Fiberglass M416/M100 Military-style Trailer Tub Kit

[jscherb]

I finished up the modifications to a Harbor Freight frame to make it the proper size (40.5" x 72") for the military tub.

The wheels are Jeep Wrangler steel wheels, 235/75-15 tires. The axle is the stock Harbor Freight axle, although I moved the spring seats inboard to accommodate the narrower frame.

The coupler in the front receiver is a "TSC 3-Axis".

The jack is just clamped on for the moment; it's a weld-on jack but I have a plan to turn it into a bolt-on.

 

[jscherb]

Some photos of the tub on the frame. Don't mind the wooden blocks holding the fender on top of the tire .

There are more photos in the main build thread in the Trailer Adventuring Forum: http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-119.html

 

[jscherb]

For comparison... the M72 prototype and a Dinoot Compact Jeep-tub trailer side by side...

 

[jscherb]

Detailed plans, instructions and photos for converting a Harbor Freight 94564 1720-lb. capacity frame from 4x8 to the 40.5" x 72" necessary for mounting this fiberglass tub start at this post in the main build thread on the Trailer Adventuring Forum: http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-119-post-2158.html#pid2158

 

[Mark Harley]

That looks awesome! Put them into production!

 

[Jekyll2000]

This is very cool!. I would buy one to replace my rusted out M416 tub. Hope it goes into production!!!

 

[jscherb]

That looks awesome! Put them into production!

This is very cool!. I would buy one to replace my rusted out M416 tub. Hope it goes into production!!!

Thanks!

I did design this tub so that it could be a replacement for a beyond-hope original M416 tub, I made sure the dimensions of the bottom of the tub are the same as the M416.

About going into production... I just do this stuff as a hobby, so in order for these to get to production some company is going to have to license the design from me and bring it to market. There have been several companies interested so far, and discussions are going well, so I think there's a very good chance these will see production this year. And if not, then it's still been a fun hobby project for me .

 

[jeepdreamer]

Just found this and killed a large chunk of time reading through the entire thing! Wow! Excellent work as always Sir! Hope the shoulder is all healed up!

 

[jscherb]

Just found this and killed a large chunk of time reading through the entire thing! Wow! Excellent work as always Sir! Hope the shoulder is all healed up!

Thank you!

I'm about 98% there with the shoulder recovery, thanks. Ahead of the schedule the doctor predicted .

 

[jscherb]

I installed a pair of 245/75-16 tires on Jeep Moab alloy wheels - these are roughly equivalent to 31x10.50's. To do it I had to install 1.5" spacers, because the center hole in the Jeep alloy wheels is too small for trailer hubs.

Clearance to the nearest bolt head on the frame is about 2.75", so plenty of room for even larger/wider tires .

Of course the problem is that original M416 fenders, which are 9.75" wide, don't cover this size tire. This is a very common problem with stock M416's as well, people like to put two-vehicle-sized tires on them, and they pretty much always stick out from the stock M416 fenders.

It'll take about a 13" wide fender to fully cover this size tire. I've got at least three fender solutions, stay tuned...

 

[jscherb]

One solution to wider fenders would be these 13" wide round fenders, which are pretty close to the original M100 fenders (except wider). These are 36" radius, so they'd fit almost any size tire that one might want to put on the trailer (well, I guess maybe not 37's ). They're about $50 per pair, so I plan to pick up a pair to try.

In this pair of photos I think you can see the difference in width between the stock M100 fenders and these 13" ones:

 

[JeffRRC]

Once this goes into production, and I know it will, this is going to be my next Winter project. It looks very nice!

 

[jscherb]

I also plan wider versions of M416 fenders. They'd be the same size and shape as the original M416 fenders, except about 13" wide instead of 9.75".

Here's a cardboard mockup:

The local place where I get metal doesn't have any sheet metal on hand of the size and thickness that I need to make these, they say they'll have some Tuesday, so I'll start making these fenders then.

 

[jscherb]

Another potential solution to the fender problem...

It's really tempting to paint the trailer red to match my Retro Wrangler pickup... I could install a pair of matching fiberglass Retro Wrangler fenders, put a Jeep logo tailgate on, I've already got matching Jeep Moab alloy wheels on the trailer, I wouldn't have to paint the frame...

But I don't think I'll give in to the temptation... I'll proceed with the military paint scheme I've planned all along, and I'll install military-styled fenders.

And anyway I could always mold up another one if I really wanted to make one to match the Retro Wrangler .

 

[jscherb]

Once this goes into production, and I know it will, this is going to be my next Winter project. It looks very nice!

Thank you very much. I'm glad you like it.