M1 Searchlight Trailer, View 2

An M1 searchlight trailer (manufactured by Fruehauf), viewed from the front, showing the prominent manually operated winch mounted on the drawbar in in front of the cargo box. The two large hand wheels turned the winch, which allowed the crew to pull the searchlight onto the floor of the trailer via a cable that went through the box and attached to the light. Clearance lights, reflectors, and blackout stop- and tail-lights were mounted around the body. Some models were equipped with an adjustable landing wheel beneath the drawbar. Footman loops and rope tie-downs were riveted around the body. The heavy tailgate sometimes was constructed of steel channel, other times of sheet metal. The floors differed too – usually they were made of diamond plate, but wooden planks were used as well (photo courtesy Chet Krause).

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