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New Trailer!

8.4K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  viper522  
#1 ·
So I picked up this little trailer for 75.00 here locally. I have been looking for JUST this type of thing for about a year. However, everyone with a trailer thinks they have a 1200.00 gold mine, ugh. This one was perfect for my Jeep, and priced to go. I'm going to do a lot of work on it, including probably welding some hooks here and there, as well as welding tabs on to remount the lights (so folks can see em lol!), things like that.

Does anyone have a clue where this thing originated? I'm sure it's not an old truck bed, but it is sitting on leaf springs and what appears to be an old Ford 9" rear end. No #s are on it as far as I can see yet, but I'm going to go out today and really scour over it, looking at every square inch and sanding the 30 layers of paint and whatnot.

The surface rust is just that; surface rust. Amazingly, there is no holes in this trailer, or even thin spots! I really love it, I just want to know more about it, like the approximate year of build and stuff like that. My guess is early 60's, but I could be way off.

It's going OD green, with black inside and accessories. I may even put the white star on the side, haven't decided yet. I mean, everyone wants a tiny Army style trailer, right? Right?

Thanks for any input gang :).

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#3 ·
The pumpkin on the axle makes me think it's either been reaxled or that it was most likely a truck at one point. Another thing that makes me think reaxle is the cut down vertical members jsut behind the axle. I'd need to do more looking but I'm thinking maybe one of those Kaiser/Willies small army pickups. The ones that fall between a jeep and a duece. 50's or early 60's. It may have been originally a small jeep trailer, again I'd need to see an original to compare it to.

Nice find. Around me they'd get cranky on the lack of fenders as well as the lights.

BTW I'd appreciate it if you can size the picts in the future. The big picts are great, but I can no longer scroll in this new format to read what you type that gets chopped off. I tried resizing the screen but it stills stays chopped.
 
#8 ·
The axle seem to tell me was on a rear end of a vehicle. Looks like it was custom made.

I think you have more of a scuff (lots of scuffing), primer and paint project and it will be nice. Looks strong enough and it is probably heavy as heck.

My guess, home built trailer.. And also, I will bet you need a tag on it. As our Government takes money anyway they can. :) But it may just be my local Florida people that need a tag on everything on the road but a car dolly (since the car you pull on it has a tag they can look up)..

Sits nice and level with your Jeep. Never know, maybe the military did that type stuff back in the day. Looks over built to me and that is a good thing.
 
#11 ·
Nice find Skwerly. Those rear leaf shackles are early, Jeep parts. The leaf springs are very long, which is good. They will be nice and flexible. If you find large structural rivets anywhere in the frame, that will tell you it was a production run frame, from a manufacturer. It looks like it had some hand rework done, but those reflectors are real common on early military jeeps and trucks.
I have a brand new set of Jeep style fenders with a coat of spray primer on them that are yours for the taking, just pick them up. Send me a pm if you're interested. I'm in the Ontario area.
 
#13 ·
My Father has one kinda similar. The front folds down like the tailgate to facilitate longer items. Looks as if yours might also.

The rear spring hangers do look like Willys jeep style but it looks as if they may have been added later, judging by the square tubing used, probably jeep axle also.