Lowloader on the cheap

[hawkeye3guns]

Hi don't know if this of intrest to fellow tankers but here is a tractor unit and lowloader that I built in 2005 for about £120. The unit started as a £29.99 RC truck unit from Igoldmells Indoor market Toy stall. The tractor unit was stripped down and all the paper stickon decals removed, before a respray. the cheap toy Rc gear was removed and normal servo's fitted. The rear drive wheels was replaced for some rubber hi9gh grip wheels from a friction drive big foot from the same stall (£5.00). The gear box surprisingly was quite good with metal gears but a small 380 size motor so that was replaced with a high torque 22 turn 700 motor. The tractor unit overall is 620mm x 180mm.

cab front.jpg (32.07 KiB) Viewed 7866 times

cab rear.jpg (28.79 KiB) Viewed 7866 times

The trailor unit was constructed from scratch starting with a steel chassis built from 6 0ff 10mm "U" section from B & Q (2.49 per 1m lenght) and then braised together.

chassis front.jpg (17.98 KiB) Viewed 7866 times

and the ramp was constructed the same way with the operating motor and gearbox hidden between the rear wheels.

chassis rear and ramps.jpg (17.85 KiB) Viewed 7866 times

. The winch unit was then constructed in plastic card and brass and in such a way that it hid the operaating motor and gearbox for the jockey wheels.

winch build.jpg (24.84 KiB) Viewed 7866 times

The honda generator unit on the trailor head hides the battery and switch gear for the ramps and the jockey wheels.

finished winch 2.jpg (20.55 KiB) Viewed 7866 times

. The trailor chassis was then planked with rough cut strip wood stained with used engine oil for that authentic look and smell.

planking the chassis.jpg (33.17 KiB) Viewed 7866 times

.

complete trailor.jpg (18.11 KiB) Viewed 7866 times

. The trailor unit measures 1.2m long x 240mm wide with the total cab & trailor unit 1.722m long and carries my old gepard with no trouble or I have had a Heng long Tiger and a Walter bulldog on it at the same time.

tank on trailor.jpg (21.86 KiB) Viewed 7866 times

[Saxondog]

Excellent build,the trailer looks great.Very well engineered.Sax

[mcevoyi]

that is sweet

where did you get the copy of the tam aeromax .. me wants one !

iain

[hawkeye3guns]

Hi Ian the truck / trailor unit as I said came from one of them cheap toy stalls that you sea at the seaside resorts I have seen them still on sale both at skegness and also at blackpool last year I think they have gone up slightly in price now There was two differant models at skegness ( as mine and also a flat front cab a bit like a daf / leyland cab.
cheers Denzil

[tankmad]

Nice truck and trailer conversion now I wish I booked my holidays in Skegness this year.
Stevie

[hawkeye3guns]

Hi thanks for the comments I did a little checking around and found on ebay under RC Trucks a 1/10 scale RC toy Truck similar to mine for 4£49.99 there was also a couple of other " large scale" trucks at the same price if thats of any help to anyone. I do have more pictures of the trailor build that might be of intrest to anyone thinking of giving it a go.
Denzil

[BREL]

nice work , I find that my leo bends the swan neck on my bruder trailer so I was thinking of getting some ally and making a proper frame for the front end and making the deck at the front longer to install the tamiya motorised legs

[hawkeye3guns]

I thought that might happen on mine so I made the swan neck out of the same steel as the main chassis and then cross braced it with two braces hidden under the steps that go up either side of the winches the result is that the chassis flex's in the middle of the bed only due to its lenght but when you see it going along with the bed flexing in the middle its looks just like the trailors you see on the road these days when they are carrying a full load.
The legs are two vertical legs with a simple crusiform brace in the middle and slide in two vertical slides controlled by a nut braised in the middle on the assembly and driven by vertical thread with a 90' gearbox on the top hidden under the winch bed.

[BREL]

have you got a picture of the legs set up to give me an idea on hor to automate the legs on my low loader

[hawkeye3guns]

If you can give me till the weekend and I get home I will take some pictures and post them for you I also have some pictures of the operating mech for the rear ramps that I will put up for you
cheers denzil