sells, but he advertises a lot for sale)

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/grd/2077799462.html

That guy had a bunch priced at $600 last Summer; I don't need a beauty queen.Funny story: I had my son's Scout aligned in Minneapolis in July, and the tech had just bought a deuce and a half from the guy in Deer Park...for his daily driver!!
I'd like to hear more about turning one of these into a power dump.
 
That guy had a bunch priced at $600 last Summer; I don't need a beauty queen.Funny story: I had my son's Scout aligned in Minneapolis in July, and the tech had just bought a deuce and a half from the guy in Deer Park...for his daily driver!!
I'd like to hear more about turning one of these into a power dump.

In case you or anyone else is interested there is a deuce and a half for sale on northern Michigan Craigslist in Copemish, Mi (the guy has about 20) for $2,900. It was a military fire truck, but no longer has anything on the back, so it is basically a cab and chassis truck. Has the multi-fuel diesel and the pto hydraulic pump still appears to be in place. You would need to add the dump box and hydraulic rams and it would be ready to haul firewood (or anything else you need a tandem dually for). There are also several used dump boxes ranging from $500-$1,000.
 
That guy had a bunch priced at $600 last Summer; I don't need a beauty queen.Funny story: I had my son's Scout aligned in Minneapolis in July, and the tech had just bought a deuce and a half from the guy in Deer Park...for his daily driver!!
I'd like to hear more about turning one of these into a power dump.

Drove a duece in the Guards for a couple years, fuel mileage sux and 55 on a good day for top end. Not a daily driver for me for sure!

For a hoist, I'm thinking engine hoist (cherry picker) cylinder with it's built in hand pump. Mounting would depend on the actual geometry of the trailer, but I think they're built thick enough that the bed won't need much reinforcement for the cylinder mount.

Gotta go to Amery in the AM, might just swing down that way with the camera and tape measure on the way home if I have time.
 
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Agreed. I think even if you only used a manual ram like on some car trailers you could get it done for under $100 if you were handy in th shop.

What's a replacement jack for a Harbor Freight shop crane cost?
I just looked it up. Fifty bucks. 20" stroke, 6000lb max.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-heavy-duty-long-ram-hydraulic-jack-36396.html

Drove a duece in the Guards for a couple years, fuel mileage sux and 55 on a good day for top end. Not a daily driver for me for sure!

If that's acceptable on road performance, I'd get a Unimog before I'd get a deuce and a half.
 
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I had thought about making mine a hydraulic dump with the cylinder but you guys got me to thinking about it and now I'm thinking about using an electric jack, like the ones used to level a camper. Or, maybe a twine tie actuator from a big round baler. I could wire it into the 7 way plug on my truck.

If I can find a cheap jack I'll post some pics.
 
All of this talk about dumping trailers reminded me of an idea that I've tossed around for awhile.

I have a plow on my pickup with an hydraulic (oil over electric) that just sits over the summer. I've thought about using it to power a dump trailer. This trailer would be the size that one would pull behind a riding mower. Nothing big, but it would dump the load instead of picking it out.
Anyone see such a thing?
 

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