If you need to haul five thousand pounds of cargo far off the beaten path, your store-bought options are pretty limited. Sure, you could go down to your local Tractor Supply and spend a bunch of time and money outfitting a standard flatbed trailer to be even remotely as capable as your heavily modified off-road rig.
Or you could let Uncle Sam do the work for you in the form of this Stewart and Stevenson XM1082 LMTV trailer posted on Facebook Marketplace in Gastonia, NC for $2,800 OBO.
Originally designed for use behind an LMTV, this beefy military trailer would make an awesome base for an overlanding or bugout camper, or use it around your property for hauling brush or building materials. Inside dimensions are about 12’ x 7.5’ and it’s a full 5’ longer and wider than that on the outside, bringing overall length to 209.5” and width to 96” – plenty of room for a sleeping setup, solar array, or all the cargo needed to live a remote life.
According to the wonderfully outdated website Federation of American Scientists, the Stewart and Stevenson XM1082 LMTV trailer has a maximum payload capacity of 5,000 lbs and a maximum tongue weight of 1,400 lbs. It can ford water up to 60” deep, and it can clear some serious obstacles thanks to its 20” wheels and 16” of ground clearance, which is only reduced slightly to 13.5” when fully loaded.
With military-grade construction and rustproofing along with a myriad of tie-down points, this XM1082 LMTV trailer is fully capable of following even the most highly modified off-roading rigs deep into the unknown. You'll want to do something about the air brakes if you’re going to tow this behind a regular vehicle, and the photos don't show anything of the trailer’s left side, underside, or the bed surface, but everything we can see looks just as Uncle Sam intended.
If nothing else, it sure beats the heck out of a cheap Harbor Freight flatbed.
Hard to register military trailers in your state? Dirt Legal can make it happen.
About the Author
As an automotive journalist, motorcycle racer, SCCA member, and collector of anything with wheels, Justin Dake makes a living out of being a professional car nerd. As a former employee of the State of Missouri, he knows how complex and convoluted state processes can be, and that experience underlies his role as the Editor of Dirt Legal.