Fiberglass M416/M100 Military-style Trailer Tub Kit

[klb67]

Having the choice is great. I like the look of the M100 fender, but can appreciate the utility of the M416 fender.

 

[Mark Harley]

Mark me down for the round fenders. I like the look better.

 

[jscherb]

Angular!!! I like the idea of using the flat surface as a table mount.

They definitely make a nice place to attach a table bracket like the one available from Compact Camping (http://compactcampingconcepts.com/sidetable.htm).

 

[jscherb]

Today I got the floor installed into the tub.

The floor is 1/2" plywood. The wood will be sealed on all sides with a paintable wood sealer, and when I do the final installation of the floor, the joints between the side/end panels and the floor with be sealed with automotive seam sealer (could also be done with paintable latex caulk), and the final finish on the inside will be bed liner color-matched to the exterior paint.

There are lots more photos of the floor build/install in the main build thread in the Trailer Adventuring Forum: http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-119.html

 

[jscherb]

Since this is a prototype, one of its important functions is to prove the strength of the various components and of the final assembly. A few weeks ago I did the "225-lb. gorilla test" on the tailgate, to prove that the rear panel would be strong enough to support loads on the tailgate through the stay cables:

Today's gorilla test involves the fenders. Now that I've got the tub assembly complete with the floor in place, it's time to see how strong the side panels are in supporting the fenders, and how strong these fenders are:

Gorilla tests: passed .

 

[BigLig]

This looks fantastic.

I love, love, love it!

 

[jscherb]

This looks fantastic.

Thanks! In the next week I'll begin the paint process, it'll be getting olive drab paint, color-matched olive-drab bed liner on the inside, and some military-inspired decals. I think it'll look really nice then .

I'm really pleased with how the design worked out, it's actually stronger than I expected it would be when I did the initial design, and things like integrating a Jeep-style tailgate into the design, the design for the modified Harbor Freight frame, the tonneau cover and the M416-style wide fenders have worked out really well. And with the "gorilla tests" passed, I'm comfortable releasing the design for production .

 

[jscherb]

Before I disassemble the trailer to begin the painting process, I'm trying to finalize decals for it. I plan a military theme, but I'm not going to strictly adhere to military standards. I'm going to paint the tub olive drab, and I'll do the inside in color-matched olive drab bed liner. Here's what I'm thinking for the decals:

I've printed out a test set and taped the printouts in place to see what everything looks like. The decals would be white on the olive drab tub, but since I'm testing them on the unpainted white tub, some of them I printed in black.

Sides:

Tailgate:

A reproduction M416 data plate:

What do you think? Any suggestions for changes/improvements?

 

[psykokid]

awesome as always, keep up the good work!

 

[Mark Harley]

Love the build plate!

 

[jscherb]

Love the build plate!

I'm thinking of stamping it with my own data, plus the VIN of the Harbor Freight trailer (the VIN is just made up for this illustration):

 

[mjohns2]

I hope you know that everyone's next question is, "okay, so how much would it cost to make me one?"

 

[jscherb]

I hope you know that everyone's next question is, "okay, so how much would it cost to make me one?"

That's not my department, I'm just the designer/protoype builder .

Seriously, I've designed this kit to be as simple as possible to mold, so it can be manufactured at the lowest cost possible. I've also designed it to ship UPS Ground to keep shipping costs as low as possible. But the price depends on the company that's going to bring it to market. And of course the cost depends on how you're going to outfit it, what frame you put under it (Harbor Freight frame or welded frame?), what wheels and tires, etc.

Pricing for my fiberglass Jeep-tub trailer kit project (pictured below), which was licensed by a company and has been on the market for a year now, is at www.dinoot.com. That's no guarantee of the pricing for this kit of course, that's up whatever company brings the military kit one to market.

But just for comparison, the Jeep-tub kit consists of 6 fiberglass parts (7 if you also buy a tailgate with the kit), while the military tub kit consists of 4 fiberglass parts (5 if you buy a tailgate with the kit), instead of the fiberglass inner fenders you would use your choice of external fenders.

 

[jscherb]

Updated graphics drawing, I hadn't bothered to change the red color of the frame in the previous drawing, but I do plan to paint the frame olive drab as well...

 

[Mark Harley]

Nice military rendering................although I am partial to your red cammo version!