redneckrigger

And, as always, the options and just how far to go with details always overwhelm me. And, also as always, one of the main things that get me all wound up is how to paint my builds. I am NOT an experienced weatherer, and have only just started to do a very TINY bit of weathering on my builds. I tend to make my stuff look like it just came out of the paint shop, which is understandable, as I used to own a paint shop where we painted just about everything from cars to equipment to airplanes! Since this is such a complex build, it will be painted in many parts, then assembled. But the subject of weathering will most likely make me lose a bunch of sleep before I arrive at the inevitable decision of making it look new!!! And, I KNOW what they look like when they get used and dirty, as I used to run most of this stuff.................but I just lack the skill to make my builds look that way!

Ha! Sure, probably could, but I’d have to kick my own tail if I broke it! Don't really know why I’m putting so much detail into it, but it’s kinda got a life of it’s own and is getting out of hand!

Made and installed the track tensioners tonight. These are actually operable with a tiny screw to get the track to the proper tension. Also made up the push roller assembly and installed it. Put the tracks on for the first time......looks passable! I keep looking at the details to add and it is simply daunting. WAY more details than any of my previous scratch builds.

Finished installing the eccentric drive for the tamper along with the hydraulic motor snd shaft mounted gearbox. Also made up the screed heater blower, burner and ductwork. Also installed the crown control adjustment screws, leveling control screws, and started installation of the leveling arms.

Assembled the main structure of the screed along with the heater box and the tamper and it’s eccentric drive assembly. Made up the leveling arms. The tamper shaft will be driven by a hydraulic motor. This is becoming a pretty sizable piece, being just over 10 feet wide in transport mode. Still have to attach the tamper to the eccentric connecting rods and install the camber adjustments to the screed. It seems the farther I get the more I realize it needs!

Started the feed hopper apron tonight..... inching along!

Added the feed conveyor hopper floor and conveyor chain supports. Made up and installed the countershaft for the conveyor drive. (The transmission is supposed to be offset to one side.) Made and installed the two hydraulic motors for the auger drives. Installed all sprockets and chains. Still have to make up the drag chain cross bars and attach to the conveyor chains. So......the entire power train is made up and installed with the exception of the belt drive that powers the whole thing from the engine to the main transmission. And.......everything works! Lots more to go!!!

Very realistic, as always, and incredibly skillful build Charlie. Keep the progress photos coming. The inspiration gained from your builds is priceless!

Extremely nice work right there!

Got some time at the bench today so got a bunch done. I added the bolts to the crawler drive shaft extension supports, added the feed conveyor front shaft and sprockets as well as the driven end with sprockets. Added the augers and the support structures and sprockets and shafts as well. All of the shafts, sprockets, crawlers, augers and conveyors will be operable with their own chain drives. A little bit of progress with lots of tiny parts and lots of work and engineering. Now have to add the countershaft that transfers the power from the main transmission to the conveyor and augers, as well as the support structure for the feed conveyors. Gotta say, I'm learning about how a paver works!!!

Yeah, there are a bunch of repurposed OD and Sand Yellow parts on this build. Whatever works!

Made up the main transmission with the electric clutches and the crawler drive dropdown gearboxes and the drive sprockets for the countershaft drive. Installed the main drive system. Installed the crawler drive frames as well as the crawler drive hub supports and the driver and driven sprockets. Still have to add a whole bunch of detail nuts and bolts. This is a pretty complex drive system. The engine drives a belt driving the transmission that is connected to the main gearbox, which is offset to one side, which powers a cross shaft. On the cross shaft there are two electric clutches that run the countershaft sprockets. Outboard of the clutches and sprockets are two gearboxes for the crawler drives which drive shafts that go through the main frame and are supported by outboard bearings that have a sprocket drive dropping down to the crawlers. It’s finally taking shape!

Guess maybe it was a bit optimistic to try a BRBO build while I'm working on another large build, the paver. Can't find enough time or energy to work on the paver build let alone this one, so maybe next year!

Thank you! It also has me tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to pack five pounds of chain and sprockets into a three pound paver! Making all sorts of diagrams trying to figure where to route everything!

Good one............................nice job "linking" to the thread!!!! LOL! They are by MicroMark. Find them here, and the sprockets are also available on that site. https://www.micromark.com/Miniature-Drive-Chain-Price-Per-Foot

Charlie, now I don’t feel so bad, seeing as even the best has the same issues!! Of course, PART of my reversal was due to finding out about the MUCH more in-scale chains from Micro-Mark from you! Can’t wait to see that old ‘ Binder in person!

Actually, I'm not sure how I am dealing with it! One step forward, two back.......!

Well, those of you who have seen my “on the workbench” projects before, know that I very often take about two steps back for each step forward until I get well along in the build. So, not to disappoint, I just took a BUNCH of steps backwards! I was simply not happy with the drag bar feed conveyor as it was sorely out of scale. So, I took a step back and decided to use chain that will be more in scale, that Charlie Rowley told me about. It will be a real chore to attach the drag bars but it will look SO much better. Then, when I made THAT adjustment, I made the main frame more to the proper scale as well. Then to just add a bit of excitement to the mix, I rebuilt the crawler frames to use miniature pillow blocks just like the real deal, instead of simple shafts stuck to the side plates. So...... here is the updated main frame, and the new crawler frames. Also shown is the power train diagram with all of the gearboxes, clutches, shafts and countershafts, sprockets and chains and the feed conveyor, augers, crawlers etc. Needless to say, a pretty complex build.

Frame roughed in with crawler frames installed......

Decided to go with the drag bar type conveyor. Got it all made up and made up the side frames. Slow but sure!

Charlie, your work is always so fantastic! Your builds are where I draw the vast majority of my inspiration to try things I normally would be uncomfortable with. Keep up the great work!!!

I've been using acrylic enamels for years on my builds, without the hardener. Some of the paint still in my stash is from when I operated my own body shop over 20 years ago, and it still is great. I still buy PPG acrylic enamels in 1 pint cans when I need a particular color, and it goes a LONG way. I prime with Mr. Primer Surfacer, (usually the 1200 grade), on bare plastic, and then paint using regular PPG medium reducers. I personally have found that the quality of a paint job is far less dependent upon the quality or type of paint, and FAR more dependent on the quality of the application. I use a Paasche V series two stage airbrush. In my shop we used PPG enamels and acrylic enamels, Dupont Centari and Imron, as well as lacquers, PPG Durethane and their base/clear systems, various primers such as PPG DP series and Dupont VariPrime, and while the application requirements were all different, basic practices in application adjusted to the system at hand all turned out wonderful jobs. I closed the shop and retired from there just before waterborne systems became popular, and have zero experience with them. And that is, after 50 years of building, the exact same thing I have found in my builds, application is EVERYTHING. I DO strive for scale appearances, mainly in gloss, so in that area, for those that try to get glass like finishes, I don't go there, as that does not fit my build style.

Worked on the feed conveyor today. Am trying three different designs. For the very old metal slat style, I used a chain assembly from a Tamiya RC truck as the conveyor chain. Sprockets from MicroMark on 1/8" aluminum rod and overlapping slats attached, and it looks pretty good. Will attach the end slats at the sprockets at final assembly. For the second type will use drag bars instead of slats. For the newer design, I will do a rubber belt. How they come out will determine which I use. Getting there!

That is totally fantastic!!!!!

Beautiful work, full of details! NICE!!!