[MOC] Lifted Truck (with 3 Steering Modes)

[JLiu15]

Model of a lifted pickup truck combining Control+ and Robot Inventor electronics. Features 4x4 drive, 3 steering modes, a V6 piston engine, and full suspension.

Functions/features:

• 4x4 drive
• Steering with 3 modes (normal, 4WD, crab)
• V6 piston engine
• Full suspension
• Opening hood
• Opening tailgate

This MOC originally started as a side project back in the summer as I was waiting for parts to arrive for my New Flyer XD60 articulated bus model. I was initially gonna use the C+ L motors for steering and power it with the Control+ hub instead of the Robot Inventor one, but found that the Medium Angular Motors from the Robot Inventor set took less overall space in the axles if I place the rack sideways. So for the front and rear axles (which are identical to each other), I put the steering motor on top which drives a rack placed on its side, and used heavy duty differentials and planetary hubs. This gave the model plenty of torque, even without any additional gearing down in the chassis.

At the heart of the chassis sits two C+ XL motors for drive and a Robot Inventor hub above them. Thanks to the abundance of pin holes on the Robot Inventor hub, I was able to use it as a structural element. The sides of the hub are covered by panels, as a teal hub on a red/black model would be an eyesore. The top of the hub is covered as well to conceal the screen lights, and to power on/connect the hub I installed levers that hit the power/Bluetooth buttons. They sit just below the cab/bed, and are pretty well hidden/out of sight. The front and rear ends of the chassis were reinforced well enough to withstand the force exerted on the shock absorbers, and the front also has a V6 fake engine driven by a C+ L motor. I had to rework the suspension a few times to make it work well and not be too soft or too hard, but I still feel like it could've been done a little better.

Initially I was undecided on the bodywork for this model - I was debating between a car-like body (like the 41999), a cab-over truck, and a pickup truck. I eventually went with a pick-up truck, and initially used rims from the Land Rover. I decided to make the model in a red/black scheme, as I had a lot of black panels lying around but also wanted to give it some color. I feel like the bodywork could've been designed better overall, as the entire building process became pretty discouraging and I just wanted to get it finished. As I was working on the bodywork I just felt like the Land Rover rims weren't the best choice for a lifted truck, so in the end I went with the Technic Racing Medium rims in LBG for a more old-school look.

Overall, this is a creation I'm not too happy with. Building around the Robot Inventor hub was quite a challenge as I had to cover it completely to conceal the teal and the screen lights. This also meant the charging port is not accessible on the finished model. The looks of the model also aren't the best. I feel like using a single color for the bodywork would've been better without the red/black color break between the cab and the bed, but unfortunately I don't have that many red flat panels and didn't want to use liftarm stacking. The model has plenty of torque and can easily climb over obstacles, but it also suffers from being top-heavy. Programming the control profile was pretty straightforward though, and the 3 steering modes worked well. After building this model, I feel like while the Robot Inventor hub is a good alternative to the Control+ hub (more ports, lower height, more pin holes, etc), it just feels harder to use in Technic builds, as the teal doesn't blend well with most colors IMO (which could be solved by using the yellow SPIKE Prime version of the hub as it's a more common color for Technic builds, but would cost a lot of money) and the screen lights need to be concealed in most situations. It's obvious the Robot Inventor hub is designed with robots in mind and not Technic builds, so in the future, I plan on sticking to Control+ hubs unless it's absolutely necessary to use the Robot Inventor one (e.g. a space constraint).

Photos:

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Edited December 8, 2021 by JLiu15

[2GodBDGlory]

Looks pretty good! I don't mind the black bed--it just gives me the idea of a cheap DIY guy replacing a rusted-out bed with the cheapest available one, which I always think looks kind of cool. Do the medium angular motors not work with the Technic hub?

[JLiu15]

1 hour ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

Looks pretty good! I don't mind the black bed--it just gives me the idea of a cheap DIY guy replacing a rusted-out bed with the cheapest available one, which I always think looks kind of cool. Do the medium angular motors not work with the Technic hub?

Thanks!

They do work with the Technic hub (I’ve tried it before). I went with the Robot Inventor hub mostly because it has more attachment points and more ports (which allowed me to add another motor for the fake engine), and because I’ve always wanted to do another combined Control+ and Robot Inventor model since my Heavy Duty Skid-steer Loader MOC.

[Alex Ilea]

Really nice MOC, what a fun build!

[JLiu15]

7 hours ago, IA creations said:

Really nice MOC, what a fun build!

Thanks! Glad you like it