Volvo FH16 Trucks for ArmAII

[Delta Hawk 1829]

Now that I look at it, the fifth wheel does look like it's in an awkward position. I'll push it back a little bit more. Is that your rig? So I'm gonna assume FH12s are more common than fh16s? If that is your rig I don't think exterior pictures will help me that much except for the rear cab frame mounts. I would need good pictures of the interior though, especially all the cramped areas like behind the seats and floorboard.

[Tankbuster 1733]

Nope, mine is a lego brick R400. :)

FH16s are very rare indeed here in the UK. The vast majority of FHs are 12s.

I'll see what I can do about getting some pics for you.

[Delta Hawk 1829]

*removes foot from mouth* Oh, nice...lego brick.

Since you are in the trucking industry I would like your advice. Since there are two shipping yards with ISO container yards in Chenarus and ISO containers are just about used by everyone, including the military, I decided to do a skeleton trailer to carry ISOs. Are these very similar to the ones used in Europe and areas such as Chenarus and maybe even Takistan? I'm pretty close to finishing modelling my own skeleton trailer very similar to these.

http://www.superdoll-tz.com/_images/Sk-traailer_b.jpg

http://img.tootoo.com/mytootoo/upload/49/492691/product/492691_b141ed977bed5454d1a061d03effb2ec.jpg

---------- Post added at 11:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:41 PM ----------

oh, thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

[Tankbuster 1733]

Yes the skelly trailers and the containers themselves are worldwide standard.

But in military application, the British (and maybe others) use DROPS for some stuff.

http://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/engineering/1501.aspx

Edited April 12, 2011 by Tankbuster

[Delta Hawk 1829]

Never seen a DROPS but in the Marines we had these http://images-mediawiki-sites.thefullwiki.org/07/2/1/4/62183914124284605.jpg

What do you think of my trailer? Do you know where the air tank is for the brakes if they have them? And where do the wires, air hoses and cables go? Inside part of the frame? You can hardly see them, but the brakes do have thier individual air tanks, but isn't there a master air tank for all of them or does that come from the tractor through the cables?

I did not make the ISO container and it is being used for demostrational purposes only.

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Usually is there marker lights on the side? I know there's reflector tape.

Edited April 14, 2011 by Delta Hawk

[Tankbuster 1733]

Yeah, that USMC vehicle is the same thing as DROPS.

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More replies later, when I can get to work and find a quiet few minutes. :)

[Tankbuster 1733]

What do you think of my trailer? Do you know where the air tank is for the brakes if they have them? And where do the wires, air hoses and cables go? Inside part of the frame? You can hardly see them, but the brakes do have thier individual air tanks, but isn't there a master air tank for all of them or does that come from the tractor through the cables?

Usually is there marker lights on the side? I know there's reflector tape.

Nice skelly, yes. Very good.

The air tanks are usually distributed all over the trailer chassis. Mine for example has 6 tanks. The are usually circular, a foot in diameter and maybe 2 feet long. The airtanks are pressurised by a compressor on the tractor unit and the air is passed through one of the airlines. More about them later.

Some of the tanks run the braking system, some of them run the emergency brakes, some run the air suspension, some run other auxiliary systems such as, on my trailer, the rollers set into the floor to allow airfreight pallets to move back and forwards.

The hoses and cables, (known here as suzys) go from the tractor unit at the base of the cab assembly where it meets the chassis and go to the front of the trailer, just below where the floor of the box would be. Usually, there's two coiled air lines and two coiled electrical lines. The electrical ones have a 'tighter' coil. Most trailers will have a fifth electrical line that is a dedicated ABS system, not sure if that's common on military systems.

There are side marker lights down the side of the trailer, usually yellow. There's not usually reflective tape on the side of the vehicle (except for Irish vehicles). White marker lights on forward facing corners and red ones facing rear. My trailer,for example has 5 sets of little LED yellow side markers.

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See this 20 trailer and the suzys. This trailer seems to have nonstandard airlines, perhaps it's in for maintenance, but you can see where they connect.

http://image.dieselpowermag.com/f/16047890/0906dp_08_z+2008_cadillac_escalade_ext+air_tanks.jpg

Airtanks in the image linked above (it's over 100Kb) These are actually on the underside of a Cadillac, but you get the idea of size and the pipework. Airtanks are often in pairs like these, or even in triples.

[Delta Hawk 1829]

The air tanks you speak of in your first paragraph, just to be clear, each axle on my trailer does have two individual air tanks for the each of the brake drums on that axle. You are talking about these, correct?

[Tankbuster 1733]

I can only speak for European manufactured stuff. Have a look at a freshly taken pic from the underside of my trailer.

You can clearly see two of the airtanks on the trailer directly under the floor. Also, on each axle there are two round objects that are the airsuspension actuators. Perhaps you're getting the two things mixed up?

Usually the whole brake system runs off a couple of the airtanks, with, as I said earlier, other tanks providing air for other pneumatic systems. You don't have an air tank per axle, so to speak.

Also, note that the my trailer construction is essentially the same as the skeletons. Two chassis rails running back to front with outriggers hold stuff like spray suppression, lights and to actually support the body.

Here's a pic of the suzys. On my trailer the connectors are quite high up. On a skelly, they'd be much lower down. You cant see the colours as these lines do get quite greasy, but maybe you can make out the larger coils of the air lines and the smaller coils of the electrical lines.

See the yellow shroud on the nearest suzy? That's called the brake service line. That line gets pressure when the brakes are applied. The other air line has a red shroud and that's the "emergency line". Until that's connected, the trailer emergency brakes won't come off.

That above said, most UK military tractor trailers use the continental european 'palm' type connectors. The hoses and cables are the same but the connectors are different. You probably won't model them, though. I expect the springy, elastic nature of the lines will be beyond anything this game engine can do?

[Delta Hawk 1829]

My suspension is mechanical, so I don't think there should be airsuspension actuators. I was just confusing the brake air chambers for the bigger air tanks you mentioned. But yeah, I see what you're saying about the two big air tanks. Would a skelly really need those, cause none of my reference show them atleast from the pictures perspective. Could you please take a picture of the air brake chambers and where the hoses go above it?

---------- Post added at 03:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:32 PM ----------

And I can't make the suzys elastic like in real life, but I can simulate suzys by hiding and unhiding the selections in the model of the suzys hanging and stretching to the trailer, then animate them as dampers to make them shake a little at the truck moves.

[Tankbuster 1733]

Yep. Here you go.

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Ah, I see your trailer already has palm couple suzy connectors in that last picture. Cool.

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While we're talking about animations, the landing legs would normally be up when the trailer is coupled to a tractor, but I'm sure you'd already thought of that. :)

---------- Post added at 03:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:43 PM ----------

I see what you're saying about the two big air tanks. Would a skelly really need those, cause none of my reference show them atleast from the pictures perspective.

Yes, the skeleton would have them, but as it has fewer auxiliary pneumatic systems, ie, just the brakes to run, it'd have fewer tanks, probably 2 or 4. BTW, I've been looking at the tanks, the ones I pictured eariler - they are a bit longer than I said earlier, maybe 3 feet long.

---------- Post added at 03:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:47 PM ----------

While I've got your attention, I'd make a few general points about heavy vehicles in a military application.

Articulated vehicles are rarer in the military field than they are in the civvy world. The military prefer rigid vehicles over artcis unless they are moving really heavy stuff like MTBs.

Also, this means you don't have to worry about the articulation in the game. It has been done, but it's a pain, so the easy route might be to stick to rigids not artics.

I don't want to put you off doing tractor/trailer - you've done great work so far and I'm thoroughly enjoying helping, but a rigid would be simpler, both in making the model and getting it to look non-shit in game. :)

[Ddog<nz> 10]

This is looking very nice good job mate cant wait till its released :)

[wika_woo 182]

This looks awesome, but didnt someone make a truck/trailer for arma I, but never release it?.. there's a youtube vid here