Bought my M101...let the mods begin!

[gaberelli]

got rid of the thornturds!

Well...got rid of the Thornturds. I bought rims to match my vehicle off of the FJCruiser forum and bought the tires at two different used tire places. The tires are the same size at my TerraGrapplers but are BFG AT KO's. One is C rated and one is E rated. Hopefully won't be a big deal. At least this way I can carry just one spare.

I will get a better picture up sometime (this was cellphone)

 

[gaberelli]

Well...its more or less done. Lid and paint are completed. Now its time to customize. I need to weatherstrip the lid and wire the lights before we leave for Glacier/Yellowstone. If I have time, I want to put a tongue box on with a battery for a few electrical needs.

 

[Need For Speed]

How much did the lid run you?

 

[gaberelli]

How much did the lid run you?

I have had a couple PMs about this, so I will put it here.

The shop didn't give me a breakdown of the costs, so it may be hard to compare. I paid $700 for the lid, mounting with weld on hinges, mounting points and installation of the struts, installation of the latch as well as sand blasting the entire trailer and priming the whole thing with the lid. From what I have seen, sandblasting costs could range up to $300, so I may have paid around $400 for the rest. Most shops charge per hour plus materials. This shop charged me 1/2 their shop rate and put one of their slower (noob) guys on the job. It ended up having 20 hours into it and they charged me for 8.

This trailer is becoming quite an investment, but I want it to be done right for me or its next owner.

 

[Hill Bill E.]

Side hinge, no question. When you have a tent on top, a side hinge allows you to still lift the lid up with the tent deployed (assuming it deploys to the side). And place your tent so that the ladder side is the side your hinge is on, so that you can do that.

Here's the advantage to the side hinge:

Without a tailgate, the lid is the only access. The 416 and 101 are small enough to be able to reach most stuff from the side.

My first lid was hinged front and rear, with quick pins. I could open it from either end:elkgrin: But it was light, (canvas over wood frame) with no RTT, and didn't need struts.

Your trailer looks great! My next lid will be metal, and likely similar design.

 

[k294]

gaberelli your work on this trailer is inspiring. i hope your trip to yellowstone went well and i'm curious how the trailer performed.

oh, and if you're ready to move it on to another grateful home, let's talk.

 

[gaberelli]

gaberelli your work on this trailer is inspiring. i hope your trip to yellowstone went well and i'm curious how the trailer performed.

oh, and if you're ready to move it on to another grateful home, let's talk.

Trailer performed phenomenally. We had a great trip. The trailer housed all of our gear. The dogs were in the back of the truck and then at the campsite we setup the tent that attaches to my 4Runner. The dog crates went into the tent and a mattress filled up the truck. Nice setup even though it is a bit more involved than a RTT.