Frame question

[arnd]

Hi all

I have a special technical question about logging trucks. I want to know what are the average measures for the frame of a logging truck which is used mostly on roads. I post a pic with some details referring to what measures I am talking about. The length of the cab and hood is different but what about the rest all from the back of cab to the end of the frame?



The next thing is about the end of the frame. Where is the different between double taped frames and straight ones? From the pictures I looked at, I could not find a reason. You find both on off and on road trucks. Has it some thing to do with the year when the truck was build?
Thanks a lot for your help and efforts.
So long
Arnd

[ap40rocktruck]

Hi Arnd,

I can answer dimension B, Much of it varies depending on what the logging out fit has found to be the best for there area. In the north east we have all types of road conditions, and each state has it's own set of rules & regulations governing the commercial vehicles registered to each state.

New York has it's own version of the "Bridge formula", which has changed over the years. We also still have a "Grandfather clause", this means that if you are running a Mack B-81 built in 1966, what ever the rules stated in 1966 still apply to the specs for permits & operating parameters. IE: wheel base, tire size, # of axles, weight load and so on.

As time marches on, I have observed many of the west cost types of trucks becoming more popular here in the east (long frame Peterbilt & Kenworth) with the newer & independent loggers. While at the same time there are many older companies still running pre-1980 Mack's & Autocar's along side 2012 Mack's.

Ap40

2 years ago, and attempt was made to change the emissions standards on a national basis...But that is another story....

[ap40rocktruck]

Arnd,

Here is the link to the Federal DOT regulations & rules for commercial vehicles.

www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/rules-regulations.htm

Ap40

[tufftin]

A wheel base of 260 inches on up and beyond 280 inches is pretty standard in the west and the stinger should be 4 to 6 feet long behind the rear wheels. However, the Kenworth W-925 kit which is a 1/25th scale measures out to about a 215 inch wheel base and that works fine for older trucks. It is kind of what the builder chooses and what you want your truck to represent. Remember, as a rule of thumb in 1/24th scale, 1/2 inch equals 1 foot in 1:1 scale.
Hope this helps.
Mike

[ap40rocktruck]

Right on & 1/25 is 1" = 1.0mm

Ap40

[Muleskinner]

The stinger taper has a lot to do with who outfits the truck for logging, such as Wit-log, Pierce, general and so forth.. I Northern California for a long time the square stinger was a standard design, as most of the trucks were fitted out by either Miller Equipment of Anderson, Ca. or Tidewater industries in Eureka, Ca. A little something I found out from being around the lumber industry, is back in the Fifties and sixties, a lot of trucking outfits also had lumber trucks in their fleets and they all have the square tail. In the winter down time, a logging truck with the square tail was easier to put into the lumber mode by removing the bunks and adding either a roll on, roll off system, or a flatbed setup and keep the rig working all year round. With the taper down tail, the stinger had to be completely removed and a square unit added to replace it. Once again loggers logistic played an important role in whats going to be what. An then again you are looking at an era when the logging industry was going strong and the need for logging trucks, Lumber trucks, and Chippers were at its peak, and sometimes in short supply, so the trucking industry had to be ready to handle all situations.. Now days with the lumber industry at is lowest and disappearing fast the quick change rig is all but a thing of the past. Most Out fitters now go with the taper down stinger as opposed to the square. But you still find a few die hards which have both.

A lot of rigs have the removable tail singer which is a great idea as you don't have to add so much frame to the rear of the rig. It can also be pulled out and the rig can have the bunks removed and a fifth wheel added for hauling either a Flat or a Chip Van, or Lowboy, when needed.

If you look at a self loader unit for logging from the pacific Northwest you will find the stinger actually in most cases connected to the the truck bunk and when the and when the trailer is loaded in the carry position, the stinger actually pivots and folds up under the reach of the trailer and lays forward over the trucks bunk. A lot of the older models before modernization relied on the fixed stinger tail and the separate trailer.

The stinger concept is a long drawn out subject when it comes to logging truck fitting out, and has no real answer to how long it should be. It really depends on the type of haul and the way the owner feels it would work best for him, on the job he would be doing. Its like Mike said above, the standard is four to six feet, but does go longer depending on the situation.

William

[arnd]

thanks alot for that fast answears. That helps me alot to undersand some special things and to work out my truck.

so long
Arnd

[clayton]

SOOoo the basic wheel base is owners spec. What works for Bob may not work for john.
One may take out a few feet on the wheel base but have a six foot stinger. On the other had one may add a few feet too the frame with a 4 foot stinger.

Humm I may stick with what I know. Just a basic truck with a log trailer.

[tufftin]

There are a couple different type log trailers too. It depends on what part of the country your from. The west uses a stinger steered trailer that hooks to the frame behind the drive tires and in some parts of the country they use what we call a "Hay Rack" or a semi trailer with 4 or 5 bunks on it that mounts on the 5th wheel.
The reason we use a long stinger in the west is our roads are steep and many switch backs and the long stinger allows for the trailer to track in or near the truck tracks while making these corners.
Mike

[doug1966]

Hi, just to add a few more points. It really depends on what area you want to have your truck represent. Here in Canada the loads tend to be bigger. There still are some big Hayes, Pacifics and KW used here on Vancouver Island. Over the the entire Province of British Columbia you will find all different set ups. If you have graze over Hank's Truck Pictures you will see some examples. It all has to do weights, and mill log specs. Most guys are using standard type trucks, KW w900- T800, Peterbilt, Western Star, etc. Tri-drive is almost the norm. Frame lengths depend on rigging set up, a pole trailer doesn't require as long of truck frame compared to a quad axle short logger. To my best recollection the tail frame (A) is usally around 3-5', frame rails straight back, no stingers here. They keep it short maybe because of the weight that can be loaded, long rails hanging back may bend or warp. Personally , using your picture, I would place the front drive axle center where your A-B line is , this would give it a good common look. Thanks Doug.

[slpwlker]

Sept 24, 2012 9:09:45 GMT -8 tufftin said:

There are a couple different type log trailers too. It depends on what part of the country your from. The west uses a stinger steered trailer that hooks to the frame behind the drive tires and in some parts of the country they use what we call a "Hay Rack" or a semi trailer with 4 or 5 bunks on it that mounts on the 5th wheel.
The reason we use a long stinger in the west is our roads are steep and many switch backs and the long stinger allows for the trailer to track in or near the truck tracks while making these corners.
Mike

I often wondered when I went out west why there logging configerations varied so much from the East Coast. Interesting