Towing the M416A1 trailer

[muttguru]

Dear Listers,

here's a question for you but first, a bit of background. When the M416A1 trailer was introduced, it featured not just hydraulic brakes but it also had a "breakaway chain" which in theory should brake the trailer in the event that the trailer separates from the mutt while being towed.

Now the question:-

that little breakaway chain is supposed to hook onto a footman loop attached to the rear body of the mutt, in the region near the towhook. That footman loop wasn't fitted before the M416A1 was introduced, so who has this footman loop fitted on their vehicle? In theory, only mutts built after the introduction of the 416A1 trailer will have this loop, but some earlier-built mutts may have had a loop retro-fitted (there is no record of a specific MWO to do this, though).

If anyone has this...can you please describe it (a picture would be useful) and any info about the year of your mutt.

nb...this loop is specifically for the breakaway chain....please don't include your mutt's rear canvas footman loop.



 

[mrdibbles]

Here's me sounding like an idiot... aren't the safety chains supposed to hook through the brackets to either side of the pintle? To the bracket that is mounted directed behind the pintle?

[Jay Mallari]

I think Ken is referring to items 5 & 6 in the illustration.

[moose53]

Kens talking about the little chain that applied the brakes, not the safety chains that went to the bracket....

Jim

[64 M151]

Dear Listers,

here's a question for you but first, a bit of background. When the M416A1 trailer was introduced, it featured not just hydraulic brakes but it also had a "breakaway chain" which in theory should brake the trailer in the event that the trailer separates from the mutt while being towed.

Now the question:-

that little breakaway chain is supposed to hook onto a footman loop attached to the rear body of the mutt, in the region near the towhook. That footman loop wasn't fitted before the M416A1 was introduced, so who has this footman loop fitted on their vehicle? In theory, only mutts built after the introduction of the 416A1 trailer will have this loop, but some earlier-built mutts may have had a loop retro-fitted (there is no record of a specific MWO to do this, though).

If anyone has this...can you please describe it (a picture would be useful) and any info about the year of your mutt.

nb...this loop is specifically for the breakaway chain....please don't include your mutt's rear canvas footman loop.



 

Ken

I looked in my TM and its a M416A1 trailer and while in servive and or a civilian working for the active service I never seen the hydralic sysytem on this trailer. From what I can figure is that these trailers was a eXperamentle modification and might made a modificaton to the testing MUTT. The trailer may have became a success but the MUTT eg A2's went out of production before the new mod and retro fitting the fleet which the M151 series became obsolet. So there is probly no MWO for this modification & matter fact I have never seen one my self or know of one to see one. Now I'm not saying it didn't come out in the PS magazine because a lot of small mods was ilistrated in it but never made the MWO list.

You maybe looking for a BB in the deep six and I could be wrong but I know any new vehicle that replaced the MUTT didn't have that extra loop.

Later Joe

[muttguru]

Hello Joe,

well, the M416A1 trailer wasn't just an experiment. It was actually introduced in 1978 while the M151A2s were not only plentiful, they were still in production. And the M416A1 trailers do exist (I've got one...Parkhurst Manufactiring Co) and several other mutt owners have them too.


That loop won't appear on pre-'78 manufactured mutts (unless added specifically) but what I'm asking is whether any of you folks with late model AMG-contract - DAAE07-77-C-3404 (probably ex-Barstow A2s) have this loop on yours? If you have, please let me know....
thanks....

[Rainman]

Hey Ken,

Think I have what your looking for. I had this picture in
another post before I realized it held the answer to your
question. Take a look...



Rainman

[muttguru]

Hey Ken,

Think I have what your looking for. I had this picture in
another post before I realized it held the answer to your
question. Take a look...
Rainman

Hiya Rainman,
thanks for the pic. Unfortunately, it isn't what I was looking for. The big bracket surrounding the tow-hook is for the trailer safety chains, the two horizontal footman loops are for the rear curtain and the sloping footman loop is for the gascan strap.

The two small holes to the right of the towhook MAY have been the location of the over-ride chain footman loop.....unfortunately, whatever was there is not there now. Thanks for thinking about me, though... (-:

Some of you folks with an ex-Barstow mutt must have this loop still in place??

[owensexport]

None of the Barstow Jeeps we purchased had any extra loops.
Most of them were manufactured on 1979 contracts.

[Rainman]

Once again Ken, you are correct. Guess I'm not used to seeing a loop there with nothing on it.
My mistake, but when I first saw it it felt like I just found an Easter egg!.

Rainman

[muttguru]

None of the Barstow Jeeps we purchased had any extra loops.
Most of them were manufactured on 1979 contracts.

Hello Steve,
thanks for that. I've never seen a loop fitted (not yet anyway) so I wondered why the trailer TM shows this loop. The M416A1 trailer actually does have this breakaway chain which has a hook on the end, so it must go somewhere...... and yet there's nothing showing in the final versions of the mutt TM, nor is there any MWO to add an extra loop to the mutt. How very odd (-:

[k8icu]

Not odd at all....When they developed the 416A1 with the safety break-away chain they had in mind of an added footman loop and the TM which was developed at same time shows this. After developement it was probably deamed unneeded or too expensive to produce. Most likely the units just hooked the chain onto the saftey chain braket and found it work just as well as a footman loop would have.