Continuing a little bit, compare the front end of the earlier carrier to the later. I originally copied P&H carrier looks with that heavy frontal overhang, but came to dislike it. I saw a Link Belt pic on the 'net, that placed the cab more over the wheels, and just a little forward still, and thought that's the look!
Part of the overhang was room for the circuit board for the whole headlight, parking light, and flasher feature,(as can be seen in picture below) but that is now under the engine hood. Also, originally the steering servo was mounted vertically under the driver seat, forcing it in front of the axles. Then It occured to me it could be mounted horizontally between the frame rails, with a pitman arm arrangement for motion. Lop off about 3+ scale feet of bulk!
Here's a look at the 2 carrier decks. This picture, I think, best captures the difference in proportions. Over 120 square scale feet, a decent sized bedroom, was reduced from the carrier deck!
"No wonder the thing was so wide!"
The shorter motor on the left now powers the carrier drive axles,6 mounted transversely, back to back, and the drums in the upper unit. Also transverse, shaft to shaft. You can see the huge diff that would make.
Thank you for following, more later! Dan