Mercedes-Benz Actros 4157 SLT (Titan)
One of my favorite vehicles is the Actros SLT, also the Titan. I always would like to see four axle units with a tower at the back of the
driver's cab and I really like the SLT's tower. It was quite obvious I would build one; I already had an Actros 3353 6x4
of the famous Mammoet fleet and they also bought two SLT units in 2003. So put a saw in the chassis and put a second steered axle
underneath it.
Adapting an existing model
It might look very easy but maybe it isn't. In practice you always have to cope some kind of difficulties. The 6x4 unit was the base of this model.
At first I removed the storage cases, the fuel tank and batteries and secondly I separated the front part and back part of the chassis. The SLT
is slightly longer but to give it more stiffness I had to use other beams for the boogie. Also the old 16 studs long beams of the 6x4 were
broken. The chassis was extended with odd studs and filling this with a single 1x1 brick is not a good idea because you immediately create a weak
point. However extending the chassis was quite a simple task just like extending the drive train.
I think the SLT has one of the best looking towers. When Mammoet removed a TBM
in my neighborhood which was used to excavate a train tunnel for a high speed train I took quite some pictures of the SLT.
However that was back in 2004 and I started creating the model at the end of 2006. In a meanwhile Mammoet changed and added some
things to both units. In the tower houses a large fuel tank, the battery and almost all air tanks. The tractor is supplied with a WSK and has
an oil cooler. There are storage spaces on both sides of the chassis.
At the front it has a heavy bumper with a register coupling. To get this in the right space I had to look underneath the real thing. Fortunately
I found lots of info on the website of Swerlastinfo (doesn't exist anymore unfortunately). Both SLT's are not registered anymore in The Netherlands.
They're probably operated at a subsidiary abroad which happens more often at Mammoet.
Trailers
Such a unit can serve as a good base for many kind of combinations. Mammoet uses these kinds of tractors in that way. First I built a ballast bin behind the
tractor. A simple thing with toolboxes at the back. On top of it there are a few spare wheels, chains and blocks to make it more realistic. In this way I didn't use
the unit with drawn material.
Because the former Mammoet tractor pulled a couple of trailers with a huge concrete beam I decided to do the same with the 4-axle unit. The beam had the
same length but I rebuilt it. To total length was again around three metres. I used the same trailers so building it didn't took me a lot of time. I just wanted to
make nice pictures with this unit in front of it and it actually fits very well. After I meanwhile I broke of the dolly and large beam while I needed a lot of space
in my room.
I kept the 5-axle stepframe trailer but now I didn't had anything to carry. A flat 5-axle trailer doesn't fit with a heavy 4-axle unit is my opinion and that's the reason
I put an additional axle under the trailer. I also extended the floor and kept the stepframe the same at first. But eventually I might look better to make an
adjustable neck out of it which looks heavier as well. At Nooteboom I requested a drawing of this particular trailer so I got hold of the exact dimensions. I already
built the trailer then but the floor was to short. After changing this I finished the trailer with width shields, a power pack, support jacks etc.
Load
The CAT D7R which I had already could be a nice load for this truck but actually you next carry such a machine on a trailer like this over here. But it looks
nice and I took a few pictures of it. A 380kv transformer would be a better idea and so I did. I real life these things are really heavy but a 10-axle truck and trailer
could carry such a thing. It's also on the high side but the transformers are high from itself. Just like a truck and trailer the load should be realistic as well.
During a journey through Norway I found a similar transformer on a trailer parked on a dockside. Because there was a walking bridge I was able to have a
look on top of it to see every detail. From the sides I already found more info on various websites but not of the upper part. Of course I build the whole thing
from scratch and it's not really based on one from a particular factory. But while I showed it on an event some guys who're working in a transformer
factory said to me it really is a good copy of the real thing. At least I did my research quite well ...
After the photo shoot I took apart both the trailer and transformer to use the pieces for a new model. The unit I still have but I don't know what I will do with this
one in the near future ...
Other data
Length: |
129 cm |
Width: |
19.2 cm |
Height: |
30 cm |
Wheelbase: |
35 cm |
Construction: |
more than 2 years |
Date: |
July 2005 - September 2007 |
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