Jeep trailer

The Jeep trailer was a small, 1/4-ton payload rated, cargo trailer, designed in World War II, tailored to be towed by 1/4-ton U.S. Army jeeps. Versions of the quarter-ton jeep trailer remained in military use, by the U.S. or other countries, at least through to the 1990s.

The 1/4-ton cargo trailer was first created for the World War II jeep
1941 jeep with trailer – rear

History

When the U.S. Army developed the World War II jeep, it needed a cargo trailer that would track behind the vehicle. The first trailer was called the "Trailer, 1/4-ton, 2-Wheel, Cargo, Amphibian". More than 150,000 jeep trailers were built by over ten different companies, during World War II alone.[1] American Bantam built some 75,000 of their T-3, and kept building jeep trailers after the war.[2] Willys-Overland also built more than 60,000 of their MBT units (Willys MB Trailers). Other manufacturers contributed only hundreds, or just a few thousand units. A special trailer was the Converto (Airborne) Dump Trailer, of which several thousand were built.[1]

Later versions of the trailer were the M100 trailer[3] for the Willys M38 jeep and the M416 trailer [4] for the M151 jeep.

The World War II quarter-ton jeep trailer (picture 1 and 2 from manual; photo is WWII Bantam original)
The 1945 Converto T6/T7 Airborne Dump Trailer for Willys MB Jeeps, was made in limited numbers.

Versions
  • The World War II version came in both the standard, and K-38A versions. the K-38A was a modification of the K-38 trailer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps
  • The Korean War version, or M100 was also modified into the M367 trailer for the Signal corps. and also came in a plain chassis the M116.
  • The Canadian Army version, or M101CDN very closely resembles the M100, except it was manufactured in Winnipeg at Motor Coach Industries (MCI) for the Canadian Armed Forces.
  • The Vietnam War version, or M416 came in the following variants: M416 and M416A1 with square fenders, dedicated for the M151 jeep; the M416B1 towed by the USMC M422 'Mighty Mite' helicopter liftable jeep, the M569 chassis, and the V-498 trailer for AN/TTC-41.

See also

References
  1. Jeep Bantam-Willys-Ford 1940-1945, by Emile Becker & Guy Dentzer, (1994), see Recognizing WWII Jeep Trailers (in Dutch)
  2. "Austin, Bantam, and Willys: Birth of the Jeep". www.allpar.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  3. "Department of the Army Technical Manual TM 9-2330-201-14" (PDF). April 1972. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  4. "Department of the Army Technical Manual TM 9-2330-251-14" (PDF). October 6, 1970. Retrieved September 6, 2018.


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