Tom I will be ordering the complete Chevy tractor conversion kit. (I always keep several Italeri water trucks in the stash just for emergencies!) And one separate fifth wheel to upgrade my finished White truck conversion.

My only complaint now is that you have made my life too easy!

I'm just assembling my own tractor this evening! The rear axle and springs need a little cleaning out (the slots for the alignment tabs on the axles seem to be a bit clogged with resin, so needed a scrape-out) and of course there will be some light sanding with a sanding stick to get things to fit, but so far so good. I made a simple jig to measure and drill the holes for the springs, but cleaning the unwanted details off the frame rails was tedious. (Mine is an older issue, with the darker more brittle plastic - the newer releases with more olive plastic are softer...)

One thought that comes to my mind is to possibly assemble the complete full length Italeri ladder frame, then install your new rear cross member and only then to cut the frame to its' new shorter length.

You have the assemblies right there fresh in front of you. Does that sound at all plausible?

Sort of, but not quite. Removing the "wood" bed support beam and rear axle holders that are moulded on takes a mix of my favourite tools - brute force and ignorance! I removed the details, sanded it all smooth, used my simple jig to drill the holes and mark the rails for cutting, and cleaned it up before assembly. Then I started at the front with the plastic parts, before slipping in the resin crossmembers that I only superglued once I was happy how they fit. After that IO added the fuel tank, then the springs and the axle. (I had glued the new transfer box to the crossmember before gluing the plastic in place...). It all went surprisingly well, and I even found the kit prop shaft for the middle axle was a good fit between the new T-box and rear axle! It's late now, but I'll take some pics tomorrow and post them.

I want to take a moment to revisit a set of CCKW drawings that Frenchy posted on the previous page. One drawing in particular of the CCKW crane truck that I believe has some problems:


AS POSTED: This arrangement would be seen ONLY when loading vehicle aboard ship for transport.


AS REVISED: (By me) Standard typical arrangement as seen in everyday usage.


I feel sure the original artist just pushed the crane assembly all the way forward into the load box to conserve space in their overall drawing and make the drawing more conveniently fit the page. ** However doing this could be the cause for incorrect construction on the part of some modelers unfamiliar with this vehicle. The crane structure should be as far to the rear as is reasonably possible.

To the best of my knowledge there was only one such crane structure ever designed but it was intended to work in BOTH the Long Wheelbase truck body AND the Short Wheelbase Deuce loadbox. So in Long Wheelbase trucks the crane will appear like it is considerably too short for the loadbed. However this is completely correct - hence the cause for some confusion.

** About the only time you would ever see the crane pushed all the way forward in the truck like in the first drawing would be for loading onto a steamship for transport to England - to conserve space in the ship's hold.

(These remarks refer to ONLY the crane truck - the somewhat similar Bomb Service Truck is another matter entirely.)

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Apparently it would also work in the 1 1/2 ton Chevy truck!

The Bomb Handling Deuce Truck:
- Looks similar but an almost totally different animal.

Regarding those "wood" loadbox support beams:

This will be over kill for some but I believe in putting detail in a model even where you might have to really search to find it.

Most of the kit wood beams are molded like a "C" channel so first I fill in the back side of the beam with putty and sand smooth.

Then since these are actually supposed to represent wood rather than steel I carefully scratch wood grain into the beams using the tip end of a hobby saw.

Finally a detail often missing are the shackles that secure the wood beam (and therefore the entire loadbox) to the frame members.

Anyone seeking more reference on this - I suggest the next time you are stuck behind a farm tractor pulling a 4-wheel wagon you might want to check out these details under the load deck - usually the same style of construction.

Hi Mike,

One of those bomb trucks is on my list to build! Meanwhile my G7113 tractor looks lie this:




(More images on the SW product page...)

Such very nice work Tom - Kudos!

As I say I will have to pull the trigger on ordering some of these.

I encourage you to give the chassis a shot of primer so we can see all the detail in your work even better!


p.s. Sorry I seem to be jumping around so much, subject wise of late but I like to keep the info flowing if it is there to share.

One more image I came across in my files that will serve to pull me back to the subject at hand:

Just 200 more hits on this thread and we break half a mill !

Yes, I admit it. I do look at that counter! However it's unusual for a thread to have this long a life span much less garner that many hits,

Thanks to everyone for their interest and their contributions!

Cheers!

Someone (P.S.P ?? Masters ??) has in the past made the crane structure in 1/35th resin for the CCKW but to my knowledge no one has done the bomb truck with the heavier overhead gantry.

An interesting detail that also came with the real bomb trucks were modular sections of lightweight railroad track. They had a dolly that would roll on these tracks. The tracks would be laid down between the rear of the truck and the bombay of the aircraft and the 500 and 1000 pound bombs would be placed on the dolly and rolled up under the plane for loading. They are well illustrated in some of the TM's.







FOUND IT - Real Models made this conversion!

I think the winch, overhead cable truck, and dolly are candidates for 3D printing, with the rest from Evergreen - at least that's how I'd tackle it.

My tractor is a little way off priming (I like to get all the sub-assemblies done first, so the primer doesn't get in the way of gluing) but I'll post photos when I do.

This unit MIGHT be heavy enough for the crane truck but I don't think for the bomb service truck. I show it here just as inspiration for creating the details for a variety of different size chain hoists that someone in the 3D Design/Printing trade just might be interested in producing. ?????




The smaller gauge chain drives a planetary gear set giving mechanical advantage which is housed in the enclosure on the left . That in turn drives the main lifting chain pulley/sprocket on the right.

(The music goes round n' round and comes out here!)

Tom I know I shouldn't be surprised over Shapeways but now they are charging Sales Tax plus a Shipping Fee PLUS a Processing Fee for EACH item!

Add to that the fact the software first tried to charge me more than the advertised price for the full set and then listed TWO fifth wheels on the order when I only selected ONE.

Buyer Beware! Gotta be careful with these people! Clearly the same folks that created their useless search engine also did the work on the order entry program.

On the other side of the balance sheet I had no idea I was also getting the banjo axles included with the full tractor conversion set!

Now I feel like I am getting a bit of a deal (if not a steal) on all this!

Thanks

Yeah, the folks now running SW seem to be less customer-friendly than the Dutch guys that founded it! I'm glad you caught the "double entry" in the cart! (But then having two tractors is just double the fun...)

I do like that hoist - got any measurements on it?

No measurements - sorry.

The main Ford disc is approximately 11"-12" diameter if that helps any. I guess I should start carrying a marked rule with me like you see in old builder's photos and analyst photos of enemy equipment.

However these hoists come in many different sizes depending on lifting capacity so perhaps one CAD file but then printed at several different degrees of enlargement. Therefore exact size becomes less important.

KA-BOOM - this thread just surpassed half a million views! - Hot Dog!

I got a cheap little stocking-filler 1-metre measuring tape that hangs on my keychain - it's the most useful Christmas present I've had in decades!

Found something new and different AND WONDERFUL!

Most likely pre-war; a Ford semi-tractor: circa 1938-39 ???? (German or US origin ???)




Photos by Willem P. Bos - used here for discussion purposes ONLY - All Rights Reserved

Now that is spectacular! Not sure where to even make a start in 1:35 - would any of the recent crop of WW2 German kits provide the nose and cab?

Based on the photos of the real truck your fifth wheel is probably a little heavy and over sized but I think it would still do the trick and look good installed on this vehicle. Your spring set with the booster springs and banjo rear differential I think would look good too!

And the rear fenders in the ICM kit look perfect for the job as well.

The Ford semi-truck reminds me of this kit of a 1941 model :



This one may be a heavier version ?



H.P.

Ford didn't use the GMC banjos, and the kit axles and overload springs should be fine. Looking at the sprues on the Cybermodeller review I think you have everything you need in the kit except fifth wheel and spare wheel carrier. The carrier is easy to scratch, but that odd fifth wheel would be a pain - the base is stamped metal and the top is all curves. Not beyond the skills of a modeller to build up and whittle from plastic sheets, mind!