42114 VOLVO 6x6 Hauler Mods and Improvements

[TeamThrifty]

the pendular pivot point is in front of the axle, so its actually like the unimog set up with no springs, then each axle has a rocker arm connecting the two axles.. its not a complicated arrangement, but the 2 rocker arms are key to stopping the vehicle falling over, and controlling the range of axle movement. They're kind of like restrictive pan hard rods on steroids..

[Jundis]

What I find strange in the real suspension is the behavior when going over a hill or through a ditch. Because of the system used, one of the rear axles will loose contact to the ground, which is kind of strange.  

[Ngoc Nguyen]

I've just finished ordering Bricklink parts to extend the rear of 42030 B into the 42114 rear and build a proper bed. My plan for the first stage is just to empty out all of the gearbox components and reinforce the structures with some frames. Then I'll look into incorporating some suspensions.

[Jundis]

Just finished it today and changed the wheels to black.

 

What I don't get, why the designer didn't cover up are all these gaps in the bucket:

 

Also why did the use  on the rear end instead of the much smoother looking?

[Ngoc Nguyen]

1 hour ago, Jundis said:

 

What I don't get, why the designer didn't cover up are all these gaps in the bucket

Because budget that's why

[XenoRad]

I covered up some of the holes in mine's bucket but left the top ones there. I'm thinking that I might get a string through to secure some cargo at one point. It won't be carrying rocks that's for sure, but other things like various bottles full of various beverages is quite possible and I wouldn't want any spillage.

 

Otherwise I'd like to present to you guys a relatively simple but IMO worth it mod - a hood raise by 1 stud at the rear. It's mounted the same way as the original one, via the same capped axles, but I had to add a couple of beams to the sides of the cabin on top of the existing ones for the connection.

Here's how it looks:

Here's how it's mounted at the rear. I used an extra 1x9 beam on top of the existing ones. There's a similar beam on the other side of the cabin. Please note however that the beam right below it (middle beam) which initially connected to the hood had to be moved back by 1 stud, otherwise it would have hit the side of the hood there, which is now more angled. As an added benefit the dash is now flush with the hood and no longer sticks out above it.

Both parts of the hood have some modifications to how they connect to each other, as seen below. Due to the fact that the rear of the top hood is one stud higher means that it's just so slightly pushed backwards so the forward mounting had to change as well. For the rear I'm using the same 5x3 beams but they've been raised by 1 stud.

The 5x3 beams have been kept and are just one stud higher. For that however I needed to change their connectors to the lower part. Fear not for they are sturdy and nothing moves.

More details from the rear, showing all the new parts needed for the one stud raise.

 

That's it! I like it, for it makes the model better resemble the real thing. Also, the hood opens and closes just fine, nothing's stressed and if you didn't know how it looked originally you wouldn't know it has been modified. Also, the extra beams to the side of the cabin also bring it more in line with the proportions of the real cabin so it's a double benefit.

[thekoRngear]

Has anyone removed the center diff to see if the off-road capabilities of the Hauler improve?

[Gimmick]

1 hour ago, thekoRngear said:

Has anyone removed the center diff to see if the off-road capabilities of the Hauler improve?

 Well, yes and yes it is better in cases where wheels can lose ground contact. If that's not enough you can change the transmission and make it even slower. But it is no offroad crawler and never will be.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Gimmick
grammar

[thekoRngear]

45 minutes ago, Gimmick said:

 But it is no offroad crawler and never will become one.

Understood. Thanks

[hawkwind]

Couldn’t you change the axles to be dual pendular with a central joint causing them to rotate in opposite? I’ll Mess around and post if I have any success.

[Aleh]

Hello everyone, I'd finished building second stage of the set and observe that from and rear wheels rotate in opposite directions, axle differentials were installed properly. Is this because of the central diff? So when they will be driven from the motor the all three axles will rotate the same way?

[Zerobricks]

2 hours ago, Aleh said:

Hello everyone, I'd finished building second stage of the set and observe that from and rear wheels rotate in opposite directions, axle differentials were installed properly. Is this because of the central diff? So when they will be driven from the motor the all three axles will rotate the same way?

It's not central diff's fault, you flipped one of the diffs in the second or third axle. This is the MOST common problem with builders with 4 or more driven wheels.

[MikeTwo9398]

40 minutes ago, Zerobricks said:

It's not central diff's fault, you flipped one of the diffs in the second or third axle. This is the MOST common problem with builders with 4 or more driven wheels.

 

3 hours ago, Aleh said:

Hello everyone, I'd finished building second stage of the set and observe that from and rear wheels rotate in opposite directions, axle differentials were installed properly. Is this because of the central diff? So when they will be driven from the motor the all three axles will rotate the same way?

Familiar question in the Landrover 42110 topic.
But first check if the central differential is standing still when you rotate the back wheels. If so then the front wheels will rotate in the other direction because of the differential. Rotate the front and the back wheels at the same time in the same direction. Then the central differential should also rotate. If the 2 axles of the back side rotate in opposite direction then check the 2 differentials in the rear part of the Hauler.

[Aleh]

@MikeTwo9398 If rotate both wheels in the front axle, than the central diff itself stays non movable and the 2nd and 3rd axle rotate in another rotation (2 and 3 rear axles rotate the same direction).

If rotate front and rear axle together in the same way then the central diff begins ro rotate. I consider this is valid behaviour than 

5 hours ago, Zerobricks said:

It's not central diff's fault, you flipped one of the diffs in the second or third axle. This is the MOST common problem with builders with 4 or more driven wheels.

Nope, all 3 axle diffs were installed as it is in the manuals.  T + _|_ + T

[Zerobricks]

4 minutes ago, Aleh said:

@MikeTwo9398 If rotate both wheels in the front axle, than the central diff itself stays non movable and the 2nd and 3rd axle rotate in another rotation (2 and 3 rear axles rotate the same direction).

If rotate front and rear axle together in the same way then the central diff begins ro rotate. I consider this is valid behaviour than 

Nope, all 3 axle diffs were installed as it is in the manuals.  T + _|_ + T

Do they rotate in opposute directions when driven manually by the wheels or when driven by the motor?

[Aleh]

4 minutes ago, Zerobricks said:

Do they rotate in opposute directions when driven manually by the wheels or when driven by the motor?

...manually by the wheels :)

[Zerobricks]

21 minutes ago, Aleh said:

...manually by the wheels :)

Than it's okay, just central diff doing its job 

[Aleh]

1 hour ago, Zerobricks said:

Than it's okay, just central diff doing its job 

Yeap, thanks! I have already made this conclusion. Simply was concerned a little bit.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

 

The Defender wheel arch needs to be got rid of. The mounting point of the cab and the whole front section needs to be lifted by 2 studs. The cabin height should decrease by 1 stud. 

Edited September 13, 2020 by Ngoc Nguyen

[erikhortsch]

well then... get to work! lol

[Ngoc Nguyen]

Technically the following mods are 42030 B mods. But they model after 42114, so I'll post it here.

My goal is to combine what I perceive to be the best features of 42030 B and 42114.

 

 

What I like about 42030 B:

- It has PF. I'm not a fan of Control+ and particularly the automatic gearbox
- Its cabin is small. The real A60H is a behemoth whose sheer hulk and bulk and wheel and hood dwarf the operator and the cabin. The cabin therefore should be small.
- Realistic front wheel arch. The real front wheel arch is hexagon-ish and is better replicated through the bent liftarms in 42030 B.
- Higher mounting point for hood. The distance from the mounting point to the base plain is 14 studs. In the photo of the real A60H, you can see that the distance from the center of the front wheel to the top of the hood is approximately the diameter of the wheel itself. Since the wheel in 42030 has a diameter of 13 studs, I think this it the proper distance.
- The articulation point lies behind the cabin and front half. 42114 put this articulation point right under the cabin, and I don't like that.
- Realistic distance between the first and second axle. This distance in 42030 B is 32 studs, while that in 42114 is only 30 studs. 

 

What I like about 42114:

- Realistic and complex hood shape
- The front grill that opens down and has a ladder.
- Dual rear wheels, proper 6x6
- Oscillation suspension
- Realistic V-shaped linear actuator design
- Realistic dump bed

 

This is what I've got so far.

 

 

 

I reuse the turntable oscillation design, the frame stacking rear axles, and the LA's mounting point design. I emptied out the gearbox in the gut between the 2nd and 3rd axle. Most importantly, I managed to fix a very important design problem that I have seen mentioned in various places: the week mounting point at the turntable oscillation. Because the model is very top heavy and rear heavy, the two halves tend to sag toward both ends and create a A spike at the oscillation turntable. I mitigated that with the two 6L links. They pull the rear half closer to the front half, while still allow steering.

[XenoRad]

While the 42114 may not have a fully proportional front area, it has very few gaps which can't be said for 42030 B. If you can improve proportions while still keeping gaps to a minimum and also preserving functionality (thinking about the crankshaft and engine here) then this could be a great rebuild. Otherwise you'll be trading one thing for another.

I tried not to modify the central structure too much and all I could relatively easily achieve was to raise the back of the hood by 1 stud and also make the cabin look smaller respectively.

I think the bigger discussion here is that for accurately modelling real life vehicles with good proportions, lack of gaps and functionality Lego doesn't yet make all the beams and panels needed.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

2 minutes ago, XenoRad said:

While the 42114 may not have a fully proportional front area, it has very few gaps which can't be said for 42030 B. If you can improve proportions while still keeping gaps to a minimum and also preserving functionality (thinking about the crankshaft and engine here) then this could be a great rebuild

I copied the whole front section from 42114 to 42030. I just mounted it higher. 

[XenoRad]

15 minutes ago, Ngoc Nguyen said:

I copied the whole front section from 42114 to 42030. I just mounted it higher. 

With working engine and opening hood and everything?

Edited September 14, 2020 by XenoRad

[Ngoc Nguyen]

6 hours ago, XenoRad said:

With working engine and opening hood and everything?

Two-piece hood and orange ladder, yes. I havent worked out the way to incorporate the engine though, because the XL motor is in the way.