[MOD] 42070 - 6x6 All Terrain Tow Truck - Mods and Improvements

[xDezor]

On 9/19/2017 at 5:07 AM, Quota said:

Question, how do you arrange for the two xl engines to rotate in the opposite direction?

You must flip the front differential gear over and then all XL motors will rotate together. See the photo below:

I have taken apart my 42070 and I am currently rebuilding it similar to Jim's. :-) After this mod I may take it apart once again to include a working center differential and 2 speed transmission. I'd like to be able to disengage the XL motors from the drivetrain to play with unpowered. I'd also like to avoid the need for replacing the 8/24 tooth gears with 12/12. I think the 8/24 gear combination is good for the portal axles since the front has universal joints. The universal joints are currently the weakest link, and I'd like to avoid breaking them in the future. 

Edited September 23, 2017 by xDezor
Added Jim's photo for reference

[Narglarr]

Hi, just signed up for this forum just because of this thread. Trying to rebuild the chassis from the pictures that "jim" posted on page 3. got a little stuck due to the pictures being so far from each other in the build.

Hope you finish this constuction. :)

[Ngoc Nguyen]

I'd like to present my mod for synchronized outriggers

I and several others have seen that the side triggers touch the ground before the rear ones, which results in some annoying creaking of the inner clutches. The gear ratios and speeds are the same for all mini LAs, so the problem lies in the geometry of the outrigger connections. So I've experimented around with different setups, with the requirement that the MOD must be as easy to be implemented as possible. The solution I found isnt ideal, as the LAs arent perfectly synced and there is still one short creak, but that's the best among what I've found.

This MOD only needs 2 9L beams that push the outriggers out, instead if the black 7L beams dictated in the instruction. The connection hole is moved 2 stud lower, and the outriggers are almost perfectly synced!

 

Edited July 17, 2020 by Ngoc Nguyen

[Twedo]

I finished my build a couple of weeks ago. Took flipping ages to do at on nights as the other half gets annoyed when there's Lego scattered all over the living room! lol

One thing I have noticed when it's driving is that it clicks every meter or so and it pretty much stops in its tracks when it happens and goes again. It's annoying and also a little disappointing considering the cost. Do others do it or is there anything i can check?

 

I'll try get a video of it later to show a little better.

[OGTrout]

Mine took a while to build too, for the same reasons. Relegated to the evenings to placate the missus

Mine had the odd click here and there, but it never stopped in its tracks.

I've since rebuilt mine as a starter offroad chassis. No crane, no gearbox. I've kept the standard pendular rear axle (still no suspension up front, I don't have many pieces), I've removed the diffs and the final ratio at the wheels is about 0.03 (30:1), I've only used one clutch gear but that was just for steering.

I'm quite impressed by the way it can climb and crawl, however I was wondering if someone with a bit more experience can tell me; how likely am I to break something with this set up? I feel like I'm sometimes putting a fair amount of strain on everything, for example if a tyre gets stuck on its tread the axles wind up a bit and spring back when freed. How concerned should I be?

[Aleh]

[Jockos]

Wow! Scared me for a second. Looks awesome in black!

[Aventador2004]

30 minutes ago, Aleh said:

...

Oh. My. God.

Look out Denmark!!!

[Leonardo da Bricki]

@Aleh Best 42070 MOD ever!!!  Love it in black, and all the weaponry is so much better than the crane!

[Sjoemie himself]

Wow! Really nice looking truck in all black! Are you planning on adding more wespons? Looks like there is still some room to spare in the back of the truck.

[Aleh]

Oh I'm sorry guys I was in a hurry and didn't admit that I just found this photo in facebook, love it and copypast here 

[Aventador2004]

4 hours ago, Aleh said:

Oh I'm sorry guys I was in a hurry and didn't admit that I just found this photo in facebook, love it and copypast here 

Oh, I thought you did that...

[Szymon Pobiega]

I started my modding adventure using @efferman 's design but decided to change the rear suspension to better cope with obstacles. Eventually I went with load sharing tandem axle in the rear and spring-loaded solid front axle. The steering was redesigned to account for the front axle movement. Last but not least, I've added center diff lock (manual). I stands out three studs below the chassis but I think it is worth it as allows me to travel through obstacles which cause one of the front wheels to leave the ground. Here are some preliminary photos. Better pics + dll will come when I finish the whole model.

[Narglarr]

On 12/14/2017 at 1:12 PM, Twedo said:

I finished my build a couple of weeks ago. Took flipping ages to do at on nights as the other half gets annoyed when there's Lego scattered all over the living room! lol

One thing I have noticed when it's driving is that it clicks every meter or so and it pretty much stops in its tracks when it happens and goes again. It's annoying and also a little disappointing considering the cost. Do others do it or is there anything i can check?

 

I'll try get a video of it later to show a little better.

Mine did the same, on mine it was inside the gearbox. I rebuild the gearbox and pushed the parts as close together that i could and it was fine :)

I built mine as full rc (recomended strongly) but made it bakc to original due to I had to steal parts from 2 other models...

[Shiva]

On 2017-08-16 at 5:10 AM, jojotakeda said:

Hello, I've been following this fantastic forum for a long time, learned so much from everyone. This is my first Post.

Since I couldn't find a MOD that simply modify 42070 into FULL RC. I decided to do it myself.

here is a very brief video showing it in action.

42070 full rc mod

and I've also made a LDD file. Please go to http://ldd.us.lego.com/en-us/gallery, search "42070". "FULL RC MOD FOR 42070" is the one to download

jojotakeda's mod, to get this full rc is nicely done :)

I would only? mod the flatbed of 42070, so it has a floor. Atleast for first build.

Efferman's mods look nice too.

[libseb]

Hello. I’m New on this site. Sorry for my english. I’ve bought the 42070 set and I want mod this set with full pf. I’ve a problem with the Jim’s photo. It’s possible to have more instructions (more view) ? Thanks. 

And so. I can’t access ton the LDD full rc mod for 42070 by Jojotakeda. The link is good ? Thanks again.

[Shiva]

libseb, it seems that the place where the mod is, is gone :(

 

[libseb]

Ok. Thanks. And for the Jim’s mod ? Is there more instructions or just the photos in that post.

[Ox1337]

On 8/12/2017 at 6:16 PM, Jim said:

The last two days I have been building a new chassis for the 42070. This chassis will embed 7 PF motors (2 XL for driving) so it can be operated with full RC.

I guess you already finished your mod, do you have instructions or guidelines to build it? Just to take a lesson from them.

More interesting for me, how you did such beautiful photos of your creations? Are you using photo lab and/or special environment? They seems like rendered pictures, but really they are photos. Cheers!

Edited March 11, 2018 by Ox1337
Added quote

[libseb]

Hello

I've finished the 42070 mods based on the Jim's photos

[grum64]

Anyone after the 42070 to mod & improve might want to look at Amazon UK who are selling it for £143. Hurry though, it's not likely to be this price for long.

Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06WVBM7K2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_TJpUAbHPQD2M9

[Szymon Pobiega]

Finally I've finished my mod. All the towing functions (crane) work exactly the same as in the original model. The mod is one stud longer than the original. The extra stud was necessary to implement the new rear suspension.

Here's the list of modifications:

• Sprung load-sharing rear suspension. The entire assembly pivots in the transverse axis and each individual axle pivots in the longitudinal axis. There are two stabilizer bars which are attached to shocks to keep the truck leveled.
• Sprung live axle front suspension using large shocks
• Shortened chassis to provide more space for the rear axles
• Modified steering mechanism
• HOG steering using @efferman's design
• Manual lock for the center diff underneath the chassis
• No piston engine (XL engine occupies the space under the bonnet)

Pics available here. Generally I am happy with the mod. The steering could have been a bit better and the drivetrain is not ideal. It would have been better is the engine(s) (probably twin XL) were mounted between the front and rear axles. But this would require rebuilding of the whole gearbox which I didn't want to do. Here are some pics of the key parts:

Shortened chassis to make some space for the gears and the suspension

Front suspension

Rear suspension

       

Edited May 1, 2018 by Szymon Pobiega
inserted pics

[Landy79]

Hi folks, don't suppose someone could send me a copy of the full rc mod for the 42070 model please??? 

 

Just finished building mine and am new/back to lego technic after many years away 

[Szymon Pobiega]

This is probably half MOD half MOC now... A conversion of the 6x6 tow track inspired by a Russion experimental truck NAMI-0127

The truck is not finished yet. I need to add rear wheel fender flares and change the side panels of the cargo area to be openable. The roof of the Xerion will be an ideal cargo area floor. There is a single XL motor under the bonnet coupled with @Sariel's heavy duty two speed gearbox. A servo engine behind the cab disguised as fuel tank) is used for changing gears. Steering is done via a pair of small actuators driven by M motor. Another M motor is mounted in the rear part and drives all four crane functions.

The suspension is identical to the rear suspension on my Tow Truck MOD: a load-sharing bogie stabilized by springs. With a single XL engine the truck is a big underpowered. I wish I used twin XLs... 

[TBX]

Hi!

I think I found a way to fix the outtriggers. They now run nicely sychronized with perfect ground clearance.
I also put in a cargo area and a parking position for the (slightly modified) crane.

https://youtu.be/tMQPsqJXibE

Edit:
Here are 2 renders and the lxf file:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/137C9oBwjCSwnm5Fiv_O1EgI3HkrUjcUV

Edited May 28, 2018 by TBX