M416 Based Military Off-road Trailer Build - Desert Build with Lock-N-Roll hitch

[Bonofied Suiter]

On the LH side of the tool box I have a 12V power port that the solar panel connects to. Additionally I have two external connections for the water pump. The rearmost one is the suction side where a length of hose with a screen filter at the end. This will drop into a water jug and the other connection is for a short shower hose with a trigger. The switch and indicator lamp is for the water pump. The light flashes red as long as the pump is turned on to remind me to turn off the pump when not in use.

 

[Bonofied Suiter]

With the tub patched up but still needing a bit of attention before it's painted to match the Jeep I was able to re-install the tub on the frame so that I could get started on the fenders. I got tired of dealing with the rust on the tub every time we got a bit of rain so I painted it with Black rust converting primer. I wanted the fenders on the Jeep to match the Metal Cloak Overline fenders on the Jeep. Thanks to Matson at Metalcloak for his help with this project too. I got four of the steel ball ends for the fenders that helps to make them match nicely. These fenders were custom made for me by Stout Fabrication in Las Vegas (formerly Moab Fab) Bryce at Stout Fabrication makes some truely awesome products. Please check them out. These fenders are as strong as the Metalcloak fenders and that is saying a lot.













Now that the fenders are built I've just got to clean them up a bit and take them to the powdercoat shop. Snail Motorsports is one of the top powdercoat shops in Las Vegas and they did a great job on my Jeep fenders. At it's widest point the fenders are a bit over 10" wide. As with the Jeep I didn't want them to completely cover the tires. In a tight spot I'd rather rub the tires then the trailer. In the photo the fender is sitting on a block so we could see how they would look when mounted. the fenders have two 1/2" studs that will mount into the frame. The top mounts will use two stainless steel button head bolts coming in from the inside of the tub.

I have the new Bird Dog wheels from Interco Tire on the Jeep. I was one of the first to have them and the internal bead retention system works great. I wanted the tires and wheels on the trailer to match. That way I don't have to carry an extra spare. I installed RAD tire deflators on these wheels like the Jeep has. This will make them totally interchangable between the two vehicles. The tires are new too. I won a $500 gift certificate from Discount Tire at the Kingman AZ Ghost Town Jamboree. That was only about $40 short of what it cost for two new BFG KM2 tires. The size is 35X12.50R15

 

[EricMcGrew]

Very cool build! I am going to be watching this for further updates. I'm going to be building, from the ground up a custom ute trailer for my off-road/farm repair equipment repair/fabrication tools and equipment. I like your ideas though. Love the fenders by the way!

 

[Bonofied Suiter]

Thanks for your interest in my build guys. I hope to get the fenders back from the Powdercoat shop this week. On a personal note I'm thrilled and honored to announce that Action 4X4 magazine selected my Jeep for a great 5-page feature and the cover of the November 2014 issue of their magazine. Two regrets though, first is that I didn't have the trailer done in time for it to be included in the story and second that I didn't take French in high school. Regardless, I've got one less thing on my bucket list.

 

[Bonofied Suiter]

Here are some photos of the completed fenders for the trailer. They have been powdercoated with a light texture black called Raven Texture II PBT6-C0001. The color and texture is really nice and doesn't wash out to a grey like a lot of the others.

 

[rispony]

With the tub patched up but still needing a bit of attention before it's painted to match the Jeep I was able to re-install the tub on the frame so that I could get started on the fenders. I got tired of dealing with the rust on the tub every time we got a bit of rain so I painted it with Black rust converting primer. I wanted the fenders on the Jeep to match the Metal Cloak Overline fenders on the Jeep. Thanks to Matson at Metalcloak for his help with this project too. I got four of the steel ball ends for the fenders that helps to make them match nicely. These fenders were custom made for me by Stout Fabrication in Las Vegas (formerly Moab Fab) Bryce at Stout Fabrication makes some truely awesome products. Please check them out. These fenders are as strong as the Metalcloak fenders and that is saying a lot.













Now that the fenders are built I've just got to clean them up a bit and take them to the powdercoat shop. Snail Motorsports is one of the top powdercoat shops in Las Vegas and they did a great job on my Jeep fenders. At it's widest point the fenders are a bit over 10" wide. As with the Jeep I didn't want them to completely cover the tires. In a tight spot I'd rather rub the tires then the trailer. In the photo the fender is sitting on a block so we could see how they would look when mounted. the fenders have two 1/2" studs that will mount into the frame. The top mounts will use two stainless steel button head bolts coming in from the inside of the tub.

I have the new Bird Dog wheels from Interco Tire on the Jeep. I was one of the first to have them and the internal bead retention system works great. I wanted the tires and wheels on the trailer to match. That way I don't have to carry an extra spare. I installed RAD tire deflators on these wheels like the Jeep has. This will make them totally interchangable between the two vehicles. The tires are new too. I won a $500 gift certificate from Discount Tire at the Kingman AZ Ghost Town Jamboree. That was only about $40 short of what it cost for two new BFG KM2 tires. The size is 35X12.50R15

Hey, did I miss the part where you did the suspension?! Did you do SOA? What about the leaf springs, did you keep the originals or get replacements? I'm in the process of restoring my m416 and want to put 35x12.50's on em but was worried about clearance and backspacing. ANY info would help, and keep up the amazing work!!

 

[Bonofied Suiter]

Hi Rispony,
Thanks for the kind words. I did completely rebuild the suspension. The springs were completely worn out when I bought the trailer. I was lucky to find a new heavy duty aftermarket axle with hubs at the same time I found the trailer. The axle had the correct hubs to fit the 5 on 4-1/2" pattern on the Jeep.
I bought new old inventory military springs. They were fine and just needed a little modification and paint. The M416 springs are the same as on some early model Jeeps. I bought new pins and shackles from J.C. Whitney.

When I mounted up a set of used BFG KM2's onto the old wheels that were on the Jeep when I bought it the tires came pretty close to the frame on the trailer. With the new Interco Bird Dog wheels that I have on the Jeep the wheels and tires fit much better and provide at least 1" of clearance. I ordered the Bird Dog wheels with less offset as I like a wider stance on the Jeep.



I've seen quite a few builds of M416 trailers where they did spring overs. I could be wrong but I don't think it's completely necessary and I would rather keep the center of gravity as low as possible. By building the fenders with 35" tires in mind I don't have to do a spring over to clear the stock fenders.

I haven't mounted the fenders yet but they should have sufficient clearance. The top of the fenders will line up with the line where the body starts to flare out. This still allows room to access all of the tarping lash points.

 

[Serg5000]

Could tell us what width the axle you purchased is? Or is it the same as the original axle.

I failed to realize just how old this thread was when I posted my question.

 

[ee4516]

Hi Rispony,
Thanks for the kind words. I did completely rebuild the suspension. The springs were completely worn out when I bought the trailer. I was lucky to find a new heavy duty aftermarket axle with hubs at the same time I found the trailer. The axle had the correct hubs to fit the 5 on 4-1/2" pattern on the Jeep.
I bought new old inventory military springs. They were fine and just needed a little modification and paint. The M416 springs are the same as on some early model Jeeps. I bought new pins and shackles from J.C. Whitney.

When I mounted up a set of used BFG KM2's onto the old wheels that were on the Jeep when I bought it the tires came pretty close to the frame on the trailer. With the new Interco Bird Dog wheels that I have on the Jeep the wheels and tires fit much better and provide at least 1" of clearance. I ordered the Bird Dog wheels with less offset as I like a wider stance on the Jeep.



I've seen quite a few builds of M416 trailers where they did spring overs. I could be wrong but I don't think it's completely necessary and I would rather keep the center of gravity as low as possible. By building the fenders with 35" tires in mind I don't have to do a spring over to clear the stock fenders.

I haven't mounted the fenders yet but they should have sufficient clearance. The top of the fenders will line up with the line where the body starts to flare out. This still allows room to access all of the tarping lash points.

The trailer looks great, im about to start my build and the first thing i want to do is an axle swap to fir the 17' moab jeep rims i have. would you mind telling me what dimensions your new axel was, im ready to order one ive just seen so many different recommended dimensions from 57 to 62.
much appreciated !

 

[Bonofied Suiter]

I'm not sure where my axle was purchased from as I bought it from a seller on Craig's list who never got around to starting his project. The axle is heavier duty than the original one and the tube is slightly larger than the original military axle so the spring mounts and u-bolts required minor fitting and adjustment. My axle measures 53" from hub face to hub face (wheel mounting surface).

 

[Bonofied Suiter]

Sorry for not updating this thread in quite a while. Progress has been slow as I have been focusing on the Jeep. The trailers is close to completion with just a few things remaining such as spray lining into the tub and tub lip, mounting some aircraft anchor points in the floor of the tub and a little bit of additional wiring.

I rolled my Jeep in Big Bear California last June and needed to focus on it to be ready for a scheduled vacation in July on the Rubicon Trail. After we got back from the Jeeper's Jamboree we stripped down the Jeep for a total repaint, upgrades and bodywork. With that done I'm focusing on putting the Jeep back together.

The trailer tub is now painted to match the Jeep and I'm quite pleased with how it came out. I worked out as many dents as I could but the sides have still are not perfect. I knew it wasn't ever going to look like new so I'm satisfied.

I'll post of photos of the trailer shortly after I get it washed. Here is a photo of my rolled junk.

 

[Rubimedic]

A lid

Are you going to build a lid or top for the trailer?
Wondering how you'll go about that..
Rubimedic

 

[Bonofied Suiter]

Are you going to build a lid or top for the trailer?
Wondering how you'll go about that..
Rubimedic

At some point I think I will add a lid. But I don't think a roof top tent is for me. I already have a variety of tents and don't need another. I was thinking a flat lid that would stay centered by the existing stake pockets in the corners and latch down with cam latches that would clip under the round lip of the body. On top of the lid would be an aluminum cargo basket around 4'X6' by about 8"-10" high. This would give me a good place to strap down camp chairs and things like that. Also considering making the lid work as a camp table by adding a provision for removable legs that would somehow fasten to the rack.

 

[Bonofied Suiter]

Ok everyone, I think I'm pretty close to being finished with the trailer. I still have a few things to do such as replacing the springs (again) as the LH side spring is weak and as I have been loading and using the trailer that side drops lower and lower making the LH side tire to fender clearance too tight. The springs I will be installing are new aftermarket and I will be replacing the u-shackle with a more traditional shackle setup that supports the spring from both sides. I think this will be a bit stronger and possibly provide a bit more fender clearance. After these photos were taken I added about 1/2" of frame washers to the lower fender mounting points to level the fenders and improve the tire clearance. Also I plan to add some clip in anchors into the floor of the trailer to keep cargo from shifting around. I haven't decided how I want to install the anchors while still being able to use the rubber stall mat.

I'm really happy with how the LED lighting upgrades turned out. I fabricated an LED stop, turn, tail and backup light strip inside an aluminum channel which is attached to the back of the tub just above the bumper. The backup light feature of the strip didn't put out enough light so I added an small LED flood lamp mounted under the body to illuminate the area behind the trailer as I backup. This backup lamp and the two LED lamps mounted to the tire carrier on the Jeep are wired to a separate switch so I can turn them on at camp.

I added a stop bolt to the M416 side of the pintle bar so that it would not twist. When I took the trailer off-road I found that the hitch rotated at the trailer side which could lead to problems with the hitch. Drilling and tapping the casting and installing a bolt solved the problem and now everything works as it should. The Lock-N-Roll hitch rotates so that aspect remains unchanged.

Here are some photos. I will add more shortly.

 

[Bonofied Suiter]

20160523_185242_resized.jpg Photo by Bonofied_Suiter | Photobucket