After tabling my cargo box-trailer conversion idea, I went back to the drawing board. I knew I still wanted to do a trailer but I wasn't 100% sure what kind. Anything with an RTT was off the table, so small trailers like M416's were out for me. Commercially made teardrops were well outside of my price range. Box trailers were inexpensive and functional, but I was still leery about their lifespan when taken off road. After browsing the interwebs I came across this trailer for sale on one of the forum classifieds and it open a whole new string of ideas.
PERFECT! Well, maybe not. At $1,200 that particular trailer was off the table.
After poking around some of my local contacts it turns out a buddy of mine had an M101 he needed to get rid of. The nice thing one he had already stripped off much of the military-spec bulk (lunette, surge brake, kick stands, and mil-spec axle/hub/wheel/tire assembly). He had replace the mil-spec axle with an aftermarket 3,500# axle that had drum brakes, was Jeep-width, and had the Jeep 5x4.5" bolt pattern. It was also rolling on 31x10.50 tires which is what my LJ currently has. He also offered me too sweet a price to pass up.
With the trailer base located it was on to the next task, finding a cap. Used truck caps are easy to come by in my area. A cursory search of Craigslist yields a few dozen any given day of the week. Some range from salvaged ones that have seen better days (around $100-$200) to almost-like-new take-offs (around $500-$700). A few days ago a friend sent me a link to one for $50 that was "over the mountain." Fearing it was a too-good-to-be-true deal I went and looked anyway.
It was for all intents and purposes a $50 cap. However, underneath the mold and mildew, and despite a few bent edges and a missing window, I saw it's potential. It came home with me later that day.
With the trailer and cap in my possession it was time to mock them up.
It's honestly not that heavy and can easily be moved by hand. I suspect I won't win any awards for the lightest trailer in the world, but it's beefy enough that it should hold up to some off-road use and abuse. At some point I'll get it on the scales.
The plans for the inside are pretty basic. Going to do a platform with a mattress (twin or maybe a double), storage cubbies, basic 12v/120v power, some sort of HVAC system (nothing more than fans to start), a few gallons of water, and that's about it. My mantra for a while will be, "this is replacing a tent." My initial focus will be getting the trailer road/trail worthy and getting it weather tight. It will also need rewired, a new hitch, and some other minor maintenance items sooner rather than later.
PERFECT! Well, maybe not. At $1,200 that particular trailer was off the table.
After poking around some of my local contacts it turns out a buddy of mine had an M101 he needed to get rid of. The nice thing one he had already stripped off much of the military-spec bulk (lunette, surge brake, kick stands, and mil-spec axle/hub/wheel/tire assembly). He had replace the mil-spec axle with an aftermarket 3,500# axle that had drum brakes, was Jeep-width, and had the Jeep 5x4.5" bolt pattern. It was also rolling on 31x10.50 tires which is what my LJ currently has. He also offered me too sweet a price to pass up.
With the trailer base located it was on to the next task, finding a cap. Used truck caps are easy to come by in my area. A cursory search of Craigslist yields a few dozen any given day of the week. Some range from salvaged ones that have seen better days (around $100-$200) to almost-like-new take-offs (around $500-$700). A few days ago a friend sent me a link to one for $50 that was "over the mountain." Fearing it was a too-good-to-be-true deal I went and looked anyway.
It was for all intents and purposes a $50 cap. However, underneath the mold and mildew, and despite a few bent edges and a missing window, I saw it's potential. It came home with me later that day.
With the trailer and cap in my possession it was time to mock them up.
It's honestly not that heavy and can easily be moved by hand. I suspect I won't win any awards for the lightest trailer in the world, but it's beefy enough that it should hold up to some off-road use and abuse. At some point I'll get it on the scales.
The plans for the inside are pretty basic. Going to do a platform with a mattress (twin or maybe a double), storage cubbies, basic 12v/120v power, some sort of HVAC system (nothing more than fans to start), a few gallons of water, and that's about it. My mantra for a while will be, "this is replacing a tent." My initial focus will be getting the trailer road/trail worthy and getting it weather tight. It will also need rewired, a new hitch, and some other minor maintenance items sooner rather than later.