Newbie Custom King Hauler

[isreal11]

Hi Guys, I've been eyeing the King Hauler truck for six years or so, finally broke down and bought one. Not knowing how these RC builds work, I figured 300 bucks would get me in on a fully functional stock truck. Then I realized there are no electronics, servos and radio's included. Long story short I'm waayyy over that now and just got started.

For some unknown reason the Tamiya trailers from overseas are half the length as the US trailers. My tractor was almost as long as the Tamiya pipe trailer so I extended it with aluminum sheet metal from my shop to make it scale to a 53' flat bed. I'm planning on making the hood open with a servo, add lights and sound, extended frame, add a cat engine, smoke option, and stick a driver in the cabin. My 11yr and 9yr old sons are excited about the build and cant wait to work on it.

Can somebody help me out on where I can buy some Peterbilt style front fenders. one of the guys made some resin ones. I'm trying to get a hold of the builder.

[FabOne]

Look'in GOOD!

Keep us posted.

-Terry

[TRUCKMAKER]

Check out Shapeways.com for fenders.

[isreal11]

Thanks for the info guys! Finished putting reflective tape on the sides, and wired up the trailer. Planning on putting on a walnut floor today.

[isreal11]

Cut some walnut strips for the floor today. I decided to add two aluminium strips down the middle to make it more realistic. Trouble is the double sided tape isn't holding everything down properly. I might have to put in a couple tapered screws to hold the boards down tightly.
I'll think about it.
Bought some fenders off shapeways. Once I get them I'll start on the hood modifications.

[frizzen]

Looks like its coming along great. You're right' the trailer looks much better at 53'.

Would the deck hold better if you glued the planks edge to edge into sections before taping down?

[isreal11]

Originally Posted by frizzen

Looks like its coming along great. You're right' the trailer looks much better at 53'.

Would the deck hold better if you glued the planks edge to edge into sections before taping down?

I put a slight curve on the flatbed like the real ones, and the wood and aluminum have a hard time following the curve and staying there. Gluing them together might help. thanks

[isreal11]

Working on the truck now. I decided to cut off the frame four inches, because it's going to take 40 acres to turn this rig around. Looks much better now... I got the 3d printed c15 cat from exclusive rc, and i like how the motor fits into the hollow of the engine. Plus it's a true 1/14 scale. A lot of guys are using the cast iron norscot model, but that's a 1/10 scale. Plus I was able to still tuck in the steering and gearbox sevos where they belong in the front, which is tough to do with the norscot one. I got the truck going and steering now....need to work on the hood and speakers....

[isreal11]

I bought this gear shift aluminum template off ebay and hot glued it into my dx6i radio. I think it's a must for this radio because it keeps the servo in a particular gear without you having to worry that the stick will move slightly into the center and switch gears on you in the middle of driving. On the dx6i, the left stick wants to move into the left and right center, but not up and down. With this template the stick has to stay in place without you having to hold it.

[Cossett]

I just used blue tac or foam double sided tape to hold the shift plate in place so it easy to remove at any stage and my thottle is left spring and lights / horn is right stick on the no spring gimbal

[sassgrunt]

As far as gluing down the wood on the trailer goes; I was building a flat rack for the container trailer and had the same requirement. I found that Gorilla Glue sticks the wood down to the plastic joists, as well as the metal on the side frames. Just be sure to stain the wood before you install it, (if the glue seeps up onto the visible surface, the stain won't cover it very well), and also watch for any glue that seeps up and needs to be wiped off right away. Once it hardens, it's very difficult to remove. -Mike

[isreal11]

Been working on my truck off and on the last year. Finally coming somewhere. Was supposed to be a father/son project and while my 12yr old was very involved most of the grunt work was done by father, while the son provided moral and company support

[isreal11]

This is an early stage test run with the finished trailer.

[isreal11]

Stripping everything and painting it brown. This is the extended frame:

[isreal11]

the hood proved to be the biggest challenge. I wanted a Peterbilt look and the king hauler didn't cut the mustard. had to cut and re-glue and do things over a couple of times.

[isreal11]

Finally got it to where I accepted it. Bought a aftermarket bumper to go along with the wide rim fenders.

[isreal11]

[isreal11]

Had a bombshell moment when I came up with an idea for the idling option. The motor and weight fit perfectly into the fuel tank. with a little cutting and hot glue, I had it idling like a c16 caterpillar.

[isreal11]

The hood hinge didnt come out pretty but I got it working with some help from other pages. copper sheets and rods from manards came in handy. Cab firewall was cut from clear plastic container.

[isreal11]

time for some paint! I have a little 1:50 scale peterbilt and trailer with this color scheme and I really like it. Here goes!