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As some of you know, I'm a military trailer collector and aficionado.
Just recently, I was contacted by a gentleman in California that has a
rather odd bird, and I wanted to consult with the collective wisdom of
the list.
The trailer in question appears to be a 1/4 ton trailer, VERY SIMILAR to
an M100 second-generation 1/4 ton. However, the bed is 7" long! At first
I thought it was just a clever conversion, since it also sports a
tailgate, but everything on the trailer screams military, and the tub is
NOT a homemade job. Now I'm thinking it could have been a prototype of
some sort??
The trailer has round fenders like an M100 (identical, as far as I can
tell) and it was registered as early as 1963 as a private trailer in
California. The current owner bought it in 1965. Color is slightly faded
but looks to my amateur eye like the Air Force dark blue shade used in
early 60's M37's. There are no markings on the trailer, except a small
plate with the serial number DR473920T. Does that sound familiar to
anyone?
Tires are dry-rotted original military 16x6 on what look like period
military rims (not combat rims), axle appears identical to that of
M100's, hitch is a standard lunette (ring), there is no handbrake on it,
but the drum brakes are on there.
The most interesting thing is the tub. It's virtually identical to that
of the M100, except it's longer. The tailgate design is similar to that
of early Bantam civilian T3's, and appears to have been part of the
initial design (not 100% sure, though). It's welded to the frame, which
is also very similar to that of an M100, except it has an extra rib.
Lights are military spec, but there is no blackout light. The sides of
the tub have four (4) tie downs and no grab handles at the corners.
The owner is an elderly veteran who would like to know more about this.
I confess that my curiosity is piqued as well, I've never seen anything
like this before and I've come across some weird ones in my research. If
you know anything about a trailer like this, please let me know. I've
checked all my files and sources and have come up dry. When he first
described it on the phone I thought it could be one of those rare
trailers used by the Seabees during WWII, but the tub has the same
angles as an M100, it doesn't flare out and the fenders are round, not
square. It could also be a trailer made outside of the US, but if so, it
must be a close ally (Canada, perhaps?) because of the many common
components...
Any help you can give us, I would really appreciate.
Thanks for your time!
Henry Cubillan
-- Henry J. Cubillan TLCA; AZLCA; CLCC; U4WDA 1991 FJ62 <cubillan@earthlink.net> http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=31079
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