Enthusiast III
Backyard's M416 Overland Trailer Build!
- Thread starter Backyard Hotrods
- Start date
Contributor III
Great build, I’m eyeing a 416 to move some weight off my truck.
Enthusiast III
With 2 days to spare I finished the trailer just before we planned to leave in our vacation. Had 3 friends help me out the tent on the rack then took it out for a test drive. She towed great. 75mph no problem as long as the roads are smooth.
We went to CO for 2 weeks. The first few nights were in a little canyon on the Poudre River outside of Fort Collins. We got to relax and do some fishing. Caught a bunch of rainbows.
Then we went into RMNP as we had a a backcountry permit for 2 nights.
Then we headed to the San Juan mountains in the SW and did the Alpine Loop. That as incredible. Proud to say the trailer went up and over Engineer & Cinnamon Pass.
The trailer o performed great. The water system worked and 21G was perfect. My 11 lb propane tank was plenty for our meals. The actuators worked as they should and gave me no issues… wished they were a little faster at times lol but no big deal.
One thing I noticed that I will adjust over winter is my fender to tire clearance. Once the trailer was loaded up I lost a bit of clearance and I want at least a 1” more.
On the rough trails the brackets I made for the telescopic tubing / tent rack wasn’t as sturdy as I would like. I made them out of .125” and they need to be thicker. Will probably have some lasered out of 3/8” and be done with it.
Also want to add an awning of some type.
So those are my projects to come.
We went to CO for 2 weeks. The first few nights were in a little canyon on the Poudre River outside of Fort Collins. We got to relax and do some fishing. Caught a bunch of rainbows.
Then we went into RMNP as we had a a backcountry permit for 2 nights.
Then we headed to the San Juan mountains in the SW and did the Alpine Loop. That as incredible. Proud to say the trailer went up and over Engineer & Cinnamon Pass.
The trailer o performed great. The water system worked and 21G was perfect. My 11 lb propane tank was plenty for our meals. The actuators worked as they should and gave me no issues… wished they were a little faster at times lol but no big deal.
One thing I noticed that I will adjust over winter is my fender to tire clearance. Once the trailer was loaded up I lost a bit of clearance and I want at least a 1” more.
On the rough trails the brackets I made for the telescopic tubing / tent rack wasn’t as sturdy as I would like. I made them out of .125” and they need to be thicker. Will probably have some lasered out of 3/8” and be done with it.
Also want to add an awning of some type.
So those are my projects to come.
Attachments
Really nice trailer build!
I'm beginning on a similar build this winter for my M100 and using some of your ideas for inspiration. How was the CG of the trailer handling off road obstacles on your CO trip?
My tent and awning will be near 300lbs on a frame about as high as yours, so I'm curious if you had any close calls with rolling it, or if you had to be more careful when driving in the rocks than just trusting the trailer would follow anything the Jeep would get through?
Do you have anything heavy mounted under the frame to keep the weight lower, or was everything inside the tub?
I'm beginning on a similar build this winter for my M100 and using some of your ideas for inspiration. How was the CG of the trailer handling off road obstacles on your CO trip?
My tent and awning will be near 300lbs on a frame about as high as yours, so I'm curious if you had any close calls with rolling it, or if you had to be more careful when driving in the rocks than just trusting the trailer would follow anything the Jeep would get through?
Do you have anything heavy mounted under the frame to keep the weight lower, or was everything inside the tub?
Awesome work. Trailer turned out great..Unfortunatley, I parted ways with my trailer earlier this summer. I figured that everything I wanted to use the trailer for would fit in and on our '66 Scout.. Why bother with another registration and inspection if it wasnt really needed...
Enthusiast III
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Thanks I appreciate it. The CG was fine. The big thing I came into was I was very cautious on the alpine loop and there was a lot of traffic...nobody else was towing anything out there so everyone was faster than us. No big deal but I was constantly pulling over for people to pass me. I never thought I was going to flip it but there were some tight switchbacks and uneven areas of trail that definately took a careful line and going slow to go over. Hit some really strong winds a few times and that was the only thing that made me slow down the highway.
Enthusiast III
I finally took the time to finish the video of our first trip to CO using the trailer. I liteally had the trailer done 2 days before we left. We had a great time exploring some new areas such as the Poudre river / canyon area. Backcountry hiking in RMNP never gets old chasing trout. Exploring the Alpine Loop and surrounding areas was a blast!
I also have had time to reflect to go over some things on the trailer. Which means I am also shopping for a more versatile welder that can handle thicker metal. Some items I plan to update over the winter are the following:
Beefier brackets for the telescopic tubing
raised or improved fenders for more tire clearance
add a possible 270 awning
Possibly move the power station to the tongue box...but that would require a new tongue box and create a snowball effect of change...
I also have had time to reflect to go over some things on the trailer. Which means I am also shopping for a more versatile welder that can handle thicker metal. Some items I plan to update over the winter are the following:
Beefier brackets for the telescopic tubing
raised or improved fenders for more tire clearance
add a possible 270 awning
Possibly move the power station to the tongue box...but that would require a new tongue box and create a snowball effect of change...
Enthusiast III
I asked some rangers and they said that technically, pulling a trailer is prohibited on the Alpine loop or any of the surrounding trails. They also told me that it's rarely enforced aside from Darwin or Murphy doing what they do... unless you get stuck and they need to rescue you.
It bummed me out on my CO trip because I wanted to spend some time camping near Lake City, but didn't want to go all the way around by road.
Awesome build! Look forward to seeing what's next.
FYI, I reached out to the local governments, BLM, NFS, and so far I've heard back that trailers are not prohibited anywhere in the Alpine Loop area, and plenty of small off road trailers are seen throughout the year. They tend not to recommend people tow trailers due to the technical nature of the trails, and probably to limit people thinking a bigger camper will be ok to pass.
Enthusiast III
Wow so somebody lied to me. I'm aiming to go back this summer so at least I'll get a chance at redemption I guess.
Enthusiast III
I was looking for new springs for my M100 build, but it seems vintagejeepparts.com is down, maybe for good? Do you know the spring rate for the set you bought?
I'm considering these:
Front Leaf Spring Assembly (10 leaf) Fits 41-64 MB, GPW, CJ-2A, 3A, 3B, M38
Front Leaf Spring Assembly (10 leaf) Fits 41-64 MB, GPW, CJ-2A, 3A, 3B, M38 | Kaiser Willys
1945 - 1968 CJ2, CJ3, DJ3 front leaf spring - 10 leaf, 970 lb capacity
We offer 10 leaf front leaf springs for 1945-1968 CJ2,CJ3,DJ3, with a capacity of 970 lbs. Call or order online today!
www.generalspringkc.com
It looks like it was just temporary, or maybe an issue on my end reaching the website. I can see their products now, but I'll have to ask if they know the spring rating.
Enthusiast III
They're probably going to ask you what the loaded weight is so if it's not too much trouble, take it down to a scale and have it weighed.
Another option is to find a local spring shop and have them fabricate springs for you. I did that... just delivered the trailer to them and they took care of it.
Enthusiast III
I am not sure what the spring rate is. Once my trailer is loaded up I actually woudln't mind a little more spring rate or arch to them ...
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Enthusiast III
A few weeks ago I was finally able to upgrade my old 110 miller MiG welder.
I needed a welder that could handle thicker material and I really wanted to learn AB’s be able to Tig steel and aluminum. After looking at all the options I decided on a Miller multimatic 220 multiprocess welder. Been using it for about a month now and love its versatility. Dual tanks and can easily switch processes is so nice. Aluminum welding …well i have some work to do there
I picked it up from Cyberweld as they had good pricing and great support. Welding Supplies, Welding Helmets, Miller Welders from Cyberweld
Now I am ready to start my trailer projects
I needed a welder that could handle thicker material and I really wanted to learn AB’s be able to Tig steel and aluminum. After looking at all the options I decided on a Miller multimatic 220 multiprocess welder. Been using it for about a month now and love its versatility. Dual tanks and can easily switch processes is so nice. Aluminum welding …well i have some work to do there
I picked it up from Cyberweld as they had good pricing and great support. Welding Supplies, Welding Helmets, Miller Welders from Cyberweld
Now I am ready to start my trailer projects
Attachments
Enthusiast III
Well I said I was going to start on the trailer next but I decided I wanted to build a little welding / fab table. I am tired of cutting and welding on the garage floor. I'm too old for that nonsense. Plus it would be a good project with the new welder.
I ended up making it 24" x 41" with 3/8" thick plates on top 1" apart so I could use standard clamps to hold down material. I also added a sliding pull out to put the chop saw on so I can cut long stock and the top surface of the saw be level with the table.
I also installed total locking casters so I can move the table around and still have it totally locked out when I don't want it to move. These are really slick. The ones I used are rated for 350 lbs each. They have every option you could think off. I would definately recommend reaching out to them for all your caster needs as their service was excellent!
Overall I am real happy with how it turned out and NOW I am ready to start my trailer updates!
CastersHQ
I ended up making it 24" x 41" with 3/8" thick plates on top 1" apart so I could use standard clamps to hold down material. I also added a sliding pull out to put the chop saw on so I can cut long stock and the top surface of the saw be level with the table.
I also installed total locking casters so I can move the table around and still have it totally locked out when I don't want it to move. These are really slick. The ones I used are rated for 350 lbs each. They have every option you could think off. I would definately recommend reaching out to them for all your caster needs as their service was excellent!
Overall I am real happy with how it turned out and NOW I am ready to start my trailer updates!
CastersHQ
