M146 Camper

[tm america]

ya alot of expandos leak but so do most other military boxes to fix a leak on an expandible you just change the seals to fix other boxes its not that easy plus the expadible has radiant floor heat and it has ac to where the m146 and m109 dont

 

[davidkroberts]

which of the military expandibles stays enclosed like regular expansible trailer. I was thinking about making a military type camper but as cool as a open air front porch would be in a electronic repair trailer I think a longer nonexpansible would be more in line.

 

[tm america]

m313 is enclosed when open

 

[davidkroberts]

Thanks TM, the m313 mounted to a trailer is exactly what i was looking for. It would make an awesome travel trailer

 

[tm america]

i have one for sale in the classiffieds if anyone is interested

 

[whistlingdeuce]

Just an update. I Coated the roof with a rubberized roof cement from home depot. It was Henry brand which let me tell you was some sticky, gooey stuff. I used the mesh backing roll that was from the same company on the main seams between panels, and just coated on the rivited joints. Should take care of the 4 or 5 leaks that we had. I am goin to give it a few more storms to check to make sure that I got the leaks and then to do the insulation, ceiling, lights and paint. We got around 20 inches of snow this weekend and since I work for road crew I am sitting at 42 hours of overtime for the week I am goin to bed for a few days and will get to it some time after christmas.

Another update: 12-27-09
Got the insulation 95 % of the way done. Just have one more section with the light brackets in them. I used 1.5" Stryofoam board insulation with a 7.5 R value. I got the 2'x8' sheets and had to trim them down to 88" or so and then had to rip about 1/4" off the whole thing so it would fit in between the aluminum joist in the roof. I also got some 1/4"x8" rolled insulation that I stuffed into the edges and corners to help seal it up just a little bit more. Hopefully I will get a day in the light to get some pics to let you guys see the progress.

 

[whistlingdeuce]

Got the insulation complete and got one sheet of plywood back up. Ran into a problem with rehanging the wood so I have to get some new screws and try it again next weekend. I finally got some pics of the electric and the "spotlight" setup that I made for the lights shining on the ladder when entering and exiting. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[whistlingdeuce]

Quick update. Got the ceiling done. All plywood is up and has two fresh coats of paint on it. Thanks to my lovely and pregnant wife. Got 3 out of the 4 lights up but that last one went a little S.N.A.F.U.!!! It should be taken care of this weekend, along with the electric panel, extension cord, and the 24V lights that run down the middle. I got them painted and am waiting for the paint to dry. If all goes right the generator will be hooked up and we can have an operation test of the whole electricial system.

 

[whistlingdeuce]

Quick update. Got the ceiling painted, lights up, 24v light painted and up, and started paintin the sides. I am going to use the desert tan but the metal pieces on the door latches and the screens are goin to be painted 24087 semigloss. I feel like it is coming together very nicely. What do you guys think??

 

[srodocker]

mm nice!

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I really like the light for the stairs. I think I will do that with my m109. Great Job! Makes me miss my m146!!

 

[rmgill]

Since there's a side entry door, what about building a fold down back porch off the back? Hinge it and build some support arms/chains.

 

[davidkroberts]

thanks for the update. the trailers looking really good. Its exactly what i was imaging doing on my next project

 

[MilitaryRestoration]

ahh this all looks to familiar, however you had something better to start from hehe... I am actually in process of adding things to mine and making more a living quarters rather than just the finished trailer... should have most of the amenities. Will post pics and articles when done, but for now are top secrets Good job on the trailer! coming together real nice

 

[tm america]

looking really good. i like the way works gets done on your truck she works you take the pics. i need a set up like thatthe trailer looks great behind that m818 the paint is just right

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Just a quickie question....

What kingpin diameter is on your M146? 2.5" ? or larger?
Thanks!
John

 

[pistonring]

The M146 uses the same standard 2 1/2" king pin as most all civvy semi's use and should hook up to any M818 tractor or deuce tractor. I believe it was actually designed to be pulled by the deuce tractor. The m146 is wired to be pulled with a military 24 volt tractor only and does not have the electrical 12 volt civvy hookup plug like the M127,128,129 series trailers do. You can tow a M146 behind a civvy truck but your lights won't plug in.

 

[whistlingdeuce]

Finally after the long crappy winter of plowing the butt ton of snow that we got I finally got to work on the camper. I got all the screens repainted and rescreened, the walls have been painted in the sand color from GCI, and I replaced all the quarter round around the top and have the verticals and around the bottom to cut and install. I have to wait to do the bottom when I get the carpet in which is in my garage as we speak.... or read i guess. I will see what I can do in the near future but the wife is goin to pop at anyday with our first kid as I can't gaurentee anything. What do you guys think so far??

 

[bassetdeuce]

Very nice! Ours is a mint green color inside.

 

[whistlingdeuce]

Got a little more done and finally got a chance to take some pictures. For the most part now the painting is done except for a few touch ups here and there. I need to finish the carpet in the front half and tile in the back. I decided to do it that way so I can put my 4wheeler in the back or anything dirty and not destroy the carpet. I got some quick release "t-handle" pins to I can "lock" the door when we are inside so people can't just walk up and open the door from the outside.