gotnitro? Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Yeah you read that right !!! I absolutely cannot build a truck without doing something crazy to it. This project had been stewing for a few yrs, and recently I decided to tackle it. First up the inspiration photo ... That truck has a sno go blower attached , Mines gonna be a Watertown native, Sicard BLS 10. I spotted a nysdot Oshkosh a few yrs ago staged for severe weather outside a local highway dept barn. I absolutely love building heavier working trucks and the snowblower had me from hello.. First up was finding a suitable cab . I chose the RM since their very popular around here for highway dept use and i knew where to find one! A quick call to aitm and the ball was rolling after a buddy arranged the specific parts id need to build the Mack. More to come ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted November 12, 2020 Author Share Posted November 12, 2020 The frame was robbed from the reissued DM kit....and another box from Dave arrived w correct fuel tank, suspension and axles ..oh and those enormous 14x24 tires lol I literally stuck the cab on the mocked up frame, eyeballed the suspension position and I had a rolling chassis. Ill add a little frame extension out front later . These mock ups really keep me motivated to keep going ! There's a couple compartments on the back for the blower engine , mine will be completely curbside...sorry...so I just bashed a couple together from sheet and will detail them out later when I get bogged down waiting for shear pins lol Checking fit More to come thanks for following Feel free to comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Got a great start, Jeff! A great piece of subject matter, too. There is an old Oshkosh not too far from me that I have been tempted to get info on to do a similar thing. Maybe after the Pierce is done. Will check in frequently to see how things are progressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted November 12, 2020 Author Share Posted November 12, 2020 Thanks Charles ! You should snap a few pictures of that Oshkosh, always interested seeing them . I purchased a fantastic book from James Menard, called " America's Cold Warrior" describing the Oshkosh WT 2206. These enormous trucks were built mainly for keeping military airport runways clear , and is invaluable for working on this blower. Mines the smaller unit used more in municipal duties. Anyway, I started building up the head assembly, mostly 040 sheet , starting with the back wall. It took me several photos to be convinced that the hole for the impeller was offset . A photo in his book showed an exploded view showing the offset opening...the backwall is 4 inches wide . The street side is mainly the assembly that contains the drive train that runs the twin augers...massive 20 inch snow bank chewing teeth ! I based measurements off the 1:1 and gleaning sizes off the access panels. Each were 12 inches . Laying out a pattern of lines then cutting away the waste left me a suitable side panel. I laminated several pieces to this making the gear box then added those access panels. More parts went on until I had a rough draft of the "bank head ". Side view reveals an issue ...those giant tires are causing everything to look out of scale. I wanted the top of the bank head about level w truck fenders. I had ordered a set of 12x24 tires from moluminum and decided to test fit them..everything looked in proportion now . okay.moving along now ! Here a comparison of the tire size for reference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 So the Moluminum tires are a better fit? Are the AITM rims ok? I got a set of AITM tires a while back but the rims need to be shimmed to get a good fit. Love the work. It's a real treat to be able to work off detailed information and photos. If I can find that Oshkosh again I will take some photos of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemodeler Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Very interesting subject, will be watching this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted November 13, 2020 Author Share Posted November 13, 2020 The moluminum wheels are smaller in height, being only 12 x24s , I needed a shorter tire . The aitm rims fit pretty decent w just a small amount of play inside the tire..not flopping around like some . I'm plugging away on the blower, fabbed up the impeller body from pvc tube and some scraps . I originally thought about using medicine bottles , but didn't have correct size in the bag I was given. Photos I took helped judge the width and based diameter from those . The actual impeller is a cut down kw snapper wheel back, covered w sheet, then the shaft is scrap tube . The blade mounts were cut from 030 " sheet. Using photos I roughed in the shape then laminated the rest . They need a slight curve still then the blades will be added Checking appearance before blades and bracing gets added . Alot of work for a part buried behind the augers,but I'll know its there ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIPTROIT 71 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Looks like a great start to a cool project! We don’t get to see anything like that around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRiN Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Hi everyone, I remember the first time I saw one of these beast. I was in Duluth, Mn. and there was line of them waiting to go to work. Very impressive site. That's when I figured out how the keep the snow banks so small in a city that is on a hill. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 HAH! Gotta put it there even if it won't be seen!!?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUSADER2 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Excellent scratch building and a really interesting subject, enjoying watching this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 Great scratch building, Jeff. Way above my skill level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted November 14, 2020 Author Share Posted November 14, 2020 On 11/12/2020 at 9:48 PM, DRIPTROIT 71 said: Looks like a great start to a cool project! We don’t get to see anything like that around here. Thanks ! The first time I saw the Oshkosh I was curious why it was staged there. The road passing by Skaneateles Lake is mostly wide farm fields and drifts heavily, making it challenging to keep clear w the regular plows. They anticipate Nor Easterns coming thru and its ready to work....I'm hoping to see it work !!! 18 hours ago, GRiN said: Hi everyone, I remember the first time I saw one of these beast. I was in Duluth, Mn. and there was line of them waiting to go to work. Very impressive site. That's when I figured out how the keep the snow banks so small in a city that is on a hill. Gary An entire line of these trucks would be incredible to see ! Duluth would definitely be home to these trucks . Jim's book mentioned them used heavily on B52 bases , which were always on alert . 17 hours ago, Chariots of Fire said: HAH! Gotta put it there even if it won't be seen!!?? Lol yeah I'd feel like I'd slacked off without the impeller. Planning to start the extending chute very soon and its associated driveline . Heard the 1:1 was close by again, and have access to it for more pics . 16 hours ago, CRUSADER2 said: Excellent scratch building and a really interesting subject, enjoying watching this build. Thanks for following along ! 14 hours ago, Jim B said: Great scratch building, Jeff. Way above my skill level. Thanks Jim !! Not true, its mostly just circles and squares! Flat strips make up most of the parts ..start off small and before ya know it you'd be comfortable making parts . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 Jeff's right. It's a matter of breaking down a big project into manageable parts. Work on one thing as a model unto itself. Looking at the project in its entirety can be overwhelming unless you take the time to study it a bit and see where all of the boxes and rectangles are. Except for a lot of the real modern stuff that is made of plastic they were all practically made that way in times past. So it makes if fun to try and replicate it in miniature. The other thing about older pieces is that so much of the mechanics and basic shapes are all out in the open to see. Nothing behind sheet metal and nice smooth covers. To those who have never tried scratch building I encourage you to try it. Start with something simple and go from there. A lot of satisfaction in creating something unique that you can call a one and only build. Anybody up for the challenge??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug 1061 Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 4 hours ago, Chariots of Fire said: Jeff's right. It's a matter of breaking down a big project into manageable parts. Work on one thing as a model unto itself. Looking at the project in its entirety can be overwhelming unless you take the time to study it a bit and see where all of the boxes and rectangles are. Except for a lot of the real modern stuff that is made of plastic they were all practically made that way in times past. So it makes if fun to try and replicate it in miniature. The other thing about older pieces is that so much of the mechanics and basic shapes are all out in the open to see. Nothing behind sheet metal and nice smooth covers. To those who have never tried scratch building I encourage you to try it. Start with something simple and go from there. A lot of satisfaction in creating something unique that you can call a one and only build. Anybody up for the challenge??? Yep. Dive in and try it. If you make a mess of it, well you know what didn't work. Off to plan B. It's only plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Man, you got some skills, Bro... This thing is awesome... I'm loving this one... I'll be watching... So funny how the compartments you added, in the raw, resemble a couple of dog houses... ? Very cool looking model... I like the new rubber, too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 Thanks for following along JT !!! Yeah those dog houses are where the Bulldog sleeps at night !! I sketched both out on graph paper before finalizing to plastic to check angles looked symmetrical...close enough hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 Screwing around w some plastic , picked up a gasket maker set to punch out the auger discs. Ended up using 9/16 punch or around 15mm. Curling them slowly around a rod and tacking w insta set I had a starting shape..after several screw ups ! Sorry for the cluttered background, only another 20 to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIPTROIT 71 Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Lookin' pretty good, eh?? Like your auger work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 This is some serious work... Very nice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug 1061 Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 This is too cool. Gonna have to follow this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopar - D Posted November 20, 2020 Share Posted November 20, 2020 Nice progress Jeff. Any updates on the other 20 augers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted November 20, 2020 Author Share Posted November 20, 2020 Thanks everyone! I haven't been messing with the augers much, my build time has been mostly after work while daughter taking her nap. I didn't expect to use up my pre punched discs so fast.. Did experiment last night w shape of discharge chute after a bag of gears arrived from amazon..I sketched out rough shape of chute , but have yet to try cutting shapes for it . Theres a side panel that curves and leans out thats testing me right now Here's the lower chute though..030 strip glued into the gear made it sorta like whiskey barrel! I'll putter with it over the wknd and also make a huge pile of auger teeth ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Still amazing, Man... Excellent work.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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