M101a2 dirtbike camper

[hansrober]

Its still in process but is coming out pretty good I think. I like the military look. What do you think? Today was the first fitting of the tent. I have a few things to work out yet, but I can see it working well. View attachment 155310

 

[uscg2008]

That thing is freaking sweet keep the pics coming I'm def interested

 

[TheThom]

More pictures, please!

 

[hansrober]

here a few more pics



the first one show the 2" foam insulation and peg board inside also the hollow vinyl fence trim pieces. I have tried to use stuff I had around the shop to build with also trying to keep weight down. The top is all aluminum. The last pic is my wife who thinks I am a nut. I think she actually thinks this is pretty cool. Yesterday I made an easy roof rack out of some metal channel called superstrut I found at lowes. Pretty handy stuff. This week I want to make a roof basket for a cooler. I want to mount it in front of the tent, so I can unzip the forward tent window reach outside an grab a cold one while enjoying the view. Lots to do still.

 

[Jevy]

I really like this but have two questions:

1. how does you jeep do towing it?

2. how in the world do you put the cover on the RTT???

 

[hansrober]

1. The Jeep does great towing it. The 2012 3.6 pentistar is realy a good power-plant. I have not towed with the RTT yet, so I wonder how that extra roof top drag will affect it. I have a small 15' serro scotty camper and the m101 tows a lot better at highway speeds than it. I like driving the back roads so its 55-60 most of the time anyway. Although not the best tow vehicle, I find the more door wrangler very versatile and much better than others given credit for.

2.I just leave the wife up there full time and she takes care of that .......uhh seriously , I plan on building a removable ladder from the roof rack cross bars down to the base of the trailer side.

 

[hansrober]

week end work and tired ramble

I was pretty busy this week end tinkering. I find myself trying to find the simplest way to build things without spending a bunch. Its crazy what things cost. I work long hours so its hard for me to shop anywhere that has normal hours or that are closed weekends or Sundays. That being said I end up at home depot a lot. I had to pay $26 for 5 feet of 2" angle iron. I dont want to tell you what aluminum stock costs. Anyway long story short is I spent less by shopping at Harbor Freight and chopping their stuff up than building it from scratch.
I am experimenting with some hooks I found and mounted on top rail of the trailer. I hang my bike ramps on them after removing the bike, so I can use them as a roof ladder. I also mounted my hilift jack,changed shocks to rancheros and extended a hitch mount luggage carrier to use as a small roof carrier. I added a tongue box also from HF
I am amazed at the forum members here with such creativity and talent and thankyou all for your ideas and pictures. Heres a couple from tonight.

 

[Mark Harley]

Cool work on the ramps.
I like the desert tan but that trailer would POP painted orange and black!

 

[hansrober]

Haha , There are few reasons thats not the case

1. I paint things for super picky people for a living

2. I intend to use/probably scratch and dent this baby up and it will be real easy to touch up the flat paint.

3. In Florida when you own anything orange everyone thinks your a Fl gator football fan.....ughhh.(im just not much of a sports fan...rather work in the garage )..an unintended consequence I didnt see coming when I bought the jeep. haha I love the color and the jeep though. The tan and star throws people off. They are unsure if its a legit piece of military equipment. I might paint the RTT cover tan too. As a kind of undercover humor I stenciled ZRT-01 on it.(ZOMBIE RESPONSE TRAILER-01) I wonder if zombies are color blind or possibly just Gator fans?

Its funny your build thread is what inspired me to buy an m101a2. I have your thread bookmarked. I really liked your thoroughness and you did a great job on documentation . I always think of pictures afterward. Thanks

 

[Mark Harley]

hansrober:
Thanks for the complements, Your trailer looks great!
Love to see the M101A2 builds.
Keep us posted on your additions.

I understand about the sports stuff
"I think I am the only person in Pittsburgh who does not own a Steeler / Pirates / Penguins jersey"

 

[RagnarD]

Nice build. Have you weighed it when you are all loaded up?

 

[hansrober]

funny you ask I have it test loaded now and was planning on a trip to the scales. I was a little worried about the weight and drag up so high from the RTT. It does well. I pulled it to St Augustine to work with me in 20mph winds today and did surprisingly well for a brick. The loaded weight actually helped it feel settled down and "balance out" the height wind drag. I also lowered the tire pressure. I dont discount the effect those new shocks have also.
It looks top heavy but the topper is pretty light being aluminum with only 3 sides. I have ben think of adding a undercarriage fuel tank with electric pump activated by a key and switch to refuel the bikes or even the jeep in a pinch, Heck even my lawn mower. Im sure that will pack on some pounds.

 

[joeyabisa]

I dont discount the effect those new shocks have also.

Hi hansrober, Great setup! Where did you find new shocks for the trailer? Are they new/surplus? I found some but they were asking $145 per shock. Am looking for a cheaper alternative.

 

[hansrober]

I found a post on here somewhere that recommended a Rancho part # and I order them from Summit Racing. Two days later some NOS shocks showed up on ebay and went for $15. a piece, go figure. I did have to increase the diameter of the top (as I remember) grommet of the shock, other wise the size and travel of the shocks were the same. I can try to look that up for you if you like.

 

[hansrober]

This is the advise I followed on a Steel Soldiers Tread:
"Just put a pair of Rancho RS5006 shocks on my M101a2....the shock rubber bushing comes with 1/2" diameter center bore....used a 3/4" Lennox hole-saw to enlarge the bore to fit over the trailer shock mounting stud....couple squirts of silicon on the studs and they went right on....a big difference in the ride of the trailer....hope that helps you out...."

They worked great for me!