FlashHole's M416 trailer Build

F

Flashole

Adventurer
Didn't get much done today, but I do have a BIG update. Got my neighbor to help me put the tub on tonight and it fits like a glove:victory: All the holes line up perfectly, so tomorrow I will pick up the hardware to bolt the tub down and then I'm back on track.

Here's the first look at it with the tub on the frame. Sorry for the crappy pics. I was hoping to get some daylight photos, but my neighbor wasn't around to help until 8:30 tonight. Poor guy has lifted the tub as much as I have.



Here are a couple closeups to show what it looks like with the sub-frame)spacer between the tub and frame.



I think I will start on the lid tomorrow. You guys think I should completely bolt the tub on before I build the lid?
 
Adventure Copan

Adventure Copan

Adventurer
Flashole said:
Didn't get much done today, but I do have a BIG update. Got my neighbor to help me put the tub on tonight and it fits like a glove:victory: All the holes line up perfectly, so tomorrow I will pick up the hardware to bolt the tub down and then I'm back on track.

I think I will start on the lid tomorrow. You guys think I should completely bolt the tub on before I build the lid?
Click to expand...

YEAH!!! Yes to complete bolt down first or you may get twisting of the tub and false measurements. ;)

-Daniel Kent
 
F

Flashole

Adventurer
Update

Started working on the lid this past weekend.

Built a frame to the basic dimensions, being careful to make it as square as I could. Then, after figuring out how to cut all the angles, I tacked together an end piece.

I mirrored the 60* angle that's on the tub and made it a couple inches taller to give some extra cargo space.


After I was satisfied with the basic shape, I cut all the pieces out as identical as I possibly could.


Tacked up the other end, ran string from front to back along the angles, and just started tacking it all together. Luckily, it all fit together perfectly.


Added some supports and some metal to weld the hinges to. And it's ready for the skin


Question......I will be using the strap style hinges that I posted earlier in the thread. Should I weld them to the frame, or to the sheet metal skin? They are really heavy duty hinges, so I would think it would be best to weld to the frame, but how do you do that once the frame has been skinned?
 
B

balu4k

Adventurer
Flashole said:
Update

Started working on the lid this past weekend.

Built a frame to the basic dimensions, being careful to make it as square as I could. Then, after figuring out how to cut all the angles, I tacked together an end piece.

I mirrored the 60* angle that's on the tub and made it a couple inches taller to give some extra cargo space.


After I was satisfied with the basic shape, I cut all the pieces out as identical as I possibly could.


Tacked up the other end, ran string from front to back along the angles, and just started tacking it all together. Luckily, it all fit together perfectly.


Added some supports and some metal to weld the hinges to. And it's ready for the skin


Question......I will be using the strap style hinges that I posted earlier in the thread. Should I weld them to the frame, or to the sheet metal skin? They are really heavy duty hinges, so I would think it would be best to weld to the frame, but how do you do that once the frame has been skinned?
Click to expand...

Pretty. What is the size of the tube that you used for lid frame? I am planning just to copy your design for my lid.

Thanks.
 
F

Flashole

Adventurer
Adventure Copan said:
I would just bolt the hinges to the frame so you can take it apart later for maintenance.

-Daniel Kent
Click to expand...

I have considered using bolts, but I can't think of a good reason not to just weld them on. The hinges already come apart, which was my main concern. Is there something you are thinking of that I'm not considering?
 
Adventure Copan

Adventure Copan

Adventurer
Flashole said:
I have considered using bolts, but I can't think of a good reason not to just weld them on. The hinges already come apart, which was my main concern. Is there something you are thinking of that I'm not considering?
Click to expand...

I went back and looked at the hinge again and your right, I'd just weld it. This is the hinge right...
aryny5ub.jpg

It comes apart so welding it doesn't hinder future maintenance like you said. The lid looks great!

-Daniel Kent
 
TheJosh

TheJosh

Explorer
Adventure Copan said:
I went back and looked at the hinge again and your right, I'd just weld it. This is the hinge right...
aryny5ub.jpg

It comes apart so welding it doesn't hinder future maintenance like you said. The lid looks great!

-Daniel Kent
Click to expand...

Where did you get this hinge? I may scrap the weld on bullets that I already installed and go with this
 
F

Flashole

Adventurer
TheJosh said:
Where did you get this hinge? I may scrap the weld on bullets that I already installed and go with this
Click to expand...

Northern tool. You can either order them and pay to have them shipped, or you can have them shipped free to a local store if there is one in your area.
 
F

Flashole

Adventurer
Well, another step forward and another step back.

Finished welding up the lid frame yesterday, and of course it warped. Warped up like a banana....LOL! Makes me wonder why I bothered spending all that time making everything fit perfectly.:( It warped bad enough that even with thick weather striping, it wouldn't make a seal. So, I did the only thing I could think of to do. I clamped it down and heated it up with a torch and then let it cool over night. When I woke up this morning, it was better, but not good enough. So, I cut out the metal that I had put in to weld the hinges to(the middle section where it warped), then clamped it back down, and heated it again. This time, it seemed to stick. It's not perfect, but it is workable I think. I didn't measure, but it went from approximately 1/2" gaps on the front and back to approximately 1/8" gaps, and it's fairly easy to clamp flat.

After the first round of heat.


After the second round of heat



While that was cooling off, I needed to get something done, so I made up a bunch of straps. Since I raised the tub an inch, the side straps were no longer long enough, so I had to cut them off. Since the tub is now bolted down through the floor, I had considered not using them at all, but hey, the holes are already in the frame and I like the idea of having it strapped down as well as bolted. It will take a lot of stress off the bolts in the floor during abuse, or a crash situation. Don't want the tub ripping off.




Still not clear whether I should weld the hinges on to the lid frame and skin around them, or wait until after it's skinned to weld the hinges on. If I were to go ahead and weld the hinges to the frame, I could use the hinges to hold the frame straight. But, I don't know if that would be a wise thing to do. I need someone smarter than me to offer up some advice:coffee:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
188,334
Messages
2,905,584
Members
229,959
Latest member
bdpkauai

Members online

Total: 3,844 (members: 47, guests: 3,797)
Top