Dawson's M-416 Build
- Thread starter dawsonc61
- Start date
JJonesee
Observer
x2 - How much were the adapters?
Snowrydr01
Observer
great work.
Seeing you hold the lid open when the tent is deployed stirred a question ive been thinking about with these for a while.
How is the open tent supported?
Is the open section supported by the steps or is the hinge designed in a way that the two inside edges comes together supporting the extended section? Possibly the internal tent frames teathered together supporting the outside edges tranfering the weight accros to the hard mounted side? Im looking into a RTT and the physics of it are a sticking point for me as to how sturdy it can be without some sort of corner support legs.
Seeing you hold the lid open when the tent is deployed stirred a question ive been thinking about with these for a while.
How is the open tent supported?
Is the open section supported by the steps or is the hinge designed in a way that the two inside edges comes together supporting the extended section? Possibly the internal tent frames teathered together supporting the outside edges tranfering the weight accros to the hard mounted side? Im looking into a RTT and the physics of it are a sticking point for me as to how sturdy it can be without some sort of corner support legs.
It has a very sturdy hinge that interlocks when the top and bottom come together. The overhanging part is supported by the ladder. it is really sturdy. I weigh 280lbs. and have no qualms about climbing into it with my girlfriend (~120 lbs) and dog (~25 lbs) so with our gear that's topping out at about 430-450 lbs!
good starting point
if you send me your email address I will send you some pictures of a trailer that I am making. Mine is built to pull behind a 85 CJ7 and formed out of 14 gauge material, it looks alot like the military trailer but I have installed a hard top tent trailer and beds. The roof can hold the weight of a 16' boat. My son has nicnamed it the swamper camper becouse I am building it to float.
if you send me your email address I will send you some pictures of a trailer that I am making. Mine is built to pull behind a 85 CJ7 and formed out of 14 gauge material, it looks alot like the military trailer but I have installed a hard top tent trailer and beds. The roof can hold the weight of a 16' boat. My son has nicnamed it the swamper camper becouse I am building it to float.
Well I made a few changes since I've last posted up. I've added 2-250lb. gas springs to aide with lifting and to hold the lid up.
I fab'd up a couple brackets for the struts as well. I ended up riveting the brackets to the inside of the lid. It isn't the prettiest job in the world but it is super sturdy.
I also added a High-lift bracket to the back and moved the tent forward on the trailer.
I also replaced the cover for it. The brown one had a defective zipper so Mombasa sent me a replacement. They inadvertently send me a gray one (the gray one is supposed to go with the original Expedition Series tent, and the brown with the Expedition Series Plus) It ended up being a blessing in disguise. I like the look of the gray cover much better than the brown. I think it goes with the trailer as well.
Brown:
Gray:
I also added the original M416 data plates to the front.
I've taken the trailer out three times and have really enjoyed it each time. We camped at Tyler State Park a few weeks ago. It was a really nice park with some pretty challenging biking trails.
I also used it in Oklahoma while helping to develop a trail systm for a new park in Daisy, OK (coming soon!). It was 22 degrees, very windy, and the tent held up perfectly. I'm glad I brought my 0 degree bag that trip! This month is going to offer a lot of action for the trailer. Alli and I are going to Fossil Rim this coming weekend, BMRA for the Election Run the weekend after that, and back to Daisy the last weekend of this month.
I've already got the water tank and Shurflo pump plumbed and ready to roll. I just need to figure out how I'm going to mount it and where. The tank is a ten gallon and will weight about 80 lbs full. I dont think putting it at the front of the trailer is a good idea. It's going to add too much weight there. So the only other place to put it would be over the axle to one side. I can put my battery bank on the other side to balance it out.
Any thoughts/suggestions?
I fab'd up a couple brackets for the struts as well. I ended up riveting the brackets to the inside of the lid. It isn't the prettiest job in the world but it is super sturdy.
I also added a High-lift bracket to the back and moved the tent forward on the trailer.
I also replaced the cover for it. The brown one had a defective zipper so Mombasa sent me a replacement. They inadvertently send me a gray one (the gray one is supposed to go with the original Expedition Series tent, and the brown with the Expedition Series Plus) It ended up being a blessing in disguise. I like the look of the gray cover much better than the brown. I think it goes with the trailer as well.
Brown:
Gray:
I also added the original M416 data plates to the front.
I've taken the trailer out three times and have really enjoyed it each time. We camped at Tyler State Park a few weeks ago. It was a really nice park with some pretty challenging biking trails.
I also used it in Oklahoma while helping to develop a trail systm for a new park in Daisy, OK (coming soon!). It was 22 degrees, very windy, and the tent held up perfectly. I'm glad I brought my 0 degree bag that trip! This month is going to offer a lot of action for the trailer. Alli and I are going to Fossil Rim this coming weekend, BMRA for the Election Run the weekend after that, and back to Daisy the last weekend of this month.
I've already got the water tank and Shurflo pump plumbed and ready to roll. I just need to figure out how I'm going to mount it and where. The tank is a ten gallon and will weight about 80 lbs full. I dont think putting it at the front of the trailer is a good idea. It's going to add too much weight there. So the only other place to put it would be over the axle to one side. I can put my battery bank on the other side to balance it out.
Any thoughts/suggestions?
Here's a small side project i did with some extra metal I had laying around. I essentially copied AT rear stabilizer design:
And here's mine:
It folds up pretty nicely! I need to shorten the top section and the legs and paint it, but it turned out nice and works perfectly! A lot better than the jack-stand I was using before!
D
And here's mine:
It folds up pretty nicely! I need to shorten the top section and the legs and paint it, but it turned out nice and works perfectly! A lot better than the jack-stand I was using before!
D
highlandercj-7
Explorer
You just gave me a great Idea on this. I'll post a link and a write up as soon as I get it into action. I think I can save a ton of space and weight off that design. 
rain76king
Adventurer
great find, great job! question on the tent....you seem to be about my size, do you find you have enough room in the tent? I heard they are a bit on the short side?
Bob
Bob
JJonesee
Observer
I just went to Tyler State Park. Our trailers are similar looking. One of the Park rangers walked up and said "Back again?" I explained he must be confused since I have never brought my trailer here.. I now understand.
dieselcruiserhead
16 Years on ExPo. Whoa!!
Wow, looking great!
