Project Bud

Lookin' forward to seeing that baby come together!

Yo Rob how did the install go this weekend? Could it be that it will be making money for you this week?

Sadly, no.

The owner of the forklift went to the Ozarks for the holiday and forgot to leave the keys to his shop. The TNT remains sitting on the floor waiting.

I did manage to install a few items on the truck and the projects moves forward. I am hoping to get another shot at it tomorrow.

It WILL be in the rotation by the 15th as I start the next round of buildings by then and the second truck will save me thousands.

Even if I have to use a mule team to get it into the box truck, it will get in there. Maybe I can join an Amish family for a few days?

Just get 3 guys and lift it, its about 450lbs right?

Yeah I talked to a guy that dis that with 4 or 5 guys. You can rent a cherry picker for 25.00 dollars

I have an engine hoist, but I get it to reach far enough into the box to make it work. I'm also not sure where you would attach a strap to that machine to hoist it....is the engine mount strong enough to hold the weight?

I actually asked my meat-head friend for some help. To explain, this guy is the real live hulk....set 2 World Records in power lifting a few months back. He benches a lot more than this thing weighs, so he will be a major help when he gets the time.

Are you going to put in on a platform like ACE did on his last install?

It will be bolted to the aluminum platform.

There WILL be a bigfoot sighting very soon.....the TNT is mounted in the truck!

I had a day off with no cleaning scheduled, so I was able to dedicate the day to this project.  It took all dang day to do it, but the truckmount is installed, fuel system hooked up, and transfer pump in place.

All that is left is some wiring, plumbing the hot and cold lines and mounting the heater....hope to finish it off Monday as long as the schedule allows me another day like this one.

I have pictures, but my internet provider is having email issues so I don't have access right now, but that will also be soon.

I have to admit, the TNT is a large machine!  Getting that thing into the truck without dropping it or killing myself was a large victory.  I did manage to bash my ankle pretty good setting up the hoist when one of the fold up legs dropped before I was ready....thought I broke it at first, but walked it off in the end.

I was going to run a live solution reel, but not sure now as I want to keep the plumbing simple with quick connects at each point for easy replacement and dismantling in winter temps.  Will have to think about it some more.

Soon....very soon.

You did it by yourself? At least I had some one help me guide it in.

Did you do a fuel tap? Did you need a fuel pump?

I had help....me, myself, and I.

No fuel tap, this truck is diesel and I did replace the fuel pump although the original one seemed to work fine. I used the Airtex low psi marine pump (round can) which is what was installed before. It only has to pull about 6 inches from the fuel tank and maybe 2 feet to the engine, so no worries there.

I'm still wondering if I should have mounted the transfer pump to the wall instead of on the floor? It currently is mounted to the floor next to the machine on the battery side...the water tank is only a few inches away, but the fuel pump is also only a couple of inches away.

Tasks left:

1. Re-wire the fuel pump
2. Wire the fuel level gauge
3. Mount the garden hose reel
4. Bolt down heater and drill access holes in wall for hoses
5. Run the cold water hose from the tank to pump to TNT
6. Route in / out psi hoses between heater and TNT
7. Connect the APO to the dump valve
8. Connect propane service

It is getting very close to taking the stage.

Can't wait to see some pictures of it!!

Davey Cracker wrote:Can't wait to see some pictures of it!!

Hopefully, they get it corrected tomorrow. Apparently, Google stopped allowing my local provider access so we have some other server now. It was supposed to be a smooth transition....guess not. Now I don't have an email access and I get a lot of business traffic through that site.

I hate technology at times.

Thats whats happening to me Rob and they just switched to Gmail a couple of years ago. Luckily it was my personal email

I mounted my water transfer pump right to the top of the plastic water well. Keep it off the ground, less chance of freezing.

If your schedule allows you time???? Schedule your day in! Thats the biggest benefit to working for yourself....you shouldnt have any guilt either because its for the business. Work that calender! working hard is great but dont take from yourself.

The floor is prime real estate in a cleaning van but then again Bud is not a cargo van.

eldiabloz wrote:I mounted my water transfer pump right to the top of the plastic water well. Keep it off the ground, less chance of freezing.

That is where I normally see them mounted and probably for that very reason, but I like the idea of using gravity to help push the water out of the tank en route to the pump. That way, it can never starve the pump, but it would be freeze city on the floor being non-insulated aluminum.

I'm also not certain my pump can draw high enough as this tank is about 48 inches tall.

Devon07 wrote:If your schedule allows you time???? Schedule your day in! Thats the biggest benefit to working for yourself....you shouldnt have any guilt either because its for the business. Work that calender! working hard is great but dont take from yourself.  

Time is never mine, I'm afraid. I still hold a 60+ hour a week job on top of about 32 hours cleaning. This weekend it is about my parent's 50th Anniversary, so I am at the mercy of the hour-glass.

I was supposed to leave the day job in May, but some lingering health issues made me nervous about making the move and losing out on a very good benefits package. So, I am day to day on that decision.

I'm like George Jetson on the treadmill most of the time just trying to keep up.

How the day started:



How the day ended:



(Notice the apo in the lower left corner, the banjo drain valve with garden hose adapter, the storage space below the machine, fuel gauge on top, and the urethane body mounts beneath the TNT feet.

It was a very tight fit through that opening, as you can see:



I do like this tank, it was a pretty good deal at $210 for an all aluminum 15 gallon cell with sending unit already installed.




I wish I knew why everything looks "crooked" in these pictures. I was standing on an incline, but all these photos look like Salvadore Dali was building this truck.

I see what you mean about it being a tight fit but once it was in there you have plenty of room especially on top.

One of my wooden furniture dollys broke trying to move the beast


I see you used the four brackets to lift it up. I was just thinking yesterday. When it comes time to remove the machine how am I  going to put the bolts back through the brackets now that the machine is flat on the floor

I had the same concern which is why it sets on 1 inch body mount pucks now (actually put them on after that picture was taken). Now I can get a forklift under it to remove it.

You should still be fine, I lifted up one side a few inches to slide the pucks in place. You should be able to do the same when the day comes.

The brackets worked, but it did bend one in the back that I have to try and correct to get the final bolt installed. The brackets are pretty stout and it will not be easy to fix in the box.

Project Bud is 99% finished!!!!!

I spent all day ripping out the water tank and redesigning it to flow better and then finished the APO system.  All that is left is the propane tank installation and connecting the heater and I am ready for field testing.

Specs:

2005 Isuzu NPR with Hackney beverage box (12x8x8 and 6 doors)
5.2L Diesel Engine (93,000 miles)
A/C, Auto, dual rear wheels
6-new 10-ply tires

2014 Judson TNT (just over 400 hours)
Roots 45 Blower
Cat 3CP1120 pump with clutch
Kohler 20 hp engine
120 gallon waste tank
80 gallon poly fresh tank
Live Garden hose reel (aluminum)
Little Giant #4 rated at 1300 psi max
15 gallon Aluminum fuel tank
Remco diaphragm transfer pump (5 gpm)
Jabsco water puppy used as pump out system in an old butler system frame
Rokan 300 foot vacum hose reel
Dual rokan psi reels mounted side saddle with the lower being LIVE
SS chemical shelf
Aluminum storage cabinet on wall
7 gallon poly rinse tank

Next up is settling the issue with the propane tank, regulator, and hose.

It didn't turn out the way that I had it planned and it isn't the prettiest thing you ever saw, but it should provide for a set-up that can do everything that I need it to do and be very field serviceable without rust concerns.

A full video walk though will be coming on Tuesday when it gets rolling out for field testing.....maybe even on Monday, just will have to wait and see which one works out.

Way to go Rob. It was one hell of build. It was a lot of work, time, and money not to mention frustration but you stuck with and hot her done.

I feel bad for the guy that bought the machine and went out of business 1 year later. I would assume thats what happen.

Holy cow. I just went back to page one of this topic and saw that this was a one year long project Way to stick with it Rob. This build is going to give you decades of use.

Decades or months....I don't see this beast working out well over the winter months if I stay in the Midwest.

The video will give you a good idea why and maybe the gang can figure out what I should do with the extra compartments.

I already want to add a rug shelf above my hose reels since there is a ton of extra un-used space there. Things like that will keep this vehicle a living project for a few months longer, but at least it will be earning its keep at that point.