the tailgate is completely original, just the hinges got butchered up... its a shame because they were probably frozen anyway...
Thanks for that.
Here in Australia we are not aware of the civilian version of the Bantam trailer. Indeed, you don't see many WW11 Bantam trailers attached to our restored MB's or GPW's.
It is not commonly known, but the Bantam trailer was not that successful in the Pacific conflict due mainly to the lack of clearance between the wheels and the fender (mudguards).
As a consequence, Australia manufactured a version of the Bantam with much higher fenders, different, springs and slightly heavier body. They were manufactured mainly in Woodville, South Australia (little known fact) and to this day the same design is still being used by the armed forces.