M416 Hybrid
- Thread starter Ohio Boo
- Start date
meatblanket
Adventurer
I like your lid. I'm doing something similar on my Sankey (slightly bigger British version of the M416). What gauge tubing did you use? I went with 14 gauge, and was debating on whether to go with two or three cross members. I see you went with three, I only have two and I'm putting a James Baroud on top. I'm also in the midst of installing my gas springs. My tent weighs 175# and the lid will probably be another 90lbs or so-- I'm going to use 3 pieces of AL treadplate, probably .063, and even that is going to be about 30#. With 12 ga steel, you should be able to strap a hippo to yours and not worry about it bending! :sombrero:
peligro113
New member
Thank you for this post, I am following your build thread with great interest as I plan on converting my utility trailer into a M416 with a Dinoot kit soon.
Ohio Boo
Observer
Thank you. The tubing is 1/8" and if I would have known I was going with steel instead of my original plan of aluminum, I would have only used two cross members. I think you're correct about the top. I may be able to strap two hippos and be fine
Ohio Boo
Observer
No problem. I hope it helps you out. Good luck with the build.
Ohio Boo
Observer
So I don't have a name for the trailer. I'm not even sure people name their trailer, do they? Anywho, I find myself simply calling it the adventure trailer, because that's when it will be used, I guess. Before I cough up the mega bucks for a 4+ person RTT, it's going to be used, hopefully many many times for other adventures. Our first trip out this year, it will help carry the mountain bikes. Oh, and don't make fun of my old school Specialized. It's seen many many miles of trails and I still enjoy beating the crap out of my body riding that thing. So, here is my attempt to build a simple rack to hold a couple of bikes.
Ohio Boo
Observer
FENDERS... Ok, so I'm back to the sheet of leftover diamond plate from the lid. I used some cardboard and mocked up what I thought looked like a decent shape for a fender. My plan is not to cover the entire tire. Very similar to how the fenders cover my Jeep. I have feeling this will be a part of the trailer I may put in place and then redo later on. Anyway, here we go.
Ohio Boo
Observer
The width of the leftover diamond plate is 45-1/2" this is only a half inch shorter than the cardboard mock up. As you will see in a later picture, it is about 4 inches to short, maybe a little more. I decided to go with a width of 11". I have my concerns with how stable the fender will be if I go any further. Like a said earlier, if I decide later to redo the fenders, I may go wider. Time will tell.
Ohio Boo
Observer
I will admit, a fabricator I am not. I also do not have any special tools to do custom fabricating. I'm lucky to find a screw driver and socket wrench sometimes. So when it came time to figure out how to bend metal I resorted to a crude way to bend the diamond plate. Hopefully I will not be cursed out by any of the many bad *** trailer builders here on the forum. And from my time lurking around before my build, I have seen some pretty awesome builds on here. I only wish I had half of their skills. Anyway, back to the fenders... I cut a groove at the 10" mark. My thought is, this will create a weak point for the bend. I then clamped a piece of angle iron at the groove. Then I muscled the plate over the angle iron. It was not easy but it eventually creased and slowly began to bend. I found the angle I wanted and marked it for the other three bends.
Ohio Boo
Observer
I used the original concept to mount the new fenders. I cut some angle iron and mounted the fenders using original top mount and new mounts for the sides. They are a little close to the tires for my liking but it will do for now. Maybe some lift springs will be on the short list for upgrades once I start using the trailer.
