Weeks Trailer Drawbar

[Kirely]

I bought the UH Weeks Trailers when they came out but like most was very disappointed in their replication of the drawbar.  I wrote to Philippe Coron at UH but his explication was that “the toe bar is facing upwards on our model as we needed to be able to attach that trailer with many different tractors and keeping the toe bar horizontal could not allow us to fit that trailer with all of our existing tractors.”

Then I got distracted into my other hobby building Irish Railway stock but that Weeks Trailer sat on the shelf in front of me and it annoyed me every time I looked at it.

Today I took a piercing saw and cut off the offending drawbar; reversed it and temporary glued it back on upside down. Took some pictures and would be interested in your observations.

 

 

[sipher172]

Looks like a definite improvement to me.  The trailer looks to be pretty parallel to the ground. 

How easy was it to saw and keep square?

I have held of buying one in the hope UH would fix the issue.  

 

[844john]

That looks much better Kieran, how it should have been from the start. To my mind, that's how the real trailers are so that's how they should be represented in model form

[Tractorman810]

looks good, how does it sit on a uh ford 5000 or mf 135 ? 

[Kirely]

2 hours ago, sipher172 said:

How easy was it to saw and keep square?

 

 

I used one of these and took my time, sawing for a few minutes, stopping and going back to it again over a 30 min period.  Had to fight the temptation to keep sawing.  While it's not a perfect cut a file evened things up.

[Kirely]

1 hour ago, Tractorman810 said:

looks good, how does it sit on a uh ford 5000 or mf 135 ? 

[justy 46]

Thanks for that..Might look into doing the same thing when I get one.

[Kirely]

The difference between the modified and the one as sold.  Might try and angle the next one even lower.

[Valley Axe Man]

Looks better now Keiran, i know this issue is like trying to get lipstick on a pig after UH's cock up but i got one of Andy's 16th Weeks out and got a measurement from the top of the chassis rails down to the drawbar eye which give or take is 16mm, so in theory if you've 8mm from the top of your chassis to the drawbar eye it'll be somewhere about right a photo of where i measured from 

 

 

[mike whiting]

Hi @Kirely can you tell us what the RAL code is for the paint you used for touching up afterwards please, if applied as part of the project, thanks Mike

[mb86]

Great stuff. Why oh why they couldnt have been made like that in the first place

[Kirely]

On 9/12/2020 at 9:42 PM, mike whiting said:

Hi @Kirely can you tell us what the RAL code is for the paint you used for touching up afterwards please, if applied as part of the project, thanks Mike

I have not done any touch up yet Mike but have asked UH for the paint code, I'll let you know when they reply.

[Kirely]

On 9/12/2020 at 7:54 AM, Valley Axe Man said:

Looks better now Keiran, i know this issue is like trying to get lipstick on a pig after UH's cock up but i got one of Andy's 16th Weeks out and got a measurement from the top of the chassis rails down to the drawbar eye which give or take is 16mm, so in theory if you've 8mm from the top of your chassis to the drawbar eye it'll be somewhere about right a photo of where i measured from 

Thanks Paul, that's very helpful. Unfortunately UH's chassis is not level, it actually slopes upwards where it joins the drawbar. The distance I'm getting is a total of 8.7mm so hopefully close enough.

 

[Kirely]

On 9/12/2020 at 9:42 PM, mike whiting said:

Hi @Kirely can you tell us what the RAL code is for the paint you used for touching up afterwards please, if applied as part of the project, thanks Mike

I got the following reply from UH, "Regarding the paint code color there is no existing code for that color and this color was made from a color chip we received from the new weeks owner company as it is a very specific blue color which is not RAL or Pantone code."  I know Sam at Cheshire Models did some Weeks Trailers perhaps he could say what paint he used?

[mike whiting]

Thanks @Kirely for the details. I downloaded the colour grab app, I'll try that on the model, best regards Mike

[Kirely]

1 hour ago, mike whiting said:

Thanks @Kirely for the details. I downloaded the colour grab app, I'll try that on the model, best regards Mike

Let us know how you get on please

[mike whiting]

Hi @Kirely, and model collectors, its quite a difficult colour to match. The nearest I can get is 'Picton Blue' with potential for "light Cyan Blue'. When using the colour grab app its almost as though there's an element of light grey in the colour. I'm sure when the weeks trailer range moved onto the 'rainbow' style decal, the colour went slightly darker, to an almost' Atlantic Blue'. If you have any of the brochures check them out and compare. I've both the model from Sam at Cheshire models and UH, I reckon Sam's closest with the colour match to the early versions manufactured by Weeks.

[Kirely]

Searching through the Site and saw an entry in 2016 by someone who built a Weeks Trailer and said "but this still needs a coat of blue paint - will check the paint - but was Halfords - and it was a ford colour - but can't remember the name/code - will check next couple of days. " Unfortunately he never did. I've messaged Sam to see if he can remember the colour he used.

[JEP]

Hi Kirely,  

having had a check with a mates old weeks trailer, which admittedly was pretty faded (but after rooting around some of the less exposed parts and a bit of scratching and T cut) the best match l could get was Halfords Ford Olympic blue. 

This is what I used on my first weeks trailer, and it seemed a reasonable match. I eventually used it on the later 10 ton weeks (although it was still unpainted when I posted the pictures) 

Hope this helps. 

Cheers 

John. 

[Tractorman810]

Got no idea what mine was painted in, its a good 10 years old , but it  would have been a off the shelf halfords colour 

[Kirely]

12 hours ago, JEP said:

Hi Kirely,  

having had a check with a mates old weeks trailer, which admittedly was pretty faded (but after rooting around some of the less exposed parts and a bit of scratching and T cut) the best match l could get was Halfords Ford Olympic blue. 

 

Many thanks John

[mike whiting]

Thanks @Kirely & @Tractorman810  & @JEPfor the details, the olympic blue colour looks a very good match. Although finding a match for the UH model when rejigging the drawbar could be more challenging. One option if removing the drawbar at the point where its aligned with the front boards of the trailer is to make strengthening plates. Just like the 1:16 scale model, with the arched cutout to spread the stress loading, effectively to cover over the join. Although this wouldn't cover the top cut of the drawbar. 

[Tractorman810]

maybe take the rear tailgate of and get it put under the magic camera at a paint shop, wont get much better than that, to be honest this is why i didnt bother trying to alter a weeks one, hoping a mf one would, and has, come out , can match a uh mf red quite happily .

[Kirely]

Converted my last 'Weeks' Trailer drawbar.  Made a slightly deeper cut this time.

The join can be hidden with some fillers before touching up with Ford Olympic blue

Previously these bits came off in one piece but this time they didn't so I had to use some brass as replacements.

 

Completed except for prep and painting.