M416 Trailer Build

[slosurfer]

After a summer camping road trip to Vancouver Island and Montana, I decided I needed to look into a little trailer. I like to have everything packed so that I can still see out all the windows, therefor we were pretty full and it was just me, my wife, and our 10 month old son. We knew we wanted to add a dog to our family and possibly another child, so I knew I needed to come up with something that did not include getting rid of the 4runner.

When we got home, I started researching offroad utility trailers and really liked the old military jeep trailers. I liked the pintle setup and was familiar with them from my time in the marines. I knew if they could handle towing tanks and AAV's, then a little 1/4 ton trailer would be a piece of cake. I started the hunt for one, ebay, adds, whatever. I didn't have a lot of money so I knew I would have to find a fixer upper. I finally found one on ebay that was the right price and close enough to go get. I snagged it for 300 bucks :thumbup:

Here it is on the way home, notice the terrible butt sag my 4runner had at the time.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2193.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2194.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2195.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2196.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2192.jpg

To be able to differentiate the build portion and general chatter, I will post all build related posts in this color. It will make it easier for those who just want to read about the trailer.

Stats at the time I picked it up:
Bad:
Surface rust and flaking of 100 coats of paint
Missing tail lights but wire harness still intact
Missing one tail light bracket
Bent fenders
A couple of fender mounting points had broken their welds, brackets and bolts still there just not welded anymore.
Tires sketchy to say the least, one tube leaked, and both tires had dryrot.
Landing leg bracket broken.
Missing original safety chain.
More surface rust and flaking paint
Dents and a couple of tiny holes in body.
Bent shock
Driverside hub leaking grease

Good:
Nothing more than surface rust
Wire harness looked very good
Frame, body, lunnete ring, etc... all structurally sound
Both drain plugs present and accounted for
Working parking brake
only 300 bucks!

LINKS
M416 manual (http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/m416/manual-m416.pdf) Courtesy of Joe Melhorn @ ih8mud

PARTS
Midwest Military (http://www.midwestmil.com/trailerparts.html)
Army Supply Warehouse (http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/categoryDetail.cfm?catagory=28&parent=28)

OTHER M416 PROJECTS
Scott Blackburn's M416 (http://blackburnimagery.com/joomla/content/view/29/2/)
Pete Elton's M416 (http://vegasauto.net/m416.html)
Project One Raptor (http://www.jeepsonly.com/project1/m416.html)

[slosurfer]

(I will start a post with just links in them once I get them organized. The links aren't working for the manual right now. Also I will add links and info for parts throughout the build).Through my research, I had found that I could download for free the complete 280 some page long Army manual for the trailer. This manual has proved invaluable to help me get this trailer at least into a reliable utility trailer. Update:Manual can be found here (http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/m416/manual-m416.pdf) courtesy of Joe Melhorn @ ih8mud.

First was to get all the trash out and see what I really bought. To this day, I am still chipping paint off, it has surface rust all over because someone let the bed fill up with water. These trailers are watertight and are made to float when loaded with up to 500lbs. Some idiot poked two holes in the body to let the water out, when all he had to do was pull the drain plugs from under the trailer. I removed the drain plugs all together and cleaned the drain. I need to clean the drain plugs and get all the rust off the springs and brackets that hold them on. I don't plan on taking the trailer through any rivers right now so it has been fine with the drain plugs out.

Next was tires. I went to the local tire store hopeing to find a set of decent used tires that would fit. They didn't have any used, but he had a set of new Michelin ATX truck tires that someone had ordered months before and never picked up. He let me have them for 150 out the door, more than I wanted to pay but these tires will last forever. I also save the one good tube and the decent tire to use as a spare once I found another rim. With these tires I can cruise at 80mph, I probably wouldn't do that with military tires.
New tires:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2515.jpg

Next on the list to make it a working trailer was lights. I went with the bigger humvee lights because they have a bigger lense area and they are easier to get ahold of. I got the set on ebay. I took them apart and took the 24volt lights down and found a set of 12volt lights that matched. I needed one mounting bracket and was haveing a hard time finding one. I finally ordered a set of brackets that are made for the older M100 trailers.I ordered them from Midwest Military (http://www.midwestmil.com/trailerparts.html) They worked but were a little short since I was using the bigger lights. I was able to space the brackets out using some nuts as spacers and they worked fine. Next was mounting the lights and connecting the correct wires. The wire harness was still good and had all the tags on the wires, so I just had to match the correct wire and connect the bullet connectors. No splicing!
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2510.jpg

bracket wire, spacers, and wire tags
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2511.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2513.jpg

They hang a little low, but the extra light thrown out by them is worth it. Also, if I were to do a serious trail with these, I would remove the lights at the trail head. It is real easy, just two bolts, and the bullet connectors are just on the inside of the frame.

[slosurfer]

I then found a company online that sold NOS safety chains.Army Supply Warehouse (http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/categoryDetail.cfm?catagory=28&parent=28) These are weird because the chain is attached to a bracket with a weird angle, so anything besides original just doesn't look right. I also found a NOS landing leg bracket on ebay. I figured it was cheaper than if I had paid a welder to weld together the old one. In the picture the bracket is the dark green thing that the landing leg is bolted to, it has two positions, up and down.

Safety chains and landing leg bracket
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2516.jpg

[neliconcept]

cant wait to see the progress

[marko3xl3]

Looks like a nice project you got yourself there...can't wait to see it on some 33s :)

Do you plan on camo painting it?

[Good Times]

chris when you're done building it i'll gladly take it off your hands for free! :D

good job! can't wait to see the finished goods in action soon!

[slosurfer]

Looks like a nice project you got yourself there...can't wait to see it on some 33s :)
Do you plan on camo painting it?


Since it will also be used behind our new taco, I am undecided about 33's. These trailers are really tall, the trailer tires I have on it now are about 31's and it sits real nice behind my 4runner on 33's. I will explain it better when I get to showing my hitch and the lunnete ring.

I will probably eventually herculine the bed, and camo paint the rest. Since it will be behind both my toyotas, I will probably go with black, graphite (like my 4runner), and some kind of silver or gray to go well with the taco.



chris when you're done building it i'll gladly take it off your hands for free! :D

good job! can't wait to see the finished goods in action soon!


:lol: Going to be a long time till this build is done. Everything done up till this point has just been to make it usable. It is still ugly as hell, but that makes it even cooler. Once I get some kind of welder, I can really have some fun with it.

[neliconcept]

I plan to do 33s with mine however Ive got 33s, and then some 5.5" of lift or so with my 3rd gen so it would sit up with 31s, 33s would be needed.

besides painting it? have any plans for custom shell on the top or topper or something of the likes?

[slosurfer]

YOu would be surprised. I have 33's and at least 4 inches of lift. As it sits right now, my pintle hook is raised 1" coming out of my hitch, and the lunnete ring on the trailer is in the lowest position (one of the cooler things about the trailer). Therefore I could go 3" higher with my rig and still have the trailer sit level like it does now and still not having a drop coming off my hitch, by adjusting the pintle hook down 1" so that it is coming straight off the hitch and moving the lunnette ring 2" up to the upper position. That being said having matching tire sizes are cool if you tow it with the same rig all the time. I will post pics soon showing what I am talking about.

Edit: I may be wrong about the lunnete ring adjustment on the trailer being 2", it looks more like 4" I will measure in the morning. Also if you get an aftermarket bumper, that will raise your pintle hook way up and help you fit 33's on the trailer.

I want to make a hard top with gas shocks so that I can mount a roof top tent or my thule basket since those tents are so gosh darn expensive and there are so many other things I want. It is hard to build my 4runner and this at the same time on a budget while paying for a new taco.

[slosurfer]

The original intervehicular cable (cable that goes from vehicle to trailer) has a massive plug on it. The thing has about 12 pins in it, so I obviously had to do something since the 4runner just has a regular 4flat connector. The cool thing about this is that the original cable is attached to the wire harness by bullett connectors. So, all I had to do was unscrew a panel and disconnect them. Before I did this, I made sure all the wires still had their number tags on them so I could look in the manual and know where they went. Next, I made my IV cable by adding the correct size bullet connectors to a 4flat connector and wires. I studied the electrical diagrams and hooked up my IV cable to the correct wires and done! Lights now work, tires are good; time to take it to the DMV and get this thing legal! I will take pics of this soon as it seems I didn't take any at the time. In the above pic of the safety chains, you can partially see the IV cable I made.

4flat connector and new IV cable:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5429.jpg

Panel that is held on by four bolts where the IV cable attaches to the wire harness:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5430.jpg

[neliconcept]

so it has an adjustment huh? that sounds really cool, When I thought about getting it I was thinking about ditching the pintel setup but It seems like it would work better.

my runner is tall though, I sat next to a solid axle 2nd gen on 35s and was the exact same height.
and the plan is an aftermarket bumper.

The saftey chain part of the inspection at the DMV?

the rooftop tents are freakin amazingly expensive, you could prob setup a frame and make one yourself but I wouldnt know how that would work

I actually thought about building a shell around mine to accomdate for some space inside but i dont think its wide enough.

[slosurfer]

Ya, the lunnete ring on the trailer has an upper and lower mounting point to help match it up with the towing vehicle. I just went out and measured, it is 3.5-4" between the upper and lower mounting points.

Remember, your 2" body lift doesn't count towards your "towing" height till you get a custom bumper, it is all about where your hitch is. Not trying to talk you out of 33's, just letting you know that you wouldn't have to buy them right away, and your trailer could still sit level.

Safety chains are a must an all trailers, not sure about where you are at, but I imagine it would be the same. I don't think it matters that they are the original style or not, just as long as you have something. I just thought that the original style would look cleaner. Remember these things were used for a long time in the military, they even used them behind 2.5 and 5 ton trucks.

There is a guy in Hawaii that made his own pop up tent on his trailer. I am sure you could still find it on the internet. Because I have a family, one of the bigger tents would work better for me though, but $$$$ A shell would be cool, not sure on finding one to fit though. When I make me top, I would like to have it raised some for extra room, similar to the adventure trailers.

[neliconcept]

yeah my bodylift has the hitch lower, yeah I know you arent tryin to discourage me from 33s, I have yet to see one of these trailers in person so im prob being way over trusive on what it looks like anyways.

Ive also seen those 5 person two room tents that are built off the trailer, they have over head canopies as well so you could have a huge gathering lol stay in that tent.

Overcamp and Eezi Awn I think are two man tents? I cant remember the page it might have been on adventuretrailers.com where they had a pic of the trailer with a huge setup based off the trailer.

How much rust is formed off your trailer?

[slosurfer]

I think eazi awn has a big tent that will sleep 2 adults and 2 kids. That is probably what I will shoot for first. ONce the kid or kid get big enough, they can sleep in a tent on the ground. LOL

The surface rust is pretty much all over where the bare metal is exposed. It looks way better now than in the original pictures because what looked like nasty rust was layers upon layer of paint that was falling off. Someone let it sit full of water for awhile, so surface rust started behind the paint.IN the first pics you can actually see the water line. Above the water line everything is good. It looked really nasty, probably why I was the only one to bid on it. I knew it wasn't that bad because it was in Bakersfield, real dry there so rust isn't as bad as here on the coast.

Hopefully this weekend, I can get this caught up to how it sits now, with pics and links.

[neliconcept]

Thats what Im afraid of, rust here can either be hit or miss with something like this, we either have rust buckets or smooth metal rust free whatever out here, however I'll end up getting the trailer out in colorado anyways (so my mom wont know) and build it out there.

would you happen to have any dimensions width and lenght, and depth of the bed of the trailer?

[slosurfer]

The bed dimensions are
Length- 72 in.
Width- 41 in.
Depth- 18 in.

[neliconcept]

ahh nice, well I'll top crapping on your thread as im sure you are ready to get the next step started to the trailer
Keep the pics comin Chris! :)

[slosurfer]

No worries, a good dialogue helps get others interested. I am going through my file right now to get links etc. for what and where I have bought stuff. I am going to add links to the 1st post and throughout the build. Plus pretty soon, I am going to be caught up here and have to actually start working on it again.

[neliconcept]

I bet you have some picture in your head exactly how its gona look, I have a pic in my head of my rig built with the trailer and my expo rack I wanna design. Just sucks when you really cant figure out how to get the image to be real

[slosurfer]

I added some links to the first post and also in the posts where they apply. Included is also a link to the complete manual. I also changed the color of the posts that are actually "the build" to make it easier. More to come soon....

[slosurfer]

I realized (thanks to Ric) that I forgot to talk about the hitch that is needed for these trailers. They have what is called a lunette ring.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_4774.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_4776.jpg

This picture shows the upper hole where the ring can also be mounted.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_4775.jpg

Each hole where the ring can be mounted has its own grease sert because the ring is able to swivel. Thus allowing the trailer "flex" independently of the towing vehicle. You could even roll the trailer without rolling the vehicle. There is also a spring that goes on the back that is supposed to help ease the hard stops and starts. But just a warning, this setup clangs around quite a bit. You get used to it and it is not going to come apart on you. The trailer will go anywhere you can go and you don't have to worry about it coming off.

You will need a pintle hook and either a receiver for your hitch or a bumper with holes for the pintle to bolt to. As I still have the stock bumper I needed to get a receiver that has a plate with holes for mounting the pintle hook. They have different ones with different amount of holes so that you have some adjustment on where you mount the pintle hook. I went for a medium one that had 8 holes so I can have a little bit of adjustment. The M416 lunette ring is really thick, so you will have to get a decent sized pintle hook. I originaly got a 5ton pintle hook, it barely worked but bound up going around corners. I was able to get the trailer home at least but then I took it back and had to get a 15 ton pintle hook. It's all good now. I think a 10ton one would work but the place either had 5 or 15 ton. YOu will have to excuse the rust in the pics, as these were taken a few days after towing the trailer out to Pismo.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_4777.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_4778.jpg

These can be found at any good trailer shop and can also be found online. I suggest a local place that way you can take it back if it doesn't work, also they are very heavy so I would imagine shipping could be a bummer.

[Ric]

very very nice, thankx again for posting the pics, just another thing i want, lol

[slosurfer]

M416 1 Mercury Sable 0 :laugh:

I got rearended by a little car today while sitting at a stop light. I didn't get hit very hard and the trailer took it like a champ. Just a couple of scratches, didn't hit the lights, and it smashed her grill in. :D All I could think of when I was trying to find a place to pull over, was why did I have to be towing the trailer? I could have really used a new bumper.That and "dang it I don't have my camera so I can't post pics of the carnage later". Really she was lucky that I did have the trailer, otherwise that pintle hook would have gone right through her radiator. People definately don't tailgate me when I have that hook in there. Anyways, just wanted to share that the frame on these trailers are pretty strong.

[neliconcept]

wow, well at least the trailer isnt hurt, and maybe she will get off her stupid phone for now on.

[Robinhood4x4]

Do these things come with tailgates?

[slosurfer]

Do these things come with tailgates?


The military ones do not, but there are some civilian models that had tailgates. I believe they are older and are either Bantam trailers or Willys trailers. I am still debating on whether or not to cut a tailgate in. The reason for no tailgate, these are watertight (two drain plugs on the bottom) and were made to float even when loaded with 500 lbs.

[Ric]

yeppers, what Chris said, (atleast when i was in) Id really like to have a pop up camper, with that reciever hitch.

[Cebby]

Not sure how I missed this thread...

There are a couple of guys local to me building these also. I guess I need to start investigating them. Looks like a fun project.

[slosurfer]

Sorry, I need to get back to this. I ran into a snag trying to find the vendors that I got some other stuff from. I'll add more pics and info soon. It has been a fun project, it is amazing, even in the bad looking shape it is in now, I always end up talking to someone about it everytime I use it.

[slosurfer]

My next step in getting this beast ready for the summer trip was to remedy this leaking hub.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2515.jpg

I wasn't sure if the bearings were bad or what. All I knew is that when driving, it would heat up and the grease would start to come out. It didn't get super hot though, so I wasn't sure what kind of grease was in there because it liquefied so easy.

I got out my trailer manual and started dinking around with it. It didn't take me long to figure out that the brake needed to be adjusted. It only has a parking brake, but it wasn't adjusted right, so when the brake would touch a little once it was let off. Through a combo of adjusting the actual drums and the linkage of the parking brake handle, I was able to remedy the problem. Now, it free spins like it supposed to, no more heat or leaking grease. :D

The next step was to tear the hubs apart and see how my bearings and races were. ONce again the free manual has a step by step instructions on how to do this. :thumbup: To my surprise, all of my bearings and races looked in tip top shape. All I needed to get were new grease seals, new holding washer, and new cotter pins. There is a place in Las Vegas that has the NOS grease seals but I needed them now as we were pretty close to our trip. I went to a local place, Central Coast Bearing, and they were able to find me a grease seal (TCM part # 22294TA it says it replaces 22340/410441). They could not find me a holding washer, they had a couple that were close that I bought to try but they didn't work. ONce again, I think the LV place also has these washers. I got cotter pins at the local hardware store. I know you are not supposed to reuse the holding washers that you bend over the castle nut but I was stuck and needed to get this trailer road worthy. I noticed that the new washers I bought and tried to use had tabs, you would bend a few tabs and then the next time broke those tabs off and use some of the other tabs the next time. This gave me and idea, I took my old washers, and cut the bent portions off. This way I can bend another portion of the washer to work and I don't have to worry about the old bent weak portion breaking off inside the hub. I repacked the bearings and put everything back together using the detailed instructions. I now had a road worthy trailer!

I forgot to add that you will need a Willy's CJ2A spindle nut socket. I think it is either 2 1/16" or 2 1/8". I will try to find out.

[slosurfer]

I will try to find the info on the Las Vegas store with the bearings, races, seals, and washers later tonight.

My next step was to get some kind of cover. I knew that the m416 is very close to the canadian m101. I saw old used canvas tarps for the m416 on ebay and then I saw that you could buy NOS vinyl tarps for the m101. The new vinyl tarps were only a few bucks more and since I wasn't doing a historical resto, I sprung for the vinyl tarps and hoped that the loops would match up to the loops on the trailer. I thing I paid about 80 bucks for the tarp on ebay. Last time I looked they were still selling them but I am nut sure if it was the same seller I used or not.

I received the tarp and it was NOS just like stated, it was still sealed in the original bag. It is a super thick vinyl with reinforcement for the corners, it also has a really nice rubber bungy like cord that is used to hold it on the loops on the trailer. I fits perfectly and works wonderfully. I looked through my pics and I don't have any good detailed pics of the tarp and how it attaches. I will go take some now.

Pics:
Sorry, it is kind of dirty right now

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5778.jpg

closeup of how it hooks on the trailer
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5779.jpg

closeup of how it attaches at the back and how you can adjust them tighter by pulling them through the end hooks farther
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5780.jpg

And one cool function of the tiedowns on the trailer
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5431.jpg
perfect bottle opener no matter what side of the trailer you are on.

[slosurfer]

NOw I had a road worthy trailer that could keep my stuff dry. One of the things I didn't like was that there was nothing to keep thiefs from taking what they want. I had at the time a Mazda B2300 truck that had a weatherguard truck box in it. After measureing, it was too long to fit width wise in the trailer but it fit lengthwise and after playing around with it and with my ice chest, I determined that it could work going lengthwise. Also, it was just barely taller than the sides of the trailer, pretty much just the lid was above the height of the trailer sides just like how it sat in my truck. That way I could lock some of the more valuable camping gear and not worry as much.

After searching, this is pretty much the only pic that somewhat shows the box. I recently sold the truck and the box. :(

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Silverton-Ouray/summervacation06/IMG_3509.jpg

The box worked out great I was able to lock some of the more valuable stuff in it plus it acted as an insulator to some of the food and kept it from getting too hot (i.e. fruit and bread).

[slosurfer]

As was stated earlier, these trailers dont' have a tailgate. Not a big deal, but I really missed a tailgate to use as a table. I set out to make something to use as a "kitchen" to hold a stove, lantern, and some real estate for prepping meals. I had in mind that I could make something that would hang off the sides and or back of the trailer. I had little $$$ at this time so it was going to get interesting. The criteria was that it's width was no greater than the height of the trailer sides, that way it could be stored on its side for ease of removeing and not takeing up much room. The other criteria were weight and the ability for adjustment as if it was used on the sides it would need to hang higher and sit on the fender, but on the rear it needed to hang lower for stability and the perfect height.

As I always do when I want to try to make something from scratch, I headed over to my grandfather's storage shed. He has collected all sorts of stuff over the years and with some imagination you can build some cool stuff, plus he likes seeing it used. I knew I could build the table out of wood but that would be pretty heavy, I was thinking I might be able to find some sheet metal or something and just build the frame out of wood. I ended up finding an old highway sign (grandpa used to work for Caltrans and was part of building PCH from here up to Big Sur), it was very close to the right length and the aluminum would be easy to cut down to width. To top it off, the frame was u channel aluminum. I removed the frame, and cut the actual sign down to the dimensions I needed. Next I chopped up the frame and was able to reuse it. Now I had a super light sturdy table! I painted it with my left over wheel paint. :D

I put some eyebolts through the table and frame and ran some chain through them and attached back to the chain with some clips. The other side of the chain is attached to some ubolts I had that I bent into a hook like shape that hooks onto the rail of the trailer. By moving the clips I can control the length of the chain and this gave me my ability to adjust it for the rear of side of the trailer. After useing it, I really don't see why I will use it on the sides, it sits perfect off the back and leaves the sides free to reach everything.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_4321.jpg

it is a little crooked in this pic
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_4322.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_4323.jpg

here is how it is stored, stood on its side right next to the truck box that I no longer have.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_4324.jpg

I also found a wire shelf that I cut down to the width of the trailer. You can barely see it in the pics, but the hooks actually loop through it and pin it to the rail of the trailer. It works perfect. The lantern, utensils, towels, etc.. can sit up on the shelf while the stove and cutting board, etc.. are on the main table. It looks kind of hokey, but it has worked out very well and I have used it many times. There have even been times where I was wrenching on the 4runner and set this table up to set stuff on and work on. Next time I am camping, I will take pics with the "kitchen" all set up.

[neliconcept]

I like that little table idea, you have a gestimation on how much weight can be put on this without it bowing or something similar?

also I noticed that you still have the thule on top of your runner, I was thinkin about this but i dont know if it would be that great of an idea. since you do have a soft cover on the trailer instead of a hard shell, i was wondering about how you could go about throwing on some thule towers to support crossbars and the basket.

Only real idea I had was the wheel wells by welding tabs onto it and doing it that way but I dont know if that would be safe or sturdy, im sure you could do something similar to the sides of the trailer itself, that could save you space and gas mileage since those things kill ya down the highway :)

[slosurfer]

I don't have a guess on the weight so next time I have it out I will throw some grout bags on it and see what it can do. If the weight is balanced, I would imagine it would hold 100 lbs. I know I have had my coleman 3 burner stove, dishes, lantern, and lots of food on it all at once, generally I would run out of room before weight became an issue.

Once I get a hardtop made, if I don't have a RTT, the thule rack will go on the hardtop. The reason for not having it on right now is that for it to really work, a frame needs to be built to get the rack up high enough to make it feasable to use the trailer (i.e. loading and unloading, enough room for the ice chest to open, etc...) With a hardtop mounted thule rack and gas shocks you can just open the top to access the trailer. Right now the 4runner doesn't see much highway miles, mainly just around town, and offroad so the rack isn't affecting my mpg too bad. Mainly it is the 33's, automatic, and the fact that I haven't regeared yet that hurts.

[slosurfer]

Maiden voyage: Los Osos, CA to Cass Lake, MN on return trip spent a week in the Silverton/Ouray, CO area and then back to CA through Flagstaff, AZ. Over 6,000 miles (changed oil before I left, changed oil in MN, and changed oil when I got home), trailer did great! :thumbup: Only problem was that the dark vinyl cover soaked up the sun and if it was sitting on the ice chest it melted the ice quicker. I solved it for the most part by putting our rolled up beach towels on top of the ice chest to give it a barrier from the hot cover.

Just a recap:
first pic
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_2193.jpg

At the top of one of the passes near Vail
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Silverton-Ouray/summervacation06/IMG_3494.jpg

Closer pic
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Silverton-Ouray/summervacation06/IMG_3495.jpg

Still rough looking but perfectly functional. There is a little bit of welding that needs to be done still on the body so that is why I haven't worried too much about paint.

[slosurfer]

1st offroad test now I'm on 33's

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Pine%20Mtn%20and%20Las%20Chiches%20Nov%2006/IMG_4750.jpg

Unfortunately it started raining right after this pic so there aren't any pics of the tough 4wheeling parts that really showed how the trailer worked. Once it started raining the club was worried about all the vehicles that didn't have lockers. LOL, no lockers plus I pulled a trailer.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Pine%20Mtn%20and%20Las%20Chiches%20Nov%2006/IMG_4770.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Pine%20Mtn%20and%20Las%20Chiches%20Nov%2006/IMG_4773.jpg

[slosurfer]

Recently, I found a rock to try to show some of the articulation of the trailer, but the rock was kind of :gay: but you can tell that it isn't even phasing the trailer.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5439.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5440.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5445.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5446.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_5447.jpg

[ecchamberlin]

Looks great Chris. I am also looking forward to what you end up doing to her.

[freejake3]

Do you have enough room for some gas cans in the front? Not a bad idea for those long road trips. I fabbed mine out of some spare angle I had lying around.
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m253/affinis/trailer/7691350-R1-047-22.jpg

I need to up-grade my hitch system to either the pintle-hook set-up or this http://www.locknroll.com/.

Looks good.

[slosurfer]

Do you have enough room for some gas cans in the front? Not a bad idea for those long road trips. I fabbed mine out of some spare angle I had lying around.


Your trailer is looking good. Glad you were able to find a cover for it. Good idea on the angle iron for a gas can holder. On the front, I only have room for one can on one side because the parking brake handle is right where the second can would go. I don't want to give up my parking brake because that thing rocks. So I will probably go with 1 or 2 40mm ammo cans on the front. I have 2 regular gas can holders and may mount them like they are mounted on the m416b1 (they didn't make many of these). Maybe add some angle iron to them so that I can lock them.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/m416b1.jpg

[neliconcept]

from the look of his, he may have had a new front end built that ends up being longer, which could enable 8 cans or whatever put on diamond plate or something across the width of the trailer.

i think they sell those front sections at like TSC (tractor supply company) but dunno if they are long enough for that venture.

when i get one i plan on at least running 5-8 cans so i wont have to worry about freakin running out of gas lmao

[slosurfer]

from the look of his, he may have had a new front end built that ends up being longer, which could enable 8 cans or whatever put on diamond plate or something across the width of the trailer.


The tongue on his trailer is much longer than the military ones. He built his own trailer frame and the bed is actually from a 1925 Model T truck.
http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=146323
It is really cool, I got to see it at Big Bear. Many guys do build new longer tongues for the military trailers, I think one of the links in my first post has a good pic by pic of how he did his. If you plan on carrying that many cans, I would suggest splitting it between the rig and the trailer. That way you don't have your eggs all in one basket. Makes it easier to base camp, leave the trailer, and still carry a couple cans for your all day excursion. I'll probably go for two on trailer and leave room for water.

[bigwapitijohnny]

Great thread...Looking foward to your progress
:thumbup:
Regards,

BWJ

[slosurfer]

I picked up some quick fist clamps from flyingwil at sierraexpeditions.com I got a couple packs of the regular ones that I will use for my high lift and shovel. I also got a pack of one of the new XL Quick Fists (http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php/action/item/id/376/prevaction/category/previd/specials/prevstart/0/). I was planning on using them to secure my co2 tank to a 1st gen roll bar in my 4runner, but I thing I will use these ones to mount a propane tank to the trailer. Stay tuned for whenever I get to it, although I will probably do it before the June lake trip next month.

After that I really need to get a welder so I can fix my fenders and a couple holes and get this ugly beatch painted. :flipoff:

[slosurfer]

I haven't found a new 10# or 11# propane tank, but my dad gave me an older one awhile back that doesn't have the new nozzle so it can't be refilled. It is over halfway full, so I am going to use it till it's gone and then see either about getting the new nozzle or getting a new tank. So, be forewarned about the ugly rust colored propane tank in the following pics, but hey it matches the trailer great!

I used a set of XL Quick Fists and mounted it to the front of the trailer. I even found a good use for my rifle cable lock from bootcamp. I do plan on running a bungee cord from one grab handle, through the holes on top of the tank, and to the other grab handle.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_5847.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_5848.jpg

I was worried about what to do with those long straps when I don't have the tank on there, but I just weaved them together so they wouldn't be swinging all around.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_5850.jpg

[slosurfer]

I also bought a couple rafter hangers so that I could hang the propane tank by my table and run my lantern and stove.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_5851.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_5852.jpg

Also, someone asked what the table would hold. Those are 25# bags of grout, I think it would hold more especially when I switch to c-clamps instead of my funky hooks that hang over the edge.

[Ric]

lookin good, looks like ya got it set up nice

[slosurfer]

I made a cheap bed mat for my tacoma and I bought enough for the trailer, so I made a el cheapo mat for the trailer. The stuff I used is foam flooring and I found it at Costco, $12 for 32 sq. ft. with plenty of end trim pieces. My dad has been using the same stuff in his shop for awhile now and the stuff is surprisingly durable and very comfy. This will help to protect the bottom of my ice chest, water bottles, etc.. and will help cut down on the noise of stuff bouncing around. One other upside, it is very light! So for $24 I made a mat for my tacoma and trailer and I still have 4 full pieces (16 sq. ft.), some big scrap pieces, and many trim pieces left. I just used a utility knife with a new blade to cut the stuff. The tacoma mat is not going to be permanent, since I plan on getting the nice toyota rubber mat at some point.

The product and my helper:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_5998.jpg

Trailer mat:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/Trailer/IMG_6009.jpg

Taco mat:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/IMG_5997.jpg

[xcmountain80]

Very nice, I need to get started on a trailer.

Aaron

[slosurfer]

Took the trailer on its first trip with the Tacoma. Man was it nice, pulling it with something that had some power. The Tacoma pulled it great through Tioga Pass, which for those that have done it, coming up Tioga Pass from 395 is a killer. My only complaint is that the rear suspension is way too soft, I was in no way overloaded on weight or tongue weight, but it seemed to bottom out way more than it should. In this regards, the 4runner with its stock fj80 coils did way better.

Apparently this is the only pic of it hooked up to the Tacoma
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/June%20Lake%2007/IMG_6256.jpg

They look good together at camp
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/June%20Lake%2007/IMG_6039.jpg

I have to admit, the trailer looks a little more junky towed behind the taco compared to it towed behind the 4runner. In the words of Yoko, "But it is very nice looking" :D

[slosurfer]

The el cheapo bed mat did a great job of cutting down on the noise and protecting the bottom of the ice chest, water container, and everything else while vibrating and bouncing around in there. I gave it a good workout on the worst 3 miles of paved road that I have been on in awhile (the road from 120 to Tamarack Flat Campground in Yosemite).

The XL Quick Fist held the propane tank just fine. The strap combined with the spare tire strapped to the front of it, that tank did not move at all. The only pain was that I had to loosen the spare to get the tank out and to put it back when it was time to leave, really not a big deal.

As promised, here are some pics of the trailer and kitchen set up:

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/June%20Lake%2007/IMG_6042.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/June%20Lake%2007/IMG_6043.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/slosurfer27/June%20Lake%2007/IMG_6106.jpg

[Jimmeh]

That looks awesome! It makes me wanna start a project like that!

Not to go way off topic, but did you get that topper for your Tacoma from the dealer, or did you buy it from a Leer dealer? Did it come with that basket up there? I'm planning on getting a topper for my truck from Leer, and would rather have a basket then just the rack.

[slosurfer]

Jimmeh, thanks, it has been a fun and very useful project so far. I use it for work quite often, as my work truck gets really bad gas mileage. So now tend to use the work truck to get my tools and tile to the job and then I'll use my 4runner to commute for the length of the project. Sometimes, I'll grab the trailer if I need to haul some stuff, for example, I had 1100 lbs. of thinset in it the other day. Didn't phase it at all. I guess I need to get some work done on this thing so that I can update this thread. I have been useing it for camping though. Since the June lake trip, it has seen two weekends out at the Oceano Dunes. For Surf n Turf, I actually bombed around the dunes with it for a little bit and at the 4runner Jambo, I took it on the trail ride, so even though I am no where near finished, it is completely useable. :D

As for the shell, we did get the shell through the dealership (it's a long story and we ended up with a leer rather than a snugtop). I am happy with our leer although I do need to pull it off and add another weatherstrip to the front as it leaks. This is because the newer tacomas have the front slightly lower than the sides.

We got the leer with the yakima tracks and crossbars. The Thule MOAB basket we already had (it normally resides atop my 4runner) and we just switch it over to the Taco when it is time for a trip. Otherwise the only thing that is on top of the Leer for everyday driving is just the yakima tracks for a nicer streamlined look.