M416 Build

[dieselcruiserhead]

This shows our plan for adding strength to the connection, basically "strap" underneath (the pieces cut out). At first I was going to go nuts with 3" strap (and may still add 1-2 pieces) but one of the other 3 guys, Bill, who's a mechanical/aero space engineer turned gear designer (the leatherman for example ) and is also affiliated with out biodiesel projects, recommended we do it under as tension is supposedly more efficient than compression, at least with steel.

Total overkill at 3/8," again the scrap we had lying around/not a lot of 1/4" around. Better to err on the side of strength of course and with that thickness we should have very little flex assuming we did weight the tongue... But again I may possibly add another connect.

This is about as far as I got today. Next is to clean up the strap/plates and weld those on hopefully this week some time...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Excellent write up Andre, I'll enjoy following this.

Thanks Tom as always...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Andre, did you give any thought to building a single beam tongue in order to really maneuver it on tight trails? While its not a huge build factor it has been extremely handy for me on tight trails.

I did... This was also Scott Ray's recommendation too. I really wanted to retain the military style tongue & lunette and it is cast for pieces at this angle off the attachment point at the tip of the tongue. So I could have but it would have been a PITA... So I would have wanted to *really* do it to do it that way and I couldn't justify it. All this today was only maybe 4 hours including clean up...

I also thought it would be neat to do it this way as it was a little more OEM-ish and give a nice wide platform for anything I wanted to attach to the tongue. I did some messing around (one of the big reasons I thought the tongue extension was so important) and it jack-knifed so easily in reverse, but I never managed to hit the body, so I though this would be acceptable. Also the lunette itself is so long it also helps with added distance from the body. Also, considering the "precision" of a pintle it really was pretty ridiculous we spent as much time as we did aligning the tongue/lunette. But am glad that I did so that it will hopefully track as well and with the precision of an Adventure Trailer...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

A little more progress...

From last night...


Cleaned up...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

And in place...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

A little platform...

This is all left over steel I had lying around from putting floors in roof racks and the square tube is left over ATV crate container that I get for free from the local ATV supply. It is thin wall but works well...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Final product, nice to have the tonque done... Solid as a rock as well...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Next, I started working on the rear and the tail gate... Remnants were the reflectors and name place and the original paint underneath which was in good shape actually...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

And the cut... I used the quare tube for alignment and "my signature tool," LOL, the metal cutting wheel... Eventually I plan to renforce the entrance with a frame.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

The opening...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

First pics are the tab. I had to reweld and grind these down so they'd still be applicable. It will be less strong than when the tub was complete, but there are plenty of attachment points of the tub to the trailer so nothing wrong with this setup at all...

Second is the hinge: I think I described it before: it is a long "weldable" hinge that I got from the steel store for about $10 and trimmed down. Nice and strong, will make a nice platform. I drilled holes to use as Rosettes with the door and tube for added strength. I did not get so far last night as to get it welded in. I could have but it hit about midnight and was getting late, so till next time...

Third is the tailgate...

Last pic shows it as it currently sits. Also, again, noticably heaver but such is life... I really don't think it will tow much worse...

 

[IH8RDS]

Good work Andre. I like how you still used the origional pintle setup. What are your plans for reinforcing the tub around the tailgate?

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Well, I'm still messing around with this... I was going to not mention it but it will be weather stripped using simple cheap/easy weather strip tape. I'll be using more of that box tube, I have two sizes, the 2" stuff that I used for the tongue mesh support, and 3/4" box tube as well. Not sure which I'll use but one or the other, we'll see. That is the next project so it should be the next update hopefully some time this week...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Andre, if you havn't already committed to that hinge strip you might consider something a little more protected or impervious to salt/rust if you will. I used that type of hinge on the first rendition of my trailer lid, it didn't last more than a season with moisture, dirt and constant use. I'm actually still using one, this time I sprang for stainless, again 2 years later its already getting stiff and the metal is fatiguing. Wishing I would have used a simple hing (like 40 ambulance door hinges like my tailgate uses, they have been flawless). Hindsite...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

*Very good to know. Thanks Kurt...

The ones I really wanted to use were weldable hinges with grease zirks, last time the best ones I saw were down at economy steel in Spanish Fork. I just didn't want to drive down there. But may have to anyway to get a halfway reasonable price on sheet metal anyway. I figured that style would be killer and allow me to remove the tailgate too. But be bad if I open the lid on an incline, they may want to slide out. I could install a bolt that help it in place though.

Will have to re-think it out, thanks for the heads up before I burned them on...