M416 Build - Phase II - Addition of Hardsided Folding Camper Top

[bluebruin]

gas springs

I painted the FRP panels outside and folded up the camper. I brought the trailer back inside and worked on the the gas springs to lift the lid and camper.

I reinforced the corners of the tub with 1/4" thick steel angle. I had to make mounting plates for the ball sockets on the lid as well, since the mounting balls for the gas springs only have about 1" long threaded studs, so they can't make it all the way through my lid frame.

These are 550 lb springs, they don't actually open the lid & camper under their own power, but they make it doable for me assisting. Once it reaches about 30 deg, the springs have enough power and the lift and hold it open. I will be installing a drop leg I can put in place once the lid is open, just in case of spring failure. I don't want to get trapped under 600lbs!

 

[Xtreme XJ]

It's coming along nice... I'm wondering if the... the... crap... the 101 what is the designation # ?? (the bigger 1.5 ton mil. trailer) would make the perfect platform for this setup... especially with the wider JK...
Wonder if having the F & R walls bifold might help with raising the lid... maybe the combo of lift struts & a "arm" a few ft. long for leverage would help with the initial wall or two lift...

Keep on Keeping on...

Curt

 

[skersfan]

Still very impressed. Going where no off roader has gone before. Just think how good the third and fourth ones will be. I had to say it.

Headed to Colorado next Friday, will be in Ouray for a week for the FJ Summit. Will be dragging my trailer over California and down Corkscrew. Then we do Black Bear, no trailer this time! And then Imogene on Saturday. Headed to the Grand Mesa after the Summit, then to Glenwood Springs, up to Yellowstone and on to the Bitteroots.

Maybe you can drag it out to Ouray

 

[bluebruin]

wish I could! think the wife has plans for us already.....

I did manage to get the bare minimum done in time to take it out camping this weekend. Of course, the first night it poured for 3 hrs straight. By the end of the 3 hr storm, we awoke to "drip" "drip" drip" on my wife's sleeping bag. So once the rain stopped I climbed around on a wet trailer in a half asleep stuper trying to put a tarp over it. Now, I have to pull out the insulation and birch plywood on the inside of the hatch and attempt to locate the leak. Not sure how that's possible since I already seam sealed the crap out of every possible joint etc. fun fun.

let me download my photos and post some up.

 

[bluebruin]

new coat of paint

painted the outside of the camper top with Rust Bullet blackshell. Love that stuff. really prevents rust and you can just roll it on with a foam roller if you are not too picky about your finish. I sprayed my trailer when I first built it. Tented the garage etc... what a pain. The "automotive" finish I bought from Sherwin Williams was rusting from underneath the paint after my first trip with the trailer. I ended up sanding down and painting rust bullet. no signs of rust since. Anyway.... here is what it looked like last weekend.

 

[bluebruin]

pics from maiden voyage

The interior is not done. There are no leveling jacks yet. No water tank, no propane tank, no gerry can holders, etc etc etc... lots left to finish. But, we used it. Here are some shots of setting up and it being used at camp.

Unpacking (my 3 yr old wante to help unload)



Top up, end walls in place, support bars in place.


Side walls in place. (door open)



sun going down on camp

 

[bluebruin]

It's coming along nice... I'm wondering if the... the... crap... the 101 what is the designation # ?? (the bigger 1.5 ton mil. trailer) would make the perfect platform for this setup... especially with the wider JK...
Wonder if having the F & R walls bifold might help with raising the lid... maybe the combo of lift struts & a "arm" a few ft. long for leverage would help with the initial wall or two lift...

Keep on Keeping on...

Curt

The jeep already gets 12mpg and can barely keep the speed limit on most highways with an incline. I hate to see what it would be like with the 1.5ton trailer. But it would be nice if you had a hemi. Plus, the track width on my trailer now (with spacers, adapters, and 14.5" wide tires) is almost identical to the JK with spider trax spacers and 13.5" tires. I think with the 1.5 ton trailer you would be wider. I like knowing that if my jeep fits between two trees, my trailer will too.

 

[bluebruin]

suspension

the suspension will have to be upgraded. Its too squirely on the highway, and offroad the flipped u-bolts bottom out on the bump stops/frame. I am thinking of just adding air bags (firestone ride rite) or possibly fabricating a trailing arm air bag setup. The extra weight of this top is just too much with camping gear in the tub for the suspension to handle. My leaf springs are actually slightly inverted.

 

[Xtreme XJ]

The jeep already gets 12mpg and can barely keep the speed limit on most highways with an incline. I hate to see what it would be like with the 1.5ton trailer. But it would be nice if you had a hemi. Plus, the track width on my trailer now (with spacers, adapters, and 14.5" wide tires) is almost identical to the JK with spider trax spacers and 13.5" tires. I think with the 1.5 ton trailer you would be wider. I like knowing that if my jeep fits between two trees, my trailer will too.

I really don't know what they weigh... I think that's the capacity, but it definitely weighs more the your current one. Mark Harley has the nice red one, I'm sure he knows the weight.
How about a coat or two of bedliner on the roof...


Curt

 

[bluebruin]

pics in action

a few more shots my wife took of the camper in action....



like father like son

 

[steelheadbum]

Cool pic...that's what its all about right there.
Buck

The Redneck Mexican
2002 E350 7.3 PSD 4x4 8inch lift pop top conversion....

 

[Mark Harley]

Great build.

What about cutting the tub above the wheels and mounting the deck lower?

 

[bluebruin]

Great build.

What about cutting the tub above the wheels and mounting the deck lower?

yeah, that is my backup plan. If I can't get the weight of the top to feel stable with a new suspension, I'll have to eliminate the 8" "lid" that I originally had on the tub and built the camper on top of. So, the deck of the camper would just sit on the top of the tub. It would reduce cargo space by a lot and as you can see in a previous photo, we need all the space we can get. But, safety first. I would not want to cut the tub down, I think if you remove its top rim/lip it would loose all strength. I would have to weld in a new rim with square tube or something. by that point, you might as well not have a cargo area since nothing will fit in it.

I think I can solve the problem using air bags to supplement the leaf springs. I got an inexpensive pair rated at 500psi and 5000 lbs on ebay. I have been advised by some people on the forum with great expertise in trailer buidling, to keep the two bags separate and not share air. Reason being, when one side flexes, it just pushes air to the other side. So,one side dips low, and the other springs up. Result = flopping your trailer offroad. Not something I want to do again. Did this once when it was just a tub & lid. No biggie, just flipped it back up. But with a 600lb camper top, probably will result in a lot of damage and I will have to wich it back upright.

 

[Mark Harley]

Sounds good keep us posted on the work. Great build.

 

[Lacy Hershey]

love this build!