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King military trailers - any specs, plans, details?


bootneck

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I've just seen an advert online for King military trailers, real ones not models, which interests me but searching doesn't reveal any more data.

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These wide-bodied types look good for transporting the larger aircraft and helicopters, such as Sea Kings and Merlins.

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Anyone know anything more about them, their dimensions or where I could download plans etc. please?

 

cheers,

Mike

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You can get the spec of the trailers by going into their product range and downloading the specs for various trailers. Not sure if the military range is the same as the commercial but it would be worth a look.

 Here is a link to one of their trailers for an idea of what they have on the site

https://king.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/GTS30-2UA.pdf

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The picture of the 4 wagons together shows a previous generation Light Equipment Transporter with the Seddon-Atkinson tractor.  The trailers outlasted 2 generations of tractor with a 3-axle Seddon Atkinson tractor being introduced to run at 44 tonnes.

 

These were intended to be Commercial Off the Shelf products with minimal modifications.  Those pictured are RAF but this was a General Service vehicle used by all Arms and services.  I imagine that if you compare the photos to the KIng diagrams you will see few if any diferences.  They carried the likes of CVR(T)s, Warriors, Engineer plant, airfield ground equipment etc.

 

You still see this same design in widespread use today.  The military ones were all sold off when a new trailer was introduced with the Oshkosh LET/WT.  You do see them on the road: a haulier near me has one, still green.  I believe there are still some in the hands of military surplus vehicle dealers.  So finding a real one to measure and photograph shouldn't be too difficult.

 

I know this may seem blindingly obvious, but have you contacted King Trailers?

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3 hours ago, Das Abteilung said:

I know this may seem blindingly obvious, but have you contacted King Trailers?

Not with King Trailers but I did with another company a couple of years ago.  I'm still getting their promotional bumf for vehicle sales!

 

I don't get out much nowadays and haven't seen any of those trailer types stopped anywhere to measure.  That's not a concern though, if those diagrams are typical of the military types as well.   I like the photo's people post now and then showing a Merlin or Tornado; even a Hercules once, being transported on the motorways etc.  The Merlin and Hercules are much too wide to fit onto a standard QM trailer, so it would be good if I could do one of these modern types in a dio.

 

cheers,

 

Mike

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I believe the 3-axle King step frame low loader pictured was the model GTS44/3.  RAF later bought some Volvo FH12 3-axle tractors for these and other trailers. 

 

The RAF bought themselves some heavier (STGO Cat3) transporters for larger loads for which the Army HETs were not suitable.  MAN TGA tractors with King GTL93/5HS 5-axle drop-frame low loaders with front dollies, making them full trailers.  There were also some King GTLE44 drop-frame rear-steer low loaders: these may have been RAF-specific.  The Army also operated some Broshuis rear-ramp low loaders, recognisable from the King by a much shorter rear overhang.  And of course all 3 Services now rely heavily on civilian contractors for outsize loads.

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A drop frame could also be called a well deck.  In other words it isn't fully flat and can't be loaded over rear ramps.  The trailer bed detaches from the goose neck at the front to allow level loading.

 

A dolly is basically a wheeled bogie which fits under the front of a semi-trailer to convert it from an articulated trailer to a towed one or to increase manouevrability or load capacity.

 

This is the RAF HET with its King drop frame trailer.  It comes apart at the front of the load bed and is loaded from the front.  Plus close-up of the area where it comes apart.

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Here's one with a dolly fitted between tractor and trailer (note the extra wheels just above the sign).  This allows increased manouevrability but can also increase the payload.

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I think this is the same dolly on its own.  The trailer attaches to a fifth wheel on the dolly, which then attaches to the fifth wheel on the tractor. Like the right hand photo.

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Here's a dolly used to make a semi-trailer into a full trailer.

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This is the lighter 44-tonne drop frame King version.  Again. front-loading.  And apparently extendable.

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Your original King trailer photo is a type of trailer called step frame: because it has a step in the frame at the front.  This gives a low level bed.

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There is also a fully flat-deck design less commonly seen.  This is the Broshius cross-country trailer bought for operational use overseas with the UK HET but subsequently sold off as it is not road legal anywhere in the UK or EU.

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This is the Army's recovery full trailer, designed to be towed by recovery vehicles to recover breakdowns of non-towable light and medium vehicles but not for general transport.

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This is a tilt-bed trailer where the entire trailer bed is elevated, pivoting roughly above the rear wheels.  Frequently used for light engineer plant and often towed by unit dump trucks.

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@Das Abteilung Now that is what you call a comprehensive, detailed and interesting post. I learned a few things too.

 

Mike, I've seen quite a few ex services trailers here and there on the roads. Still green with a yellow stripe.

Have a look on freeview for supertruckers. I'm not quite sure if they use ex military kit but operations can't be that different.

The narrator can be (is) annoying though. He sets up the task and then says "But, there's a problem" Happens every programme & they always get around it.

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Supertruckers used to feature Kings Haulage from Avonmouth.  They had some rigs very similar to the RAF MAN HET.  I believe they still do some MOD work, although Metcalfe Farms are the current main contractor for outsize haulage.  I think they've been on Supertruckers too.

 

Sadly, MOD is at home to Mr Monumental Cock-Up with medium and heavy haulage.  They leased enough of the Oshkosh/King HETs under a PFI deal for 3 Squadrons, but now only run 1 squadron as a mixed regular and sponsored reserve unit.  Yes, we can only move about 3 dozen heavy aroured vehicles by transporter at a time.  Not even a full Regiment.  Two squadrons' worth are parked up doing nothing at £400 a day under a deal they can't get out of without buying out the remaining terms.  But then they contractorise DSG to Babcock but don't require Babcock to use Army HET to move heavy armour about.  Babcock use Metcalfe Farms, which MOD ultimately pays for as well as paying for the idle HETs. 

 

To compund the issue MOD doesn't have enough "light" equipment transporters and has to rely on commercial hire to make up the capacity, and has had to upgrade the weight capacity of the ones it does have: a smaller Oshkosh tractor with a Broshuis step-frame trailer.  Because the HETs are STGO3 they can only be used lawfully for single indivisble STGO3 loads and cannot be used for e.g. 2 Warriors.

 

And they wonder why RAF do their own thing with 2MT Sqn........

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Going slightly off topic here, considering I'm only looking for plans and dimensions to build a model.  I am working on using one of the civilian King Trailer plans, combined with those excellent photo's (thanks again!) with the hope that it will be close enough to a military version that onlookers won't really notice under a dollop of green paint.

 

cheers,
Mike

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I have the CD build instruction on CD for the rather excellent KFS 1/24 King trailer up in the loft. I have no need for them so if you want to PM your address I will stick the CD on the post (presuming I can find them). Can't remember if there are actual drawings but the build photos are good enough to scale for smaller scale build.

 

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As my friend over the pond would say "that would be AWESOME!".   I shall send you a pm.

Once I get enough data together I hope to be able to start a WiP on this.

 

Thanks again, to everyone who has contributed.  I really do appreciate it.

 

Mike

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3 hours ago, bootneck said:

hope that it will be close enough to a military version

They were essentially unchanged apart from the colour.  They don't even seem to have blackout and convoy lighting fitted, perhaps not surprising as they were not intended for tactical use.  If deployed, they would have been in the rear with the gear.

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Thanks again.  I have looked through the King Trailers portfolio and think I have found a civilian version that matched the photo of this military one

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It is the GTS44/3-17.5 Heavy duty stepframe trailer.

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What the 17.5 means yet.  Any clues?

 

cheers,
Mike

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I still think the MOD one pictured is the GTS44/3. A 3-axle trailer for 44t GVW.  Those were Construction and Use regulated wagons, not Special Types General Order, and that would have been the maximum GVW at the time they were bought. If memory serves the UK was on 38t but then aligned with the EU at 44t.  The trailer would have been designed at 44t for export.

 

Yours is a 3-axle design for 60t GVW, so yes STGO2.  Does 17.5 match any of the essential dimensions in feet or metres?  Are those 17.5 inch wheels, perhaps?  The fact that the number is next to the number of axles suggests it might be a wheel size.  If you look closely, the side members are deeper on the GTS60 although the essential design is the same: just beefed up.  The front axle on both is jack-up for empty running.

 

When MOD bought the current Oshkosh/Broshuis LET they did go for a heavier duty trailer and have recently upgraded the rig to run at STGO2 weights, 60-odd tonnes.

Edited by Das Abteilung
correction
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Back in the 1990s, the RAF had a flatbed semi trailer for carrying CVR (T) Scorpions and Scimitars (and presumably other cargo too). Don't know the manufacturer or the designation but it was relatively unusual in that the double axle unit on the trailer could be loosened from the trailer chassis and the whole trailer body pushed along it.

 

To load/unload, the unit parked up, the axle unit on the trailer was loosened and then the tractor reversed, pushing the load bed backwards over the axle unit and in turn angling the load bed down towards the ground - only very short loading ramps were required. The axle unit could travel the whole length of the trailer rails so you'd end up with the axle unit sitting directly behind the tractor unit. - this image from HMVF gives you the idea.

 

I watched it in operation at a local RAF open day and I know I took lots of photos of my own, but can I find them???? - these images from HMVF give you the idea.

 

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14 hours ago, Das Abteilung said:

I still think the MOD one pictured is the GTS44/3. A 3-axle trailer for 44t GVW.  Those were Construction and Use regulated wagons, not Special Types General Order, and that would have been the maximum GVW at the time they were bought. If memory serves the UK was on 38t but then aligned with the EU at 44t.  The trailer would have been designed at 44t for export.

 

Yours is a 3-axle design for 60t GVW, so yes STGO2.  Does 19.5 match any of the essential dimensions in feet or metres?  Are those 19.5 inch wheels, perhaps?  If you look closely, the side members are deeper on the GTS60 although the essential design is the same: just beefed up.  The front axle on both is jack-up for empty running.

Thanks, I am learning every day.  I shall change out the GTS60/3 plan for a GTS44/3 whilst I am still at such an early stage of the build.

 

Mike

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Yes I learned more about this stuff in a relatively condensed period than I ever wanted to know when I was tasked in 2016 to negotiate a deal between MOD, FASTtrax and USAREUR to sub-lease 18 of the surplus HETs with support to the US Army in Germany.  Which I managed to do, at a saving of some £10M to MOD in offset lease fees.

Edited by Das Abteilung
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Learning this is fairly steep for me, until recently I never thought that I would need to know anything about vehicles.  At least the trailer is mostly angular, with straight horizontals and verticals;  I suspect that the situation will be much more difficult when I have to start on the prime movers. :frantic:

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Who let the Rock Apes have tanks?  Although the Regiment lost theirs the RAF still had them as late as the mid-90's for EOD work, maybe later.  Believe it or not one of the tactics for dealing with EOD resulting from air attack would have been to shoot at it with the Rarden cannon on a Scimitar or the GPMG on a Scimitar or Spartan.  On an, admittedly-hardened, airfield surrounded by villages and married quarters and not exactly blessed with clear danger areas several km long......  I was with the RE damage repair squadron at Leeming for a couple of years and one of the Sultans we got "new" in '94 (to replace ancient Saracen 603Cs with no heating) was an ex-RAF one.  We came up with the idea of hosing bomblets off the hardstandings onto the grass with the crash trucks and marking them to deal with later in order to get the airfield operational again quickly. But I'm prattling on again.......

 

The full-length articulated tilt trailer is highly unusual and has pretty much died out.  Someone thought it was a good idea but the advantages compared to drop ramps are hard to see.  You have to drive the loads up the slope (and hope the handbrake holds!) and the mechanism had to support and elevate the full load, about 16t in the case of a pair of CVR(T)s.  Loading and unloading is slower than with rear ramps.  Unnecessary complex machanism needing power to operate compared to manual ramps.

 

Tilt-bed rigid trucks are still about, although DROPS-type demountable racks have largely replaced them.  Same idea and similar mechanism, but goes all the way down and allows level loading.

 

If you're working in 1/144 have you looked at N gauge railway vehicles?  1/148 but I don't image you'll notice.  Oxford Diecast do a Volvo FH4 tractor with several trailer options that you might modify to an FH12 as used by RAF.  They also do a Noteboom step-frame low loader trailer very similar to the King, although that only comes with a Scania tractor.  You might be able to swap the tractors and trailers around and re-sell the spare ones on eBay.  I believe they're about £15 each.  

 

More interestingly, N-train do some 3D printed N gauge lorry chassis that might be useful.  They do some complete vehicles too but I didn't see any that would be useful without extensice cab modification.  Unless you could persuade them to do a Seddon-Atkinson or FH12.  https://n-train.net/epages/deba4b2c-2faa-4fd7-967f-c57d7bf70bd2.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/deba4b2c-2faa-4fd7-967f-c57d7bf70bd2/Categories/Lorries

Edited by Das Abteilung
Bad spelling!
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I do have dozens of Oxford and other plastic, resin and white metal vehicles; ranging from 1:160 to 1:148 but I would like to do some actual 1:144 scale stuff.  Of the various N Guage stuff, my favourites were P.G. Models and I must have most of his white metal model kits.  Although smaller than my scale, they are/were very accurate and look good when painted up.  Unfortunately he has recently retired so no more new stuff.

 

I've just looked at those n-train products and, to me, they look pretty rough; especially the trailer.  Having said that, I may just order one of their tractor units, just to see what shape and dimensions I'll need to work to when I start on one myself.

cheers,
Mike

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