Poor-boy RTT - now I need a ladder

[rnArmy]

My ladder arrived today (see post above for specific ladder details). There were some cheaper ones on Amazon, and I swear some of them used the same pictures as the more expensive ones. But this one said it was rated for 330lbs; and at 10.5' was shorter than the average 12.5' ones I was seeing. I'm 205lbs, so I figured I'd be good. Next project - get a waterproof cover made for the PBRTT.

You can also see the swing-down & extended legs I recently added to the back of the trailer. I've got one more ordered for the tongue up front.

 

[rnArmy]

I was asked how wide the trailer frame was, and if the tent-cot legs were wider than the frame. Sorry for the delay in answering the question.
The HF-type 4' trailer frames are 40" wide; the legs on the tent cot are slightly wider then that. My trailer's tub has a WWII Jeep trailer flair at the top which allows the slightly wider tent cot legs to work.

If you never planned on using it on the ground again, you could trim the legs down till they were 40" or less apart (starting at the top of the legs). But since it technically is a cot, and the bottom has some give when you're in it, you would want to make sure you didn't trim so much that your weight caused you to touch the lid of your trailer.

 

[rnArmy]

Picked-up the trailer from the upholstery shop today. They made a cover for my PBRTT. Because of the way the legs attach to the tent-cot, you can't really make a cover that seals it (and covers the underside) like a regular RTT. But I'm pleased with it. Bring on the adventures!

My buddy and I took two of these tent-cots to northern Canada recently, and he left one with me. So I decided to make it a project to mount on my trailer's lid. Mission accomplished. However, if you add up the costs of the tent-cot itself, a ladder, having a cover made (etc.) you're looking at about a $900 project here. I decent entry level RTT can cost less then that, and you'd get possibly a larger footprint, a ladder (that stays under the RTT cover - mine doesn't), a mattress that stays in the RTT (no-can-do with my PBRTT), a larger rainfly, higher ceiling, a cover that really seals the tent from the weather, and a solid floor. So this isn't necessarily a cheaper option than an entry level RTT. I took it as a challenge to see what I could do with a tent-cot.

 

[Biker Eagle]

How about some info on your trailer.

 

[rnArmy]

How about some info on your trailer.

Trailer is based off a HF-type 4' trailer. I extended the tongue about a foot, put a 2" receiver up front (tongue is 49" long from the front of the tub to the opening of the front 2" receiver tube), a simple cooler tray up front (a narrowed 2" receiver cargo tray thing), and ran 2" angle iron all the way from the front of the cooler tray to the back to reinforce and give the trailer a better backbone (and put a 2" receiver in the rear - pictures below). The overly stiff factory slipper springs were replaced with 26" long springs with a shackle on the rear of the springs (and added shock absorbers). The factory axle was long replaced; currently running a 3500lb axle with 10" electric brakes. Tires are 235/75/15" tires on 15" rims. The diamond plate aluminum tub is a box built by Diamond Deluxe. They build hunting dog truck boxes (among other items) so I had a box built to my specs. I wanted a simple box (like a truck tool box) in the shape of the old WWII trailer tubs (rnArmy - get it?) and most importantly, with a hinged lid. There's no tailgate or fancy openings with slide-out trays; it is a box with a lid. Fenders are some aluminum diamond plate fenders I found on-line that I spray-painted black before bolting in place.
I put a lot of reinforcement pieces on the inside of the tub (2" wide by 0.5" tall by 1/8" thick "shallow channel" I call it purchased at Home Depot) to support all the stuff I've bolted to the outside of the tub. The spare tire carrier is a factory TJ piece bolted to the rear, and the spare tire also rests on the 2" receiver piece sticking out the rear.
Here is a very long thread I started focused on building up one of these little 4' HF-type trailers. They make a good platform if you're wanting to make an inexpensive but sturdy little expedition-type trailer. Mines been all up in Alaska and Canada (most recently a 10,000 mile trip from Ft Hood TX to Inuvik Canada to Seattle WA and back to TX) with zero trailer issues.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f27/...ype-trailer-ultimate-build-up-thread-1180456/
And if you're interested in our TX - Inuvik - TX trip (pictures from trip below): http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f109/usa-yukon-arctic-ocean-3582218/