Fire Extinguisher

Today I added something I hope I will never use. The fire extinguisher seems to fit nicely up front with the fuel cans. Its a tall commercial type cylinder so this was about the only place I could find to mount it. It sits on the angle bracket that butts up against the tub. Then I just added 4 eye bolts and used some old bike rack rubber straps along with some carribeaners. It is held solidly in place, but is quickly accessible.

Electrical Box - Tounge Storage Bin

Since I decided to mount the AT fuel can holders up front, that didn't leave much room for the store bought plastic truck box that I planned to mount to the triangular tounge space. I used some tape to mark off the approximate limits of where I could mount gear before it would interfere with sharp turns on the trail. The space I was left was about 11 x 18 footprint which is enough to house the battery unit.

With 1/16" thick plate steel I had in the shop, I used a circular saw and metal blade to carefully cut out the sides, top and bottom.

In the next photo you can see the box taking shape and how the battery unit fits nicely inside. On the driver's side of the box, I mounted two electrical junction boxes. One will house a weather-proof outlet which will be wired to the outlet in the battery. The second is a weather proof light switch which will operate the LED lights inside the lid.

Here's a look at the box mostly finished sitting in place. I made the same height as the AT fuel can holders.

The last picture here is of the mostly finished box with the lid in place. I welded hinges on. The large gap in the back of the lid is unimportant since I welded a piece of angle iron underneath to form a tight seal. Later I'll be adding automotive weatherstrip.

Spare Tire Mount

After various design iterations I decided to mount the spare tire on the back of the trailer, similar to a jeep wrangler. Due to the weight of the 33" tire, I decided against a fold-down tailgate since my wife would be unable to close it. The other draw-back to a tailgate would be sacrificing the "tub" concept of the original military trailer which allows the trailer to float when doing deep river crossings. My fabrication skills are not precise enough to make a water tight tailgate. The first step in creating the tire mount was to welt two 1/4" thick sections of steel flat bar together to create an 8" square. I bought bolts to match the thread pattern of the stock trailer wheel studs. (boltdepot.com) I dipped the heads in muratic acid (available at home depot for pool cleaning). This allowed me to drill holes in the plate and then weld the bolt heads in place.

Next I began working on the spare tire mount frame. I decided against welding it directly to the tub since it would make things easier later if it was a bolt-in-place unit. I can change it out if I ever change wheel diameters, tire thicknesses, or have problems with the trailer balance etc..

After the frame was fabricated I bolted it in place with six 3/8" carraige bolts. I made the depth of the frame equal to the depth of the tire with the wheel's backspacing so that the tire rests snuggly against the frame and lip of the tub. Hopefully there will be enough clearance for the tub lid since the tire sticks up higher than the lid.

Relocating the Hand Brake

As I mentioned in my last post, to mount the jerry can holders up front, I had to relocate the hand brake. This is a nice feature since it keeps the trailer from rolling away when you have it disconnected at camp, so I wanted to keep it intact. I just unbolted the original mounting bracket and moved it out to the side of the trailer. You can see the old location where its rusty in the photo. The j-bolt was now too short, so I used a turnbuckle to extend it. This assembly now sits underneath the jerrry can holder frame.

Mounting the Jerry Can Holders

This is the location I originally wanted to mount the jerry can holders. This frees up space on the traingular tounge area for a dry box to house my electrical components. These projects were my inspiration: Pic 1 Pic 2

However, I'm not sure how they accomplished this. When I tried mocking it up, I was having alignment problems with the metal strap that holds the can in the holder. The holder physically fits in the spot along the tub in front of the tire, but when you try to get the can out, the metal strap hits the lip of the tub that hang out over the holder. See the green line below. I didn't want to try to mount the holder titled since it would difficult and would look strange. Plus it would be hanging out there... an easy target for rocks and trees.

I decided to sacrifice the space up front and mount the cans back to back standing vertically. This keeps them safe and easy to access. By redesigning my dry box using steel (rather than a store bought truck box) I can still make it fit.

I had to relocate the hand brake to fit the cans in this orientation. To allow the brake cable to sit under the cans, I had to elevate them off the tounge rails using 1.5" steel tube. Then I welded a frame to separate the jerry can holders (the can't be mounted back to back since the metal straps hit eachother at the top of the holder where the pad-lock hole is). The frame also provides stability to keep the holders from wobbeling/vibrating too much.

Reinstall Drain Plugs

I decided to reinstall the original drain plugs. They were totally smashed when I got the tub from the guy's field it had been sitting in. But, I was able to bend them back into shape and bolt them back on. This will keep water from spraying up from the tires on the road on the underside of the tub and getting inside. I could have just welded the holes shut, but I thought it would be nice to have a way to drain the tub on the off-chance water ever gets inside.

Painting Underside of Tub

I spent an hour wrangling the tub onto the frame. Getting the mounting flanges on the underside to line up with the slots I cut in the steel plate covering the frame is always a challenge. Once I was seated properly I drilled new holes in the mounting tabs around the outside of the frame and bolted down. Once I knew it was going to fit ok, I took the tub back off and painted the underside of the tub and the top of the frame plate. I want to "permanently" mount the tub for the remiander of fabrication. Once the lid, rack, spare tire mount etc are all mounted in place its going to be to heavy to take on and off for painting.

Sandblasting Complete

Wow! I just picked up the trailer on Friday from sandblasting. They did a great job getting into every little nook and cranny. Luckily it was a clear dry day and I made it home without getting the trailer wet (which equals instant rust). Now I'm ready fo the next phase; fabrication of the 4x4 trailer design.

Spring Over Lift Done

Here is the trailer after the spring over lift. I don't know if you can tell by the picture, but there is significantly more clearance after the conversion. Until I get a bigger lift on the jeep, this isn't going to sit level.

Hitch - Lunet Swap Done

After a bit of persuasion with a grinder and cutting blade, I was able to take off the civilian style hitch that was welded to the frame. The military style lunet (for a pintle) bolted right on.
Pictures Here

Lug Nuts

I stripped one of the studs on the trailer last night trying to put the wheels back on after the spring over lift. I took one of the stock lugs into the store. Turns out its a 7/16"-20 nut (3/4" wrench). (Advance Auto Parts Scew 080358177111, part # 98900.1)The studs look too long to put on acorn type nuts, so I went with an open nut like the one pictured. To fix the stud, I bought a cheap tap and die set on ebay.

Spring Over Lift

This week I decided to start the suspension spring over lift. The idea is you mount the axel below the leaf springs instead of the way it was originally mounted, which is on top of them. Here is another webpage about doing one. I tried to take the axel out without disconnecting the leaf springs; it doesn't work. When taking the greasable bolt (zerked bolt) off the front leaf spring mount the head snapped off.

I've called around Denver and nobody carries them. Luckily we have the internet! I found these bolts at http://www.currieenterprises.com/ for $8.95 each.







I lifted my TJ a few years ago and I kept the shocks. The Jeep gas charged shocks are much bigger thatn the trailer shocks, but upon initial inspection, it seems the shocks might actually fit on the trailer once the spring over is done. So, I drilled out the bushings so I could install the trailer bushings and slide the hoop over the trailer mount. I just need to pick up some new cotter pins. UPDATE: The trailer came back from sandblasting. The shocks, fully compressed, fit on the shocks studs, but this would leave no further room for compression under load. So, they dont' work and I just reinstalled the stock shocks.

Spill Proof Regulations

It seems that recently regulations regarding fuel cans have been changed to require "spill proof" gas cans. This makes military style cans illegal to sell since the just have a regular cap I guess. So, http://www.brigadeqm.com/ emailed me after I purchased the Scepter fuel can and said they were canceling my order. Why the don't just take the cans off the website I don't understand. I found an alternative, a Crown 5 gallon Jerry Can from Rompalicious. Its $39.95 plus shipping. Hopefully they don't cancel my order too.

UPDATE: Rompalicious has refunded my money. Seems like you just can't get these anymore. I'm considering using a water can for gas.... Have to do some research, but initially it seems like they are both made of polyethelene, so what's the difference?

I contacted Scepter. They will not answer the question whether you could use a water can for fuel. They did confirm that regulations changed. They said "Sounds like you’re in the U.S., correct? That would explain why you’re having trouble finding MFCs.As a civilian you can’t get them in the U.S. anymore (Effective January 1, 2008). Our MFCs don’t meet new CARB / EPA regulations for portable fuel containers.The military is exempt…for now.It’s a shame people are becoming so desperate that they are considering putting fuel into MWCs. (you’re not the first)"

After doing more research, its seems that some people believe fuel breaks down plastic containers and contaminates the fuel, making it hard on your engine. I guess I'll be ordering a metal Wedco can and keeping an eye out for rust. I will be ordering one from Adventure Trailers.

Scepter Water & Fuel Jerry Cans

I just purchased my fuel & water cans to go with my AT Fuel Can Holders. I purchased Scepter brand jerry cans. They are strong, and plastic so they won't rust or dent. Here is a good review of the cans. I plan to mount the water can holder "upside down" so that the cap is at the bottom. Then I'll attach the Scepter MFC03 pour spout and keep the end of the tube above the top of the can with some sort of clip. Then I'll have a quick tap ready to pour at any time.

Adventure Trailer Fuel Can Holders

I decided to buy two Adventure Trailer Fuel Can holders. They are not cheap, but I think the convenience of them will be worth the cost. I plan to bolt them to the front sides of the trailer (like this) for easy access and to balance the load, keeping more weight on the tounge. One will be for fuel, one will be for water. Here is a link to a good review of the can holders. Buy yours here.

Trailer Power - Xantrex 600HD

A few days ago I ordered the Xantrex Powerpack Xpower 600HD. This will serve as my rechargeble power plant in our trailer to run 120V appliances or tools and to run lights inside the main compartment so we can see our gear at night. I plan to run a 12V power line along with the trailer lighting wires from the jeep to constantly charge the battery when the jeep is running. This will be a less costly (only $93) and simpler system than using car batteries such as Optima's and wiring a charging and distribution system I think. UPDATE: I don't plan to do any extended trips anytime soon, just weekend get-aways in Colorado. So, rather than wiring a 12V power supply through my jeep, I am installed a solar trickle charger. You can get a cheap panel at Harbor Freight and then buy a blocking diode on ebay which prevents the panel from working in reverse during the night and draining your battery.

Back on the Road

I've been getting good use out of the trailer already. The first thing I did was drive down to a landscaping place and load 1200lbs of stone into it. It pulled perfectly and handled the load well, but you could tell the suspension was maxed out. Pulling a full load of offroad gear should be no sweat. The tub is still being held in place with straps. The bolt holes don't line up due to the plate welded to the frame. Once its sandblasted I plan to redrill new holes.

Welding Trailer

My old utility trailer finally bit the dust, so I need to use the M416 as my "daily driver" now. So, next I decided to prep it for road duty. I stripped off all the old unecessary bolts, reflectors, wiring, etc.. Above is a look at the trailer with the tub taken off. As I mentioned previously, the frame was used by a guy hauling around a welder. So, he welded a thick plate to the frame to make it into a flatbed. Rather than trying to cut the whole plate off, which is welded completely around the entire frame, I decided to cut some slots into it for the flanges of the "L" shaped mounting tabs on the tub. Getting the tub to sit correctly turned out to be really difficult, but it finally seated. I had to cut some holes for the drain plugs.

New Tires & Wheels

The first order of business was to replace the worn out, flat military tires that I limped home on when I bought the trailer. I searched craigslist for the correct bolt pattern (5x5.5). The stock rim is only 6.5" wide. I decided to get 7" or 8" rims to widden the stance to match the jeep. I settled on some used Unique brand wheels. With some patience I found a set of used mud tires for $20. I'm building an offroad trailer, not restoring a parade vehicle, so I bought 33" tires to match my TJ.

M416 Surplus Trailer Purchased

On Sunday Aug 3, 2008 my wife and I drove to Black Forest, Colorado to meet a guy who used to run an army surplus store at his house in the rolling hills outside of Colorado Springs. He had a few acres littered with old junk and tons of surplus vehicles. He had two M416 tubs and one frame/suspension assembly that he acquired from a guy who used it to pull a welder for work. So I took the tub that was less bent up, strapped it on the flatbed, and paid him $450. Not a bad deal I think.

Project Inspiration & Background

I have a 2000 Jeep TJ Sport. I also have a 100lb Bernese Mountain Dog and kids on the way in the next few years I hope. However, those two things don't work together well when you want to take camping trips. Where do you put all the stuff? Roof racks are a pain to load/unload, make you top heavy, and provide no protection for your gear. The offroad trailer solves all of these problems, and you can pack it and park it - just waiting for the next weekend gettaway. After researching all of the other trailer projects out there on the web that I could find, I came up with my list of design features. My main design inspiration are the Overland Adventure Chaser Trailers.

It seemed starting with an existing trailer instead of building one from scratch would save some time, plus owning a piece of military history is pretty cool. So, I started searching craigslist and ebay for a M416, M101 or a Bantam. I couldn't find anything for under $1000 and they were all really beaten up. So, I happened upon the Military Vehicle Collectors of Colorado Club and I contacted them via email. The turned me onto a member of the club who they thought had one. Sure enough, he did!

When I am done, I anticipate my trailer will look just about like this.