hooknladderno1 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Hi Gang, I was doing a little research into possible conversion projects for my recently acquired Lonestar kit. I just received Dave "Cargostar" Carey's awesome daycab! Anyone happen to know what the unaltered wheelbase is supposed to be? TIA! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 280" if I recall correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 The easy way to find out is measure from the middle of the front axle stub to the middle of the first drive axle stub and multiply that by 25 to get the real wheelbase. Example: If the measurement is 8 inches, then the real wheelbase would be 200 inches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaronw Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I thought the wheel base of a tandem axle was from the front axle to a point halfway between the rear axles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Force Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) That's how they measure the wheelbase in the US, Canada and some other countrys, and here in Sweden and several coutrys in Europe measures the wheelbase from the center of the front axle to the center of the first rear axle. So both are correct depending on where you are. Edited April 24, 2014 by Force Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Hmmmm....I think I might have to check in with the shop here at work and find out!! I always thought it was the way I first said, but I'll check with one of the better mechanics here at the yard that I also found is a modeler as well! I'm sure he'll steer us in the right direction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Well didn't ask the shop's modeling mechanic yet, but did Google it and from a few sites I looked at, I am incorrect. I haven't figured out if I can copy and paste site addresses using my new phone yet, but the two that I looked at both said that the wheelbase is measured from the center of the front steer axle to the center of the REAR drive axle hub. I guess now I have to remeasure the wheelbase of my custom Ford and find out its correct wheelbase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Force Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 (edited) Here is a picture explaining this. The Wheelbase on a 3 axle dual drive truck is the distance between the center of the front axle (or the center point of the two if it's two steer axles) to the center point between the rear axles. If it's a 2 axle truck it's the center of the front axle to the center of the drive axle. And if it's a tri-axle bogie it's the center of the front axle to the center of the middle axle. And another picture explaining how we specify a truck over here in Sweden. We have different load regulations than the US so the way we do it is slightly different. The wheelbase (A) is the distance from the center of the front axle to the center of the first axle in the bogie (in this case measured in millimeters), and the next measure is the axle spacing between the rear axles and depending on those measures and what type of suspension the truck has they calculate the "theoretical wheelbase" wich is sligtly closer than how the wheelbase is measured in the US if you only have single drive with a tag axle, if the rear bogie is a dual drive the "theoretical wheelbase" and the way you measure the wheelbase in the US are the same. Over here the center of the weight of the load when the truck is fully loaded must be where you get the maximum load evenly spread on each axle and bogie and not go over on any of them, if the load is placed wrong you'll go over somewhere or can't take advantage of the trucks maximum load capacity. Where this point are depends on how the truck is built, where the axles are and how much weight is on the front axle when the truck is unloaded. Over here they allow a maximum gross weight of 60 metric tonnes if the truck-trailer combination has at least 18 meters between the first and last axle (maximum overall length here are 24 or 25.25 meters depending on combination) and has enough axles to spread the load on. Well this was very technical but it's hard to explain in any other way. Edited April 26, 2014 by Force Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I had a chance to talk to my mechanic friend the other night at work and asked him about the way the wheelbase is measured, and it is from the center of the steering axle to the center of the rearmost axle. He said it is measured the same as you would measure the wheelbase on a car, the number of axles make no difference, it is always the center of the front steering axle to the rearmost axle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Force Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 (edited) That's one way of measuring it, a total wheelbase of a vehicle or vehicle combination is from the center of the first steer axle to the center of the rearmost axle on the vehicle or vehicle combination. But when you are specifying a truck when you order one you don't measure that way, it has to do with weight regulations and how you distribute the load...for an US truck tractor the effective wheelbase is measured from the center of the steer axle to the centerpoint between the rear axles as in the first picture in my reply above. International trucks has wheelbase options between 167 to 280 inches...so in this case the distance between the center of the front axle to the centerpoint between the axles in the rear tandem is 280 inches wich equals to 284.5 millimeters in 1:25th scale...or 11.2 inches. Edited May 13, 2014 by Force Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 That's one way of measuring it, a total wheelbase of a vehicle or vehicle combination is from the center of the first steer axle to the center of the rearmost axle on the vehicle or vehicle combination. But when you are specifying a truck when you order one you don't measure that way, it has to do with weight regulations and how you distribute the load...for an US truck tractor the effective wheelbase is measured from the center of the steer axle to the centerpoint between the rear axles as in the first picture in my reply above. International trucks has wheelbase options between 167 to 280 inches...so in this case the distance between the center of the front axle to the centerpoint between the axles in the rear tandem is 280 inches wich equals to 284.5 millimeters in 1:25th scale...or 11.2 inches. You measure it your way, but I think I'll stick with what the mechanic told me as correct. I think that since he is a mechanic, former driver, and he is also a modeller and knows this was a research question, he knows a little more than some online picture. I guess the old saying is true, "I saw it online so it has to be true!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermodel Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 center of the front axle to middle of the tandem for a 3 axle center to center for a 2 axle Plenty of online pictures confirm this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Force Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 You measure it your way, but I think I'll stick with what the mechanic told me as correct. I think that since he is a mechanic, former driver, and he is also a modeller and knows this was a research question, he knows a little more than some online picture. I guess the old saying is true, "I saw it online so it has to be true!" Well I'm not born yesterday either,,,and I have had my truck drivers license over 20 years and have been around trucks and cars all my life...so my statements aren't taken out of thin air. But you do it your way and I do it my way and we are both happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scale trucker Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 i build chassis at work for big trucks and it is from center front wheel to center between the two rears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ790 Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 When you spec a brand new truck from a manufacturer, the wheelbase will be measured from the center of the steer axle to half way between the tandem axles. This is how it is done in the US at least, I know some other countries are different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Well, I guess while I'm running errands tomorrow on my day off, I'm going to settle the which way is correct (for my knowledge, because I hate knowing what I'm told is not correct, not doubting those who said they build frames) and spec out a Lonestar at the local dealer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Might be a little late to the party, but here goes... It may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, even in the US. I'm aware of at least one exception. I say this because the method that had never failed me (measuring from center of front axle to the center point of the rear axles) failed me a while back. I was working on a short-nose Diamond REO C92, which had a wheelbase (listed by DR) as 124". So, I measured back 124 scale inches from the center of the front axle, and marked that spot on the frame. When I centered the axles, they were WAY too far ahead. As in, the front axle's tires were about even with the back of the cab. But, when I slid the bogey back so that the front axle centerline was even with the 124" mark, it looked right. Like I said, that's the only time that method of measuring the wheelbase didn't jive with the "center of front axle/ center point of rear suspension" rule. The DR is a late '60's tractor, maybe they measured it that way back then. Anyway, I measured my built Moebius Lonestar, and the wheelbase is 280", as measured from front axle centerline to the center between the rear axles. International does offer the LoneStar in a 280" wheelbase, so it would appear that International uses that method to determine wheelbase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapazleo Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Center of steer to center point between tandems like most have said call any truck dealer and ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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