Transfer truck box and trailer

Pawel, I've had occasion to run most types of aggregate haulers.  The advantage of the transfer is maneuverability and light weight, most can haul 25 to 26 tons of payload, depending on the thickness of the sheet used to form the tubs.  Thinner skins are lighter but limit the size of aggregate you can load.  No cobbles for thin skins.  Bottom dump doubles can haul more but you can't back up.  Transfer trucks are usually not long wheelbase trucks though the rear axle wants to be as close to the end of the tub as possible to load the front axle better and to prevent tipping up when unloading.  The long drawbar helps in allowing the drawbar to lie under the truck when backing over it to draw the rear tub into the front or running it back on the rear trailer frame.  It also makes it a lot easier to back up the whole combination when that is necessary.  The key to the whole operation is using the truck's starter to back up the truck to hitch up the trailer.  You put the truck in reverse gear, then go to the back where there is a switch that runs the starter without energizing the fuel solenoid so the engine can't start.  That long tougue has springs that equalize it's weight so you can hold it up with one hand while the other hand runs the switch.

Hello!

It's good to take a look at the system in operation - youtube has the movies. There's even a competition about who can unload his(her?) transfer truck faster. To me this system seems to be a waste of engineering and space - I can't get over how long the trailer tow bar is in the photo above. Moving the trailer box onto the dump truck seems very complicated, too - an operation where so many things can go wrong...

But if you want to model it, take a look at the Italeri truck models. Those give you nice, long frames, that maybe wouldn't need stretching. Got to watch them closely, though, because some of their trucks are totally Sci-Fi under the hood. They also have two axle trailers in their line - good base for the trailer you need. Check out those:

This one is quite nice:

This could give you the box sections:

And the trailer:

Hope it helps - and be sure to be posting pictures here! Have a nice day

Paweł

goldhammer

Just did a search on ebay with "dump truck model kit". Got several from AMT, Revell, Ertl, Lindberg...... Could take a semi cab/chassis and stretch if needed. Box could be made of sheet styrene and strip/channel, etc. Another chassis could be the basis for the trailer.

Any of the seeming dozen different iterations of AMT's old Ford LN-8000 would seem ideal for such a project. They're plentiful and can be had fairly inexpensively if you're willing to hunt.

MPC's 'Gravel Trailer' is also in current release, showing as 'In Stock' at both Hobbylinc and Tower Hobbies, to name but two.

Ahhhhh, ok.  Have seen dump trucks and trailers in kit form before, but not recently.

Just did a search on ebay with "dump truck model kit". Got several from AMT, Revell, Ertl, Lindberg......

Could take a semi cab/chassis and stretch if needed.  Box could be made of sheet styrene and strip/channel, etc.  Another chassis could be the basis for the trailer.

Transfers are gravel, dirt, and asphalt haulers, goldhammer.  I've never seen a kit but it would be a fun project.  Ones such as the Wesco bins were made of rolled sheet and the tail gate is the only complex part.

When you say transfer truck and trailer, are you referring to moving vans, ie. Bekins, etc.?  Or more in the box truck vein?  Year range??

If the box truck, AMT had a Ford box truck out.  If a moving van, then a semi cab and a generic box trailercould be the basis for modifying the trailer toyour specs.