Western Star 4900 FA plow truck

[BK9300]

31 minutes ago, Chariots of Fire said:

Ok, now we're talking model building!  But that doesn't just happen.  Personal experience in the field, a knowledge of mechanics, a couple of good steady hands and a patient frame of mind are at the heart of it.  Fabulous work with authenticity and an attention to detail make this build a special one to watch.

Charles, thanks for the kind words - this truck is a long overdue project - a great hobby to be involved with!

[BK9300]

The model was at a bit of a crossroads. The truck's main frame attachments were done and I needed to get on with doing some painting and working on stuff above the frame - the sander, hydraulic tank and lines for all the plows, the engine.  Apart from mocking the cab and hood in place, along the way, to see if everything fits, I'm saving the cab and hood for last - I find body work quite frustrating.  So, thought a few pics of all the plows mocked up in place would be fitting, because they were going to get set aside in a padded box while the other frame work carried on (these pics were taken before the hard line hydraulic runs and compressed air tanks were added)

 

 

 

 

 

these beautiful wheels will need to be painted, unfortunately! (the real truck has white rims)

 

 

 

 

Thanks again for looking in - work on the sander will be next!

 

 

[Biggu]

Brian, I am MORE than impressed with your attention to detail, and your scratch building is off the clock.... the 'only' thing that may need a slight adjustment, is the cutting edge on the underbody and oneway.... they need to be ground down to about 1mm from the moldboard.................. because EVERY damn Time I went to get into a truck that is how I found the last guy left it for me ! Oh, yeah and a BIG frozen lump in the sander chute too.... are you modelling the good Frink One way or the somewhat flimsy Tenco one?  Also as I was the first guy in our yard to be trained on the wing, I much preferred the first issue we had that was a front bumper mount, as I could see it much better, but I think they went to the rear mount as the front mount along with the oneway was a bit heavy for the front axle and we were breaking front spring packs, as our first set of front wings were steel and not the Plastic lined Tenco ones, and fed by the oneway, where as the rear mounts coule be fed by the underbody,  We also found the Tenco front plows were very flimsy, as they were, as you remember, I'm sure, just basically and light frame with a nylon style liner and would bend under heavy pushing of wet snow when  cleaning the no posts guard rails at speed, we eventually went back to the Frink style plows OUTSTANDING workmanship.,

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-e&q=plowing+snow+in+the+kootenays#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:ac0152e5,vid:lXpqIga1yHE,st:0

Here is me in action.... this is for fun only.....  I miss being behind the wheel...

Jeff

Edited August 9, 2024 by Biggu

[BK9300]

Hi Jeff - been a long time since I was last in Nelson - I'd bet the other thing that last guy to use the truck left you was an empty fuel tank!  The front plow is modeled after one of the newer (in 2010) Henderson 'speed' plows - they didn't look to be as tall at the outlet as the older Frinks.  As it happened, a couple of the older front mast, plastic lined, wing plows you mentioned found their way into my pics of the subject truck (pic below).  The wing plow was made by Tenco, but had a steel plow surface, with what looked to be a plastic like finish sprayed onto it - I guess with the kind of rear wing mounts I'm modeling, clearing the no posts was left to the graders.  Thanks for checking in, Jeff (great video!)

 

plastic lined, front mast wing plows

Henderson front plows

 

Tenco rear wing

[Biggu]

Well, Hell's Bell's !! You have no idea how excited I was to catch up on this build, I was thinking about you just last week as a matter of fact... I told Cathy, I will post some stuff on your build but bet you wouldn't remember me... best not make any bets I can't pay it seems..... and YES, ALWAYS a half full tank... and a bent or completely worn plow shoe.....LOL... I love the 'Drain Daily ' printed on the frame rail.... Ken used to write that too....like it EVER happened?? I found the Henderson blades pretty good but again not nearly as heavy as the Frink ones, but they worked well, had a decent sized discharge chute , and we found that with the tall guard rail , it was easier and faster to bale in tight with a truck and one way to clean it, and with the deep discharge chute we could shove the snow way back, but in a tough winter we used the grader wing to step the windrow, so we could keep going with the trucks, seemed to work ok....

Your under body plow is PERFECT, excellent scratch build...  so I am assuming you are going to build a 'Bowman" sander, the old school ones , we called "Cranbrook Sanders" , rather than the Tenco box? 

I remember that video day like it was yesterday.... I actually got 'caught' working !!!

Edited August 9, 2024 by Biggu

[BK9300]

The sander on the actual truck was a Henderson, FSH II - might even have been one of the stainless bodies we were getting into at the time.  I'll be posting some pics later this afternoon.  Thanks Jeff

[BK9300]

After setting the plows aside for safe keeping, continued work on the sander (some work had been done on the sander frame earlier in the build and then set aside); built the sand conveyor frame; added sander body ribs and sander side and end body panels; cut out and assembled pieces for sander chute and spinner; added fenders and fender braces to sander frame; laid out some parts and a drawing for the sand conveyor

building sand conveyor frame - clips are holding strips to sander sub-frame, to align conveyor frame front to back

sander body ribs cut out and installed - cut outs in ribs on passenger side are for future hydraulic hard line runs to the sand conveyor, sand spinner and the pre-wet liquid pump

again, noticeable to many, the pictures of the truck frame don't match with progress posted in earlier pics - tried overall to present pics separately, for different portions of build, but I did go back and forth between various parts of the build - not always organized and often not organized at all!

0.5 mm side panels for sander hopper prior to bending into shape with steel ruler - brass square tubing keeps hopper from bulging in the center, but also simulates the "J" edge around top of real sander hopper

end panels installed and joint puttied

 

Turns out, easiest way to deal with the sand conveyor was to build it separately and, after painting, simply slide it into the opening in front of conveyor frame

another round of plastic surgery with trusty razor saw, for sander chute (more patterns from Sketchup)

completed sander chute and spinner - spinner hydraulic motor to be plumbed later in build. Vanes on bottom of sander look adjustable but are static

added fenders to sander frame and cut out fender braces

braces installed

quick hand sketch of sand conveyor (it is partially assembled, in front of sander) - used resin printed Decalcas motor cycle chain, from Spot Model, for conveyor chain and sprockets

Thanks to all those who have looked in as well as those who have commented - much appreciated!

Edited August 10, 2024 by BK9300

[Biggu]

Brian, you certainly haven't lost your touch, this build should be linked to Henderson, I bet they  would be blown away with your acute attention to the finest details, this is killing me, it is just stunningly GOOD, there is no detail you have missed..... I am in awe, my friend !

Jeff

[Jürgen M.]

I have nothing to add! ?

[BK9300]

15 hours ago, Biggu said:

Brian, you certainly haven't lost your touch, this build should be linked to Henderson, I bet they  would be blown away with your acute attention to the finest details, this is killing me, it is just stunningly GOOD, there is no detail you have missed..... I am in awe, my friend !

Jeff

 

10 hours ago, Jürgen M. said:

I have nothing to add! ?

Jeff, much appreciated - what’s up next on your bench?
 

Jurgen - thanks for stopping by - the colour scheme on your DM800 refurbish is looking good!

[Jürgen M.]

Thanks! Nice of you to say that!

I'm really amazed by the precision of your work! Fantastic! ?

[Biggu]

Brian, I currently have a Pete 378 highway tractor on he bench, and am trying my best to detail the GPT 3D 60 series, then some photo etch, and hopefully paint and then it may look like something... I also have a Pete 352 sorta started.... that will be a fairly detailed build, as I had done it as a kid, and not very good... I recall pestering my mom for the model and she bought it for me, and I did the best I could as a kid, but today, I know a little bit more, and have honed a few skills, so it will be a tribute to my mom for all the pestering I did as a kid to have this kit.....

I showed Ken ( from the shop , you well remember him ) your build thread, and to say he was more than impressed is an under statement.... 

Looking forward to more updates as you post..

cheers for now

J

[BK9300]

2 hours ago, Biggu said:

Brian, I currently have a Pete 378 highway tractor on he bench, and am trying my best to detail the GPT 3D 60 series, then some photo etch, and hopefully paint and then it may look like something... I also have a Pete 352 sorta started.... that will be a fairly detailed build, as I had done it as a kid, and not very good... I recall pestering my mom for the model and she bought it for me, and I did the best I could as a kid, but today, I know a little bit more, and have honed a few skills, so it will be a tribute to my mom for all the pestering I did as a kid to have this kit.....

I showed Ken ( from the shop , you well remember him ) your build thread, and to say he was more than impressed is an under statement.... 

Looking forward to more updates as you post..

cheers for now

J

Thanks for the heads up - I'll keep a lookout for your work! (I do remember Ken)

[BK9300]

I don't know if there is such a thing on this forum as too many pictures, but I have lots for this build and I do appreciate you dropping in to have a look.  So, more pictures ! . .

The main build work on the sander is going to be a couple more postings yet and then a couple more in the future, once I get to the hydraulic lines and wiring.  Work in this post deals with construction of the six, grate screens on top of the sander – they have an interesting hinge system – they’re not bolted hinges - that allows them to be opened to scrape frozen bits from the side of the sander, or to remove them entirely, if maintenance inside hopper is needed.  Also added sand conveyor tension adjusters at front sides of conveyor frame

 

made a little jig (bottom center) to place the 'angle iron' for the grate - needed to make, and drill, lots of cross pieces for the grating rods to go through

another little jig (bottom right) to make sure each grate cross piece drilled at same location

grate rods fixed in place with CA glue, then onto the next one (of six)

the center "I" beam is where the hinge system will be - the upright, vertical sections of channel at both ends of "I" beam, along with the hinges and the weight of the grates, keep the grates in place.  this might seem obvious, but when lifted to vertical, the end grates can be slid into the one inch edge of the channel and out of their tubing hinges

 

 

hinges in place and the open grate can now be slid (to the right) and removed from the sander - other grates on this side can now be removed as well

sand conveyor tension adjusters - the end on view of the channel piece under the fender is for a future mud flap

 

 

Off to do some test painting in the little paint booth I ordered (no lacquer painting in house, so out to little studio shed in back yard)

 

 

Thanks!

Edited August 10, 2024 by BK9300
missing text

[Biggu]

Brian , those screens are PERFECT!!! I do recall they had a ‘D’ handle on each one to facilitate lifting them up. Personally I liked them but a lot of guys didn’t as they had to actually get out of the truck to push small lumps thru. A few guys who were not adept at precision loader work would try and scrape the lumps off with the loader but invariably hook the hinges with the bucket and bend things so bad they screens had to be taken off. Never to be seen again.

Just out of curiosity as this is so detailed and accurate, are you giving any thought to the chain protector we had in some of our trucks? The big angle iron that was suspended over the chain to prevent the same un-adept loader operator from dropping a heavy wet bucket of sand directly on the chain thus compressing the chain tight against the bottom plate so tight that the chain would not move and then the load had to be hand bombed out enough so the chain would work? Usually if the screens were left on we didn’t encounter any chain jam but if tjey were not there then…….?

[BK9300]

Hey Gary Jeff (sorry) - there were no D handles on the screens of the truck I took pictures of and it didn't have the chain protector you describe.  Inside the hopper of this truck were four side to side braces - two just under the lip at the top edge and two lower ones, about half way down the sides.  Seemed to me that these braces were providing support to keep the hopper from bulging in the center - could be wrong though! 

Edited August 11, 2024 by BK9300

[Biggu]

It was Jeff , Brian ?and you are correct the internal braces were for exactly as you mention. Some times the sand we put in the truck cud be quite wet and heavy , if guys were a bit ham fisted with the loader operation the heavy weight could bend the box sides as you surmise . The trick was that if the sander was in the configuration as you are building and the screens were damaged and removed , was to gently tilt a full bucket of sand so that it slid down the side walls of the box gently on to the chain preventing a heavy drop right on the chain itself. Like I mentioned earlier, personally I liked the screens but for some reason most of the guys didn’t. …….. Are you keeping a log of all your measurements for this build by chance? It is just so stunningly good I can’t not keep coming back to it and every time I do I see more detail I missed. Incredible skill ls buddy

Jeff

[BK9300]

My apologies, Jeff - terrible mistake - looking at one of his earlier posts.  Won't happen again!

Regarding the measurements, I keep using my Sketchup model for a reference - the Sketchup model was made from actual measurements and some of the items I did find online

[Biggu]

41 minutes ago, BK9300 said:

My apologies, Jeff - terrible mistake - looking at one of his earlier posts.  Won't happen again!

Regarding the measurements, I keep using my Sketchup model for a reference - the Sketchup model was made from actual measurements and some of the items I did find online

Absolutely no worries, Brian… you can call me anything you want as long as it isn’t late for dinner ! Lol.  Oh. I see about the measurements. I well recall the T 600 you did in company colors. That was a beauty too. Do you make your own decals ?

Jeff

[BK9300]

Started work on the sander’s fender mounted, pre-wetting fluid tanks.  Our trucks had a system to apply a spray of this liquid, a salt brine, to the sand (sometimes the salt as well) as it fell into the spinner chute, in an effort to make it adhere slightly better to the road surface – traffic and big trucks could quickly blow the sand out of the travelled portion of the road.  Adding the brine to a salt application at the spinner could help the salt get into a soluble state quicker and begin working on compact snow or ice quicker

 

Patterns for the pre-wet tanks - one on each fender of sander

assemble tanks - the sand conveyor drive motor has been started;  the square and rectangular blocks represent plastic electrical boxes for the sanders/plows lights (brake lights, flashing lights on wing plow, etc).  A portion of the sand conveyor is seen in upper right

filler spouts and caps for tanks added; most of ladder finished - needed to add stair tread to ladder steps and used CTM mesh

tank mocked in place; ladder taped in place with lower portion unfolded

lower portion of ladder folded up

sand conveyor hydraulic motor mocked in place

had to have a shovel at the ready!

 

more on the sander in the next post - thanks!

 

Edited August 12, 2024 by BK9300

[Gary Chastain]

Master fabricator, well done, joy to watch. 

[Biggu]

As Gary said, an absolute MASTER. Class of engineering and precise fabricating. Jaw dropping accuracy. Very pleasing and most fun to watch  

Jeff

[BK9300]

4 hours ago, Gary Chastain said:

Master fabricator, well done, joy to watch. 

High praise, Gary, much appreciated - I certainly can lose a number of hours in a day working on this!

[BK9300]

3 hours ago, Biggu said:

As Gary said, an absolute MASTER. Class of engineering and precise fabricating. Jaw dropping accuracy. Very pleasing and most fun to watch  

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff - I do appreciate you following along and your supportive comments.  Hope you're carrying on with the project(s) on your bench.

[BK9300]

Finished work on the conveyor hydraulic drive motor; worked on hydraulic hard lines and fittings along side of sander; fabricated the pre-wet fluid pump box and the valves for the pre-wet tanks.  Got a good start on the truck’s main hydraulic tank and valve body manifold; made the exhaust muffler and mounting bracket.  Lots of small stuff made here, but took more hours that I thought would be needed!

I kept breaking the resin hose fittings from Top Studio, so, I drilled them out and used brass rod (1.0mm or 0.5mm) for the 45's or 90's as needed - used aluminum rod for hard line and white metal pipe fittings from Wild West Scale Model Builders

bunch of little items in this pic, from left; pre-wet pump unit; hopper end-gate and lift cylinder; sand conveyor speed sensor; finished conveyor hydraulic motor; ladder; hard line runs; pre-wet tanks and their related valving (and part of an ever changing punch list of things left to do!)

some other items added (prior to painting) - main hydraulic tank; valve body manifold (lower left); muffler and bracket support

pre-wet tanks and valving mocked in place

start of front support for hard line runs

two of three hard lines mocked in place

valve bodies, hydraulic conveyor motor, pre-wet hydraulic pump unit mocked in place

the white metal "T" fittings will be joined by a hose that equalizes fluid levels in the tanks

Lots of plumbing to do after painting - thanks again for your comments!

Edited August 12, 2024 by BK9300