78 replies to this topic

[mackinac359]

Superb frame wiring and plumbing !

Tim

[1972coronet]

Jaroslav -
Your work is outstanding ! This is the first time I have perused the Big Rigs Forum , and am impressed with what I have seen overall , but am even more impressed with your build in particular .

I will definitely be following your excellent work (and the works of our fellow builders around here) .

P.S. "Plastic People of the Universe" vis-a-vis The Velvet Revolution !

[truckabilly]

P.S. "Plastic People of the Universe" vis-a-vis The Velvet Revolution !

I would never expected something like this from your part of the world, John. Thank you very much for this reminder and also for your comment.

The work continues with painting the frame. I was considering a different frame colour than the usual black for a while. But I want a dark blue cab so I think the black frame is the best choice after all.





To make a liitle difference from a highway tractor I started working on a DTU. It is going to be a complete scratchbuild inspired by Holmes unit. Probably not 100% accurate as I have only a handfull of photos and a parts brochure. No dimensions, just my four-eyed judgement.
I built a base of the unit using Evergreen channels and warning signs made of plastic... basicly 1mm plastic sheets. Still a few details to be added before it goes to the paint booth.

[eizzle]

Looking very good! I'll be watching this one for sure! I had no idea what the DTU was until I saw your last picture, they usually call them lowboys around here I will try to get some pictures of the front brake setup on my trucknext week if you want them, not a peterbilt, but it's basically the same setup, although with 500,000+ miles, it might be hard to see anything through the dirt and grease!

Edited by eizzle, 07 September 2012 - 01:40 PM.

[Justin]

I had no idea what the DTU was until I saw your last picture, they usually call them lowboys around here

A Holmes DTU (Detachable Towing Unit) turns a truck with a 5th wheel into a wrecker.

[eizzle]

So is it not the same thing as a lowboy? I guess I've never seen one or didn't pay attention if I did.

[eizzle]

Ok, nope, I've never seen one. Well, it looks like truckabilly has a great start to a lowboy to. Regardless, it's beautiful work!

[Truck parts]

Great job.and looking forward to seeing it done.

[catd11rpusher]

Jarda you have a gift, the frame is beautiful!!! Your off to a great start. I saved pictures of your bills trucking. I started to just run the airlines and the other stuff. I will post some pictures soon You did a great work with your detail. I REALLY MEEN THAT

[truckabilly]

A Holmes DTU (Detachable Towing Unit) turns a truck with a 5th wheel into a wrecker.

Exactly right! I am sorry Colin, it was not meant to be a lowboy. Here is another picture of a real thing.

This picture shows the unit standing on its own. A truck sneaks underneath it the same way as when coupling a trailer. The 5th wheel and four other mountings make a tight connection.

There is probably more systems on the market from more manufacturers. I haven´t seen neither of them except for the pictures. The Holmes units (or similar) can be found on European trucks too.

I found this picture on some Dutch model web sites but there was no comment on it. I don´t even know the scale. Maybe it´s a diecast model, I don´t know


I hope I make mine just as nice.

Edited by truckabilly, 08 September 2012 - 01:13 AM.

[eizzle]

Im sure it will, it's looking very nice right now!

Edited by eizzle, 08 September 2012 - 01:57 AM.

[truckabilly]

Thank you, Colin.
Now I am looking for some info on the wet line kit. I guess I need one for a truck with the DTU. What do I need to replicate?

1. PTO - it is located on the bottom side of the transmission, right?

2. Hydraulic pump - is it attached directly to PTO? Or do I need a drive shaft? If so, where is the pump located?

3. A tank - sometimes it is mounted behind the cab, sometimes on the frame side, just like a fuel tank. Is there any rule for that?

Any other important things? If someone has any knowledge about this, would you please share with me? I´m all ears. I tried to find a picture of those components mounted on a truck but all I found was the tanks. Thank you for any info.

[eizzle]

I think it spends on the truck, we have trucks with front mount pumps, others are located in various places, I think it will basically come down to your truck and how it's configured. The hydraulic fluid tank on our trucks are frame mounted behind the cabs, on the drivers side.

[modeltruckmafia]

Here is my version of the uickswap style wrecker http://www.way2manyh...ap_wrecker.html

[truckabilly]

Thanks a lot for your comments. The progress on the DTU is slow but steady. I have the boom assembled, the winch bed and the winch itself. Still a few details to add, though.











I have two of the three telescopic parts of the low lift. They are simlified a bit and the end with the hole will be reshaped to match the real deal better.

Edited by truckabilly, 16 October 2012 - 12:33 PM.

[Truck parts]

That's very nice unit.

[Tony Bryan]

Jarda

Nice work on scratch building the DTU, truck is coming along great, look forward to more updates

[truckabilly]

Thank you Gordon and Tony. Now I have all the main parts ready, so I tested them if they fit the way they are supposed to. Well, they don´t. I must have made a mistake somewhere. There is 5mm difference in the length of either the subframe or the boom. This resulted in the different angle of the hydraulic cylinders. The ones that lift the boom. So, I had to cut the subframe and extend it 5mm more. It was not glued yet when I took the pictures.

Here is the frame cut with extending parts. They are still loose on the wires.


Here you can see the extending parts in the rails.


This is supposed to be the lower position of the boom. Will have to shorten the hydraulic cylinders to get the horizontal position.


This is the underlift in full extend.


With the subframe extended the tower fits better inbetween the guiding plates.


These two pictures show the boom in the upper posotion.




This is where I am now. I hope to have next update soon.

[Old Albion]

Nice detailing and great scratch building skills.

Dave

[truckabilly]

Now all the main parts are in surface primer.







Now it is time to think about the colour. What colour of DTU would best match to a dark-blue truck? Yellow, red, orange or black? What do you, guys think?