RC Truck and Construction - Volvo G990 Grader

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Volvo G990 Grader

Hello all,

Finally I got the time to start the already promised thread about my grader build. Having started the planning in 2005 this is already a long time project bound to take still quite some years to finish. So expect some frequent postings until I catch up with the present state of things and thereafter... hmm, you´ll probably need some patience :o *. Anyway, here some basic model data:

Scale . . . . .: 1:8

Length . . . .: 1222 mm (48") over front wheels
Width . . . . : 363 mm (14.3")
Height . . . . : 408 mm (16")

Moldboard
Width . . . . : 533 mm (21")
Height: . . . : 85 mm (3.4")

Tires
Diam. . . . . : 185 mm (7.3")
Width . . . . : 70 mm (2.75")

Weight : 40 to 50 kg (88 - 110 lbs) (estimated depending on equipment)
Material: Mainly stainless steel, some brass

Drive: Electric 200 W (planned).
All hydraulic, 10 circuits + 5 for implements, max pressure estimated 40 bars (580 psi).
Radio not yet decided, but will need to control some 30 functions.

Here some CAD drawings for a first overview:

https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B_yT...GxQZGYzOGtOalk
https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B_yT...GwyWGo1LVBnRFk
https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B_yT...VhGeHhwX3lKOHc

Stefan

*) If you read some German and can´t wait you could also visit this forum for the latests additions ;).

Edit: Sorry to say, the picture links in posts #1 to #263 have been broken due to a takeover of the cloud service provider :mad:. I managed to save the pics to another, hopefully more reliable provider, but the work to repair the links turns out to be very tedious, and will take quite some time.

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

What's happening? All the grader threads are so professional, like real ones.
Are you going to make hydraulics yourself?

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

How I'd like to have a grader model, but it such a complex piece of machinery to build accurately... I think I will have to settle with a 6-way pull type.

I be drooling at this one too. :cool:

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Wow, this grader thing is really picking up speed. Glad to see another grader coming onboard. Gonna follow this one two.

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Looks like this forum will need a sub topic for road graders soon :D
I haven't started designing the one I'll be building yet. But I'll be stepping way back in time on my build. The 1930's ;)

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Looking promissing Stefan. Will be following this closely.
As " Madda" said, looks like the grader people are setting a new standard here. There´s a lot of functions to be included in a small space, guess you need to do a good home work before starting to be sure everything fits inside, maybee that´s why Cad is used.
Hope to see pics soon on this build.
Dan

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Stefan... Nice work on the CAD! What software are you using?

I'm curious - Why did you decide to build in 1:8 scale and why Stainless?
This thing is going to be a beast! It will be very interesting to me seeing how you deal with some of the design issues associated with building a project like this. How soon before some of the parts start rolling in?

MPE

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Graders are taking over the forum! That's fine. I enjoy watching these builds take shape. Especially since it seems like the only way to really build one well is to CNC machine everything. Great eye candy.

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Hi Stefan!

Welcome here - I haven't seen the full CAD images before - cool :)

30 functions? Is that including light and sound?
I have "only" 16 in my grader.
Are you going to do a floating position of the main lift cylinders, too?

> MPE
> Why did you decide to build in 1:8 scale and why Stainless?

I can't claim to speak for Stefan, but 1:8 is fairly common in Germany and often considered to be the "premier league". (Larger than that, the scales start to become inconsistent.)

Stainless - why not? You get the necessary weight, no worries about rust and when the main chunk of your model is laser-cut, the price differential and machining woes are less of an issue.

Cheers
Jens

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Hey Tim, I have the flier on that big grader, Champion 100t, the 70T is basically the same machine. 24' moldboard.
Cheer's, Neil.

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Hi all. Thanks a lot to everyone for the friendly comments.

I also find it very interesting that there are so many grader builds at the moment. When I started, I couldn´t find any reference whatsoever to RC graders on the web, and now there are plenty of them. The first one I noticed was a 1:8 O&K F 206 which has been running on the German fairs for the last 5 years. There was even an incredibly detailed, fully functioning O&K F 206 in 1:24 :eek: featured in a magazin last year.

@ mpe + JensR
Why stainless?: Well, I could hardly have said it better than Jens did.

Why 1:8?: I want to be able to build working details to scale and in the Volvo graders you have in particular this steam engine-like circle turn mechanism with a control valve which even in 1:8 will probably be on the limit of what´s feasible - it has to fit in a dia. 8 mm cylindrical housing just 15 mm high. Another reason is that I dream of doing some semi-serious playing like levelling the gravel in the yard and clearing the snow (it doesn´t snow that much here).

I use the TurboCAD Pro v.11 software. Quite happy with that, except for the rendering functions. You can tweak on almost every aspect of that program, and that´s probably why I haven´t found out yet how to make really good renderings. The default light doesn´t seem that useful to me. Maybe that has been improved now, they being already at v.18.

The +30 functions include a couple of individually controlled lights, sound and additional implements like a side snow wing. I just consulted my old list of functions and saw that 2 float valves are included, but I think they where intended for the snow wing, but, of course, I would like that for the main lift as well. By the way, yesterday I met one of the guys involved in the design and testing of the Veroma valves, and he claimed you can get them with an integrated float position intended for tractors with a plow. I´m not sure I understood him correctly, because, as far as I understand it, if float is integrated as one position of the valve it has to be either near the closed position or at one (or both) end(s) and I didn´t ask which is the case. In any case you could have some unwanted behaviour when operating the valve, so I´m not sure this valve would be useful in the grader. Moreover, I couldn´t find any reference to such a valve in the Veroma shop.

@ Madda
I´ll build the cylinders and said circle turn control valve myself. Soon (in my standards :p) to start that.

This is the original circle turn control valve. Behind the hose coupling is the 100 mm ruler. (As Jens once was the first to notice, I used magnetic strips for reference. Very convinient. But I really miss that I didn´t include sub-divisions on the rulers :().

https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B_yT...khiT1o4YzRINzg

https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B_yT...UNra3VPU3dVSXc

These are pictures of the lasered parts

https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B_yT...V8xdWVFQnZMQ0E

https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B_yT...0xJdlVoSzZLR1E

Stefan

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Really sweet! Definitely going to be a another top build!

30 functions, what radio are you going to use?

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Oh, that´s a nice package for christmas. Can see you spent a lot of hours behind computer, was everything designed before you started cutting anything?

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Hi Stefan!

The float position is rather nice to have, I found.
I solved this mechanically, which won't help you - but the experience of the float position has convinced me that it is worth some headaches to get right.

Have you thought about adding an extra valve for each cylinder's float?
Similar to this:
Blade lift float circuit for motor graders 4034815
http://www.google.com/patents?id=Aks...0valve&f=false

On Caterpillar's new M-series, the float is activated by the operator pressing the joysticks forward over an indent - not sure what Volvo does and also, with electrohydraulics, the joystick does not tell us anything about what happens on the valve side of things.

I see that you have laser-cut the gears for the circle - can you comment on how good the quality of the surface is - do you think it is good enough?

Cheers
Jens

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

@ Madda: Thanks! The most suitable radio I know of is the Brixlcontrol.

@ D8R: Having put in the order in November (some years ago), I also considered it a Christmas package, but I had to wait until late February, before I got the parts :mad:. The frame, front axle, drawbar, circle and moldboard designs, i.e. almost everything involving plates except the covers, were practically complete before I started cutting.

@ Jens: An extra valve for each cylinder's float was the first thing I had in mind, that's the reason I considered it a separate function. The "SVAB" joystick solution for Volvo has separate buttons for float.

Considering the slow speed, infrequent use and the fact that the gears for the circle are about module 4 it seems to me that the laser cut surface is smooth enough. When hand-cranking the 6-teeth wheel the 56-teeth one turns OK (but not perfect) without to much mesh play. I hope some running in will further improve it.

Stefan

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

What-a-Christmas present!!!:eek: I told santa that other package did have my name on it:D

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Can santa deliver this to my house!!

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

NO STOP FOWL. LASERED PARTS? Come on man thats cheatin. LOL .OMG that stuff looks amazing. Wish I had that machine.

Re: Volvo G990 Grader

Bending those thick plates so precisely is no small feat, especially considering that the notches and fingers still line up perfectly! Wow!