The Schörling 2R is, as most of you guys already know, the German version

of the famous Leach 2R rearloader. This design was adapted by Heinrich

Schörling’s company from Hannover in 1972 and became a very popular

rearloader in Germany. I was fascinated by this rearloader since I was a kid.

I grew up in Hamburg were they used the 2R for bulk waste collection.

I think there is some kind of magic about this packer because it moves so

stolidly and calm no matter what you throw in there. I started with weak

cardboard models that worked with “manual” controls without hydraulics or

electronics. These were pretty boring as they couldn’t really compact anything

but paper, they broke easily and you had to move the compactor by hand.

Finally, in the summer of 2009, I had the crazy idea of making a model 2R

compactor from metal with real hydraulics. The idea suddenly came to me

when I saw a stationary compactor on the scrap yard and I wanted to give this

old vision another try. The problem was that I didn’t have any experience with

aluminum or steel but I was motivated and had some modelmaking know-how.

I made up some basic rules that I wanted to obey with this miniature. It should be powerful and solid so you could really compact

something in it. Also it should have an authentic look, but I knew that I had to find a compromise between these two rules.

Unfortunately it is not possible to get a 100% replica look with strong packer hydraulics in this scale. I didn’t want to put in on a

chassis and it should be small and compact to put in on a table or shelf somewhere.

I started to make some basic plans and collected all the material about the 2R that I still had from the 90s. I realized that the most

difficult part was the mechanism of the packer. It had to be powerful, authentic and follow the same movement sequence like the

original. I used the 3D graphics software Maya to create a virtual model where I could get all the measures for the packer.

The same software was used in Finding Nemo, Spider Man, Avatar and other famous flicks. It turned out that 1:11 was a good

scale for this model. It is small enough to put it somewhere in your flat but still not too small to compact some larger stuff.

I called Mr. Leimbach from Leimbach Modellbau and he helped me to find the best cylinders, pump and oil tank for this purpose.

We tried to find the best compromise between power and speed. Bigger cylinders are slower, unfortunately.

Schörling 2R hydraulic 1:11 scale model ACTION VIDEO OF THIS TRUCK

www.youtube.com Search for: Working Schorling

I ordered a 12V hydraulic pump with 300ml tank and 4 custom cylinders with 25mm

(1”) diameter and a 12mm (0.5”) piston. They are about 13 cm (5.1”) long when

retracted. 2 cylinders feature 57 mm (2.2”) throw for the packer slide and 2 have 59

mm (2.3”) throw for the blade.

This is a subtle difference but it was necessary to get the correct movement and to

not get stuck at the hopper and loading rim.

The pump runs at 15 bar (220 psi) and every cylinder gives 90 kg (198 lbs) force

when contracting and 70 kg (154 lbs) when extending. The complete cycle time for

the packer mechanism is approximately 40 seconds.

The model body features 3

cabinets. The lowest one is

obviously the garbage

cabinet where all the

compacted trash goes. Then

I have an electronic cabinet

where you find the batteries

and some cables. In the top

cabinet I put all the hydraulic

stuff and the electronics of

the beacon light.

I decided not to include an ejector panel for two reasons: It would

have caused more work and cost and I simply didn’t care about it too

much. To empty the garbage cabinet you simply pull up the rear wall.

The packer compartment is not hinged and can’t be opened.

In the meantime, I already got my

aluminum for the most parts. Most

sheets are 4 mm (0.2”) strong

(outside walls, packer blade,

loading rim, roof, pedestal, cabinet

floors). The packer base is 8 mm

(0.4”) strong. The rest was built

from 2 mm sheets (hopper, cover

for packer blade, outside details). I bought a buzz saw and a scroll

saw and some strong drill chucks. Fortunately we had an unused

room under the roof where I set up my workshop.

I painted the outlines on the aluminum

and spent almost 3 weeks to cut out

all the parts. I also had to use a small

handsaw for some details.

As I am not able to weld metal, I planned to glue it with a gas torch and soldering paste. The internet said it was possible, but it

wasn’t. I think the aluminum parts were too big and didn’t heat up sufficiently. So I sold my gas torch and used the good old “L”

shape brackets you get in your builders barn. The good thing about them is that you can unscrew them later and separate the parts

again. Also, they are very solid. On the disadvantage side you have the visible screws. Also it is difficult to place them matching

with the screw holes and they need a lot of space by themselves.

With my 3D virtual model, I realized that I had to

make the miniature a bit higher compared to the

original. Also, I had to move the rear cover on top to

the very end. Compared with the original, you see

that I needed more space for the hydraulics.

Let me explain why this is. Skip this part if you’re not

keen to learn too much technical details. The

miniature hydraulics have two important measures:

base size and throw. If you need a throw of 3” and

the base size is 2”, the cylinder will be 5” long. The

base size is always the same and the total length

depends on the throw. If you need more throw, you

will also have a longer cylinder that has to be

mounted somewhere. I had the problem that the

cylinder didn’t fit into the truck when I put the rear

covering in the same place that it is on the real 2R. I couldn’t reduce the cylinder size because then the throw would be too short

and the packer panel would not go down all the way. So I moved the cover to the very end of the truck and crammed the hydraulics

in there. There is not a single millimeter left between packer and roof on the top end.

The only part made from solid steel is the rod that connects the two packer parts. It took

me 30 minutes of nonstop sawing to cut this 10 mm (0.4”) rod and then I realized it was 2

mm too long. So I spent another 30 minutes on it. Then I used 5 mounting brackets for

garden gates and about 20 M4 screws to connect the packer blade and slide. It is really

rock solid. I tried aluminum covers which had the shape of an U as well but they were too

weak. I wanted to make sure one thing: the packer cannot destroy itself or the hinge when

stuck, so I had to make everything strong enough to withstand the press force.

Another difficult part was the hopper.

I was afraid of this part because I didn’t

know how to bend the sheet and how to

mount it into the model in a solid way. I just took a 2 mm metal sheet and hold it

to a column of our roof framework. Then I took all my aggressions and treated it

with fists, hammers and bricks. Finally it had a good shape and I put it aside for

later. I also had an idea of how to mount

it. This is not really authentic but it is the

best way to do it without welding. Just to

remind you, I cannot weld. The reason I

didn’t mount it with screws is that I didn’t

want anything in the hopper that

shouldn’t be there. So I decided to glue

it to the side walls. There is a really strong 2 component glue called UHU Endfest 300. For

extra stability I poured out the space between hopper and truck floor with strong resin. This

ensures that the hopper cannot bend when loaded.

So how did I make the side guiding rails for the packer? I drilled two holes into the side walls.

Then I sawed out the whole guidance part and covered the hole from the outside with a

1 mm sheet. On the inside the middle rod of the packer unit is inserted and greased for a

smooth run. I don’t have wheels in there like the real 2R. The packer slide also has a second

guidance on the top end (marked red) which stops it at the most upward position. This

guidance is made from a small metal block. The lower limit is given by the middle rod that you

see marked green in the image. The limit positions do not go 100% with the hydraulic throw so

the slide always collides with the end of the guidance rail, but that is not a problem.

At this point, almost 5 months passed since I started to

draw the plans. It was a cold north German winter and I

was still working in the old roof rooms with no heater. I

finally received my hydraulic cylinders from Leimbach in

December and started to put the whole thing together.

The hydraulic control

valves work with standard

miniature servos. I use

two servo tester boxes

from Robbe to control the

packer. The real Schörling

2R has a button control

panel with a green button and 4 black buttons. The

green one runs the whole cycle automatically and you

have to press it down until the packer blade starts to

sweep the hopper. The other 4 buttons are used to

control every movement manually (packer blade open /

close, slide up / down). This is also how my model

works. I do not have an automatic cycle button but I’m

planning to add this feature this year.

I put the model together on one side, then I mounted

the hydraulics to the packer and finally I put the packer

in and closed the other side.

The parts were spray

painted with gray primer

and dull orange finish.

I added some selfmade

stickers with “2R” and

buttons and stuff.

The rear lights are from

a truck miniature shop

and are non-working. At the very end of the roof you

find a small switch for the beacon light and the big

keylock for the hydraulics pump. This key switch comes

from a Mercedes city bus and is also used on old

Mercedes garbage trucks. The model was originally

designed with a 12V battery and a 5V battery for the

beacon light and control panel. By now I removed these

and use a AC power supply so I don’t have to recharge

the batteries every week.

The model is running for 13 months now and except an oil change and a new electric motor for the pump I didn’t have any issues.

As mentioned, I plan to add an automatic cycle button this year. Also I want to insert a fuse box because it is quite risky to have the

electronics and hydraulic oil together in there. I may also repaint this in white color which looks pretty cool in my opinion.

Now, some technical data for you about the mini 2R:

built: June-Dec 2009

weight: 15 kg (33 lbs)

size: 43x21x27cm (17x8x11”)

scale: 1:11

packing force: 180 kg (396 lbs)

body capacity: 4.8 l (1.3 gallons)

hopper capacity under open packer blade: 2.9 l (0.7 gallons)

maximum packer opening size: 20x9cm (8x3.5”)

engine: 12V DC

operation control panel current: 5V DC

hydraulic pressure: 15 bar (220 psi)

Thanks for reading this, if you have any questions or problems with your own mini garbage truck, please contact me here:

dbmalzahn@googlemail.com

To see my mini 2R in action, go to youtube.com and search for Working Schörling.

ACTION VIDEO OF THIS TRUCK

www.youtube.com Search for: Working Schorling