M101 Lid (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Brentbba
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I think the Aluminum is a no-brainer...unless your budget numbers are real close.
A bunch of guys made some really nice ones so far.
A bunch of guys made some really nice ones so far.
if you're not going to put a tent or a heavy rack on it, the steel might be light enough, but with a bunch of stuff on top may get hard to open unless you figure out a good strut system. So Alum may be a better way to go? That is unless you'll have issues with it being strong enough to bolt stuff on it. For sure, make the lid high and deep if you can.
NorCalDoug
problems solved daily...
No brainer...aluminum.
next question.
mine's aluminum skinned over a steel 1x1 frame. the main benefit, aside from the weight saving is that it will never rust
next question.
mine's aluminum skinned over a steel 1x1 frame. the main benefit, aside from the weight saving is that it will never rust
- Thread starter
- #6
eleblanc,
I do know yours well and we've pm'ed about them, but to have one built here in Socal is about $250 more than what you were selling your last one for.
I've got a quote for a 1x2" steel frame with three crossmembers and steel top for $420. One guy suggesting aluminum says material for aluminum would run $200-250 more! Out of my price range.
I do know yours well and we've pm'ed about them, but to have one built here in Socal is about $250 more than what you were selling your last one for.
I've got a quote for a 1x2" steel frame with three crossmembers and steel top for $420. One guy suggesting aluminum says material for aluminum would run $200-250 more! Out of my price range.
- Thread starter
- #7
No brainer...aluminum.
next question.
mine's aluminum skinned over a steel 1x1 frame. the main benefit, aside from the weight saving is that it will never rust
Doug - you get much flex with a 1x1 frame? Recommendation from both fabricatiors I've spoke with so far say 1x2 for less flex.
use some good HD struts, and steel wont be an issue. ive got a (1/8th i think) steel lid thats 4X6X4" high. formed with 1X1 for cross bars & 1X2 along the long edges. used 3 HD ss needle bearing hinges bolted to angle iron that was welded to the lip. the lid probably weighs 80lbs. i really wanted a raised lid, and aluminum was way outta my budget.
heres my lid
hope this helps some
heres my lid
hope this helps some
- Thread starter
- #9
Thx - I've done a lot of search and reading and had seen your lid build. I like the slight angles for water run off you had done. 80 lbs isn't bad. A couple more cross braces won't add that much more weight either.
I'm just having a hard time believing that aluminum adds that much more to the cost vs steel.
do you have a welder?
Buy the aluminum yourself,
1x sheet 60"x96" 14ga of utility aluminum.
2x 1"x1"x.095" long any grade of aluminum but 6061T6 will do.
You can cut it all easily with jig saw and cutting disk, then find a shop that will bend the sheet. Then assemble the whole thing (tac only, no need to be a expert here), once done go to a shop that weld aluminum and for a hour or 2 they should be able to weld it all.
weight of my lid is like 50# at 3$ a pound it should not cost you more then 200$ of aluminum then 75-100$ to bend the cover and 75$ for a welder, if you assemble it yourself.
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I have a wood-framed, galvanized steel sheet lid with a roof top tent on my M100. Doing it this way saved money, and was easily manufactured without welding skills (I have none). The design has the wood frame sitting on the lip of the trailer, with the metal lid hanging over the trailer lip on all 4 sides so no rain gets in. Just another option...
goschbrandon,
Do you have any pics of your top? How did you bend the steel?
Sounds interesting.
Thanks, Alan
Do you have any pics of your top? How did you bend the steel?
Sounds interesting.
Thanks, Alan
Here's some pics:
Picasa Web Albums - Brandon - 2010-01-05 Tr...
Sheetmetal work was done at the shop I bought the metal from- they bent and riveted the box shape, and they provided a rolled drip edge.
The current iteration has a 2x4 frame along the outer edge with no crosspieces; the 2 pieces of unistrut that the RTT mounts to are bolted to the 2x4 frame for support and also each have a bolt going through the sheet metal at the centerline of the top. The 2x4s rest on top of the trailer tub, and have weatherstripping for dust/water. They also increase the lid-to-trailer interior height by 1 5/8 inches.
I originally had 1/2 inch plywood between the 2x4s and the sheetmetal. Waaaaay overkill, since the unistrut allows the RTT load to bear directly onto the trailer tub. A similar arrangement, albeit less stiff, could be developed using Yakima/Thule bars and towers. A super-cool setup would only skin the area outside the tent footprint, saving some useless weight (albeit not much weight).
Hinge barrels are recessed into the wood frame and are generic triangular hinges from Ace hardware. From the outside, all you see are the machine bolt heads for the hinges. It would be much easier to mount hinges to a square tube atop the trailer tub, but, alas, the M100 has a round tube.
Lessons learned for anybody's lid:
1. Put silicone on any bolt penetrations, or they will leak a surprising amount if on a horizontal surface.
2. Install gas struts- I have not yet done this, and the weight of the RTT makes raising the lid a royal pain.
3. a bolt-on hinge is removable, making it possible to remove the whole tent/lid assembly in order to use the trailer to haul things.
4. Unistrut is heavy, but allows for the attachment of the tent, a lift handle, and eye bolts to haul the assembly to the garage ceiling.
5. Check the dimensions of your trailer; it might not be square after 50 years of use.
6. The lid and RTT will support the weight of an IPOR rear bumper from Oregon to LA.
And finally, eleblanc's lid is one of the best looking I've seen. Simple but elegant, and well constructed.
Picasa Web Albums - Brandon - 2010-01-05 Tr...
Sheetmetal work was done at the shop I bought the metal from- they bent and riveted the box shape, and they provided a rolled drip edge.
The current iteration has a 2x4 frame along the outer edge with no crosspieces; the 2 pieces of unistrut that the RTT mounts to are bolted to the 2x4 frame for support and also each have a bolt going through the sheet metal at the centerline of the top. The 2x4s rest on top of the trailer tub, and have weatherstripping for dust/water. They also increase the lid-to-trailer interior height by 1 5/8 inches.
I originally had 1/2 inch plywood between the 2x4s and the sheetmetal. Waaaaay overkill, since the unistrut allows the RTT load to bear directly onto the trailer tub. A similar arrangement, albeit less stiff, could be developed using Yakima/Thule bars and towers. A super-cool setup would only skin the area outside the tent footprint, saving some useless weight (albeit not much weight).
Hinge barrels are recessed into the wood frame and are generic triangular hinges from Ace hardware. From the outside, all you see are the machine bolt heads for the hinges. It would be much easier to mount hinges to a square tube atop the trailer tub, but, alas, the M100 has a round tube.
Lessons learned for anybody's lid:
1. Put silicone on any bolt penetrations, or they will leak a surprising amount if on a horizontal surface.
2. Install gas struts- I have not yet done this, and the weight of the RTT makes raising the lid a royal pain.
3. a bolt-on hinge is removable, making it possible to remove the whole tent/lid assembly in order to use the trailer to haul things.
4. Unistrut is heavy, but allows for the attachment of the tent, a lift handle, and eye bolts to haul the assembly to the garage ceiling.
5. Check the dimensions of your trailer; it might not be square after 50 years of use.
6. The lid and RTT will support the weight of an IPOR rear bumper from Oregon to LA.
And finally, eleblanc's lid is one of the best looking I've seen. Simple but elegant, and well constructed.
Thanks for the info and the pics.
So how much does your top weigh?
So how much does your top weigh?
pretty much goes with anything. M101 lids, wheels, motors...etc. its just a more expensive metal in general. lighter and doesnt rust...but more expensive.
all steel 3 pieces and sq. steel tube for support and racks.. wieght .. i dont know? but i know that with 2 150# struts and the tent on top it opens with 2 fingers to get it movin then it goes up on its own....
metal properties
This link may help some folks calculate an approximate weight. Note that aluminum and steel have different gauge to decimal inch equivalents.
Sheet Metal Gauge Size - Engineers Edge
Gauge and Weight Chart
You can also find tubing weights/foot here, just navigate around a bit.
Order Aluminum 6063 Square Tube in Small Quantities at OnlineMetals.com
Never bought from them but their site is informative.
This link may help some folks calculate an approximate weight. Note that aluminum and steel have different gauge to decimal inch equivalents.
Sheet Metal Gauge Size - Engineers Edge
Gauge and Weight Chart
You can also find tubing weights/foot here, just navigate around a bit.
Order Aluminum 6063 Square Tube in Small Quantities at OnlineMetals.com
Never bought from them but their site is informative.
X2- nice work. The key to saving weight (as demonstrated by swampman) is to use thin sheet for weather and carry the load with frame pieces. My wood-framed lid is probably in the 50 lb range; it's significantly lighter than the tent atop it.
