Picked up a Bantam Trailer Today

I think having the story is also a great part of owning this trailer.  Thanks for the comments and I hope to get some of the rewiring completed tomorrow morning.  I'm going to focus on getting it ready for inspection before I try any restoration work.  The wiring should be pretty simple and I need to add some safety chains and I should be good to go for inspection. 

Thanks for sharing the trailer's 'story'--it appears to be in great shape. The underside of Bantam trailers reveal how close to the edge that company was operating when the WWII contracts expired, and it was clear the company had lost any hope of building jeeps. Looking toward civilian trailer production, someone at Bantam made the decision to eliminate the two hydraulic Gabriel or Monroe shock absorbers, which then cost perhaps a few bucks each. Seems like a skin-flint move, but it was a cost reduction that was important to making their 1/4-ton trailer business profitable. Of course, when the US gov't needed 1/4-ton trailers for the Korean War, they again spec'd hydraulic shocks for the M100. By then Bantam was at death's door.

Thanks David for sharing pictures and story of your trailer.

Just a couple other notes, the one remaining light on the trailer is plastic and it's possible the original color was green. 

Three holes in spring mounts up to #2100 +/-
Tube rear support up to #2122 +/-
Four side tie-downs up to #1827 +/-

So...it isn't "302" but could be 3302 or even 13302 possibly. With that in mind, it is still probably a 1946 or so production. Can you post a pic of the data plate that is a clear, closeup? Over the years, rust and an occasional sandblaster or the use of sandpaper on the data plate has often nearly obliterated the lightly stamped serial number.