Semi Trailer Mechanic

Cool!

Very clean and clear!

I too just got this kit. THANK YOU Moebius Models and Dave Metzner for this kit. Seeing how I've been a semi trailer mechanic for going on 22 years (already! geeeeze time goes by quick) I can say there are alot of accurate details. There are two main flaws w/ the under carriage. First the crossmembers should be i-beams. Second. Look at the floor assembly if you have kit this already... On the lower rails (sides) you'll see sets of 4 rivets. Each crossmember should be centered in between these rivets. Why? On the ends of the crossmembers are plates that are about 6" long and 4" high 1/8" thick welded on. These four rivets go thru those plates attaching the ends of the crossmember to the rails. So basically call that "curbside" Speaking of rivets... There aren't any on the sides but that's no big deal. The brake drum details are dead on! It is really cool that they've got the holes in them for the lugs nut studs! Why? You can use these drums for templates to drill out the holes in rims for lugs. I'VE ALREADY DONE THIS!!! If you get a resin BUDD rim just use that drum to drill out your holes then paint your rims. Go get some scale bolts and paint them black an you have clean lug nut detail! If you want to relocate the bogie or slider. You'll have to drill two holes in the floor for the air mounting tabs. I've had the mis fortune of replacing many, many 1:1 Vantraax slider frames and I can say the air tank mounts to the bogie frame. You can use some angle /c-channel styrene to make the mounts. From what I saw the tank may have to be shortened for clearance to make these mounts. I saw someone comment how there wasn't any lock pins or release linkage. Use some solid round stock to make your pins. As far as the handle goes that can be easy. The option for an air release is availiable. Basically there is a push pull knob/valve that is bolted to a small plate that's welded on the roadside front corner of the bogie. If the trailer brakes are released ( red octagon push/pull valve on the tractors dash is pushed in the valve that releases the pins will not work. Obvious reasons. (You wouldn't believe how many service calls I went on becasue the driver couldn't get the pins to release for the simple fact he and a few shes only set the brakes on the tractor and left the trailer brakes released) When the brakes on the trailer are set. The valve will work allowing the driver to release the pins to slide the bogie as needed. On my model I intend on making all the linkage for it up inside the bogie. Not just make pins. Another thing about the suspension. The bogie frame can easily be modified by using whats called a frame stretcher (HA No I'm just kiddin' there) You can cut the frame and then section in as needed to get the desired spread you want. Beit 8' 9' 10'. Use some strip styrene and cover the holes in the slider rails and you're set!!! This kit reinds me alot of AMT's Fruehauf dump trailer. Built box stock you can have a fairly accurate model. But If you're already aquainted w/ 1:1 trailers you'll have a blast adding the rest of the details or making it to your likes!!! If you're not aquainted there's a WWW just full of ideas that will help! Something else handy about this kit are the rims. Because they have the hub/lug covers on them they can be used on a tractor if you choose to put other rims on this. As far as the doors I was really hoping that the lock rods and hinges would have been seperate but no big deal. I've made hinged doors before which I'll post a pic of so no big deal. I litterally could go on and on to how well this kit can be detailed!

Dutch Maid is a trucking company near Willard,Ohio in Huron county.

Thanks again fellas. Pardon the delay on replying here my laptop got damaged so I haven't been able to check in that much! I'll eventually get some sticks to make a load. I know a guy that carts logs for a living. Been meaning to ask him about how many cords on ave gets loaded on his trailer that keeps him under 80k as well as the ave. diameter and type of tree. I went to the trouble of building this in 25th scale I wanna find sticks that are accurate to 25th scale as well.

Thanks The main frame rails are 1/2" Plastruct i-beams.

Thanks Over all two months maybe? But I didn't work on it every day. Scott

Hey fellas! I scratchbilt this along the lines of a PITTS trailer. Thanks for looking!

AWESOME!!!

Kurt PM SENT

Thanks for the update!

Thanks fellas... The rims are from various Paystar 5000 kits that I modified. I used scale bolts to make the lugs.

Hey fellas... So far... I've had builders block for over a year now. I started a project but only seem to have the inspiration to build maybe twice a month. So I thought I'd repost a project I finished a few years ago. There are some new builders that might not have seen this for the rest you might recall it. I got this W925 kit off ebay when I got back into model building in '01 or '02. I built this as a heavy haul truck that turned out to be a 5' model. Looked good from 5' back. I rebuilt it several months later using a 359 kit for a chassis donor making it a day cab. Fast forward a few years later I decided instead of opening new kits I'll rebuild projects I had built previously that weren't assembled well from where I rushed to finish. So this W925 again was rebuilt. This one has got to be one of my favorites in my collection. It might not be museum quality built but it turned out exactly how I envisioned it! Thanks for looking!!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/9495602@N02/sets/72157607023292098/

Here's where I got the idea from. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9495602@N02/sets/72157629679846149/

What's a good base kit to start w/? What ever you want! I started a dump truck several years ago and never finished it. I'll post the WIP photo set here for ya to check out. It might give ya some ideas and it might not. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9495602@N02/sets/72157604022832001/

I completely relate!!! This last year I had to get rid of the storage unit I kept the stash in. When clearing it out I'd say at least 5% of the collection made me think to my self " Why did I buy this" ?

I put this together a few years ago. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9495602@N02/sets/72157608400008760/

I did that on this project here a few years ago. I'm not trying to hijack your thraed. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9495602@N02/2525794559/sizes/o/in/set-72157604111035238/

53 Series... Now that's RARE!!! The only 53 series I ever saw was in an old Hendrixson yard mule! Talk about an rpm revin' engine! Those flat out screamed!!!

LOL

GOOD CALL!!! I suspect that this name is well protected like another engine/equiptment manufacturing company!

Your doctor must have you on some SERIOUS medication!!! Man those pills are nuts!!! HA HAAAAA

80% of the Detroit (2-stroke) work I got into was at tech school. I quit working on trucks after my first year in my career and started doing trailer repair. Nearly 20 years later still fixing trailers. Back then trucks always seemed to be covered in sludge. Not so much these days. The tractors out at work (JB Hunt) are nearly spotless undercarriage and exterior.

Back in '91 I was at Northwestern Bus College in Lima, Ohio where I took Diesel Technology. In the Detroit/Mack lab I went thru a 6V. In the dyno room was an 8v. Both were 92 series. Lab instructor would do something to the engine and we had to diagnose it. He'd back off the buffer screw or pull off a rocker cover and throw off the rack setting stuff like that. When they ran in time and tune you could put nickels on end and it wouldn't knock em' over. That just sounded like a beast! A lot of the 12v's were marine applications, gensets, and off road construction. The 8v's were HEAVY. The first truck I worked on in my life was a GMC Brigadier. The cross member below the engine busted in half. If I recall those leaked oil so much because seals around the head bolts called floras tamer seals would break down. The concept behind the two stroke was in the liners mid way down were slots that the intake charge was forced thru as the piston went from was at bottom dead center. As it traveled upward on the compression/power stroke it covered those slots and at TDC it would ignite sending the piston down. As it passed by those slots the fresh air charge forced in by the blower and at the same time force out the spent charge thru a process called cylinder scavenging. There was only one trucking company I worked at that had an 8v. It was in a '73 Road Boss. The owner kept the truck up because it was one of the first trucks they bought factory fresh.They still had it doing local runs. An old driver they called " Aggy" wouldn't give up that truck if he was forced to at gun point (this was in '99) Driving that old truck to me felt like being in a chopped top hot rod. My head touched the roof. If I looked straight ahead my eyes were above the top of the windsheild so I actually looked slightly down when I had to drive it. I want to say that had a 13 speed in it. Starting out in an upper gear it would launch like a hot rod. It just had that sound to it. Those stacks right behind ya just screaming you could hardly hear yourself think. It's no wonder the film makers of Convoy used the audio of a Detroit in some of the scenes.