Another M101 Build

[70sguy]

The size and weight of my Eezi Awn 2200 creates some serious issues for front hinging. At 88" long it extends nearly 7" beyond both the front and the rear of the trailer, not to mention, it has 2 ladders and weighs 180lbs.
So I don't see front hinging as an option for me.

LX, nice set up. You probably have it covered already, but I though I better mention.. be sure that your main aluminum support rail is supported when you open your tent, with the 45deg on the sides of your lid it looks like there may not be any support there. Nothing under that rail when opened equals overloaded hinges and they DO bend....don't ask me how I know this.

 

[swampman]

well i dont think my strut set is going to help you at all cuz ... it just aint . wer'e in two totally different spots.. i might suggest though a little re-enforcing of your mounts .. it surely wouldnt hurt.. i didnt realize that tent was so heavy.. mine came with a shipping wieght of 160lbs but i dont think its correct.. our tents gotta be similar in wieght though. you have a bit more floor than me but i gots alot more canvas.. anyway a strut pic for you sir...

 

[AATLAS1X]

So this is not a M101?

Sheldon, yours is a 1/4 ton, right?

 

[d0ubledown]

thats a US spec M101 (A1?). thats a 1 or 2 ton trailer iirc. very big, wide & heavy. sheldons is a cdn M101, the cdn equivalent of the US M416 1/4 ton trailers.

 

[AATLAS1X]

Can I the details on the tent and awning please.

 

[swampman]

yup sure.. the tent is a serengeti trailer tent by my way tents south africa. improted by fernando at camping labs.. sweet tent big bucks but worth every penny as far as im concernd.. the awning or fly is included.. real nice in the nasty weather.. i can get out walk around the tent get stuff outta the trailer have smoke whatever no smoking in the tent please.. i heard they are makin a smaller fly for it for when you just want a quick set up ,dont have enough room kinda thing but really it takes less than 10 mins to set op anyway give fernando a call ..

 

[70sguy]

LX, nice set up. You probably have it covered already, but I though I better mention.. be sure that your main aluminum support rail is supported when you open your tent, with the 45deg on the sides of your lid it looks like there may not be any support there. Nothing under that rail when opened equals overloaded hinges and they DO bend....don't ask me how I know this.

Here is a pic that 'splains what I mean by supporting the open side.
I added a length of aluminum angle to the length of the lid to catch the aluminum rib on the open side of the RTT, I originally tried shifting the RTT off center on the lid to gain support that way but it looked wack and shifted more weight to the high side when you open the lid.
Turns out the added angle works well to shed water when you open the lid/stowed RTT in the rain. Prevents the water from draining into the hinges and into the trailer.

 

[Panzer]

You could probably cut a tailgate and alleviate the twisting issue with a side opening top by maintaining a connection across the top of the gate. There really is no need to have a true tailgate but more of a tail "door" when you have a topper on the trailer.

 

[swampman]

agreed... if mine were a side opening lid i may have done just that, with the front mount like mine , not needed, the tail gate opening is rock solid, welded to the tub and right thru the floor to the frame, so far it is working well, i only open the lid for loading before the trip and first thing when i set up camp,, after that everything is in tote boxes anyway so it is easy to slide things in and out,

 

[70sguy]

Yeah.. was thinkin on just leaving the rear end alone until I saw this.
Setting up the DRIFTA DPO
The 1"x1" top tube of the M101 will stay put to maintain some extra rigidity for the side lid.

 

[eleblanc]

WOW,

I want one of those drawer!

Yeah.. was thinkin on just leaving the rear end alone until I say this.
Setting up the DRIFTA DPO
The 1"x1" top tube of the M101 will stay put to maintain some extra rigidity for the side lid.

 

[eleblanc]

Sheldon,

Looking at the picture, did you put the hinge side of the RTT on the latch side of the trailer? i have it the other way around.

BTW; the UZJ100 is in my parking waiting inspection...Never seen such a clean 10 year old truck, very happy with the purchase.

Here is a pic that 'splains what I mean by supporting the open side.
I added a length of aluminum angle to the length of the lid to catch the aluminum rib on the open side of the RTT, I originally tried shifting the RTT off center on the lid to gain support that way but it looked wack and shifted more weight to the high side when you open the lid.
Turns out the added angle works well to shed water when you open the lid/stowed RTT in the rain. Prevents the water from draining into the hinges and into the trailer.

 

[Greg_B]

WOW,

I want one of those drawer!

We're just emailing back and forth with Luke, and it sounds like he has some product landing in Seattle just about now, and is checking out the market in North America. Will keep ya'll informed.

gb

 

[70sguy]

Sheldon,

Looking at the picture, did you put the hinge side of the RTT on the latch side of the trailer? i have it the other way around.

BTW; the UZJ100 is in my parking waiting inspection...Never seen such a clean 10 year old truck, very happy with the purchase.

Hinge side of RTT is on Hinge side of the lid on the trailer..
I don't think it would work really well any other way.

The 100 looks fab. Nice score.

 

[70sguy]

Update Time

So after much deliberation about cutting the gate, I decided that the Pro's outweighed the Con's. I also decided that the Drifta DPOS kitchen was a must have bit of kit so it was off to see Jason at Cruisin Offroad.

Jason did an amazing job on the gate. He incorporated a bulb seal into the design and maintained the top 1"x1" tube rail across the rear for structural integrity. The end result is a trailer that is as well sealed and as strong as before but so much more convenient to access.
Kitchen and food prep had always been a hodge podge of rubbermaid bins with no appreciable counter space. Love the Drifta!
I'll let the pics speak for themselves.

 

[70sguy]

You will also notice that the struts have been repositioned. A little more in the way now but they function
a whole lot better. The struts get a lot closer to horizontal in the closed position so no more self opening is going on.
The tailgate latch config I did was supposed to be a quick and dirty to get going, and come up with something better later..
but I think I like em and they will stay as they are.
Something to be said for simple.
Anyone recognize the gate hinges?

 

[70sguy]

I had to get a stove that would do justice to the Drifta Kitchen. Partner Steel was the natural choice.
Extremely pleased with the quality and performance of this stove. Highly recommended. These stoves are truly as good as it gets.

We did over 5000 kms of road tripping and 21 days camping out of the 80 and M101 in the month of June, touched 5 states in the NW USA. The 101 truly is our home away from home.
Can't wait to for the next trip....Surf & Turf perhaps.

 

[crushers]

looks very nice Sheldon.
congrats.

 

[1Fine40]

That drifta is so cool! Who distributes in the CONUS?? Hopefully there is one?


Cheers!

 

[70sguy]

Contact Drifta Luke in AUS. He shipped a 20' container over this spring, that's how mine got here.
He has a guy in Twisp Washington that is taking care of receiving containers and then shipping out the drawer systems and kitchens as they sell.
Not sure how many DPOS and DPOR trailer kitchens he shipped over. Trailer kitchens are a bit of a trick as there is RH and LH configurations etc. and customized more often than not by the sounds of it.
Luke will be at the Overland Rally in Ellensburg WA on the 27-31 of this month if anyone wants some hands on with the Drifta stuff.