Atxrider m416 trailer build

[DonBeasley]

Looks good. Post up some pictures of lid and tent when you can.


Axle is resting nicely in my garage. Not sure why I needed a second one but in 20 years it will still work on the M416! Thanks

 

[atxrider]

Haha. Well...considering it is in such great shape for being 45 years old, I think another 20 is easily doable.

I finally finished painting the lid for the most part and mounted it back on the trailer. It is one heavy some *****. I still need to seal the seam tomorrow, but should be done in the morning...I will post some pics tomorrow.

 

[atxrider]

Painted lid pics

Here are a few pics of the newly painted lid. I could not find seam sealer anywhere locally, so will have to order online and do it at a later date.

Trailer and tow vehicle:

Side shot with cooking table:

Rear shot with stabilizer legs:

Side shot with lid closed:

I am anxiously awaiting the tent and will post up some more pics once I get it mounted. After reading some of the other threads, I may have to do something more immediate about the fenders so they do not cut into the tires when going over obstacles.

More soon...

 

[JPNCA]

Just an idea I've been kicking around for tire clearance.
I raised my fender with washers and all thread
The fenders do need to be cut and rewelded

The difference. The fender is raised, the rear is pushed out but the front is not

 

[atxrider]

Nice work JPNCA...

I was going to build nerf bars anyway...so was thinking more along these lines (stolen from another build):

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=79913&d=1325377447&thumb=1

 

[BigDaveZJ]

I'm using the same hinges on my M416, and have been happy with them mounted in the orientation that yours are, but good call on going with 3 of them. If I had to redo mine, I would do the gas springs on the outside like you have as well. Mine suffered some damage from the cargo being on the inside, and eventually the mounting points broke. Not sure how much of that can be contributed to them being on the inside with the cargo when I was using every bit of the 2x 250lb springs to get the lid open though.

 

[atxrider]

Honestly, three is probably complete overkill, but I usually overengineer most things I build. You used 250 lb springs? That is what I tried initially, but we could never get them to compress...even with someone hanging on the lid. It all has to do with the positioning I guess...I went with 2 80 lb shocks.

I need to get some kind of rubber mat for the inside...bedlining is nice...but stuff slides all over unless you have it tightly packed.

The tent I bought is getting shipped and hopefully I will have it next week. I still need to seal the seam, but will do that when I get back from vacation next week.

I'm using the same hinges on my M416, and have been happy with them mounted in the orientation that yours are, but good call on going with 3 of them. If I had to redo mine, I would do the gas springs on the outside like you have as well. Mine suffered some damage from the cargo being on the inside, and eventually the mounting points broke. Not sure how much of that can be contributed to them being on the inside with the cargo when I was using every bit of the 2x 250lb springs to get the lid open though.

 

[atxrider]

Finally got my RTT!

I received my rtt from fellow member Hltoppr last week and finally got around to creating mounts for it. Here is the result:

You can see the ladder needs to be trimmed a bit. I need to think a bit about it before I go to cutting...I would like it to have a range or lengths if possible.

From the front.

From the side with the lid open. The gas struts handled the load just fine. NOTE: Make sure the lid is fully secured before exiting. Ask me how I know.

Finally, a poser shot with my setup thus far:

I am planning a camping trip in Louisiana in March. I hope to have all the power wired prior to that. Cannot wait for the maiden voyage

 

[rat patrol]

ATx,
What are the specifics on the solar system? I've been considering a similar set up for those long sunny days here in WY....nice to have a margarita at the end of the day:wings:

 

[Mark Harley]

Who is the maker of your RTT?

 

[DonBeasley]

You don't have video of that do you????????????


NOTE: Make sure the lid is fully secured before exiting. Ask me how I know.

 

[atxrider]

Rat,

I basically bought a sears diehard marine battery, a solar controller, tripplite 750w inverter, and 55w solar panel from siemens. With the exception of the battery, everything else was sourced from craigslist or ebay. If you need specifics on how I hooked it all together, shoot me a PM. I tested the edgestar fridge I picked up with the setup in full sun...and it was able to run it without any battery discharge. I still need to make sure it will work off the battery all night, but I plan on packing some frozen water bottles and observe good cooler discipline to help it. In the works:

1. Build a battery box. I thought of using a tongue box, but I think it might put too much weight on the front of the trailer. Right now, I can maneuver the trailer fully loaded with tent and gear easily by myself. I want to try and keep it that way if possible. I may end up using a bundu box if I can ever find one in stock.
2. Rig wiring from the jeep system to allow charging of the secondary battery using the alternator. I will rig a nice female/male connection for easy disconnect.
3. Fuse / switch box to allow control of other electrical components.
4. LED lighting around the trailer for area illumination.

Mark,

The maker of the tent is african outback...it is the aluminum base model shown here:

http://www.africanoutback.co.za/product.htm?productID=300

It is a really high quality tent with thick canvas as the material. It even has a sunroof, which I thought to be a cool extra feature. Anyone notice the zebra print on the mattress? Superfly...

Don,

There were mutliple lessons learned....second being: Make sure you have the rear stabilizers in place before moving around the inside of the tent. My brother is never gonna let me live it down...haha. Have you got your tent setup yet?

 

[old_blue]

atxrider, I'm building a similar lid for my M416. I have the same hinges that you used - but it looks like I'll need to add some spacers somewhere to make them work.

nevermind, figured it out.

 

[Muy Grande]

Awesome build....will definitely refer to your build when I get mine going.

 

[Lono]

Atxrider: just came across this thread. Really a well thought out and executed build. Congrats on the great results. I just snagged an M416 this week and as I've searched the net I have to say the route you've gone is as close to what I'm looking to end up with as I've seen. As others have noted, the details, like the hinge choice and placement and the mounting of the struts on the outside, are really something. Nice work.

Steve