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The Truck Faq

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FAQ 1/14 trucks & trailers

What do i need when starting from scratch ?

- Kit of course

- Radio gear, 4 channels stick.

- 2 servos normal size, a 3e one if you use automatic legs on a trailer

- Paint, glue, and some normal Tamiya building tools.

- 7,2v racing pack

- Building tips -

* Dont let the many parts bags and plastic trees scare you, it is all very easy to

Follow in the manual. You dont need to guess, just read & build, and your rig

Will be up and running in no time.

* Include the MFU at first build, or , add later on ?

My strong advice is, include in first build. Adding it later on will require a full

Strip down of the truck.

But, it can be done without destruction of parts.

* I have build my truck with MFU, but cant place the driver seats anymore,

Even worse, i can see the wiring trough the window!

Tamiyaclub member Ant88 has a nice solution for that. Ask him.

* Use locktite ! ( the good stuff ), especially in combination with the vibration unit from

The MFU (Multi Function Unit) and the stiff leaf spring suspension screws will shake lose.

* Build with ball bearings, nowadays there cheap as a pack of smokes for the entire ride,

And it will improve the drive.

It will be quite a task to mount them on a later stage, so use them in your first build.

* When building a trailer, mount the light set at first build.

If you want to retro-fit, you will have to tear down the entire trailer.

Including one time fit parts.

- Q&A -

Q: Regarding radio, will a Spektrum set like the dx6 or dx7 work with the

Multi function unit?

A: Yes, it will. You only lose startup sound .

Q: I have build a heavy custom rig, and my suspension is flat on the floor

A: Buy you some oil shocks, even a 12 kg+ ride will keep his articulation then.

Q: My truck is to fast or low on torque.

A: Get a truckpuller motor 6500rpm or a Carson gear reduction.

Sidenote, chassis drilling is needed for the gear reduction unit.

Q: Can i shift on the fly ?

A: Yes, the gearbox is very strong. Just dont do it under heavy load or high rpm

Q: Will my Tamiya truck match Wedico or Robbe trailers ?

A: No, a Tamiya truck is quite bigger then those 2 brands, they dont match.

( yes, you can make them fit, it just looks silly )

Q: Can i operate a truck on a 2 channel wheel radio ?

A: Yes, you can, but you will have to sacrifice the gear change.

Q: Can i operate a MFU equipped truck on a 2 channel wheel radio ?

A: No, you cant unless you want to drop many functions.

- Troubleshooting -

* My box trailer rattles !

Use some thin tape to isolate the large panels in the guide bars no more rattle

Sidenote.. there highway trucks, not offroad trucks.

* My 3 axel rig, when from the floor.. wheels turn.. when on the ground,

Odd sound and does not move.

Big chance that one of your differentials is mounted upside down.

* I cant use first or third gear.

Check your servo travel, you need quite a swing to get 1ste and 3e.

* My gearbox makes funny rattling noises in any or all gears.

Check your servo position for the rattling gear, you need to adjust the servo a bit.

* My gearbox sometimes get stuck in a gear, and refuses to shift.

Check the gearbox-rod, a little dent or sand can get it to jam on the gearbox front plate.

* I feel the need to eat meatballs and watch the movie Convoy...

It happens, nothing to be worried about. There is no quick fix for that.

Just go with the flow.

* My MFU does not work proper.

Calibrate as in manual ( read it for a change <_< ) , 99.9% of the Multi Function Unit problems are from none or incorrect calibration. The unit has to adjust itself to your radio gear.

* My trailer , even un-loaded has no suspension at all, it is just stuck

You can over tight the leaf spring mounting blocks, they have to be firmly mounted but nothing more.

- Little tricks / facts

* You can increase the wheel base by 10mm on the drive axles (and trailer axles ) , with 1150 bushings

You can stick them between the wheel and the wheel hex, still plenty of meat left on the wheel plastic for drive.

* You can mount the box trailer / tank trailer wheel fenders without drilling on the flatbed trailer.

* Starting from the Scania R470, Tamiya has changed the gearbox a little. Biggest change

is a longer shift rod. Please keep that in mind when you buy spare parts.

* Not only Tamiya makes trailers for the tractors, the German Carson has his own series that

Are a perfect match in size.

There spare parts are not inter-changeable with the original Tamiyas.

They have made some 3 axle euro trailers and a semi low loader.

Dont expect the same quality as the originals.

Also the ebay guy Montimisu has made some trailers, mostly known for his replica tautliners.

The quality is excellent with a similar price range from Carson.

( actually, the Carsons are a copy of the Monti trailers )

* Did you know, that the King Hauler ( 56301 ) is at this moment the longest running

kit in his original form ?

* Did you know, that the trucks, except the Globeliner, Volvo and both Mercedes have a chrome special edition.

* Did you know, that Carson brought out a special reboxed Volvo FH12, the XL-70

* Did you know, that the gearbox can handle a sport tuned motor.

* Did you know, that the Tamiya reefer trailer is kit prepared to have a 3e steering axle

* Did you know, that the Tamiya made aluminium wheels have a special tire size

* Did you know, that the reefer trailer has a error on the decal sheet

( the wrong length sign decals, there for a tractor instead of a trailer )

* Did you know, that the Complete kits for the tractor trucks include a 27mhz AM radio set.

( and that it is illegal to use in most European countrys )

- Usefull links -

The Tamiya trucks have quite some nice after market parts, from decals to full metal axles.

Cab conversions, gear reduction units, driver dolls , aluminium wheels.

You name it, good chance it is for sale.

Here is a selection of web shops who carry those:

http://truckmodellsport.de/shop/index.html Custom parts

http://www.ebh-modellbau.de/index.html Custom parts

http://www.ex-tension.nl/ Specialised electronic parts

http://www.hobmamodelbouw.nl/ Very large truck store "got's about everything"

http://www.scaleart.de/eng/index_2.htm High end trucks & trailers & parts, bring a big pocket of cash

http://www.schapermodelbouw.nl/ Had some nice parts, also dealer for custom decals

http://www.verkerk-modelbouw.nl/ Custom parts & cab rebuilds

http://www.stellamodels.net Custom alloy wheels & all the kit's

http://www.rc-glashaus.de/home.html Indoor truck driving paradise

Any modifications or extra info? Feel free to post them!

Ver1.0

Ver1.1 error corrections, added info

Ver1.2 links added

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Extremely helpful thanks. Although I had already built my Knight Hauler before registering on this site and I ended up retro fitting both my MFU and then the bearing kit too! Oops...but I enjoyed the work.

Those links are brilliant, found some great accessories.

Thanks again! :)

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This is the second time I write this blog post, but not the first time a 'mistake' has been made :). In the beginning, we didn't make enough use of external guides. A lot of 'reference material' was gathered by people who usually have better things. ;)

But it is Very useful too.:lol:

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