American trucks......my soft spot......

[Jeff]

I would LOVE to know the regs on line haul trucks in Oz..... axle weights etc... drivers licensing etc.....   one thing I do notice, and correct me if I am wrong, I see on the air cleaners, a tall mounted pipe with the scoop mounted almost cab high, now I am assuming ( and we all know what happens with that) is the air intakes for the filters mounted high due to the red dust I always see on tv shows about Oz, I am assuming higher air intakes reduces the amount of dirt , dust and crap going through the filters.................... am I close?? We don't have that here in Canada ( I personally think they look cool ) and our air filters are just the plain ones with a lower intake.....

[Guest DannyVM]

22 hours ago, CrankyCrafstman said:

Hey Danny

 I'm not sure. I haven't driven a semi in over 40 years. It's mainly because I want the air ride suspension on the model I'm making. Most all of the videos of lowboy trailers you see on YouTube have air ride so I'm going by those for my project. Also the 3 axle trailer is more closely proportioned to the drawing I did. It's a model of a LoadKing lowboy. It has all of the outriggers and "D" rings, that the other model doesn't have.

 Regular leave springs where the first type of suspension systems for lowboys and they are still the basic setup on a base trailer. Air is optional.

Ron G 

Oh ok Ron i see. thank's for the explanation mate.

Steve, thank's allot for these photo's, they are of great value to me because they are excellent reference material.

[Wumm]

20 hours ago, DannyVM said:

Steve, thank's allot for these photo's, they are of great value to me because they are excellent reference material.

No problem Danny...

Here's some more.

Freightliner Cabover now, from the tail lights looking forward. Strut on the axle top goes the opposite way on this American-made truck.

All of these chassis' have the wiring bundles on the inside of the left chassis rail, no matter the manufacturer. Freightliner front axle looking from the right side, just behind the fifth wheel.

Freightliner wiring around the auxiliary spring brake.

Rear of the Freightliner COE

And a view from the right side, showing one of the four mounting points of the cab to the chassis, as well as the motor; a 600hp Cummins in this case even though it's painted red.

Now, an example of a lifted axle, in this case the forward of the rear three on a Volvo Tipper.

And finally, this is a 1980 Mack Tipper. You can see the spring brakes at the rear where the airbags would normally be on a modern truck, and the heavy duty leaf springs on this 25 tonne capacity truck, which I imagine would be similar on your 1970's vintage Freightliner.

HTH,

Steve

 

[Jeff]

Steve, as soon as I saw the red engine, I thought, Detroit 60 Series, then red your notes, 600 Cummins, I bet that baby has some wild torque.... are a lot of the newer trucks in Oz Automatic transmissions these days as they are starting to get to be here now?  I really like the tail gate locks on the Mack , here all we have is one of those locks on each side of the tailgate, that can get bent and bound up, and usually just when you need to be precise and spread gravel in front of the grader..... I like those locks way better than our setups. although I'm not sure if they would last long here, as our guys ( where I worked) didn't give a damn and just lifted the box, and with pit run or shot rock just let it fly and bent more tail gates than you can imagine, ......... so that system would probably nor work here, I love it though...

Looks like Gunnite automatic  Slack adjusters, and I see even the caging bolts are still on the brake chambers...... our brake chambers, ( the ones on our trucks at where I used tow work ) don't seem to carry a caging bolt any more......not sure why.... and we all know there are days when we need those.... awesome photos....

[CrankyCrafstman]

Hey all 

  I did some work on the two trailers. I started to fix some of the errors in them, wheels not spaced apart properly, wrong wheels, some of the axles were wrong, etc. The files are coming along fairly well, but still need work before I'm anywhere near printing them. I wanted to post some pictures but because my wife is hocked up remotely it's very difficult to get screen shots.

Ron G 

[Guest DannyVM]

Ok guy's, this weekend i have a chance to do some more work regarding frame details. the build is slowly progressing due to the scratch details i need to add and of course my noobie knowledge regarding trucks.

Also, last week the CTM photo etch set was delivered so time to take a closer look at this.

Jeff provided me with some interesting links and Czech Truck Model was one of them. Thank's for that mate.

I ordered some pe for my White Freightliner and i must say, this stuff is just great.

This pe is very nice regarding details.

Also some resin

Every pe frame is separately packed into a plastic bag

Instructions

I also have the interior colored pe. Same quality, just like the Eduard stuff i would say.

Ok, time for some action was my thinking, but.................it look's there a need to add some cross members to the frame. When i look at the instructions they are cab cross members. Just the instruction photo isn't very clear where to put these two cross members. I'm sure it's due to my very limited knowledge about these sort of spot's.

I recognize a tyre, and i suppose this cross member need's to be installed in the vicinity of the cab??

Anybody who can help me out with this one??

[Bomber_County]

Danny, that’s a large amount of PE, you’ll be cross eyed before you finish......looking good....

[Wumm]

My best guess for the triangular cross member would be inside the tunnel of the Cab in roughly this position.

I think I see it partially hidden here in this Cab shell photo.

S

[Jeff]

Steve............. would that actually be a cab gusset, ? for integral strength of the lower cab body needed for when lifting the cab, it holds everything together... part of the cab integrity..... that is my first thought, and I think you are right on with the location....

[Jeff]

I really like the P/E , Danny..... a much higher level of detail than the kit part for sure...... you will make this a diamond of a kit !

[Guest DannyVM]

So if i understands correctly, the cross member should be attach to the inner side of the cabine for strength??

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

I really like the P/E , Danny..... a much higher level of detail than the kit part for sure...... you will make this a diamond of a kit !

Love to work with pe mate, and this one is a bigger scale, so good for my fingers......

[Jeff]

12 minutes ago, DannyVM said:

So if i understands correctly, the cross member should be attach to the inner side of the cabine for strength??

Love to work with pe mate, and this one is a bigger scale, so good for my fingers......

The , what I would call the 'cab gusset ', as to where Steve has it located, which I agree with , I would say, yes to your assumption, but I would tape it there and try it to make sure it fits correctly, but I would say Steve has it spot on......

Bigger P/E good for your eyes too

[Wumm]

Yes that's it Jeff,

A gusset or brace for longitudinal stability. There is a lot of flexing and movement with so much weight up high, well all over the vehicle actually when it's travelling over uneven surfaces. 

Newer trucks seem to sit higher, and not straddling the tunnel like the kit instructions show. This is the Freightliner COE now, looking at the front right wheel; note the longitudinal bracing provided now.

You asked about intakes and exhausts...

The regs here used to specify exhaust had to exit on the right side, away from possible Pedestrian traffic on footpaths, but I'm not sure now. Most Prime Movers have the intakes elevated and in front or the opposite side to the exhaust stacks, smaller and general duty Trucks behind the Cab in the negative air generated there.

Volvo FM Cab on the line, without aero kit or exhaust at this stage.

Volvo FH showing exhaust, and how the intake fits inside the aero kit on the left... Volvos here run to Euro 5 specs so have reduced particulate matter (e.g. soot!)

Mack Trident on the line...

For some reason, the canisters on the intakes above are unpainted. Usually, they are the Cab colour, as on this Superliner. Having the intakes up high certainly helps keep the dust out, but the canisters also contain filters specifically for this reason.

This is the top rear of our Freightliner COE for Danny, single exhaust and opposite side intake.

Finally I mentioned weight distribution and chassis flex before... This photo is a good illustration. The Volvo FH from before turning left, note how the rear of the chassis is following the camber of the road, but the top of the Cab is swaying opposite towards the right as the Truck executes the turn. You always have to factor in body roll, especially when negotiating obstacles above your eyeline.

S

[Jeff]

Some of that cab roll, could be due to air ride cabs? Some or most of the newer units here have air ride suspension air ride seats, and the cabs are on an air bag as well, and I have seen some of them really heal over on a sharp turn....nice ride though , compared to the old school Mack Camel back suspension OR the dreaded "Rubber Block" suspension and old school Bostrom spring seats ( I could never make those work worth a shit ) ..................

[Jeff]

Is that an air tank at the very back of the frame cross member on the back of that Volvo? Seems a vulnerable spot for a tank.... ?

[CrankyCrafstman]

Hey all

 I guess I went a little crazy on these 1/25 truck models, but I  sure am enjoying working on them. It brings back memories of when I drove the big rigs. 

 So this is what I got. 1/25 AMT Kenworth w925, Amt tri-axle gravel trailer (2) and AMT tandem van double trailers kits. My plans are to make all of this into a Michigan gravel train! I have to shorten one of the dumps to 24' and I'm using the tandem van kit for making the dual axle dolly. This beast is going to have 11 axles and 42 tires/wheels. Here are some pictures.

this will be the tractor for the gravel train. Mostly out of box, but with some detail stuff to set it off. I have to add a hydraulic oil tank (supplied from the tri-axle kit) for the two trailers hydraulic cylinders, which I'm going to make work.

these are the dump trailers I'm using for the gravel train. I belive they are 30' long but I'm not sure, have to check on that. I'm adding all the air, electric and hydraulic lines to these.

this is mostly going to be used for parts. The wheels are different than the gravel trailer kits, there close but different. I may have to try and locate a set of 8 wheels and tires from the gravel trailer kit. I don't want to but it may have to be done to make the whole thing look right.

I guess I'm going to have to do a build thread on this too...lol

Here's what I have done so far.

blue hose-main air line, green wire is the 7 pin electrical connection, black hose-hydraulic feed line and red hose-emergency air line. The glad hands came from A.I.T.M. along withe the blue, green and red lines. The black hose is from another kit and the hydraulic fittings are misc. Items I had on hand the electrical connection on the trailer is scratch built from plastic and brass tubing.

this view shows the 4 different connectors.

close up view, it's a bit fussy but you get the idea. Well back to work. I still have the AMT Caterpillar d8h on the bench and I started on the frame for the 4 axle Peterbilt 359 that will pull the dozer on my custom tri-axle lowboy trailer. This will have 425 floats from Moebius super single kit on the front and I'm also using two of the rear super singles for the front drive lift axle. That's it for now be back with more soon.

Ron G 

[Jeff]

So, Ron..................your plight with wheels and tires, set me to thinking..................  I know, that CAN be dangerous...BUT..... like you, I have been at this model thing for a VERY long time, so much so, I have and am giving some of my stash to some friends for their kids, but that aside, I have multiple old busted up truck kits, and all are in the 'parts' box, so Cathy says why don't we put all like parts in a 'baggie' of sorts, like all wheels and tires, in one, engines and the like in another.... at first I thought, naw, that's dumb................. now I'm not so sure, if I do this I certainly will be able to find whet I want, in not time, rather than dumping my 'parts' box all over the floor......because sometimes a guy needs just one specific part that may have been gobbled up by the carpet monster............. and with that said, I may even be able to cobble another truck together with all the bits I have ....... hhhmmm..... I'm sure I will find stuff I never knew I had too ! And I also think the old AMT Cummins engine is light years ahead of the Revell Cummins with the molded in starter??

[CrankyCrafstman]

Hey Jeff 

  Still haven't heard from Moluminum on the tires, I hope he answers soon i would really like to get some of his tires for the Mich. Gravel train. Speaking of that I'm starting a build thread on the Michigan gravel train so I can show my progress on it. You only have one spare parts box, jeese I have maannnyy...lol

Ron G 

[Jeff]

2 minutes ago, CrankyCrafstman said:

Hey Jeff 

  Still haven't heard from Moluminum on the tires, I hope he answers soon i would really like to get some of his tires for the Mich. Gravel train. Speaking of that I'm starting a build thread on the Michigan gravel train so I can show my progress on it. You only have one spare parts box, jeese I have maannnyy...lol

Ron G 

Actually, I had 3 BIG ones and trimmed it down to  3 small ones.... 5 Kw 925's , 3 Pete 359's, Mack R 600, Pete Cabover KW 100, Freighliner cab over, 5 frames,  a number of Cummins 350's, and even an 8 V 71 complete with the air intakes, and found the valve covers... 925 frames, complete with the 5 & 4 even still had the " A " Boxes, and shift linkages !  I can actually try to do some rebuilds..... may not need to get a new 925..... LOTS of rims and tires, all Alcoas though... 2 sets of Hendrickson suspensions, and a Camel Back spring pack ! Also a bunch of rear ends, all bagged , now it will be easier to search out parts......  I'm sure you will hear from Jamie, he is a good guy and is very good to deal with....

[CrankyCrafstman]

Hey all

  I have a little update for all of you. I finally figured out how to get images off of Unigraphics. I exported some jpegs...dahh. So now I have pictures of the 3 axle trailer, and some surprise pictures, here we go.

this view shows the 3-axle drop nose lowboy trailer from the front.

this view shows the 3-axle drop nose lowboy trailer from the rear.

this view is from the top looking down.

this view is from the bottom looking up.

 This next set of pictures is why I haven't been modeling at my bench. I have actually been modeling at he computer on Unigraphics. I got a little carried away and modeled up my Revell 4 axle Peterbilt 359 tractor.

this view shows the 359 from the front.

this view is from the rear looking forward.

this is a closer view of the rear.

this is a side view showing the length. I dont have everything on it yet. I'm not sure how far I'm going to go on this, we'll see.

  The next two pictures are of the next thing I might be modeling up in Unigraphics. It's a Newray 1/32 excavator, so they say. Actually I think it's a lot closer to 1/25-1/24 scale. The arms are pretty good. The body is not quite as nice. The tracks are the worst. Every thing works ok. I'm going to pull it apart to see how I can modify it. It scales to a medium sized excavator in 1/25 scale.

this is the Newray excavator, it came with the truck and trailer, but there 1/32 so not interested in them, so I gave them to my son to use on his slot car track set-up.

this view shows the excavator next to the cab from the 1/25 Peterbilt 359. It sure looks like 1/24-1/25 scale to me! Well that's it for now be back soon with more Cad work...lol

 P.S.   I also have pictures of the 4-axle drop nose lowboy trailer and some pictures of some Caterpillar d8h tracks that I modeled up also. I'll post them tomorrow. The computer was shut down before I realized that I didn't get them downloaded.

Ron G 

[Jeff]

Where did you get the digger?? I have been looking for one, and the lowbed is VERY yummy !!!!!

[CrankyCrafstman]

Hey Jeff 

 I got it off of Amazon, I think it was around $40.00 or so. It came with a day cab Pete and lowboy trailer, albate 1/32 scale. If you go to Newrays web site they show a 1/24 scale one that is yellow, but it's the same as the one I have. Yeah trailer is coming along ok, I've been contemplating using the front section from the 4-axle on the rear portion of the 3-axle, but haven't gotten that far yet.

Ron G 

[Jeff]

9 hours ago, CrankyCrafstman said:

Hey Jeff 

 I got it off of Amazon, I think it was around $40.00 or so. It came with a day cab Pete and lowboy trailer, albate 1/32 scale. If you go to Newrays web site they show a 1/24 scale one that is yellow, but it's the same as the one I have. Yeah trailer is coming along ok, I've been contemplating using the front section from the 4-axle on the rear portion of the 3-axle, but haven't gotten that far yet.

Ron G 

Thanks Ron, I did see that model actually... I have seen those excavators painted quite convincingly actually, and as for the trailer, are you going to 3D print the goose neck portion? If so I may be interested in a copy...... the low bed looks spot on

[CrankyCrafstman]

Hey Jeff 

 I do plan on trying to print it, actually I plan on printing as much of it as possible. The deck is way to long to fit on the printers printing bed and would have to be printed in several pieces. So that part I would plan on building from scratch. I haven't tried pinting it yet thats probably going to be the next step. If I can get it to print you'll be the first one on the list. I'll have to get with my son and figure out how much it would cost, resin, tine, etc.

Ron G 

[CrankyCrafstman]

Hey Jeff 

 I just found these on the old web. They are 1/24 scale RC Caterpillar construction equipment. They are due for release  in August of thus year. They look like they will sell for around $100 US maybe less. They are from Diecast Masters out of Florida.

this is what I'm drooling over!!!  She sure would look sweet on my drop nose lowboy trailer!!!...lol

medium size dozer

medium size front loader.

6 wheel drive dump truck. These are all full function, sone I believe even have sound.

Ron G