Cushman Overlander?

[Doc Rey]

Good, bad or indifferent I need your opinion on this.
I picked up a small, cute Cushman trailer with the idea of perhaps making it an overland trailer to mate to my TJ Jeep. It only cost $200 on eBay. It was advertised as WWII...???
( however, the wheels appeared to be off a VW Rabbit?). It’s pretty sturdy & solid.
Measurements:
78”L X 60”W
Cargo area: 48”L X 40”W
Weight: ?
Coil suspension
Wheels: 5.95-13/145-13

Is anyone familiar with one of these?
Is these worth going through for overlanding?

All comments appreciated. Thx.

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[Correus]

Okay...well...you have an odd one here.

To my knowledge Cushman did not build military trailers like this. During WWII they made 2-wheel and 3-wheel scooters with a bunch of the 2-wheelers going to the Airborne. The scooters came in various configurations. They also made some 4-wheeled versions of light utility type vehicles.

They continued supplying these things well after WWII.

The ONLY trailer I'm aware of them building was the M3A4 hand cart. This could be pulled by the scooters.

Cushman also built a light utility vehicle called a "Truckster". These could be in either 3 or 4 wheel versions. They came in various sizes and configurations. As far as I know they are still making these things.

This brings me to your trailer. Based on the size and the tailgate I think you have a trailer someone has made out of a 1950s Truckster bed. It appears to fit the dimensions.

The wheel well fenders are not the type that would be on a Truckster - at least I've never seen them on one. They look like those you see on the Willys Jeep trailer or M100. They are also similar to the British 10 cwt trailer, these have fenders that stick out from the body. There are other trailers with these two kinds of fenders.

Is there any kind of I.D. plate attached anywhere on it? Does the tounge and hitch look like they were added latter?

If I were you and that was my trailer I wouldn't do anything to it at this point. You never know but that could be some sort of uber rare Cushman trailer prototype or a very short lived product.

Then again, I could be completly wrong as to it being a Truckster bed.

Here is the website of a guy who can probably tell you what it is. If not he probably knows who to put you in contact with.

Jim's Cushman Scooter & Crystal Radio Site
http://www.hobbytech.com/index.html

If it turns out not to be anything unusual or rare have fun with your build! There is a lot of potential there!

BTW - I love when someone takes an old trailer and does something like your wanting to do.

 

[Doc Rey]

Thanks for all the info Correus. As I just got it today, I really haven't gone through it to a great degree. I really like the way it looks as is. Maybe a little clean up, check the mechanical & electrical functions & new tires.
I would almost bet a paycheck (certainly not the farm), that this is an original complete build. It just has that look to it IMHO.
I'll look into that website for further information. Thx.

 

[Doc Rey]

A few more pics.

 

[Doc Rey]

Wish I was better at posting stuff. Computer dunce.

 

[Steve]

During WWII they made 2-wheel and 3-wheel scooters with a bunch of the 2-wheelers going to the Airborne

Slight hijack; we had a 3-wheeled version of either the Airborne or the 53A post-war civilian model on the farm. It originally had a large box up front, but grandpa put a bus seat there, instead. That's me up on the tractor seat.

 

[amateurhour]

That looks freaking awesome.

 

[ArkansasDon]

Great! find. The question to ask your self is...."how far you want to go with it?" & "is their a time frame of completion?"

If it was me, I'd do a full on disassembly, scrapping the suspension system & everything else that doesn't pertain to the build. I would use the original frame, the tub, tailgate but replace the tongue, old suspension system with leaf spring kit like the soft ride that Scott Chaney sells. https://compact-camping-concepts-2.myshopify.com/products/smooth-ride-frame-springs https://compact-camping-concepts-2.myshopify.com/products/trailer-spring-hanger-kit
This way you can do a close inspection of the trailer frame & it's structural composites. Scott sells custom axles to fit what ever width you are wanting https://compact-camping-concepts-2.myshopify.com/products/custom-axle. I dealt with Scott & he's honest & never done me wrong on my trailer build & his shipping of products to you is 100% with good replies & notifications of shipping. You have a prefect candidate for a overland build for sure :)

 

[Doc Rey]

@ ArkansasDon:
Thanks for the interest, advise & website.


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[Doc Rey]

And even a few more pics...coming up...
Unable to locate a plate/tag of any sort like are found on military vehicle (removed?).
Q: Is this normal construction for such a small trailer? Interesting.


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[Doc Rey]

And even a few more pics...coming up...
Unable to locate a plate/tag of any sort like are found on military vehicle (removed?).
Q: Is this normal construction for such a small trailer? Interesting.


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

Q: Can we safely deduce that this is a civilian trailer, painted as a military one?


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[Correus]

The "Cushman" aspect is the fly in the ointment. I found no trailers this size in their product history, only those little hand carts. Someone could of added the tailgate to the trailer though.

Regardless, it's a nice one.

 

[Correus]

The coil spring set-up looks to be vintage military. Not sure what civilian trailer would use them but they probably did.

It really, really looks like an M100 trailer except for the tailgate and it doesn't have the flared out edges (they kinda look like gutters) along the top sides.

 

[Doc Rey]

@ Correus: Beats me too??? What do you think of the various paint shades? I wouldn't think those could be primers, could they?
Wasn't sure how to contact "hobbytech.com", as I don't see a "contact us" link. Thx.

 

[Doc Rey]

Ok. One last pic. I noticed 2 carved out rectangles on the tongue, they looked familiar.
I placed an ammo can I have into the groove... not sure that makes it military, but...???
The plot thickens...

 

[Correus]

@ Correus: Beats me too??? What do you think of the various paint shades? I wouldn't think those could be primers, could they?
Wasn't sure how to contact "hobbytech.com", as I don't see a "contact us" link. Thx.

Hmmm....let me see what I can find.

 

[Correus]

@ Correus: Beats me too??? What do you think of the various paint shades? I wouldn't think those could be primers, could they?
Wasn't sure how to contact "hobbytech.com", as I don't see a "contact us" link. Thx.

To me it looks like someone has tried to touch up the original military OD Green. There are several versions and the shade tends to change every few years. It is really, really hard to match OD Greens unless you have a color matching tool or you know the date of the item and the branch of the military. For example, IIRC the Army used 3 different versions during Vietnam while the Marines used 2 and the Navy used 2 or 3. There are a couple of specialized historic military paint companies that explain it better. When I last spoke to one of them I saw about 12 OD versions that had been used between WWII - 1970s. WWI OD Green is even harder to track down.

 

[Correus]

Ok. One last pic. I noticed 2 carved out rectangles on the tongue, they looked familiar.
I placed an ammo can I have into the groove... not sure that makes it military, but...???
The plot thickens...

Yes indeed, the plot thickens...the game is afoot!

 

[Correus]

Ok. One last pic. I noticed 2

Ok. One last pic. I noticed 2 carved out rectangles on the tongue, they looked familiar.
I placed an ammo can I have into the groove... not sure that makes it military, but...???
The plot thickens...

Hey - I just showed the wife the first pic of those two spots where you are showing the ammo can. I showed it to her before the one with the ammo can on it. The first thing out of her mouth was "Those look like Jerry can holders". Do you have access to the type of Jerry can that was used back in the '40s - '70s? If you do, see if it fits. If you don't I'll see if I can dig mine out of storage - if I still have it - and measure it.

 

[Doc Rey]

Interesting.
Measurements are 11 1/4" X 6" ea.
I suppose if you were to remove the spare tire, that could be a possibility. There's no way a Jerry can would fit with it positioned as it sits.

The CA DMV owner registration shows the year "0000". It doesn't even mention Cushman, only "trailer". This owner first registered it in 1977.
Although I purchased it on eBay, when I went to pick it up, it was in the possession of an "Estate Sales" company. They pretty much blew me off when I tried to get additional info on the trailer.
Still undecided on the next step. Keep it original (with a thorough going-over) or do something like ArkansasDon suggested. Decisions...decisions...??? Thx.