zimm m416

hmmm... working on the picture upload... be back after i FAQ'it.

duhhhh... it says i have to have a host.

guess ill work on that next.

Photobucket seems to be the easiest

yep. found an online review, so thats what i picked.

now im working on linking it! funny, 30 years ago, i was the class wizz with a commadore 64...

at any rate, ive had this for about 10 years. i cleaned it up, put new tires on and a tire carrier, and let it sit.

i just put my old technitop on it after VOT.

Im thinking of either fabbing a split top for security. the tent will sit on the fixed half, on top of a pull out kitchen, and under it ill put an RV poly tank, battery, and my new and exciting aqua cube, and the other half will open to... stuff... one must have stuff.

id love to work out a simple way to make the tent raise and lower, but the lightweight cylinder you see on the Alaskan Camper behind it, are hard to come by. the industrial supplier im familiar with only have heavy duty pistons, and alaskan sort of keeps supply under a hat. more hours on the internetsweb i suppose.

So will we see this on the next VOT?

yes, thats the plan, assuming i dont finish my Gwagon interior, and locker simplification project... which i myself, am assuming i wont get done. one either gets out, or works on projects, and as i get older, i just want to get out.

it'll actually be at the vermont overland expo in all likely hood, if'n yinz lumberjacks are attending.

i need to fab a cross bar with a hitch to attach to the trucks rear recovery points, as i tucked a rear winch up under where the hitch would normally be.

mtnclimber actually inspired me to yank this concept out the mothballs.

a little fabbing this weekend.

i never got around to making the tow hitch for this bumper, and time was running short for vermont this week...

decided the old floppy springs were unsafe, so i replaced those, and the shocks, and sanded down all the lead paint to get to the little bit of surface rust.

everything seems to be spinning ok, and there really isnt any time to repack the bearings, so i'll just pull out tomorrow and see how it works.

Clever idea
What's the shear strength of the bolts you used to attach the hitch to the shackle mounts?

each is a 1" grade 5. i didnt feel like wasting cobalt bits on a grade 8 for the retention pin.

the hitch ends are 3/8 steel, the recovery points are 1" steel.

figure the typical 5000 pound hitch pin is 5/8 grade 5.

they are in single sheer, but the fit is like a glove (absolutely no wiggle) and the single sheer of each, opposes the force of the other. so unless theres some sort of deflection in the main tube, im in double sheer with 2x the steel of a factory chevy 6000 pound hitch point, with 3x the pin strength at each side, for example.

the tube is 3x2x1/4 with 1/4" gussets top and bottom. this is the realtive "weak" spot, if you want to call it that.

the bottom of the bumper deflects inward at a 45deg angle, so i cut the side plates to mate and prevent drooping.


it aint goin' anywhere.

That should do it  

i just looked in the book for giggles, the sheer of each bolt is 51,500lbs assuming the load is even and the bar doesnt deflect, thats a WWL of 25,000 pounds. i think im good with the 416

weeeelll, two issues.

one. laras MBA class meant we couldnt leave today, so i'll be zipping up tomorrow.

two. my original ball fabrication to adjust height and replace the lunette, was designed for a lifted fj40 and flipping stuff means i cant swing the tire out and get to the drawers that hold the recovery stuff.... hmmmm....


beta fail.


too late to fix it now. already have a list if fixits for when i get back some somewhere i havent made it to yet.