Offroad Trailer build from Bantam / M416 military trailer
- Thread starter balu4k
- Start date
Mark Harley
Expedition Leader
Looks good! Off to a quick start.
I am going with Dexter 3500# straight axle with electric brakes.. 36" between spring center and 56" hub to hub. My tires are 31" x 10.5" wide that goes on a 15" wheels. Let me know if you need any other details.
Build looks really good! Are you going back with the same fenders? Are you putting the tailgate back in?
Yes tailgate will be back on. right now just filling few holes on it. don't have pic yet.
Fenders, yes i want to keep the original fenders. I will be able to keep the fenders if i am spring over.. not sure if that will fit if i am going to with spring under. will decide once i start putting the things together...
Today i did the test fit of the axle with wheels. and then once started welding the spring hangers..
today mounted the springs, axle, hubs, and tires today... the 2 inch gap between the frame and tire seems to be perfect.. did a spring under for now.. will do a spring over when I remove them for paintings.... next is to finish up few more patch works at the front of the trailer....
been thinking a lot on the lid frame / structure to handle the weight of rtt and the people sleeping inside. finally came up with the below design for the lid frame. the rack will be mounted on the second and fourth cross section. because each of the cross section is supported by the vertical bar, i believe it will handle well.
let me know what you guys think.
Also,i started welding the 2" reciever pipe to the tounge.. don';t have the pic yet. will post it later..
let me know what you guys think.
Also,i started welding the 2" reciever pipe to the tounge.. don';t have the pic yet. will post it later..
Looks plenty strong to me, but I'm definitely not an engineer. I do have a couple of questions/concerns.
Where are you going to bolt/weld the hinges?
I couldn't find sheet metal long enough to wrap the entire thing from side to side. I had to have it done in 2 sheets with a seem down the middle. I mention that because if you decide to go that route, there will be nothing to support the metal at the seem.
Also, If I were to do mine differently, I would have put in additional cross members at the upper bends to better support the sheet metal between the rafters(for lack of a better word). Those are big openings and when you weld it up, the sheet metal will sag a little in between the rafters.
The one suggestion that I have is to clamp your lid frame down to the trailer when you weld it up. Jump around when welding and allow each area to cool really well before returning to that area. I got mine to hot and it warped a little. Not bad, but enough to make additional work for me.
Looks good though!! Can't wait to see the process.
for the hinges... thinking of welding another 4" wide 1" square tube on top of the outer frame and that will give quite a lot of surface area to mount the hinges... will make the final decision once i decide on the hinges..
I haven't thought about the skinning yet. i am yet to find the sheet metal fabricator near me to bend the sheet. if not i need to cut them for each surface and weld it in each corner layers.. so yea based on your feedback i will add some cross members to hold the sheet.
thanks for the idea about the clamping the lid before weld to reduce the wrap. right now i am more worried abt the wrap.. framing the lid in sketch was pretty easy. hope to have the same experience when i fabricate..
Well, you got me wondering how sturdy my lid is, so I went out and stood on it. I'm 225 lbs. and it didn't move at all. I even bounced up and down a little bit. It seems plenty sturdy!
That has me thinking that unless they serve another purpose, the 2nd row of horizontal frame rails and vertical supports on your lid probably isn't all that necessary. You might could do without and save yourself the added weight, or like I suggested earlier, use that metal up top to support the sheet metal. Again, I'm no engineer, so make your own decisions. I'm only making observations based on how my lid turned out.
ETA.....keep looking until you find a sheet metal fabricator that can make the bends for you. Piecing all that together would be a ton of welding and unless you are a good welder, it will be a ton of grinding and filling too. Even if you have to drive a good distance to the fabricator, it's time better spent...IMO.
That has me thinking that unless they serve another purpose, the 2nd row of horizontal frame rails and vertical supports on your lid probably isn't all that necessary. You might could do without and save yourself the added weight, or like I suggested earlier, use that metal up top to support the sheet metal. Again, I'm no engineer, so make your own decisions. I'm only making observations based on how my lid turned out.
ETA.....keep looking until you find a sheet metal fabricator that can make the bends for you. Piecing all that together would be a ton of welding and unless you are a good welder, it will be a ton of grinding and filling too. Even if you have to drive a good distance to the fabricator, it's time better spent...IMO.