M911 & M747 on Civvie street

[Beekster]

If you've been following my Madill 071 logging yarder project, you'll know I've always intended to build a transport rig for it.  Some time ago I bought the MiniMan Factory resin M911, and started it, intending to scratchbuild a lowboy for it.  I've set that aside in favor of this:



The reason is simple; the Hobby Boss kit will be easier to build in every way and these heavy-haul rigs are not uncommon in the civilian world, particularly this many years after the Army versions were retired.  They're cheap these days; $15-18k for the tractor and similar prices for the trailer.  This is what they look like, refurbished and repainted:






















As you can see, I have ample scope for choosing the colors for my rig.  The interior will remain green, since nobody tears these rigs down for a complete interior respray, but exteriors are obviously re-done.  Maybe a dark gray with black, and some orange striping?

At any rate, I've started on the frame.  These shots show it coming together, with the crossmembers and transfer cases in place.  The Hobby Boss kit is a curbside, with no engine detail.  That's fine with me; not having that saves a bunch of money over the Meng kit.  This is my first one; I spent $94 to order it from China last year.  I just bought a second one for $60.  At under a hundred bucks, it's a good value.  At sixty, an absolute steal.  The frame builds up pretty straight, though I think there's a slight bit of side-to-side warping.  Not sure why, unless it's the scale thickness of the plastic not being quite stiff enough.  We'll see how well that is massaged out when the suspension and axles tie everything together.






This one will be almost completely OOB, though I will add some brake hoses to the thing.  I've got electronic copies of the TMs,  the Tankograd book, and the new Squadron M911/M1070 In Action titles to help with that.

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Go BIG or stay Home! Very cool.

[Beekster]

Jan 27, 2019 13:13:02 GMT -6 dogfish7 (R.I.P.) said:

Go BIG or stay Home! Very cool.

Yep!  I've loved monsters like this since I was a little kid.  For a logging outfit, I think these rigs make a lot of sense.  I've mentioned the low cost of purchase, and the 60-ton capacity of the trailer is ample for most yarders and 'dozers, as well as other useful equipment for getting to the timber and getting it back out.  The two-stroke Detroit Diesel 8V-92 engine is powerful & reliable, and parts are plentiful; it is actually a common power upgrade on Madill 071s from the DD 8V-71T that was originally fitted.  In this day and age, they are an emissions nightmare but are grandfathered by current emissions laws, though that huge hood has ample room for a newer power plant if one were desired.  In any case, a rig like this hauling for a timber firm would not be spending most of its operating hours on the highway anyway.  The automatic transmission makes them easier to drive than older, lower-powered tractors (like Mack DM800 series) that require more gears and more skill to operate.  And being designed for off-highway use in the first place, they have no trouble handling the steep grades and rough surfaces of logging roads in the back country.

[JCON]

Nice!!! Colors sound good too!!!

[BUCKY]

This is a very interesting project. Looking forward to seeing this one in progress!

[JED]

Awsome,watching with interest

[Dukemaddog]

This is awesome! I'm still trying to get that rig in 1/72 scale too. If I knew what kind of civilian use would fit in my collection, I'd get a spare and try making a civilian rig. I don't have any lumber equipment in my scale so that wouldn't work for that.

Anyway, this will be a blast to watch.

[Beekster]

Jan 28, 2019 12:26:20 GMT -6 Dukemaddog said:

This is awesome! I'm still trying to get that rig in 1/72 scale too. If I knew what kind of civilian use would fit in my collection, I'd get a spare and try making a civilian rig. I don't have any lumber equipment in my scale so that wouldn't work for that.

Anyway, this will be a blast to watch.

Duke, heavy tractors like this are used for pulling all kinds of heavy loads.  My yarder is one, but any large bulldozer or excavator needs a rig like this, too.  Also other bulky stuff:  Turbines for hydro dams, power transformers, equipment for the oil patch, and so on.  Some of these are loaded on a standard lowboy like the M747, while others use more specialized trailers.  In those cases, the tractors are usually ballast rigs with weights over the drive axles for traction, and a drawbar is used to pull the load.  For really heavy stuff, multiple tractors may be hooked together, like this:




This is from pat Ware's fabulous book on the Diamond-T M19, and this shows one heading an M26 Pacific with another Pacific as pusher for a piece of power plant equipment in France post-war.  For something like this, the challenge is doing the trailer; it would have to be scratchbuilt and you'd spend a fortune getting a multitude of resin wheels cast up.  The load itself would be fairly easy, if rather large.  It's a fairly basic shape.  Troll around for heavy-haul outfits and look at their photo galleries; they always like to show off the big stuff they've moved.  Another idea that might work in 1/35:  Build a doll house, and have it being moved from one location to another.

[Dukemaddog]

LOL! Wow, that pic is incredible! I recognize the tractors. I'll look around and see what else is there. I'm looking for stuff I can do in 1/72 scale! This will give me some ideas. Thanks Beekster!

[Beekster]

So, some progress on this one:

The frame is mostly together and the wheels all touch the ground plane, which is a relief. There's some wobble in there, and the tires & wheels are just mocked up here. Posing the fronts created a problem; the Pitman arm and tie rod broke so I will have to line up the hubs and glue them, rather than allowing them to turn left or right. The rear duals and the pusher axle wheels each have a D shape to their axle holes, and a corresponding flat exists on the axle stubs. Though there's still a little rotation possible, this will (eventually) locate the wheels more precisely and ensure that the service brake cylinders end up in the right place. The front wheels are located on the hub with two pins, aligned vertically, to serve the same function. This method isn't as positive for location, however. I'll make it work. I'm undecided about whether or not to complete and glue the wheels in place or leave them off until completion. The tires are relatively easy to push on, so I may glue the wheels down and add the tires at the end. I think I will test that by sticking a couple of the rear duals on with white glue, and checking to see how things hold up when I push the tires on. Something else I can do if I want to ensure the wheels sit firmly on the ground plane is to add a little weight to the frame where the engine sits, and some in the winch deck, and perhaps a sliver or two inside the fifth wheel assembly and trailer gooseneck.

I mentioned purchasing another kit for $60 from China via eBay & PayPal. I was provided a tracking number, and tracked the package across the ocean to LA, to final delivery on Friday...in Glbert, AZ. That's well over a thousand miles from Hillsboro, OR, so something went really wrong. I've informed the Post Office, eBay, and the vendor that the package wasn't delivered properly, and confirmed that the address listed with eBay and PayPal are correct for my location. No response from the vendor yet; I'll give it a few days before escalating the issue. Perhaps the tracking number supplied to me wasn't for my order. Time will tell. I'm not concerned about being out $60, since both eBay and PayPal have guarantees that I can use if it comes to that.

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Definitely getting some down now! The postal system gets weird once in awhile.

[JCON]

Hope it shows up soon, I had one from China that went through Arizona once too, not sure why on its way to NE Washington State...

[Beekster]

Feb 10, 2019 14:15:15 GMT -6 JCON said:

Hope it shows up soon, I had one from China that went through Arizona once too, not sure why on its way to NE Washington State...

I hope so too.  What makes me a wee bit nervous on that score is that the USPS itself shows the parcel as delivered and "left with individual".  So somebody signed for it.  If said individual did so having noted that the parcel was addressed to someone else in another state, they are a most lowly form of slime.  "Hey, cool, free kit; I'll re-sell it on eBay!", is what goes through my head when I think of that.  What would make more sense is that I was provided with the incorrect tracking number and the person in Gilbert got what they wanted.  So far no response to my inquiry from the vendor in China, though.  I'll give it a couple of days before I escalate with eBay and PayPal.  It's already Monday over there, so if they are checking their eBay communications they will see my message.

[BUCKY]

I received a kit from an eBay seller a few years back. It was the wrong kit. I emailed the seller, showed him a pic of what I got in the mail. He checked on it, and let me know that my kit had gone to the buyer that was supposed to get the kit I got! (That make sense?)
Anyway, he got my kit back from the other buyer, and I sent the wrong kit I got back to the seller, and then I got my right kit! It took about six weeks to rectify the situation, and that all took place on American soil, no overseas stuff, at all!
I guess it happens, from time to time!

[Beekster]

Yeah, that makes sense, especially with a private seller packaging several kits at one time for more than one customer.  I am presuming that in my case, I'm dealing with a business...but maybe not.  In any case, it's up to that vendor to ensure that packages are addressed correctly to arrive at the proper destination.  I don't anticipate this being resolved immediately; if another kit has to be shipped that six week time frame might well be a minimum.  One thing is for sure; I won't let the statute of limitations run out before asking for a refund.

[BUCKY]

I can't say that I blame ya, there!!

[Beekster]

Things are progressing in fits and starts. I've been working on the battery box and fuel tanks, which has led me to break out the etch tools since here is where the brass work starts. I was pleasantly surprised by this:

Hobby Boss packages each fret inside two sheets of peel-away plastic, in addition to packaging the frets together inside a sealed bag with cardstock backing to prevent bending. The peel-away itself also helps to keep you from bending the fret inadvertently...a nice touch!

More images later when these subassemblies are further along, but I'll mention a couple of things here. The fuel tanks are pretty easy to plumb, since there are nubbins on the top for the fittings and they can be drilled out to accept wire. The battery box has no holes for the cables, but will be easy to drill. I should have plumbed the air tanks before I got this far, but I'll manage. Frustratingly, I don't have complete information on how the air lines are plumbed on the chassis so I will have to wing it. Internet photos don't show the whole chassis from beneath, and even the walk-around shots in the new Squadron title don't cover everything. Finally, I'll have to think about how to deal with the brake reservoirs. They are attached to the wheel hubs on this truck, not mounted to the frame. That will make them vulnerable at the paint stage and any test-fits of wheels in between. Running wire for the brake lines into the general area will be straightforward, but they will be hanging out in the breeze until final assembly. I'm a bit nervous about that but don't see any other way around it.

[JCON]

Nice!!!

[BUCKY]

Cool looking PE. Looking forward to seeing the results of this.

[Mence]

Cracking kit fella, enjoyed mine.