S&M Trucking open for bizz nizz !!!

[Supermario]

Originally Posted by Kaf343

Mario, it's awesome!!! Great job on pulling the whole thing together. Every piece of it compliments the next. Very nice.

Thanks Keith. That is a great way to describe how the build has gone.
I'm glad I could capture her vision of the truck n trailer she wanted and the team effort it has been from start to finish.


Mario

[1985 kenworth]

Hey mario i have a suggestion.i have aluminum rims on big zeus.when i polished them using alcoa aluminum polish they have a spray to use afterwards called shine sealer.supposedly it will keep the aluminum from oxidation and dulling it especially during truck show season..i tried it once on my rims one year and the shine lasted a few months. It would have lasted longer but truck wash detergents have degreasers in them and pretty much washed the sealer off in a few months.you can try that on sues trailer but do a small test area like underbelly to make sure it doesn't damage it. I only tried alcoa brand but i am sure there are others out there.you can try can tire in the detail section where the polish and wax are.i think turtle wax does a polish/sealer in a white plastic jar with a red top.blue magic polish paste polishes and seals it in one i have used the blue magic it works good.those are some options for you... hope it helps.i use blue magic on a few of my r/c truck rims it also takes out light scratches..but remember test spot first

[Supermario]

Thanks Dwayne. I will definitely run to crappy tire and pick some up. I'm just starting to sand and polish the tailgate so it's a perfect opportunity to test it out If it works out the stuff should save me a whole lot of work and upkeep on the trailer. Thanks dude!

Mario

[PROBUILDER1964]

Hello Mama Sue...Ive been gone for a while from the forum....Just seen your vid on the "Black Passion" first run...WOW it looks totally great and super realistic ! So...When do you think you will be ready for the next truck to be built ! I do know a great truck body fabricator you can get to do it for you ....Hint...Hint...Hint....LOL

[Supermario]

Originally Posted by PROBUILDER1964

Hello Mama Sue...Ive been gone for a while from the forum....Just seen your vid on the "Black Passion" first run...WOW it looks totally great and super realistic ! So...When do you think you will be ready for the next truck to be built ! I do know a great truck body fabricator you can get to do it for you ....Hint...Hint...Hint....LOL

Hey Rick! Great to hear from ya!

Glad you like the truck .
See, Susan told ya. Nothing but gloss black, no stripes no lines , just black. Sometimes less is more as they say. Lol

Of course you will be involved in the next build ! . Just not sure when that's going to be? Now with the company fleet growing into equipment and not just trucks , cash flow has shifted gears..

been thinking about how to better use our backyard as a play zone and came up with a daunting but very possible project??

Here's a tour of my dream backyard course I hope to build a little each summer.....

http://youtu.be/EA24Mryvyn4

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions

Mario

[1985 kenworth]

if you do that mario ...i might just have to move to the soo

[Diesel Demond]

that is one sweet a$$ rig !! I too would have a hard time in the dirt with it. have you lit up your tanker trailer yet. i need to light mine up soon? your lights on the dump are very nice great job!

[Supermario]

Originally Posted by 1985 kenworth

if you do that mario ...i might just have to move to the soo

Lol Dwayne.....As a matter of fact, our neighbours next door are selling! It's a 2 bedroom house 1,200 sq ft on a 50X150 lot asking 135K It would be perfect for you and Barb!
And if we combined our backyard roads we could have a road area of 50X100 ! lol. Hmmm due to road maintenance costs, I think we need a toll booth at our property line! Roflmao.

I plan on getting started on the project after the Indy show. Weather permitting and work load, I hope to get the section across the back done before winter.

Once I get the loop done you have no choice but to come up here!. Sault Ste Marie is nice. 80,000 population, warm summers, friendly people.

Originally Posted by Diesel Demond

that is one sweet a$$ rig !! I too would have a hard time in the dirt with it. have you lit up your tanker trailer yet. i need to light mine up soon? your lights on the dump are very nice great job!

Thanks Cory. Hey, don't forget, Susan did put FIVE coats of wax on it!. Probably down to 2 or 3 coats now but, Susan just waxed her 1:1 truck again and I wouldn't be surprised if Black Passion will be next!

There is one downfall to a all black truck. Outdoors in the hot, high noon sun the body gets really warm, almost could say it gets hot! I kept an eye on it at the Clifford show and placed in the shade. Which reminds me, next year I want to bring a heat measuring gun to see how hot it gets.

Haven't started the tanker lights yet. I changed my mind and want to do the reefer trailer next then tanker and finish with the lowboy.

The dump trailer wiring went real well ( or maybe I'm getting better at this ) The double wall sides with enough room made the job easy. I really hope Izzy finds a shop because I'd love to have some more of his stuff!

Mario

[Supermario]

I gave ya the walk around tour of the future road... Here's my truck testing it out for the first time. Just a couple soft spots to deal with and I have to trim the top of the hill, the quad axle turns into a single axle as it crests the top

http://youtu.be/HnQ7VJre40I


And a video of Sue's truck with flatbed and lowboy.

http://youtu.be/-__3O8UVZQ8

Thanks for looking.

Mario

[1985 kenworth]

hey mario the video looks great...reminds me of the trucks driving the dirt roads back in nova scotia in the woods to get loads of logs or christmas trees...i could watch the video over and over ..it came out very well.looks like you will have quite the truck park up there.i am trying to convince barb to sell our house and move out to the sticks .it would be pure bliss to have a truck park also and to be able to look out my window and see the garage that will have big zeus completely tucked in for the winter and safe...i will be watching the process of this..must be cool to have a scale trucking company and literally own the roads you drive on too

[Supermario]

Thanks Dwayne, glad you liked the video..... I really need to get a Gopro camera! It's almost impossible to drive with one hand and film with a IPad in the other Of course with Sue's help video taping will be easier in the future.

Anyway, had an idea how I can build and use the road right now .
RC road building will start next summer but this year getting the loop complete is the focus.

Check it out

http://youtu.be/d9KngRo--vc


Mario

[1985 kenworth]

yea i saw it .thats a clever idea with the shingles

[Supermario]

Ok. It's official. The road works! Yes, maybe a little narrow but that helps fine tune the driving skills best part is with the double layer shingles, I can widen the road a few inches with no problem. This is going to work great as a practice area for Sue before the Indy show

Mother Nature gave me the time to take a couple runs on the new road

http://youtu.be/--NHr9vAhyY

Mario

[Goose19]

looks like it works pretty slick mario, nice!
im heading north in a few weeks.... may need to detour on the way home!

i like the shingle idea, maybe lay them on top of the finished road too, give it the blacktop look?

[Supermario]

By all means Al. let me know if your in my neck of the woods
My holidays start on the 19th and I'm off till September.

Anyway, more progress on the backyard project today. I was telling some guys at work what I was up to and someone mentioned a perfect material to use as a road bed. Not sure the exact name the steel plant calls it but, it's "slag crusher fines". This stuff packs as hard as concrete! and its cheap to buy
Only con is the strange fact it smells when it gets wet for the first few months, almost like fish guts smell is the best way I can describe. then it stops. Something to do with the process at the steel plant gets absorbed by the slag??? Just a temporary issue anyway.

Enough chatting! here's some pics!






and now with a pile of shingles, the road continues........




thanks for looking and all comments and suggestions always welcome

Mario

[doodlebug]

Hey Mario, slag like's water when compacted, water causes chemical bonding.
Plate compactor's are just the ticket.
I've hauled a lot, and graded with it, when Geneva Steel was still around, Supply is dwindling here now. No, the slag won't kill weed's! Lime Stone fine's are great too.
Go for at least 2'' thick. 3/8'' minus will compact better than the 3/4'' road base.
Cheer's, Neil.

[Supermario]

Backyard road circuit completed!!
Managed to get the backyard loop done today and took my truck for a test run. Ran bobtail twice in each direction for starters, all is great!

Heres some pics of the new section along the backside of our garage along the property line.



Im thinking of filling in the area between road and garage and put in a weight scale station and rest stop so I can have 2 way traffic on the "highway"...lol



Living up here in northern Ontario on the Precambrian shield means our highways come with something that not all are familiar with....ROCK CUTS!!





It's a nice long stretch of road. From the start to the turn in the back is 80ft , hence, that's why I figured a tight rock cut in the middle would make things interesting



and heres the latest look of the gravel pit area.Now as I look at it... I realize that sometimes being anal, and always trying to be symmetrical is bad. When was the last time you saw a perfectly square gravel pit???



When this is all complete by next year, the road will have a gravel pit, weight scale , loading dock and truck shop area

thanks for looking, any ideas and suggestions appreciated.

Mario

[Supermario]

Originally Posted by doodlebug

Hey Mario, slag like's water when compacted, water causes chemical bonding.
Plate compactor's are just the ticket.
I've hauled a lot, and graded with it, when Geneva Steel was still around, Supply is dwindling here now. No, the slag won't kill weed's! Lime Stone fine's are great too.
Go for at least 2'' thick. 3/8'' minus will compact better than the 3/4'' road base.
Cheer's, Neil.

Thanks for the heads up Neil. I wasn't getting the compaction and realized I didn't have enough thickness and too much road base so I screened down a few buckets worth to 3/8 minus and now have close to 2" thick. Trucks run fine on it and I hope it gets firm enough that the loader wont dig into it and just grab whatever material I use in the pit.
It's nice to suddenly discover a benefit to living in a steel town!

Originally Posted by oztruck

That stuff sounds good. I have found that you need something that is low maintenance, weed resistant and that doesn't get in the way when cutting the grass.
Load the tipper at the stock pile with your loader/crawler crane, spread the stuff 1/2" thick using tipper. now get a grader, compactor, and water truck and start working in the garden with your wife.

Cheers Chris

I love the sounds of that list of equipment Chris and nice use of the gardening option

Yes, low maintenance and easy to cut the grass. I'd love to put up road signs and even powerlines along the road but the way it is right now, when its time to cut the grass....I just cut the grass! no fuss, no muss. Mower runs over the shingles, nothing has to be moved or covered.
Perhaps if I host a local RC event I can add signage but for now we are liking what we got

thanks guys.
Mario

[Izzy]

That's awesome! You say the mower doesn't want to lift the shingles - that's great.

[Supermario]

Originally Posted by Izzy

That's awesome! You say the mower doesn't want to lift the shingles - that's great.

That's right Izzy. As a matter of fact, after a few days of the sun heating them up, the top layer are actually sticking to the base layer. I had to move a few and literally had to peel them apart to reposition them. No problem running mower across them or along them. Even walking on them is no problem and no movement.

3 bundles @ 20 bucks a bundle. So not too bad for a instant road covering that much of an area.

Mario