Fruehauf Tanker Trailer

Pawel,

I built the AMT flatbed a year or two ago; didn't have to deal with the lengthy seam that you are working with.  Are you planning to strip the kit chrome and re-paint yourself?

Don

Hello Don - thanks a lot for your comment!

I just stripped the chrome from the frame rails - it didn't fit for me there. Besides, the crossmembers would have to be painted anyhow, so I want to have the whole frame same colour, I figure it will look better this way. The kit chrome is hard to beat, as long as there's no nasty seam or sink mark to spoil it. Do you have any photos of your trailer? Thanks again, have a nice day

Paweł

Clever idea to add the supports inside the tank.

Paint on the rails is realistic, I don't ever remember seeing any chrome frames on 1:1 tank trailers.

There are some unpainted aluminum color frames ( no idea of the real metal) but not chrome.

Watching with interest   

Pawel

I just stripped the chrome from the frame rails - it didn't fit for me there. Besides, the crossmembers would have to be painted anyhow, so I want to have the whole frame same colour, I figure it will look better this way. The kit chrome is hard to beat, as long as there's no nasty seam or sink mark to spoil it. Do you have any photos of your trailer?

Paweł,

Not my cleanest build, but here are a few shots of the flatbed trailer.

and one of the tractor...

Keep us updated with your progress on the tanker.

Don

Hello!

Thanks a lot for your comments!

Steve - thanks a lot for your kind words. I didn't think it was a good idea to have the frame rails chromed.

Don - that flatbed is looking good, I especially like the deck. The tractor looks nice and clean, too!

I'm working on the frame right now, I'll post another update as soon as I have the photos. Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello again!

Here's another update. I went on with the frame - after improving the rails, I went on to redo the crossmembers. I cut off the old flange and installed a new one, made of styrene strip 0,5mm thick and 3mm wide. On the photo below you can see a crossmember before the operation (on the left side), and three crossmembers already rebuilt - on the right side:

The photo doesn't show the difference too well, but I like the effect, and it wasn't so much additional work on parts that needed a heavy sanding anyhow.

After the crossmembers were done - all 12 of them - I put the frame together and taped it to the tank, to make sure the frame is as straight as it needs to be to conform to the tank. By the way - the photo I made has some distortion, in reality the tank isn't as "banana-shaped" as the photo shows it:

Next, I plan to paint the tank bottom, between the frame rails.

Thanks for reading, have a nice day

Paweł

The change to the cross members is dynamic, in the comparison photo.  I don't think I would have thought of doing that. It most certainly makes a  clean looking part.

SAY!  what do you have against bananas?

Very nice work Pawel.  Great attention to detail.  Will be following your progress on this and the tractor.

Don

Steve - Thanks for your comment, glad you like my solution! Well, now I don't know how to put it politically correct... What do I have against bananas? They are not straight!!

Don - Thanks a lot for your comment and for your kind words, please stay tuned!

Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel, I spend far too much time in too slow traffic--which includes a number of tanker trailers.

Been trying to snag a photo of a Freuhauf tanker.  The Heil tankers have an interesting detail--the upper maker lights at the rear, are powered by a cable which is clipped around the back end of the tank, from about the 5 o'clock to 12 o'clock 9as you look at the tannk end) up to the marker light carrier.

Ir's a double cable, too, one thick and one thinner (like 20mm and 15mm).

So, other makers do something similar--just have not spotted a Fruehauf to see how they do it.

Also, the old-school habit of having a chain or strap to bleed static electricity dangling off the back rail seems to be passé, too.

I always enjoy your WIP posts. The detail you include is inspirational, and the your modesty is appreciated.

Thank you for bringing us another build!

Mike

CapnMac - It would be really cool, if you could snap a picture of the real deal for me. The back end is pretty important for this model, so that would be a great help. It's actually a very cool idea with the chain - I don't mind an old-school touch on that rig. Thanks a lot for your comment!

Mike - I thank you for your comment and for your kind words!

Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel, I asked my old college buddy--who is in the wholesale end of retail fuels, about the straps.  Seems that the driver has a static dissipation cord that gets plugged in when the hoses are pulled out for the delivery, and is clipped off to a fitting near where the tank fillers are located.

Thanks for the info, CapnMac! So it probably would be correct to ommit the cahin/strap... That's easy to do Have a nice day!

Paweł

Should you wish to see the side marker/reflector requirements, here is a quick overview with illustrations at the bottom of the page, for the USA and Canada.  

                      http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/standards/conspicuity/trlrpstr.html 

AND 

                   http://www.gemplers.com/tech/dottape.htm for the conspicuity tape

European? you are on your own  

Hello Steve!

Thanks a lot for the links! You're right, I'd manage an european truck without problems, lots of reference is rolling just around my backyard. But I'd like to picture an American rig, so your references are very valuable. Thanks again and have a nice day!

Paweł

Turns out the dispatchers don't much care who the tanker OEM was, so much as whether the trailer is a 4, or 4+1 compartment, and whether it's "on side" (driver's) or "off side" delivery.

The delivery side is important for making for better access to a given station's tanks.  It's also important in lining up the tankers to be filled.

The days of the three-compartment trailer were eclipsed in the '80s when US retailers started offering "auto diesel" next to the no-lead gasoline varieties.  The 4 = ! trailers have become necessary for carrying ethanol to get the fuels up to their legally-mandated levels.

Oh, and you need a commercial 5-gallon bucket hanging from the delivery "tree."  The bucket is used for mixing in any additives the "name brand" fuels use.

CapnMac82 - Thanks a lot for the info, it's very interesting!

Here in Europe we also have multi-compartment tankers, funny thing is they always seem to carry similar kind of fuel - you can see it by looking on the orange dangerous materials codes (ADR). So they always have all compartments loaded with diesel (30-1202) or gas (33-1203). Guess they are afraid of the inevitable mismatches...

That bucket would be an interesting touch!

Thanks again for your message and have a nice day

Paweł

Now, I feel compelled to pay more attention to the ADR placards on the tankers I see every day.  My first thought is that I've never seen more than two placards on a trailer..

For those who did not know, the tank farm loads the trailer compartments by just pumping in from the distribution tree.  This is supposed to be much more vapor safe than loading from the top.

The truck stop chain Love's has a unique paint scheme for some of their tankers--they are painted in the store livery of gold, red , & brown, but the rear of the trailer is labeled "Coffee."  Given that they have two or three dozen coffees available in the store, so an 8000 gallon delivery would be creditable :-)