Yard truck

[ra7c7er]

I am looking for a yard truck model kit similar to the Ottawa Commando 30. Did anyone make a kit like that? I have never seen anything in model kit form and I don't think it exists but I thought I would ask.

I am also looking for a old tractor to use as a yard truck but I haven't found much in the way of older tractors besides the Dodge L700 and the Ford C900. Is there anything else out there of similar age or a bit older?

Thanks for any help.

Edited November 27, 2010 by ra7c7er

[mountaindewd]

I've yet to see a terminal tractor(yard truck) in kit form. Have you ever scratchbuilt.

Lots of older trucks were potential yard trucks. I use to operate an old White short hood single axle tractor that had been converted to a yard truck with the hydraulic fifth wheel and step boards from the door around to the chassis. It was a twin stick and a P!I!T!A! to get into gear.

Edited November 27, 2010 by mountaindewd

[ra7c7er]

I've yet to see a terminal tractor(yard truck) in kit form. Have you ever scratchbuilt.

Lots of older trucks were potential yard trucks. I use to operate an old White short hood single axle tractor that had been converted to a yard truck with the hydraulic fifth wheel and step boards from the door around to the chassis. It was a twin stick and a P!I!T!A! to get into gear.

I am scratch building a modern dirt Late Model but no I don't have any experience scratch building other than that. I just got back into the hobby a couple months ago the the Late Model is my first build at all.

I saw a White truck from Revell on ebay but it was to expensive. I like the older trucks better and around here a couple of the small independent yards have old (40's-60's)single axle Cab overs used as yard trucks. So I wouldn't mind using one of those but the strange looking Ottawa's just make me smile so I would like to do something similar.

Are you trying to build one like this

Or an older style like this

Just a side note, I think if you made one like this it would be really cool.

I would do any of the three but I like the second two the best. The local Mcdonalds distribution plant has two of the first one though, most modern. Honestly the red one looks like a death trap.

[Rob Hall]

I like the free-standing lights and anti-aerodynamic shape of that weird red one ( a forward leaning windshield? Wild!).

[ra7c7er]

I like the free-standing lights and anti-aerodynamic shape of that weird red one ( a forward leaning windshield? Wild!).

Farm equipment tilts the window like that. It is really weird but I think it is for viewing things below the equipment since farm stuff generally sits really high. I think the only reason it is like that on the tractor is because it is the same design as a combine cab just on a truck frame. I think Ottawa might have "borrowed" some designs from a farm company when they did that truck.

[Rob Hall]

Farm equipment tilts the window like that. It is really weird but I think it is for viewing things below the equipment since farm stuff generally sits really high. I think the only reason it is like that on the tractor is because it is the same design as a combine cab just on a truck frame. I think Ottawa might have "borrowed" some designs from a farm company when they did that truck.

A cab like that would be cool on a slammed hot rod truck build..

[mountaindewd]

The Ottawa trucks cab is built by Able body corp. If you ever noticed the cab on a Capacity terminal tractor is almost identical. Ottawa and Capacity probably get their cabs from the same company. Scratch building the Ottawa cab shouldn't be that difficult as all of the surfaces are flat. No compound or curves of any kind in that style truck means you would just have to cut flat styrene sheet to the right size and fit the pieces together. Build a frame out of a kit with a single or double axle and modify the fifth wheel with hydraulics and you have a replica. There are some other differences between the terminal trucks and road tractors, chassis wise, but wouldn't be real noticeable unless you want to be that exact in the replication. A lot of the ones I have used have no suspension, the drive axle(s) are mounted straight to the frame but we also have one that is equipped with air bag suspension. The engine in the ones we have at work now have a 5.9L 6 cyl. Cummins diesel that is probably the same engine in the Dodge trucks.

[Ben]

I could swear that Spaulding Trading and Shipping had a resin cab to build a spotter. I remember wanting to buy it to build one. It was a half cab of some type?

[Jim B]

The forward leaning windshield (althought not very aerodynamic) cuts down on glare. If you look at the bridge windows of most US Navy ships they lean forward like that. It's especially noticable on aircraft carriers, some crusiers, and the Spruance-class destroyers.

[SpreadAxle]

I could swear that Spaulding Trading and Shipping had a resin cab to build a spotter. I remember wanting to buy it to build one. It was a half cab of some type?

Don't hold me to it, but I believe it was an Autocar.

[Jim B]

This link might help: http://yardtruck.com/newandused.htm

[phoneguy]

Don't hold me to it, but I believe it was an Autocar.

It looked like this. However, I have no info about it, since I got it off ebay.

[Semi Trailer Mechanic]

I'm certain Ben is correct!!! It wouldn't hurt to send an email to STS to see if they might have one or point you in the right direction. I can tell ya right now if you can scratch build a modified you'll have no problem building the cab of a Ottawa. The toughest task for ya would be getting accurate measurements and angles. I've been fixing semi trailers nearly 20 years now.and various jobs I've held I had to drive those " MULES " pulling trailers in/out of the garage. You're best bet if you can get a cab or build your own is to use the Ford LouEville short hauler for a donor kit. When I was a mechanic for TIP Trailer several years ago they had an old Ottawa that was equipped w/ a 3208 Cat. On some of the older mules I drove the drive axles were mounted ridged to the frame. Let me tell you what those trucks put the "BOB" in the term bobtailing. Three weeks ago I landed a new job w/ J.B. Hunt. I'll see if I can take some reference pics of the yard truck out there for ya if ya need them. I'm not sure if it's a Capacity or an Ottawa.

[Aaronw]

Just a side note, I think if you made one like this it would be really cool.

That looks like you could steal the cab right off of a Payhauler.

As far as the reverse slope windshields I know the big snow plows like the Oshkosh do it to reduce snow on the windshield. Notice both the front and side windows slope inward at the bottom.

Edited November 28, 2010 by Aaronw

[Old Albion]

Wasn't the CBE (We call them half cabs) offered by STS a KW. I have a couple of photo's of a Kenworth CBE being worked on by Evan Hermel. I saved these of the old truckmodeler web site a few years ago. The second photo shows how the torsion bar system is fixed to the frame. For anyone fitting a torsion bar system remember that the torsion bars are not parallel with the frame They are at an angle. On the rear axle they are outside on the front they are inside. So if you look on top in plan view they would come to a point some where in front of the truck. Like a big triangle.

Dave

[Semi Trailer Mechanic]

Looking at the resin cab Jerry posted you could use that only you'll have to do heavily modify the cab.

You'll want to cut off the back of the cab behind the door post and put the rear wall on. On some of the mules I drove there was a sliding door where ya got up and turned around to exit to connect/disconnect the air lines/7-way along w/ the door on the side.

Add an expanded metal walk way starting at the front of the door wrap it around the back of the cab. and add a ladder.

The engine enclosure on the side of the cab will have to be completely cut off. Use a sheet of styrene to make a deck. A piece of 2x2 (mm) sq. stock 90% the height of the cab at the right corner for a mirror post. Any curb side west coast mirror/bracket from a truck kit will do.

For the engine enclosure you want to build a partial dog house inside the cab and the remainder outside w/ a lift up access door.

Hinge the cab like a coe and have a hydraulic pump hand jack to tilt it as well. The mounts from a Astro/Titan kit would work fine (to cut corners)

Use a square/rectangular steel fuel tank on the curb side and a fuel tank like the one found in the R/G 359 cut down 2/3 the size painted the same color as the chassis for the air reservoir. These are steel tanks.

If I remember correctly there was an old mule that MS Carriers had when I worked there had a " HUGE " airbag that actually lifted the fifthwheel assembly. Most were air over hydraulic.

For the rear fenders use some .010 or .020 black sheet styrene for the sheet fenders over the drive wheels. There is a modeler somewhere over seas that posts his work to Flickr.com where he built a mule and did that. where he ground out a couple groves where the tires rubbed thru the fenders.

For an air cleaner use an oler oil bath style mount it to the deck at the rear of the cab next to the dog house on it's side w/ the inlet on top then run your duct out thru the cab to look like it's plumbed to the engine.

The rest will be self explanitory by looking at good reference pictures.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Edited November 28, 2010 by Semi Trailer Mechanic

[Guest Johnny]

Kreohler Furniture here in town had an old GMC cabover that had a 5th wheel that was on a scissor that was lifted with a hydraulic ram. They left it at the foam cushion factory I worked at for us to shuttle their trailers from our plant to their furniture plant on the other side of town! It is what I learned to drive tractor trailor in!

Looked like this one I found at Hanks!

http://www.hankstruc.../page03_sml.jpg

[cargostar]

Some of those early cabs look like they were built TCM in Ohio. They are a fairly large fab. shop for the trucking industry. They built the "Cincinatti Cab" firetruck cabs. I may have access to a spotter without an engine in it. I'll see what I can do over the weekend.

[maxwell48098]

It looked like this. However, I have no info about it, since I got it off ebay.

This Autocar "Yard Mule" cab was offered by STS probably 5 or more years ago. It is an Autocar CK64 model that was more likely to be found as a cement mixer than as a yard mule. I bought one and started it as a mixer using the Paystar mixer chassis. Got about 60% done, and put it away somewhere. I'll have to find it and finish it up one of these days.

A.J.