4biker's M-100 trailer build from the bed up!

[4biker]

Since the rooftop tent is part of this build I'll quickly post up about it. We were finally able to get it out and sleep in it as it was intended. It was a cold night up American Fork Canyon but it was beautiful. No weather to speak of. It didn't seem heavy on the roof, especially since we did a little tippy rock-crawling and I didn't even notice it up there. The pad is good, the setup was easy, and once you're in it about 5 minutes you pretty much forget that you're 7 feet off the ground. It was comfortable but a little cramped with our 16-month-old twisting and turning like he's used to doing. If it were warmer my wife would have kept him on the outside but the sides were very cold so he had to stay between us. That made her cold and we both got kicked all night. Here are some pictures:





One thing to note is that with a baby and a dog, getting everything into the 4Runner is a bit of a humongous pain. It's easy without one of those, but with both, it takes some serious packing skills, but mostly it's just annoying. I can't wait to get the trailer done so we can just hook up the trailer, throw in some food, and go camping with no fuss.

 

[4biker]

Fabrication is coming along as well. Instead of riveting, I've JB welded the panels on the boxes, and then run spot welds down the edges. Next week I'll make the doors and get everything ready for paint.

 

[Dirtytires]

Looks great man. The blue is a nice color!

 

[RiverCityDave]

Since the rooftop tent is part of this build I'll quickly post up about it. We were finally able to get it out and sleep in it as it was intended. It was a cold night up American Fork Canyon but it was beautiful. No weather to speak of. It didn't seem heavy on the roof, especially since we did a little tippy rock-crawling and I didn't even notice it up there. The pad is good, the setup was easy, and once you're in it about 5 minutes you pretty much forget that you're 7 feet off the ground. It was comfortable but a little cramped with our 16-month-old twisting and turning like he's used to doing. If it were warmer my wife would have kept him on the outside but the sides were very cold so he had to stay between us. That made her cold and we both got kicked all night. Here are some pictures:





One thing to note is that with a baby and a dog, getting everything into the 4Runner is a bit of a humongous pain. It's easy without one of those, but with both, it takes some serious packing skills, but mostly it's just annoying. I can't wait to get the trailer done so we can just hook up the trailer, throw in some food, and go camping with no fuss.

Everytime I start thinking about downsizing the Cruiser to a runner, I think of this fact. And I have FOUR kids. Digging your build.

 

[4biker]

Looks great man. The blue is a nice color!

Thanks - I always have second thoughts about stuff like that, but the entire underside was Navy Blue so I thought I'd carry that forward. Everything blue is original at this point, and the white is what I've added.

Everytime I start thinking about downsizing the Cruiser to a runner, I think of this fact. And I have FOUR kids. Digging your build.

Four kids would be a lot for a 4Runner! I assume you'd have a 3rd row though, and I saw a 4th gen that made me drool a little bit over the weekend. Everybody digs the 80 series cruisers, including myself, but those are the really hard choices in life

 

[4biker]

I forgot my wife took some pictures while I wasn't looking, so here's another of the RTT and the reason why.

 

[4biker]

Making progress sure and steady now. I got the boxes finished as far as metal work yesterday - decided to weld in tie-downs that I found at Home Depot. I should hopefully get them mounted by tomorrow night since I leave for the elk hunt on Friday! Plenty to do, but still very do-able.







And then with paint...

 

[4biker]

Wow, not a lot of updates on here for a while. Turns out Kaffenbarger sent my shipment to the midwest, so my hardware didn't get here in time for the elk hunt. I've done a lot of work in the last couple of weeks, and now it's satisfactory to get out of the garage and put my RTT on.

Here's a pic on the elk hunt:





Here is what it looks like behind the 4Runner (although it's not hooked on at the moment)



I'll get better pics when I do a shakedown and drag it around town for a few miles.

Here's an unfortunate fellow who got run off the road by a logging truck:

 

[Mark Harley]

Was that on purpose?
Do the loggers own that road?

 

[4biker]

I doubt it was on purpose. It was after a sharp downhill corner. I'll bet the Toyota came around too fast and cut the inside of the curve, putting the logging truck in his path. Looking back, I probably phrased that wrong in my previous post. Conditions were poor, so it could have happened a few different ways.

 

[TwinStick]

Lucky mo one got hurt.

 

[4biker]

Ok - update. I actually used the trailer for the first time. We pulled it down to Moab (about 3 hours), then to southeastern Utah and back. Zero problems with the trailer, and it handled the loads I put on it perfectly. I need to lengthen the tongue, put mud flaps on it, and finish some of the interior a little better. Everyone who saw it was a little fascinated by it, and it got really good feedback. People were a little mystified that I could sleep in it until I clarified its use. Anyway, I thought I'd show some pics as it was used.

First empty with just the rack:



In Moab with a rented Kayak and our bikes:



In Southeastern Utah after a rearrangement of stuff:

 

[grotto]

Just read through the entire thread, congrats on the initial outing and bringing your vision along to this point. I know how hard it can be to find time for projects with a wife, home, young children, etc. Well done!!

 

[4biker]

Just read through the entire thread, congrats on the initial outing and bringing your vision along to this point. I know how hard it can be to find time for projects with a wife, home, young children, etc. Well done!!

Thanks - it is a tough thing to do for sure. If I'd known what I was getting myself into, I'm not sure I would have done it. My new-found fabrication skills have benefited me a lot so definitely a great thing, but time, frustration, and strain on relationships are not without consideration. For a long time my wife was more than a little adversarial toward the "other woman." However, on the trip we just finished she was so glad we had the trailer.
Actually, if I had to do it again, it would probably take me about a month

 

[grotto]

For a long time my wife was more than a little adversarial toward the "other woman."

I can relate brother. We love them to death but sometimes what they think we should be doing with our time is worlds away from what we'd like to be doing. Can be somewhat strenuous.