M101A2, Another home on wheels build thread

[shack]

What we did on mine was to tack the smaller, upper tubing in place on the lower, larger tubing in the interior-most corner. Then, we tacked the upper cross pieces in place and added the upper rack and then ground off the tacks attaching the upper and lower tubes. This minimized the amount of slack between the upper and lower tubes.

Hope this helps

 

[justinh]

You should be able to order the right brakes to swap that axle over to 6x5.5 for about $60 each (or so).

I've got a 101A3 narrowed to the same width as an A2 with a dexter axle under it. I bought it and built it in California and towed it cross country with my 4runner.

I've got some dark grey steel Tacoma wheels on it now (16") if you are interested. I have a set of 16" Tacoma 5-star wheels that will go on it. I'm running 285/75/16 on mine.

 

[Cyberman]

I made a rack exactly the same way. Definitely need to make sure each post is square. I used a post level, normally used for fence posts. I kept the inner posts bare, and lubricated them with grease.

 

[Gallowbraid]

So I've neglected this build thread for some time now. Been busy with work and life and exploring.

I finally got some time over Easter weekend to finish things up on my rack and get the tent mounted. Had a friend come over to lend a hand and we knocked out welding in some gussets, covering the rack with primer and then hitting it with some rattle can black paint. I think in the long run I'll be updating the rack now that my welding skills are improving, but for now I'm going to run it the way it is and see what works and what needs to change. Going to head out this week for 2 or 3 days with my daughter to do a shake down run on it. Just going to throw all my gear in the trailer and go to see what sort of storage organization will work out. Here's some pics of the tent all mounted up.

 

[Gallowbraid]

Took the trailer and tent out for a shakedown run on the Tallulah River and had a great time. Came up with several additions that need to be made though. I'll list them here and then update as I find solutions.

1. Condensation under the mattresses. When I folded up the tent on the morning of day two the bottoms of the mattresses were soaking wet. From what I can find on the interwebs this is all about air flow (or the lack thereof) and condensation that forms between the mattress and the bottom of the tent. It seems the most common fix is to create a void between the mattress and the bottom of the tent using materials like these: Driwall Rainscreen or Rooftop Tent Condensation Mats. This seems a little pricey so I might look at strips of cedar under the mattresses to create some airflow. Anyone have any other solutions?

2. Support for the tent on the ladder side. It looks like I need to drill holes in the ladders at each rung to support the base of the tent a little better. I can't find any information on what actually supports the weight of the tent on this side. Is it the hinge? The connecting point between the two halves of the base? The ladders?

3. The tongue of the trailer needs some sort of wheeled jack that will work in uneven or muddy conditions. Really would like something with a rubber wheel that has some tread rather than the smooth rubber or nylon wheel. Searching the internet for this...

4. Shoe storage under the tent. I'm probably going to mount some sort of netting under the edge of the tent between the ladders for this.

5. Water storage and some sort of sink. I've been thinking about an option for a shower so I'm just going to integrate the kitchen into this as well.

 

[robertwalker2003]

Where did you order your axle from? I have been trying to find a axle for mine for about 2 years now. It has completely stalled my project.

 

[georgiadrifter]

We've got very similar setups.