Inspiration for new models: Massive mining truck, amphibious excavator

[chardy]

Wow. This is great. I've been looking for a good forum to call home and i think i just found it. Every one here is really talented. I saw this truck the other day and googled it with LEGO at the end and found myself here. I was already designing in my head when i found you all already sharing in the forum. I hope to be able to contribute. Can't wait to see how this truck goes LEGO wise.

[chardy]

OK, i have a fairly solid chassis i think.

on top of that i think i have found a way to make it a bit more compact to make room for the container

Still not sure on the power for this, but the way i have it now its still flexible for a solution.

Cy-Gor. This is AWESOME! i would love to contribute. Could you please tell me how you got access to the 5x7 liftarm/frame in LDD. I can't find it anywhere. I have LDD 4.1.7 and i have the 'extended' modification.

Thanks

Chardy

*EDIT.

I found it. Incase anyone else was wondering also, it's in the same menu as the axles. But i do believe you have to have the extended mode enabled.

Edited July 13, 2011 by chardy

[Krize]

much better than the first but it seems the wheel that gets attached is only supported by 1 hole on the end of the suspesnion beam and under the circumstances with such a huge model its going to be very heavy and the axle attacked to the wheel will sag/bend you should try to make the whole "bottom" part of the construction move everything that is the diffcase should move and power would be transmitted by bevel gears even when the suspension tilts

Again, you were right and again, here's my next try . The whole lower diffcase can swing/move. All 3 H-beams can oscillate. Pivot point for oscillation is the axle with the two tan bevel gears. The pneumatic cylinder has the same pivot point. Because of the very small angle the suspension has, the two bevels (20t tan double bevel and a hidden black 12t double bevel gear below (which goes to the diff)) work fine even at max. angle (see picture).

So this construction has a suspension, can oscillate and can be raised by pneumatics.

edit: you can also put the springs inside the H-beams (left side of the picture where you have several two hole pairs unused)

Edited July 13, 2011 by Krize

[Cy-Gor]

Here is my latest progress

Strengthened the chassis up a bit an made the drive train a bit lower profile. I could probably make it even lower profile with some tweaks but it would be pretty tedious with LDD to do so.

LDDScreenShot200 by captainoftheknights, on Flickr

LDDScreenShot201 by captainoftheknights, on Flickr

start of the dump container.

LDDScreenShot202 by captainoftheknights, on Flickr

[Nazgarot]

Hi,

This is my first take on the Mining truck "suspension". The cylinder or spring is missing as I don't know what to use before I've tested it. I'm also unsure as to how much weight it can handle do to a bit quirky design around the main drive-shaft in towards the diff. I don't know of any other parts that can do the job, but I'd welcome tips.

I've included a "steering drive" that can be geared to use one motor for all wheels on one side. This will however not include a crab function. Maybe this can be solved through a gearboks, switching between to different setts of gearing for the steering?

-ED-

EDIT: Resized the pictures.

Edited July 18, 2011 by Nazgarot

[P4trickvH]

I'm really loving this topic. I like to see people working to together to make something awesome. I will keep a close eye on the progress.

[garson]

Here is my latest progress

Strengthened the chassis up a bit an made the drive train a bit lower profile. I could probably make it even lower profile with some tweaks but it would be pretty tedious with LDD to do so.

LDDScreenShot200 by captainoftheknights, on Flickr

LDDScreenShot201 by captainoftheknights, on Flickr

start of the dump container.

LDDScreenShot202 by captainoftheknights, on Flickr

this is insane, just think how much that would cost!

Again, you were right and again, here's my next try . The whole lower diffcase can swing/move. All 3 H-beams can oscillate. Pivot point for oscillation is the axle with the two tan bevel gears. The pneumatic cylinder has the same pivot point. Because of the very small angle the suspension has, the two bevels (20t tan double bevel and a hidden black 12t double bevel gear below (which goes to the diff)) work fine even at max. angle (see picture).

So this construction has a suspension, can oscillate and can be raised by pneumatics.

edit: you can also put the springs inside the H-beams (left side of the picture where you have several two hole pairs unused)

this looks great so far just trim the excess but it looks good so far, one issue, how will the power get to the top like power needs to come from the top of the structure if i remember correctly also how will it get steered? but what you have so far is great

[Krize]

this looks great so far just trim the excess but it looks good so far, one issue, how will the power get to the top like power needs to come from the top of the structure if i remember correctly also how will it get steered? but what you have so far is great

Thank you! Of course, "power-supply" from the top and steering is missing, but this was not my goal (until now ). My goal was first to create a structure that can oscillate, raised by pneumatics and is supsended, because there was the question if suspension OR pneumatics can be used. So I ask myself, why not use both independendly at the same time. Now, the next step is to build a frame providing power from the top and steering (btw: Nazgarot, I like your steering design, probably I'll copy it (if I'm able to)).

[Cy-Gor]

Here is the bed "attached"

LDDScreenShot203 by captainoftheknights, on Flickr

its a bit wide so i might make some changes. The problem is LDD freaks out with this many options to connect so moving things around is a pain sometimes.

[Cy-Gor]

Of course i cant leave well enough alone.

Here are some variations on the bed:

LDDScreenShot204 by captainoftheknights, on Flickr

also as a side note, i dont think we can get the truck bed to swivel like the original and have it still be strong enough to work. though i could be wrong.

[Krize]

I like the one on the right, this is very close to the "original".

I made three very very short videos of the functions of the latest version of my chassis including

,

and the

.

[timslegos]

Of course i cant leave well enough alone.

Here are some variations on the bed:

LDDScreenShot204 by captainoftheknights, on Flickr

also as a side note, i dont think we can get the truck bed to swivel like the original and have it still be strong enough to work. though i could be wrong.

i vote for the one on the far right

tim

[allanp]

Oh wow, there is some excellent stuff being posted hear. There are so many brilliant and different designs for the suspention, do we have to agree on which is best to move forward or not? So far my vote goes to this one

Hi,

It's needs a bit of tweaking, like some cross bracing across the back to prevent the bent liftarms coming apart under high stress, and also one of the lower 20t bevel gears needs to be removed to allow the suspention action to move up and down, but it's almost there me thinks!

As for Cy-Gors amazing work, the chassis looks amazing, it remains to be seen how strong it is until it has been built. For the bed, consensus seems to be for the bed on the right .

[Nazgarot]

I've test built my wheel assembly, and worked out a few kinks. I had to change some pins that had illegal placement, added a 90 degree angle to the top of the drive-shaft, modified it to fit a pneumatic cylinder, and chose different parts for holding the 5x7 and 11x5 studless plates together.

I also found a few problem that wasn't so easy to solve. First the one I didn't solve; The diff will hit the 11x5 plate when the wheels tilt. Second; The wheels has a tendency to fall off as only the bevel gears of the diff holds them together. In the last LDD drawing I have come up with an idea to solve the last problem. The diff problem is less then i thought. I modified the construction slightly by moving the half beams down to the 5x7 plate, and it helped a lot. You can still hear the diff hit the 5x7 plate, but it's not a real problem. The wheels tilt fine and the diff runs smoothly, even though it's an annoying sound.

I load tested it to see if any part of the construction was to week, and am happy to report that the tires was squished off the rims before anything else started to give.

As you can see from the pictures i lacked a few parts to test the complete construction. I hope that someone with all the necessary parts can do a test build for me to see if there is any more kinks. You can find the .lxf from LDD in my brickshelf folder, as well as more pictures.

And here are the pictures and drawings:

-ED-

Edited July 18, 2011 by Nazgarot

[timslegos]

wow nice job testing Nazgarot! Does anyone have enough pieces to build say 4 of these and link them together?

[Bulle]

I really wanna see this massive thing when its comple. It probably will be breathtaking.

[Cy-Gor]

wow nice job testing Nazgarot! Does anyone have enough pieces to build say 4 of these and link them together?

I really wanna see this massive thing when its comple. It probably will be breathtaking.

My current model is over 3000 pieces so it wont be cheap. I figure a train of these will cost $1500USD easy though its really hard to say, depends on how you decide to power the whole thing.

[Moz]

My current model is over 3000 pieces so it wont be cheap. I figure a train of these will cost $1500USD easy though its really hard to say, depends on how you decide to power the whole thing.

I make the bed 7 panels long, 6 wide = 77 studs.

Based on my current PF road train project I think $1500 per unit is optimistic. Costs add up when you start counting parts by the hundred (or by the kilogram). Those 5x11 panels are ~$2 each and there's 42 of them in the bed (brick takeover has 148 @ $2.50). Add 10 XL motors to drive the wheels, 8 M motors for steering (plus 10 turntables) and a few IR receivers with battery packs and you're over $500 before you start on the structure. Lifting that bed will take an array of linear actuators or pneumatics, and you're going to use a lot of tubing in your pneumatic suspension too.

From Australia I've been budgetting about $150-$200/kg excluding PF because I end up buying some parts at ridiculous prices. Or buying a whole set and using 3/4 of it because that's cheaper. Redesigning models to use cheaper parts or cheaper colours becomes well worth the effort. Building that bed out of 1x5x6 panels instead of Technic panels, for example, drops the cost by about half (two 1x5x6 panels are ~60c and are a little bigger than one 5x11 panel at $2), and they're lighter and flatter to boot. But getting those panels into an angled structure is not easy. Still easier than finding the (77 x 2) red #5 join parts you need for the existing bed, I suspect. Unless they're available from PaB.

Edited July 19, 2011 by Moz

[Cy-Gor]

I make the bed 7 panels long, 6 wide = 77 studs.

Based on my current PF road train project I think $1500 per unit is optimistic. Costs add up when you start counting parts by the hundred (or by the kilogram). Those 5x11 panels are ~$2 each and there's 42 of them in the bed (brick takeover has 148 @ $2.50). Add 10 XL motors to drive the wheels, 8 M motors for steering (plus 10 turntables) and a few IR receivers with battery packs and you're over $500 before you start on the structure. Lifting that bed will take an array of linear actuators or pneumatics, and you're going to use a lot of tubing in your pneumatic suspension too.

From Australia I've been budgetting about $150-$200/kg excluding PF because I end up buying some parts at ridiculous prices. Or buying a whole set and using 3/4 of it because that's cheaper. Redesigning models to use cheaper parts or cheaper colours becomes well worth the effort. Building that bed out of 1x5x6 panels instead of Technic panels, for example, drops the cost by about half (two 1x5x6 panels are ~60c and are a little bigger than one 5x11 panel at $2), and they're lighter and flatter to boot. But getting those panels into an angled structure is not easy. Still easier than finding the (77 x 2) red #5 join parts you need for the existing bed, I suspect. Unless they're available from PaB.

The color is not set in stone. I have not colored the model for optimum pricing, which i will do eventually. also i am not powering it with XL motors at this time. Though i dont know if that is a problem or not.

As a side note, any time you see a model of mine in all red, it is usually because i am trying to get an idea out there instead of a final product. default color and all that.

[Moz]

As a side note, any time you see a model of mine in all red, it is usually because i am trying to get an idea out there instead of a final product. default color and all that.

I'm not saying red is especially expensive, just that the parts cost really mounts up whatever colour you end up using. $1500 for one of these is probably more realistic than $1500 for a train. One problem with the train is that you might exhaust bricklink and then it gets expensive for the parts that you can only get in sets. Those 5x11 panels are annoying to buy, although if you can live with white and green the Desert of Destruction set is being remaindered now (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=64782&in=S). And so on...

[TheHammer]

I'm not saying red is especially expensive, just that the parts cost really mounts up whatever colour you end up using. $1500 for one of these is probably more realistic than $1500 for a train. One problem with the train is that you might exhaust bricklink and then it gets expensive for the parts that you can only get in sets. Those 5x11 panels are annoying to buy, although if you can live with white and green the Desert of Destruction set is being remaindered now (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=64782&in=S). And so on...

I guess i am the lucky one i bought about 400 of the green panels for another project for about $1 a piece.

[timslegos]

I guess i am the lucky one i bought about 400 of the green panels for another project for about $1 a piece.

Wow what could you possibly need 400 green panels for?

tim

[TheHammer]

Wow what could you possibly need 400 green panels for?

tim

For this work in progress.

MY MOC WIP

[timslegos]

For this work in progress.

MY MOC WIP

Wow that's very impressive!

is it a crane?

tim

[grindinggears]

For this work in progress.

MY MOC WIP

This monster would earn the word massive a hundred times more than that tiny mining truck!

I hope the boom is sturdy, all these panels look promising. Maybe you can make a third section?

Your LAs seem to be the biggest ever made. Using turntables for the joints is a good idea. Do they work well or do they need a little more engineering?

Keep up this great work!

BTW: That thing should have an own thread!