power driven trailer

[rustystud]

I wonder why they ever powered the back axle on an articulating bus, assuming the intermediate thats on the front section is powered as well?

The center axle had a 300 HP electric motor powering that. This was the "Tunnel bus" here in Seattle. It had to be electric in the tunnel, (used over-head electric wires like a trolley bus) then diesel on the road. You can look it up. It was the only bus in the world like that. Seattle paid over 1.5 million for each bus then. It was also over legal weight limits and had pink electrical wires on everything ! No color coding at all, just numbers on tape on the ends of the wires ! It was a nightmare doing any kind of electrical work on that bus ! It was made by "Breda" in Italy. They usually just make trains.
One good thing. Since it had trolley poles, if it broke down in Seattle you could usually push it with the shop truck to the nearest trolley lines and drive it back to base. Seattle has a complete system of electric trolley lines for their electric buses.

 

[Jbulach]

So the big problem with the bus, that wouldn’t typically apply to us, is when the trailer is driven, but not the truck, I could see that needing the fancy stabilization. Probably would have been better to flip flop the electric and diesel drive positions, I would imaging a lot less turning in the tunnels. Maybe when we twist an axle off, or sort of, when we load the trailer but not the truck, we may see some of the same symptoms.

Love the pink wiring, someone probably decided it would be calming, while you try to chase breaks!

Toby if your still considering this, I would absolutely recommend bringing the shaft to the center, directly above the pintle.

 

[Fatalid]

Subscribed.

This is exactly what I was thinking about doing with my m109a3 donor. I want to turn it into a trailer, leave the airpack so I can have brakes back there, and figure out how to attach and hang a driveline between the deuce and the trailer.

I figure there's enough of us rednecks and hillbillies on here to make it work...

 

[Jbulach]

...I figure there's enough of us rednecks and hillbillies on here to make it work...

I resemble that remark... I think that was the Italians problem with that bus. I’ll bet we have more redneck engineers on this website than they do in their entire country.

 

[tobyS]

Jbulach, it would be directly below the pintle.

Here is a list of materials as I see it. Each axle needs a 6 spline 1 3/8" stub shaft (fab to flange), there must be two carrier shafts, one on the truck and one on the trailer and each have double pillow blocks (about 10" long). And then three farm PTO shafts with detachable (all) ends for the 6 spline shafts that I can cut to length leaving proper overlap. That allows for movement of the truck axle, joint and trailer axle...and removal, all except the carriers.

2 spline shafts at $50, 4 pilliow blocks at $35, 2 stub shafts at $25, and 3 PTO shaft with ends at $100ea= around $600.

 

[Jbulach]

I would try my best to go over the hitch instead of under, for any real off road use.

Any chance you can use your jackshaft that was between your axles, to get you to the rear of the truck, minus one of the drive flanges, so you can use that on your trailer axle flange. Probably a lot of jack shafts laying around here from other peoples bobbers to build the trailer shaft from. Limit the farm stuff to the removable section between the carriers.

 

[tobyS]

I know this shot is not real clear but here is the position of the truck rear axle. It would be near impossible to take it above the pintle.

 

[Fatalid]

By converting a truck frame into a trailer, you could also leave the air-shift transfer case in place, and put the driveshaft from the back of the power truck to the front axle "output" of the trailer transfer case. Add another air switch to the cab, and a glad hand back to the other t-case.

Then you can have air-shift engaged powered trailer!

 

[rustystud]

So the big problem with the bus, that wouldn’t typically apply to us, is when the trailer is driven, but not the truck, I could see that needing the fancy stabilization. Probably would have been better to flip flop the electric and diesel drive positions, I would imaging a lot less turning in the tunnels. Maybe when we twist an axle off, or sort of, when we load the trailer but not the truck, we may see some of the same symptoms.

Love the pink wiring, someone probably decided it would be calming, while you try to chase breaks!

Toby if your still considering this, I would absolutely recommend bringing the shaft to the center, directly above the pintle.

They couldn't move the engine to the center of the bus. To tall and to much noise. So they decided to keep the diesel in back. It was a colossal messed-up bus in so many ways !

 

[tobyS]

Too bad some of the original posters have not chimed in, someone had to take up the challenge that M16ty posted up years ago.

I'm eyeing the axle taken from the rear of the A3 and thinking about tire and wheel size and if an M105 trailer is the best to experiment with. Yes, it matches the deuce very well and the spare axle will bolt right on the springs. Tires have to be the same diameter.

I have (4) 14.5r20 on the A3 wheels and have 5 rims that were planned to get 395's for the 4x4. I have old budd rims with 9.00 tires on them that I put on an M105 axle, making the width over the legal limit by 2". But the deuce axle with duals is about 98", so well within the legal limit. The will make a good mockup until correct sizes are available. The M105 is 83", so the tires as duals would extend 7.5" beyond the trailer, making widening the wheel well on the outside necessary.

Changing the truck to 395's would also mean using 395' on the trailer. I could flip the hubs like I plan on the back of the truck to get the dish out wider stance. I don't know width of the axle + tires and rims with dish out, probably about the same.

Having went through the driveshaft from the transfer case to the (one) rear axle, I would convert at both ends (of the trailer drive) to an agricultural shaft and joints, readily removable. Of course getting fancy would mean lockouts and at least one air locker (rear of truck, possibly front axle and trailer if I hit the lottery).