M101 CDN Expedition Trailer Purchased - Now to Personalize

[BrettDez]

Purchased this M101 Trailer from Austin(hollaback55) on here. He is a great guy and you can tell that this trailer was built well. The trailer is in great condition with just some rust on the suspension/underside a bit. I'll be taking care of that in time. I'm not doing too much more to it as it is already in amazing condition.

Picture in the garage the day after picking her up:

 

[BrettDez]

Now in the plans:

-Wired in the license plate light, DONE
-Spring Over Axle Conversion, DONE
-Relocate Parking Brake Brackets, DONE
-Install wheel adapters, DONE
-Mount matching 35s with tow vehicle, DONE
-Mount CVT Rooftop Tent, DONE
-Clean Water Tank, DONE
-Mount second Propane tank, DONE
-Purchase 2 Jerry Cans for Fuel, DONE
-Purchase Deka AGM Group 31 Battery, DONE
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First "Weekend Expedition" test with her is in 2 weeks with Niagara Overland.
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SOA Conversion:

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How it sits today, a little higher up:

 

[Expedition Essentials]

Looks good Brett. Welcome to the trailer forum. Now get back to WA.

 

[BrettDez]

All about the job, prior-nuke you'd think it'd be easy, but Seattle has a lot more IT jobs than anything else it seems. I've applied for a few places, we'll see in time. If it's meant to be, I'll be back there.

In the meantime, I CAN'T WAIT to test this trailer out in 12 days!! Still got some things to finish before she's ready!

 

[Septu]

Looks good. And I'm glad to see it go to a good home.

You going to paint it to match the JK?

 

[BrettDez]

For now, I'm getting her trail ready and going to enjoy her first. I've got several shorter 3-day trips planned this summer that I want to use her for. In August she'll be supporting the wife and baby as well. Not bringing the baby onto any real crazy trail, we're gonna make a base camp. It is amazing how much more stuff I have to bring with a baby as well, lol! The trailer will be very handy and it'll be a really fun trip with base camp along a beautiful lake with a soft sandy beach.

I rambled...anyway I am planning on paint matching her. I will probably sandblast the suspension components and underside during the off-season and get a nice protective coating on the underside/suspension. At that point I will probably paint match the trailer tub blue with the frame/fenders black. I don't want it to get too bright blue, need to have some black to add contrast. But I'm not rushing out to paint match her yet, for now I will just get her ready and enjoy her.

 

[brentbba]

Congrats on scoring a sweet M101CDN. After the spring over and installation of 35's, those Thule bars will sit just higher than 60". I've got 33's and a SOA on mine.

 

[BrettDez]

Thanks Brent!

Brent, do you notice any problems with practicality around the campsite due to the height of the trailer? This is one of my concerns. I want the extra clearance and the matching tires with my JKUR, but I worry that the extra height may be impractical when I'm actually setting camp.

What has your experience been?

 

[hollaback55]

Looks great with the SOA change and the 35's. keep posting updates and pics as you go. Enjoy her and happy camping

 

[brentbba]

Outside of lifting my heavy ActionPacker that's got my dutch oven and cast iron skillet out of the trailer at that height - no serious issues at all. It's a little hard to reach things on the far side of where you are reaching in. My lid is hinged on the DS of the trailer.

It tows like a dream, even at 80+ mph accross Utah. Offroad manners are very good. I use a lock n roll coupler. Weight up higher on off camber hasn't been an issue. Suspension with all the original leaf springs is very stiff so articulation of the trailer is limited. Care over rocks and off camber situations needs to be approached with care, but that's normal waiting for that third bump of the trailer going over any obstacle.

I don't have a RTT. Wish I did and it's on a wish list! Frustrating that the thule bars at 60 inches are almost high enough for a tent like an ARB Simpson, but not quite without ducking and a Globetrotter is just damned expensive. Personal preference as an old man to want a tent I can get out of bed and still be inside. Regular RTT's would work fine at this height trailer.

Thanks Brent!

Brent, do you notice any problems with practicality around the campsite due to the height of the trailer? This is one of my concerns. I want the extra clearance and the matching tires with my JKUR, but I worry that the extra height may be impractical when I'm actually setting camp.

What has your experience been?

 

[BrettDez]

Thanks again Brent.

Also, the 35s are not yet mounted. Waiting until I finish the brake line brackets this week in order to have an easier time tightening up the wheel adapters with brakes being applied.

The Rooftop Tent is sitting in the garage. So I just need to finish the brake line brackets, mount the 35s, mount the rooftop tent, and of course clean out the water tank.

I'll be posting pictures as it comes together, hopefully finished by this weekend as long as I have time. Otherwise next week will be a scramble for me before Friday morning departure on the first trip(only 3 days long).

 

[BrettDez]

My friend welded a new wheel onto the trailer jack for me. I primed/painted the weld and she's back on the trailer! One step closer. :ylsmoke:

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

I followed the build of this trailer, and now I can follow the rebuild. You know you spend too much time thinking about trailers when...

Nice setup!

 

[BrettDez]

Thanks Greg,
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Austin and his fabricator did the real work to make this trailer amazing so they definitely deserve the real credit. I am just touching it up for my needs. Still enjoying my part of the work on her and can't wait to test her out once my modifications are done! 1 Week until the weekend adventure!
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I finished the parking brake re-routing. With the Spring Over Axle conversion, the parking brake line from the hub does not reach the equalizer plate. So, I rotated the backing plate on the hubs 180* so they are oriented the same as when it was sprung under. Then a friend made new brackets pictured below for the protective sheath mount and I used turnbuckles to make the extension needed to reach the equalizer plate. I wired off the turnbuckles so they won't loosen.
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End result is she is now sprung over and the parking brake works perfectly. I can roll her at the slightest touch with the brake off and I can throw my full weight against her with the brake on...she won't budge. Success!
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[BrettDez]

A friend came over and gave me a hand installing my CVT Rooftop Tent. I still need to drill some new holes in the ladder to correct the angle a bit, but she looks great!
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Cleaning the water tank today and the 35s to match my tow vehicle's wheels/tires get mounted on the trailer Wednesday!