I'm talking the M100 and M416 military surplus 1/4 ton trailers. For those unfamiliar with the designation, they are:
and
respectively. I purposely didn't name them specifically in the thread title because I wanted this thread to fly under the google radar. To that end I won't mention them again, and would ask the same from anyone that posts in this thread... I'll just refer to them as RF for the round-fendered style and SF for the square-fendered style. I'd rather have this information as a resource for the jeepforum community vs. out there for anyone who types the trailer names into google.
Anyway, on to the info. Many of you may already be aware of this website, but judging by the prices I've seen these trailers go for, I'm guessing not. Just in the last month I saw an RF in Colorado in OK shape sell for under $300. I also saw 3 (2 x SF, 1 x RF if I remember right) in South Dakota sell for under $300 each. I almost bid on all 3, thinking the drive to pick them all up would be totally worth it, but I decided not to be greedy
So the website is www.gsaauctions.gov. This is a website that the General Services Administration uses to dispose of federal assets. When items are retired from military use, before they go up for public auction other federal agencies get first dibs if they can put them to use. I think we would be surprised at how many federal agencies and even local municipalities picked up these trailers from the military decades ago, and now just have them rusting away in their yards until they decide to "clean house" and unload them via the GSA.
If you go to the website today (6/17/11) and click on the "Trailers, Tractors and Manufactured Housing" category on the left (it's the 3rd from the bottom) you will see a nice red RF available in Arkansas. There are 3 days left in that auction, but as of right now the current bid is only $126. I imagine it will creep up a little from there before the auction ends, but anyone who has been on the hunt for these trailers knows that a trailer in that condition would easy go for 5x that price.
[tangent]Check out the vehicles section of that website too. I've seem some cool old M37s and Deuces go for really cheap.[/tangent]
New items are added to that website daily, but these trailers are fairly rare. Your best bet is to check the site at least weekly. It's kind of addicting, so I check it just about every day. I understand that we get kind of busy sometimes and life can get in the way of our hobbies, so I figured that
anyone interested in picking up one of these trailers should post in this thread. I'll add your username and state to post #2 of the thread, simply to keep a running list. If I see a trailer pop up in your state or immediate region, I'll send you a PM letting you know. That way you guys don't have to camp out on the site weekly or at all really. MANY members of this forum have helped me numerous times over my last ~5 years of Jeep ownership and have saved me countless time and $$$$... I figured this might be some small way to give back to the community.
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Potentially cheap (although very sporadic) source for our favorite trailers
