Lighting Strikes Twice, Another M17 Director's Trailer Found

Half-ton trailer series and larger, Wanted, For Sale(NO EBAY ITEMS), and Knowledge Base
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mkoloc
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Lighting Strikes Twice, Another M17 Director's Trailer Found

Post by mkoloc » Thu Jul 20, 2017 1:52 pm

On a bit of a walkabout for a bud in CA, checking on some M5 bomb trailers for his collection in my NEW favorite place to visit in the entire USA these days "Jack's Gvmt Surplus Trucks" when to my surprise and excitement I spotted this gem in one of Jacks incredible yards ... a M17 Director's trailer that had been converted to a generator trailer. You can see where the original data plate was removed and the generator data plate installed over the original data plate location (original data plate rivet holes, original data plate outline).

Needless to say the trailer is in excellent condition and still has the mounting rails for the quad mount and uprights for the spare barrel harware ... it will need to have the angle iron a brackets added for the tombstone ammo cans and a few other goodies that are missing, but storage in the desert air has left it in overall excellent condition. It is already been spoken for via a phone call today ( I made a promise 7 years ago to another collector if I ever found another one) and is being prepped for shipment to its new home.

I spent more than 6 hours with Jack Martin yesterday walking thru his yard's ...yes that's yards in plural AS IN MORE THAN 5 YARDS with the expansion of a new yard opening within the week and I must admit in my 62 years I've never seen anything like it (and I thought nothing would beat the Russian armored junkyards in Asscrackistan)! Jack has accumulated an incredible source of vehicles, trailers, tires, parts, and knowledge and he is more than willing and able to provide collectors with those hard to find items and vehicles they may be looking for.

Jack loves to show you around if you call ahead to make arrangement, otherwise he and his Son are open for business Mon-Fri 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM,

THIS PLACE IS WORTH A VISIT!!!!!!!

Jacks Government Surplus Trucks
5181 East Drexel Road
Tucson AZ 85706

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LTC Mark Koloc USA (RET)
MVPA Member # 31144
1631 Bitter Creek Lane
Batavia, OH 45103
Cell: 1.715.821.9426
mkoloc44@yahoo.com


AZ Jeff
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Re: Lighting Strikes Twice, Another M17 Director's Trailer Found

Post by AZ Jeff » Fri Jul 21, 2017 6:31 am

Indeed Mark! it is a landmark MV Petting Zoo worthy of a visit (and a current Tetanus shot). Every once in a while I need a rusty metal treasure hunt fix and I find myself wandering his yard. There's nothing like crawling around and over the jagged remains of a range-pulverized WW2 M-5H-6 dump truck to unbolt the remarkably intact IH pioneer rack... Like most outdoor attractions in SE AZ, it's best done in the fall when the bees/wasps and snakes are less of a distraction. All that said, Jack LOVES his stuff so actually buying something can be a frustrating experience -- depending on what it is. For that reason it can quickly become "Jack's House of Pain" but I totally get where he's coming from.

I recovered a WW2 CWS (M-5 type) bomb trailer from there a few years ago (part of an M6 Chevy display dream that, like many others, evaporated when reality finally took hold). It had been converted by the AF to haul a small office on top (you can imagine that creature). To his credit, he did remove the office superstructure and somehow dragged it out from its seemingly land-locked resting place.

Jeff Q.
Patagonia, AZ (an hour from the Rusty Oasis)

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Re: Lighting Strikes Twice, Another M17 Director's Trailer Found

Post by DDTrustee » Fri Jul 21, 2017 6:38 am

Jack wants to die with it still in his possession. Watched him demand $800 for a old forklift motor block that had open holes in the block exposed to the elements for decades and then not sell it for a reasonable $500 offer by Phoenix MV guy. Not worth $500 and still said no (and he had a econd at least that we knew of. Not work the blood pressure increase and wasted gas even 90 mile drive from PHX.
reenacting and WWII history

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mkoloc
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Re: Lighting Strikes Twice, Another M17 Director's Trailer Found

Post by mkoloc » Fri Jul 21, 2017 11:03 am

With Jack it's going to be the "Slow Walk" (Like that 1st conquest, a lot "no's" before you finally hear "yes" and remember you may never hear "yes") ... your right about it being worth its weight in gold or something he's going to restore next month but honestly, have we not all known folks out there with that type of mind-set? And then again in this case I truly believe it's going to depend on cash flow. The economy has shifted, scrap is worth pennies, but utilities, wages(his son works there full time) and property taxes remain in place and continue to climb and even Jack can't change that fact and at 70 some years old even that dog may learn to hunt :) if he wants to make a buck in this economy.

I would agree with everything said here .. I found that getting into Jacks decision cycle was helpful in my particular case and I believe personally that I really connected on a veteran to veteran level and believe me I worked it not because it's devious but because it was the one personal thing I had in common with Jack and a great start point for negotiations. Jack even let "me" set the price on the items I purchased. I also note that Jack is a self made man from very humble roots and that plays a lot into my thought process and my aproach and respect for Jack.

Please I am not Preaching!!!! Nor am I some kind Art of the Deal GIJoe, but in my years in SOCOM much of what we did out in the field was all about negotiations. I only mention this for others who might contemplate a visit with Jack.

//R//
Mark
LTC Mark Koloc USA (RET)
MVPA Member # 31144
1631 Bitter Creek Lane
Batavia, OH 45103
Cell: 1.715.821.9426
mkoloc44@yahoo.com


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