RagnarD's M101A3 Build
- Thread starter RagnarD
- Start date
Changed a few things and added a few. Decided to hold off on the chain tray until I complete a landing gear swap.
Added a 2" receiver to each rear corner.
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Ran one bead to underside of bed for added support. Should be easy to grind if needed.
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Was inspired by this rig so finally added a rear 2“ receiver. Had to remove the rear landing leg first.
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To give longer joint to weld the receiver tube to cross members I added 3“ 3/16“ angle iron to the two rear cross members. There is 16” of welds holding receiver to frame.
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14. Still room to open tailgate. Without the pintle hook, the tailgate can still be dropped all the way down.
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Still need to knock the buck shot off a few welds but it started to rain so I threw some paint on and called it a day.
On deck are new landing legs (two rear and one front), two more receivers in each front corner, wire rear plug for 7&4 pin, and complete chain tray.
Added a 2" receiver to each rear corner.
1.
2.
2.1
3.
4.
Ran one bead to underside of bed for added support. Should be easy to grind if needed.
5.
Was inspired by this rig so finally added a rear 2“ receiver. Had to remove the rear landing leg first.
6.
To give longer joint to weld the receiver tube to cross members I added 3“ 3/16“ angle iron to the two rear cross members. There is 16” of welds holding receiver to frame.
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14. Still room to open tailgate. Without the pintle hook, the tailgate can still be dropped all the way down.
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17.
Still need to knock the buck shot off a few welds but it started to rain so I threw some paint on and called it a day.
On deck are new landing legs (two rear and one front), two more receivers in each front corner, wire rear plug for 7&4 pin, and complete chain tray.
Mark Harley
Expedition Leader
Cool additions. I have towed two tandem and they ride along well. I also wired a plug for trailer lights.
Mark Harley
Expedition Leader
Me too! The money went for bills NOT for a RTT.
I would like another 116A2 frame to build on.
I would like another 116A2 frame to build on.
Still playing around with the tarp set up. I am liking this one the best so far. I will make some shorter uprights.
Got the stabilizers welded up. Things hot a little hot on one and it takes a bit more effort to crank now.
With both deployed, there is still some wobble, mostly from the slop inherent in the mount and jack. Trailer is not going to tip and is more stable than the single rear stabilizer so I would call it a success.
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Got a chance to break in my new 11/16 bit.
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Got the stabilizers welded up. Things hot a little hot on one and it takes a bit more effort to crank now.
With both deployed, there is still some wobble, mostly from the slop inherent in the mount and jack. Trailer is not going to tip and is more stable than the single rear stabilizer so I would call it a success.
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Got a chance to break in my new 11/16 bit.
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screwball48
Explorer
For the tarp support poles why not use the painters poles so that they are adjustable in height?
A few more pics of the trailer out of the driveway. Learned a few things about canvas in a hurricane style rain....
Good people, good booze, and flat top fenders are hard to beat while camping in poor weather.
Simple system to use the water from ice chest
New vinly tarp that is actually water proof, not resistant.
Converted back to general use
Good people, good booze, and flat top fenders are hard to beat while camping in poor weather.
Simple system to use the water from ice chest
New vinly tarp that is actually water proof, not resistant.
Converted back to general use
Been awhile since my last update.
I finally realized that a two trailer plan is a better solution for my needs; a dedicated general hauler and a dedicated camping/expo trailer.
The rack/roof/tool boxes are being sold and this trailer will become the dedicated hauler (after a few more changes).
The base for the camping/expo trailer will be a bare 116A3 chassis. I haven’t started the build yet, still planning things out. It will get its own thread when the time comes.
There were a few changes I wanted to make on this trailer so a flat bed 116A3 frame was used as a base to start over again.
Some of the changes I wanted to make:
Retain parking brakes
Extend tongue
Box frame in a few areas
New shocks
Better rear bumper
Chain Tray
Gloss Paint
Shorter Channel (aesthetics)
Different landing gear (help dumping)
In my area, the 101 series of trailers are not as common as the 110X so my dad hauled two 116A3 trailers (stacked) half way across the country for me to accomplish this project.
The donor flatbed
Bed removed. Was a lot heavier than it looked. Was in a hurry to get it off and made the mistake of just sliding it off the frame into the grass. I then had to deal with getting it back up to trailer height… Not sure what I was thinking, I should have put it directly on the pipe stands.
Trailer stripped. Tried to take off as much as possible. It was much easier removing the brake lines and electrical without the bed.
Wanted some coil over shocks to firm up the suspension. After some looking around online I went with Monroe 58496 load adjusting coil over shocks. The trailer has ¾” x 1 9/16” wide mounts with 16” between the studs (unloaded). The width of the 58496 with L2 mount was correct but has slightly smaller ID (11/16”). The shocks fit on the mounts with little effort but had to use a few shims to clear the cross member. When mounted, there was barely enough thread on the mount for the shock and the shims. If doing again I would try the 58486 and either drill out the bushings or just pound them on (bushing are fairly pliable). The shorter L1 mount (5/8”x 1 5/16” ) should not be a problem after adding the spacers. The shorter extended length would probably soften things up some.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/142181-Coil-Over-Shocks-3-4-quot-Mount
New channel compared to the first one.
Used 3” square ¼” wall for the tongue but would probably go with 3/16” next time. The channel mount is rated for 21K so it’s a bit heavier than in needs to be.
Tied the draw bar into the first and second cross members to help take some strain off the spring/A-frame bracket. Also boxed the second cross member.
A-frame to coupler is right at 3’. Took some time to settle on how far to extend it. Decided to leave it long enough to allow the landing gear to mount on the draw bar. If it ends up being too long, cutting it shorter is not a big deal.
I debated on what to do about the landing gear (drop leg vs caster). I like drop legs because you can get the max travel out of the crank and that is helpful when unloading but the caster makes for convenient moving around. Having spent some time with a few 1102 trailers, I developed an appreciation for rolling trailers around without straining. Ended up with the same jack I used for the rear stabilizers except on a swivel mount. Decided that I can always add a wheel later if I want and a wheel may tend to sink off pavement.
Coupler height worked out well. Used the bottom hole for the stock safety chains. Still enough adjustment for a taller tow vehicle. Used the extended lunette from Croft (taken from old frame as they no longer make it) and the bottom hole of the channel mount for the mil safety chains. Made a gusset from 3/8” plate.
Made a gusset for the A-frame/draw bar from 3/16” plate.
I was happy with how I originally did the back end of the trailer. It was nice to do it again without the bed on the frame (easier/better prep and welding). Added two more receivers to stabilize a motorcycle rack.
A few action shots my dad took of me.
Still have more things to do on the frame but this was the bulk of it.
I finally realized that a two trailer plan is a better solution for my needs; a dedicated general hauler and a dedicated camping/expo trailer.
The rack/roof/tool boxes are being sold and this trailer will become the dedicated hauler (after a few more changes).
The base for the camping/expo trailer will be a bare 116A3 chassis. I haven’t started the build yet, still planning things out. It will get its own thread when the time comes.
There were a few changes I wanted to make on this trailer so a flat bed 116A3 frame was used as a base to start over again.
Some of the changes I wanted to make:
Retain parking brakes
Extend tongue
Box frame in a few areas
New shocks
Better rear bumper
Chain Tray
Gloss Paint
Shorter Channel (aesthetics)
Different landing gear (help dumping)
In my area, the 101 series of trailers are not as common as the 110X so my dad hauled two 116A3 trailers (stacked) half way across the country for me to accomplish this project.
The donor flatbed
Bed removed. Was a lot heavier than it looked. Was in a hurry to get it off and made the mistake of just sliding it off the frame into the grass. I then had to deal with getting it back up to trailer height… Not sure what I was thinking, I should have put it directly on the pipe stands.
Trailer stripped. Tried to take off as much as possible. It was much easier removing the brake lines and electrical without the bed.
Wanted some coil over shocks to firm up the suspension. After some looking around online I went with Monroe 58496 load adjusting coil over shocks. The trailer has ¾” x 1 9/16” wide mounts with 16” between the studs (unloaded). The width of the 58496 with L2 mount was correct but has slightly smaller ID (11/16”). The shocks fit on the mounts with little effort but had to use a few shims to clear the cross member. When mounted, there was barely enough thread on the mount for the shock and the shims. If doing again I would try the 58486 and either drill out the bushings or just pound them on (bushing are fairly pliable). The shorter L1 mount (5/8”x 1 5/16” ) should not be a problem after adding the spacers. The shorter extended length would probably soften things up some.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/142181-Coil-Over-Shocks-3-4-quot-Mount
New channel compared to the first one.
Used 3” square ¼” wall for the tongue but would probably go with 3/16” next time. The channel mount is rated for 21K so it’s a bit heavier than in needs to be.
Tied the draw bar into the first and second cross members to help take some strain off the spring/A-frame bracket. Also boxed the second cross member.
A-frame to coupler is right at 3’. Took some time to settle on how far to extend it. Decided to leave it long enough to allow the landing gear to mount on the draw bar. If it ends up being too long, cutting it shorter is not a big deal.
I debated on what to do about the landing gear (drop leg vs caster). I like drop legs because you can get the max travel out of the crank and that is helpful when unloading but the caster makes for convenient moving around. Having spent some time with a few 1102 trailers, I developed an appreciation for rolling trailers around without straining. Ended up with the same jack I used for the rear stabilizers except on a swivel mount. Decided that I can always add a wheel later if I want and a wheel may tend to sink off pavement.
Coupler height worked out well. Used the bottom hole for the stock safety chains. Still enough adjustment for a taller tow vehicle. Used the extended lunette from Croft (taken from old frame as they no longer make it) and the bottom hole of the channel mount for the mil safety chains. Made a gusset from 3/8” plate.
Made a gusset for the A-frame/draw bar from 3/16” plate.
I was happy with how I originally did the back end of the trailer. It was nice to do it again without the bed on the frame (easier/better prep and welding). Added two more receivers to stabilize a motorcycle rack.
A few action shots my dad took of me.
Still have more things to do on the frame but this was the bulk of it.
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Chain tray ready to be welded.
Chain tray finished and landing gear mounted.
Plenty of extension and probably dont need to swivel it out of the way, just collapse the drop leg.
Welded up some of the easy to reach the holes and ground off excess stuff from frame. Rattle canned with tan high gloss paint (6 cans so far). Hoping mud wont stick as well to this paint as it does to flat black. Did not do any major prep for the paint. Main goal is to reduce rust and mud accumulation.
Chain tray finished and landing gear mounted.
Plenty of extension and probably dont need to swivel it out of the way, just collapse the drop leg.
Welded up some of the easy to reach the holes and ground off excess stuff from frame. Rattle canned with tan high gloss paint (6 cans so far). Hoping mud wont stick as well to this paint as it does to flat black. Did not do any major prep for the paint. Main goal is to reduce rust and mud accumulation.
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