A thought when building the lid to your trailer

Gary crouch

Observer
When I built the lid for my M416 I looked at many of the designs on the various forums... I saw flat ones, some that had a small 4" rise with a shape mimicking the angled top of the trailer and a couple other types...

I want to throw this thought out.... mine has a shape similar to the top of the trailer but instead of a 3-4" rise it's more like 6-7 inches... When building it, it just ended up that high... I was really kinda bummed because I thought too high...crap I thought!

But now after using the trailer for many trips, I think that height really works out a lot better... when you load your trailer with coolers and containers carrying your kitchen/pantry stuff, sleeping bags etc.. you find that its still easy to throw on top of all that, chairs and misc "stuff"!!

If the lid was flat or only a very small rise, it really cuts down on what you can put in there... Just my two cents.
 

greentruck

Adventurer
Good point.

When we first got our M101 CDN, I thought building a lid was a high priority. Now, not so much. Why?

Once we started using the trailers, we found as we pack things in the trailer, lots of it sticks up past the sides. A low lid would be really a problem. If we do go with a solid lid, then it will be a tall one like you describe.

So far, a decent tarp with a bungee to help keep it tight has worked well for us. We tend to be expedition-type campers, so we don't leave the trailer in the camp that much. Anything really valuable can be kept locked up in the truck if we are away from camp.

I've also found it to be very convenient to reach everything without a lid in the way. I may eventually build a lid, but they do have their drawbacks unless you've carefully considered how you'll use the trailer.
 

Vince1

Adventurer
Agreed. If you carry water in cans or spray tank, many won't fit with a flat lid. The only drawbacks are the added weight of an extended lid and the added reach height if you have a rack on top. Also, I made sure my lid was removable in case I ever wanted to use it to pick up bricks, topsoil, or whatever.
 

greentruck

Adventurer
I have had a couple of LV-416 trailers with a lid that is 6" higher and really liked that hight over the tarp hight. I have also thought about a additional lid extension that could be put between the trailer and lid. This could be added when you want additional storage. This 4 sided and braced extinction could be 6" to 18" in hight (depending on what you want or need. This would be able to hinge the same as the existing trailer lid. It could hinge at the trailer hight and at the lid height for access. The RTT hight would not be any easier or harder to get in and out of (1 or 2 steps more). This would still be below my tow vehicle height, the highway wind drag should not really change much if any.

Hmmm. Interesting idea.

There's also the option of taking it a little farther and making what would be essentially a cap for the trailer. If you make it tall enough, put a lid and some doors on it and you've got a bunch of lockable space. But that's getting away from being about just a lid.
 

slimtwo

Adventurer
When I get to building my trailer, that is exactly what I am going to do. I figured it would be a great space for a folding table (or tables), and maybe a couple of chairs. I figure a drop down inner rack, or something like that to secure the stuff.

Happy trails!

Bruce
 

Hannibal USA

Adventurer
When we build our lids for our Sierra 4x4 Trailers, and the our lids for M100 and M416 they are 6.75" tall adds a lot more cargo room like you mentioned
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,539
Messages
2,875,661
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top