Tweaking the Flatbed Truck

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Dulio12385
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Tweaking the Flatbed Truck

Postby Dulio12385 » Tue May 02, 2017 12:11 pm

I was contemplating buying a number of the recently approved Guntrailers and I just realized that there are no canon vehicles that can realistically act as towing/tractor units, with the exception of the impractical Hector Road Train and the vastly expensive Teppo. Given the formula presented in Tech Manual, a vehicle towing a trailer has a cruising speed of Engine Rating/(Total Weight of Tractor and Trailer)-Suspension Rating, round down, with flanks speed at Cruising Speed*1.5, round up.

Given this formula, the ten ton Flatbed truck which is illustrated as a 4x6 Semi-Truck can only manage a laughable Cruising Speed of 2 when pulling a ten ton trailer and even the mighty Demolisher would be reduced to a similar speed when pulling a trailer of similar weight. Historically this has been addressed in the past edition by having purpose built tractor unit have oversized engine ratings, allowing them to pull trailers at their listed speed rather than taking a speed penalty. Unfortunately no such units have yet to appear in canon.

In an absurd twist, machines like the Rotunda, Packrat and Skulker actually make some of the best tractors given their high engine rating to weight ratio, their speeds going from a high of 9/14 down all the way to 3/5, while big heavy vehicles are actually quite terrible tractors since most of their power goes to carrying their own weight.

That said I noticed that with a tiny tweak to the humble Flatbed Truck would bring it to line with real life and fill a mechanical void. The base model is depicted as a 4x6 Semi-Truck but the fluff indicates that it has an inherent 6-ton cargo capacity which would mean it is actually a type of covered panel truck rather than a 4x6 Semi-Truck. Either way if we take those 6 tons and put it toward increasing engine power, you get a rating of 135; this would mean it could now tow up to 15 tons at its listed 5/8 speed, 20-30 tons at 4/6 and 35 tons at 3/5. In line with real world values.

So I'm just asking the MHB if it is okay for owners of flatbed trucks to apply this engine tweak to the trucks they own to fill this big mechanical gap? Or alternatively can Gun Trailer owners just assume that in buying the trailer it came with some form of generic vehicle to pull the thing.
Major Clint "Tex" Dyson
CO Alcyone Gunslingers
Governor-General of Erdvynn
Black Stars Collective [Inactive]

"The devil loves a mad man when the monkey is in control."

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Re: Tweaking the Flatbed Truck

Postby DeputyDirector » Tue May 02, 2017 1:15 pm

Buying the trailer does not include any sort of towing vehicle for the unit. Please send me a write up for the Flatbed Truck (Towing Vehicle) to include price, BV, the normal goodies, and any sort of fluff for it you would like to include (you are welcome to use your post as a basis for said fluff) then I will happily add it to the MHB.

You are welcome to post that here or send it to me at deputy@battletech-mercenaries.com .
Raymond Freeman MacCreary
Deputy Director
Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission (MRBC)

“We abjure labels. We fight for money and an indefinable pride. The politics, the ethics, the moralities, are irrelevant.”
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Dulio12385
Posts: 369
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2016 12:49 am
affiliations: Black Stars Mercenary Collective

Re: Tweaking the Flatbed Truck

Postby Dulio12385 » Wed May 03, 2017 1:19 am

Thank you Deputy Director . Below is the write up for the Flatbed Truck(Tractor Trailer).

I had to use the Code BBS though to maintain the integrity of the sheet's spacing, sorry for the inconvenience.

In short hand though the Flatbed Truck Tractor Trailer variant's price is 42,000 c-bills and its BV is 47, the rest of its entries being identical to the Flatbed Truck.

Code: Select all

Flatbed Truck Tractor Trailer

Mass: 10 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Wheeled
Rules Level: Advanced Rules
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/C-C-B-A
Production Year: 1898
Cost: 42,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 47

Power Plant: Generic 120 I.C.E.
Cruise Speed: 54 km/h
Flanking Speed: 86 km/h
Armor: Lightweight Steel Body Panels
Armament:
    None
Manufacturer: Various
    Primary Factory: Various
Communications System: None
Targeting and Tracking System: None

Overview:
   An ubiquitous sight on the roads of hundreds of worlds, the Class 8 Tractor Trailer Truck is the workhorse of every modern logistics network. Little changed since their introduction in the early 20th Century, Tractor Trailers are capable of hauling dozens of tons in cargo across continent spanning highways using a wide variety of towed trailers, whether dry goods on intermodal containers or quiescent mechs on lowboy flatbeds.
   
Capabilities:
   Produced by hundreds of manufacturers, no two Tractor Trailer Trucks are exactly alike but all of them are uniformly based off the Flatbed Truck, albeit forgoing the enclosed cargo hold of the former in favor of an integral trailer hitch and quadrupling its engine size from a 2-ton 30-rate to an 8-ton 120-rated internal combustion engine with a fuel tank to match. The increased power output allows the Tractor Trailer to pull 15-ton trailers with no loss in speed up to a maximum practical load of 35 tons at a relatively stately 54 kilometers per hour, though even heavier loads are theoretically possible with further commensurate reduction in speed.

Design Quirks:
   Easy to Maintain, Rumble Seats(1-4 depending on model).

Notable Models:
Kenworth K1100: Nicknamed the "Optimus", the K1100 was released in 3084 to coincide with the 1100th Anniversary of the Transformers franchise. The model is a reissue of the iconic Kenworth K100 Cab-Over Truck which was the first alternate mode taken by the series' most famous protagonist Optimus Prime. Modernized for the 31st Century, the K1100 features a spacious cab with creature comforts that include expanded sleeping quarters, an airconditioner and built-in microwave and refrigerator. Features that, coupled with its ease of maintenance, make it a favorite among its crews. The enduring popularity of the 20th Century TV Show and the improvements to the rugged K100 ensure that the candy red Optimus trucks are a common sight in Terra and nearby systems.

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                       4 points                1.00
Engine:             I.C.E. Engine                120                       8.00
    Cruise MP:  5
    Flank MP:   8
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             0                         0.00
Control Equipment:                                                         0.50
Lift Equipment:                                                            0.00
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -   8                  0.50

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     3         
                                          Left/Right    2/2         
                                                Rear     1         

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hitch                                        RR        -         1         0.00



Major Clint "Tex" Dyson
CO Alcyone Gunslingers
Governor-General of Erdvynn
Black Stars Collective [Inactive]

"The devil loves a mad man when the monkey is in control."

Email, Facebook, Skype or YM: dulio12385@yahoo.com

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DeputyDirector
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Re: Tweaking the Flatbed Truck

Postby DeputyDirector » Wed May 03, 2017 2:30 am

Thank you, Major. This item has been added to the MHB.
Raymond Freeman MacCreary
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Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission (MRBC)

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Re: Tweaking the Flatbed Truck

Postby director » Thu May 04, 2017 3:34 pm

That's strange, I know other units have bought some units for towing purposes.

I understand from a table top perspective you're concerned about weights, but as we are more about the story, I kind of feel meh about that. I know rules may have been adjusted since the TW skill set, but the towing of equipment almost feels like an after thought I think.
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