Freestar: Construction of a big rig !

[jcdostie]

Hi folks,
We were supposed to build a camper out of our ex-military 5tons M923. The ride comfort, mods to the truck and noise level was too much for what we intend to do. So here's the new project.
We ordered a new Western Star 4700 SB 6x6 single tire truck. We hope to have it by Christmas. See details on the truck's choice on my blog www.jcdostie.com/blog

So, the project is to take a 40' container and have it cut to 32'. We will have a 10' garage at the back for a Smart.

We will be Free with the Western Star: FreeStar
JC

 

[themeec]

Holy buckets, that's a big boy. Looking forward to seeing this one kick off!

 

[charlieaarons]

I hope for your sake you ordered the optional rear diff locks and maybe even the front limited slip. I saw on the Meritor site that CTIS was optional for the front but evidently not the rear.
For transmission was Roadranger 9ALL auto shifting manual discussed as a possibility? I am a big fan of driving huge heavy vehicles very slowly over rough off-road terrain.

 

[jcdostie]

I hope for your sake you ordered the optional rear diff locks and maybe even the front limited slip. I saw on the Meritor site that CTIS was optional for the front but evidently not the rear.
For transmission was Roadranger 9ALL auto shifting manual discussed as a possibility? I am a big fan of driving huge heavy vehicles very slowly over rough off-road terrain.

Full lock from the dash on rear both differential and limited slip at front

CTIS, you’re talking tire inflation system ? I had this on my M923. Not always reliable

Transmission is Allison 6 speeds automatic with high/low transfer case. Should be slow enough

JC


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[Pntyrmvr]

Ça va très interessant!

Photos STP. Beaucoup de photos.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[jcdostie]

Can’t wait. The truck is supposed to arrive in Montreal on January 27 (truck-chassis) and the construction will start. We are hoping to finish by August. Depends of Miss COVID

Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[quickfarms]

That’s going to be a long truck at 40 plus feet.

What gear ratio are you running?
What tire size do you plan to run?
What engine and hp are you getting?

With that length high centering will be a major concern. How far off of the pavement are you planning on going?

Mine is only 29 feet long and it can be interesting to maneuver. The turning angle of the powered front axle is significantly less than the non powered axle

 

[jcdostie]

That’s going to be a long truck at 40 plus feet.

What gear ratio are you running?
What tire size do you plan to run?
What engine and hp are you getting?

With that length high centering will be a major concern. How far off of the pavement are you planning on going?

Mine is only 29 feet long and it can be interesting to maneuver. The turning angle of the powered front axle is significantly less than the non powered axle

I’m not so OFF-Pavement as most of you. We’ll see but here’s some specs:

Truck is a new Western Star 4700SB
370hp and 1150lb-ft
Allison auto 6 speeds
Axle ratio is 4.88
Meritor 2 speed transfer case
Tires are G278MSD 445/65R22.5

I wont have air suspension as it’s less useful with a rear tandem

But very long turns !!!

JC


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[cjken]

Anyone ever consider an Extrac hydraulic front axle on a big truck like this??

 

[jcdostie]

I did check the EZ Trac hydraulic system.
1- you cannot go faster that 2nd speed. So if you want to go up the hill in snow, you need speed
2- the price is more than twice my regular differential
3- turning radius is better
4- it’s like a full lock differential without the negative side

At the end, I opted for a Meritor differential which is easier to repair also

JC


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[quickfarms]

I’m not so OFF-Pavement as most of you. We’ll see but here’s some specs:

Truck is a new Western Star 4700SB
370hp and 1150lb-ft
Allison auto 6 speeds
Axle ratio is 4.88
Meritor 2 speed transfer case
Tires are G278MSD 445/65R22.5

I wont have air suspension as it’s less useful with a rear tandem

But very long turns !!!

JC


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

What rear suspension are you using?

I had considered the Hendrixson air ride walking beam but ended up with custom springs in my four spring suspension. While not the greatest off-road suspension it does great for what I do with the truck now

 

[jcdostie]

We chose the Western Star 40,000 lb Tuftrac. It's not an air suspension, but with leaf springs and a rubber pivot. This suspension is more efficient off-road than the air one.


By the way, the truck is arriving this week at the local dealer

JC

 

[quickfarms]

We chose the Western Star 40,000 lb Tuftrac. It's not an air suspension, but with leaf springs and a rubber pivot. This suspension is more efficient off-road than the air one.
View attachment 638617

By the way, the truck is arriving this week at the local dealer

JC

Good luck tuning that suspension to the ultimate weight of the camper. The three leaf design does not allow the tuning and I am not a fan of the rubber blocks.

Personally I would have gone with the Hendrixson RTE suspension because it is far easier to have the multi leaf springs re arched and derated to the ultimate weight of the truck or the air ride conversion is simple

My truck rides like a car after the suspension was tuned

 

[quickfarms]

Hey Quick: Who tuned your suspension for you?

Fernando at Atlas spring on 4th street in La Puente CA

Removed leaves and re arched the springs on both fords. Added shocks to the rear of the green ford FT900

 

[jcdostie]

Good luck tuning that suspension to the ultimate weight of the camper. The three leaf design does not allow the tuning and I am not a fan of the rubber blocks.

Personally I would have gone with the Hendrixson RTE suspension because it is far easier to have the multi leaf springs re arched and derated to the ultimate weight of the truck or the air ride conversion is simple

My truck rides like a car after the suspension was tuned

We've tried a lot of trucks before buying a Western Star and even on that brand, we've tried different configurations. Most of them were chassis-cab truck with no load on them. The ride was very comfortable compare to what we had before Everthing is relative !


JC