Recent progress on the CHU project:



Those two vertical poles stored one under each "arm pit" are the two pieces that form the standing support jake leg. This is used when storing the CHU in the upright position.





Just a few more minor details to add to my CHU and then PAINT and done!

Some info into how the lower "Rotalock" locking pins work:

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Lift that spring loaded retainer plate (Blue) and shift the handle (Green) to the horizontal position. You now have the Rotalock in the locked position. Finally turn that star shaped knob (Gray) to tighten the lock and take any slack out of the connection.

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More reference, this time on how the the CHU can be locked to the lift arm when NOT attached to a container for transport:

A small piece of general information regarding shipping containers in general:

Fold out guides for use when loading containers:
(Not used when loading Flatracks)

Still working in the research mode for building the Container Support Guides that mount at the rear of these LHS vehicles. In addition to the support arms and guide trays there is a massive structure ahead of the arms that keeps the arms from folding up during the loading process. I have since found there is much more to these structures than first realized.


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In-depth research and top notch scratchbuilding: the trademark of Michael Koenig!
Mike, I take my hat off!

WOW - Thanks so much Angel!

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scratch Built Container Handling Unit (CHU) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Very nice. It came out looking great.

Michael, you are a research and scratchbuilding beast! That turned out amazing. I love how you illustrate your thought process as you work. Keep up the great work.

Regards,

Eric

Angel, Gino, Eric; thank you for your kind acknowledgements!

Still progressing on the Container Support Guides for the rear of the truck.





Given the complexity of the folding support arms and the angle arms behind them, I think I am going to build these structures as fixed rather than actually have them fold up.

A little more reference on the guide tray:

Hi Mike - wow, great build, and informative as your builds always are! Very nice -

Cheers
Nick

Many thanks Nick.

Cheers

Beauty shot of PLS with CHU and container:

Coming soon from Mike Goldberg and Shapeways:


Corner key blocks for building your own custom containers.


The real deal: cast aluminum -

Cutting plastic now for a half-height ammo shipping container. Also planning to scratch a CROPS (Containerized Roll In/Roll Out Pallet System) Flatrack to go with it.

Looks like I might have to stay with a full-height container to work with the CROPS.



QUESTION: Does this look like a full-height container to you? I know it is not a half-height. It is clearly too tall to be a half-height. Cannot find any info on other height containers. The only two I find are the full-height, 8'-6" tall and the half-height, 4'-3" tall boxes.

Is there such a thing as a 3/4 height container?

Just a little bit off topic!

This one would truly hog the real estate on the display shelf but if someone decided to make this monster in 1/35th plastic I would have to have it!


(Photo by Kim Welch - Senior Project Mgr. - Army Corps of Engineers)

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I would pose it spotting a 20' container onto the back of my HEMTT or Mk 8x8 LHS.

There is the German version by Takom that includes the container lifting rack in the kit (top view on the box, in white UN markings).

Aah, but Gino, that German forklift is such a pale substitute when you consider that other big monster. I know now how I would pose it; a dio recreating the center photo - all four wheels fully canted as the whole thing forges it's way up that muddy hill!

p.s. Just learned - that vehicle is a Kalmar RT240 Reach Stacker:

Sorry to correct, but the Feldumachlaggerät can`t handle containers. The FUG offers four possilbilities, short forks, lanog forks, a lifting hook and a snow/dirt blade for levelling the storage site. For Containerumschlag, we have the Geländetelekopstapler ORION V.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbctKG86nFA

Yuu can give a try scratchbuilding...

https://www.kalmarrt.com/manuals