M416 Style trailers - Ruger, Rockbox, Manley, Chaser Etc Users Please comment

[rnArmy]

The old military trailers were 6' long (72"). 5' long (60") is a nice size for pulling behind a Jeep in tight quarters. 4' long (48-50") makes for a nice compact trailer.

A lot of folks seem to think they can pull an old rusted heap from behind someone's barn for cheap, and with a little work one weekend and a can of spray paint they've got an almost new military type trailer. Not likely. They end up with a major project; lots of rust (I hate rust), lots of "stuff" needing replacement, axle too narrow and not the proper bolt pattern (5 on 5.5" is what they come with), wiring is junk, tires are rotted, etc.

Why start out with a rust bucket, when you can start with a new solid foundation:

https://www.kaiserwillys.com/catego...mplete-trailer-assembly-kit-fits-41-45-mb-gpw This is an M-100 type trailer.

Build it the way you want - get the axle width and bolt pattern you want (they aren't expensive). Want electric brakes? You can get that too with a 3500lb axle. I think someone makes a kit to put a 2" receiver tube on the front of these trailer frames.

Anyways, this is another option to consider.

And I'm running a pintle hitch on my lil' trailer (it is built off a small HF-type 4' heavily modified trailer frame). Some folks don't like pintle hitches and think they're noisy. I haven't found that to be the case (especially with adequate tongue weight on the trailer). I especially appreciate how easy it is to connect and disconnect.

 

[4OHi6]

Thanks rnArmy for correcting.

 

[rnArmy]

Thanks rnArmy for correcting.

I figured it was a typo. I saw your trailer picture and thought "that thing is six feet long".
Extremely nice looking trailer too by-the-way; especially how it matches your tow rig.

 

[jscherb]

This one's a fiberglass Dinoot tub kit. It's on a Harbor Freight frame but you could also do a build-your-own welded frame.

With a "covered wagon" top:

Or a "chuck wagon" top (under construction):

 

[4OHi6]

You da man

and there is the guy and trailer who inspired me to build my own. He actually did the design work and openly shared it with everybody. Kudos (again) to jscherb.

 

[Jeepinaaron]

Did you build yours on a harbor freight frame?

 

[jscherb]

Mine was built on a Harbor Freight frame.

Frame after painting:

Before painting:

Tub and frame before painting:

Finished trailer:

 

[L3TT3RS]

Mine was built on a Harbor Freight frame.

Frame after painting:

Before painting:

Tub and frame before painting:

Finished trailer:

Did you fab the tub?
Do you mind me asking what your total investment was?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[jscherb]

Did you fab the tub?
Do you mind me asking what your total investment was?

Yes, I made the tub myself. I made molds, and molded it in fiberglass. The photo below shows the first set of parts fresh out of my molds. The parts are greenish because the mold release hadn't been washed off when this photo was taken; also the parts hadn't been trimmed yet.

Once I had assembled my trailer, Compact Camping licensed the design from me and it's now available in kit form as the Dinoot M-Series (www.dinoot.com).

My costs probably aren't relevant since it's unlikely many people are going to follow my example and mold their own parts, but there are pages on the Dinoot site listing typical costs for assembling the kits.

 

[L3TT3RS]

Hey thanks!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk