My M1101 Project

[JPShooter]

I noticed your also not using the original pintle hitch or the original upper receiver part on the trailer can you explain and post a few more pics of this

The lunette ring and surge brake actuator are a unit, which I removed, and placed a standard receiver tube under the tongue upon which the original unit was mounted on top of.

I used some 3/8 steel plate that I had sitting around from the rack building project (which was actually steel laying around from a tractor implement building project). Welded the plates to the receiver tube (which I think was a 36 inch tube) and then just bolted the plates to the tongue using the existing holes in the tongue for alignment.

I converted the brake system to an electric over hydraulic.

With the new receiver tube bolted under the tongue and the Lock and Roll with the rise, the trailer rides almost perfectly level now.

Also, with the 36" tube, I can go just slightly beyond a 90 degree "jack knife" with the trailer which makes it easier to turn around in tight spots.

Hope this is all making sense, if not don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

[cyclic]

Nice job, looks strangely familiar......................................

Eventually I'll pull the standard hitch and add a channel mount to it, making for easier height and hitch style changes.

 

[closin1]

how are you storing your water on board?

 

[JPShooter]

how are you storing your water on board?

Sorry for the delay, had a death in the family and was offline for a while.

Not sure if I've posted pictures yet but I'll put some here now.

I installed two water tanks under the trailer and rigged up a pump system for filling the tanks and pumping to the shower. The two tanks total approx. 20 gallons. I also carry four 5 gallon jugs (two on each side of my truck box) and then three 7 gallon jugs at the back against the tailgate.

I've worked my load plan so that I get approx. 300 lbs of tongue weight for a loaded trailer. The gross of the trailer is hitting around 3500 lbs with all our gear minus bikes and kayaks. I can carry three bikes on the rack next to the tent as well as two kayaks on top of the load under the rack. So if I load ALL the toys then I expect to hit close to 4000 lbs gross on the trailer.

As described, the water load is around 60 gallons, or around 500 lbs (if I choose to carry that much water).

Our last trip I loaded up all the water just to see how the trailer pulled at that weight and it was fantastic. This trailer is made to carry best at or near the max gross as described by the manufacturer in a thread on here somewhere. The axle likes a heavy load, and I can attest to that as far as smoothing out the ride.

Unless I am going to be where water is scarce I will not likely carry a full load as described, but it's nice to be able to go out into the desert for an extended stay without fretting over the water supply.


So here are the two tanks mounted between the cross members of the under structure and flush against the bottom of the trailer bed. I have not bothered with a skid plate for the tanks as they are so high off the ground! I could never get the trailer over an obstacle high enough to hit a tank without taking out the under carriage of my truck. If I remember correctly the bottom of the axle with the stock tires mounted is around 19+ inches above ground and the tanks are well above the top of the axle.




Here's a closer look at the pump box. You'll see in the next picture that the box has two pumps in it. I had one on hand from my first shower setup (an ATV sprayer tank from Northern Tool) and decided to buy a second pump so that I have one for filling the tanks from water jugs and one for pumping the water to the shower.




You can see the layout inside the pump box here. You'll notice that the configuration of the quick disconnects was changed from my initial design to the final install. In the final all QD's are on one end. I designed the pump box so that I can pull the whole unit in just a few minutes and take the box into the shop if I need to work on them. Four QD's and six bolts will drop the box, easy as pie!

 

[closin1]

awesome setup! I'm stealing several or your ideas!

 

[IH454SSII]

Where did you get the water tanks and what cargo net are you using?

 

[JPShooter]

Where did you get the water tanks and what cargo net are you using?

Here's the tanks I used. One is a 16x18 and one is a 16x24:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006MRSK2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In order to get the forward small tank in place you will have to drop one side of the axle ( I say drop, but you will find it easier to leave the wheels on the ground and jack up the bed). There's enough flex on the other side of the axle attachment to allow you to raise the bed enough to squeeze the tank into position with just one side unbolted.

You can fit a single larger tank under the trailer, but not up between the cross members like I did. A bigger single tank would be easier to plumb, but since it would be hanging below the cross members it would be that much closer to the ground. I wanted the tank to have maximum ground clearance so I went with separate tanks flush to the underside of the bed. More plumbing with two tanks, so it's a trade off you just have to decide for yourself. No right or wrong, just compromises.


And here's the cargo net. I got the medium. It's about as good a fit as you will get without going custom.

The cargo net is a temp solution for me (I hope) as I intend to build a custom cover for the trailer out of aluminum diamond plate so I can lock up the contents for road trips where I might want to hit a hotel for the night. For short periods of being away from the trailer in most situations, I think, a cargo net will deter the "snatch and run" type thief (as well as keep my contents from flying out on the road of course).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZWKH3U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[IH454SSII]

Thanks for the info. I have been trying to figure out how i wanted to set up the water system on my M1102. That's the cargo net i was looking at but wasn't sure of the size. Eventually i will build an aluminum cap to mount my RTT on and keep things secure.

 

[longhorn11]

What are the connecting hooks holding the tank straps up?