M101A2 Trailer Purchase & Project

[mattjaro]

FJ's are about 4.75" if I remember correctly so that's another .500" along with my 1.25" spacers that will be around 1.75" but far short of your 4" difference.

Having said that, you need to order an axle suited for the wheels you are using. Unless you are using the same exact wheels/spacers I used it may not work out the same.

yea... i didnt take back spacing into consideration...

i just talked to the distributor and they wont take back the axle so ill just have to go with buying spacers and trying to make them fit that way.

did you have an A2 or A3? i have the A3 and i think the bed width between the wheel wells is wider on the A3 than the A2 so that probably has some extra spacers which are needed too.

thanks for your help

thanks for your help.

 

[TexasFJ]

Haven't been on here for awhile. I sold my 2010 FJ and then recently bought an 08 FJ TT with a TRD supercharger. As it's a TT it comes with the black TRD wheels....soooo, I found some TRD knockoffs and some General 285's to match my FJ and got those installed tonight. Wheel spacers were still good and tight. Lubed the EZLube axles and away we go. This thing has been one of the best investments I've ever made.

Oh.. and in case anyone is wondering, I beat the cancer. Had another tumor just below the Thyroid so they were able to go in through the same incision and then a bit more radiation and boom.... been clean for almost 5 years now. Or maybe I'm posting this from the grave..

I'll post up some better pics tomorrow.

 

[Gecko399]

Brad, thanks for all of the helpful information! Glad to hear your health is on the upswing! I am in the middle of a bathroom remodel. Once i get rid of all of the sheetrock and crap from the rip out, (currently in the trailer) i am moving forward with the dexter and wheels. The information you detailed here will prove very helpful! Just curious, have you ever just used the trailer to sleep in? I may be going in that direction for offroad and camping. - Greg

 

[TexasFJ]

You bet, several times. I have a big custom made cowboy roll that is canvas/leather and 3" memory foam. First time I slept in it (without the top on) I woke up at sunrise, pushed the rain flap on the roll open...cruuunch... ******? .. it had sleeted and turned me in to a popsicle... I was snug as a bug though. The other times I had the top on so it was easy, drop the rear leg and it's rock solid, slept like a baby.

 

[unk]

@TexasFJ I have FJ cruiser steel wheels already, would using your approach work? 62” axle with 1.25” spacers? Was the axle custom ordered? Thanks

 

[TexasFJ]

Don't know.. what is the backspacing on the steel wheels? Width? Probably won't make much difference either way.

 

[unk]

Don't know.. what is the backspacing on the steel wheels? Width? Probably won't make much difference either way.

They are the OEM FJ cruiser steel wheels.

17x7.5
15mm offset
4.5" backspacing

Thanks. by far this thread has been the most helpful with information.

 

[TexasFJ]

Thank you, when I do these kinds of threads I hope they pay off for others down the road.

In reality, an inch either way really won't matter on the trailer.

If I remember correctly the stock 5 spokes were 4.84 BS and I think my TT wheels are 4.5" like the steel wheels. I have 285's on there now and here's how they fit.

 

[unk]

Looks great, exactly where i want to be right there.

 

[davidebert]

I just read through this thread. Thanks for it. I just bought a M101A3 that I want to build for me jeep. I want to get it ready asap for spring and summer. I am trying to figure all the axel and tires and wiring things first and then how to put a rack on it for the RTT.

 

[Mark2457]

I was looking into this a while back to see what axle dimensions would closely match up with my FJ's... I found that the FJ's track width is 63.2" according to Toyota's published 2010 specs, and I've read the rear axle's hubface-to-hubface (or WMS-to-WMS as Pikeman noted) dimension is 64.25" (though I haven't measured it myself). Maybe that info will help out some.

Cheers.

Can someone explain why the axle dimensions need to match the towing vehicle. I have a 2020 ford ranger and looking for trailer for camping with 125# Roof top tent and other gear. (not sure which would be best M416/M1101/M1101. Would prefer bigger one, but not if it's super heavy or I have to start replacing axles.

Thanks

Mark

 

[TexasFJ]

Can someone explain why the axle dimensions need to match the towing vehicle. I have a 2020 ford ranger and looking for trailer for camping with 125# Roof top tent and other gear. (not sure which would be best M416/M1101/M1101. Would prefer bigger one, but not if it's super heavy or I have to start replacing axles.

They don't 'need' to match the track width. I was replacing the axle to reduce weight and match up my wheels so I needed a different bolt pattern. While I'm doing this I might as well set the track width accordingly as it was very close to my FJ to begin with. That's all.

 

[dstock]

Can someone explain why the axle dimensions need to match the towing vehicle. I have a 2020 ford ranger and looking for trailer for camping with 125# Roof top tent and other gear. (not sure which would be best M416/M1101/M1101. Would prefer bigger one, but not if it's super heavy or I have to start replacing axles.

Thanks

Mark

For me it was the advantage of knowing if my Jeep could fit through a narrow part of a trail, the trailer would as well. The weight reduction is certainly a bonus, you can spec the axle hubs to match your vehicle so you just need 1 spare tire and In my case, I wanted to add electric brakes to the trailer. The M1101 series was designed to tow behind the Hummer H1, so that would be greatly wider than your Ranger. M416 or M101 series would probably be a better width for the Ranger.

 

[Mark2457]

For me it was the advantage of knowing if my Jeep could fit through a narrow part of a trail, the trailer would as well. The weight reduction is certainly a bonus, you can spec the axle hubs to match your vehicle so you just need 1 spare tire and In my case, I wanted to add electric brakes to the trailer. The M1101 series was designed to tow behind the Hummer H1, so that would be greatly wider than your Ranger. M416 or M101 series would probably be a better width for the Ranger.

Brilliant. Thanks!

Would that be the M101 CDN or US version too?

 

[Mark2457]

For me it was the advantage of knowing if my Jeep could fit through a narrow part of a trail, the trailer would as well. The weight reduction is certainly a bonus, you can spec the axle hubs to match your vehicle so you just need 1 spare tire and In my case, I wanted to add electric brakes to the trailer. The M1101 series was designed to tow behind the Hummer H1, so that would be greatly wider than your Ranger. M416 or M101 series would probably be a better width for the Ranger.

Thanks a lot. Having same wheels was something I was considering too. . Just learning welding. What sort of parts cost would you be looking at to do something like that?