TH407C Telehandler 1:14 scale

[Blender]

Originally Posted by Zabco

Ah, that makes sense. Looking at your parts they looked to be too smooth and shiny for fdm unless you post-processed the heck out of them and I couldn't see resin parts being strong enough for that application. Hadn't heard of those materials before but will keep them in mind for the future. How is Xometry to work with? I used Shapeways a few times until they went under. Supposed to be making a come back but we'll see.

Modern Resin parts are not too bad. They make a chalky dust when drilled/ filed. Some print vendors only offer generic version of the above material. I can't really tell a difference in practical use.

I was also a die hard Shapeways user. Their stainless steel sintered bronze and lost wax cast brass parts were amazing. I used the brass to fix the hinge on my ZX245 with great results. I was sad to see them go, but was disappointed how they handled the bankruptcy. That is what brought me to Xometry. They have similar capabilities in terms of printing and their machined parts now use the same quoting template. Printed part cost is similar to shapeways, but lead time is faster at Xometry.

Used to use Hubs.com for machine parts for my full size 4x4. They got bought by protolabs and are not as well priced anymore. I still have them quote stuff once in a while

I also use Autotiv to print parts. Their pricing is hit or miss. Sometimes very affordable, other times it's a go-away price. They make nice pieces and are responsive via email. Their machined part lead times are long. They are East coast based which isn't great for me.

Machined parts at Xometry are made overseas, but have a 7 day lead time. Add ~3 days for international shipping (included). Not bad.

Originally Posted by ddmckee54

Blender:

Any chance you could give us family picture, as an exploded view, of the parts in that axle? I currently don't have any plans for a 6x6 version of my Frankendiff axle, but... I'm not above "borrowing" a good idea when one comes along. Your use of that Losi axle as a starting point certainly qualifies it as a good idea.

Ya know.... I never REALLY was happy with my N20 gearbox solution for the axles when I was working on my Bruder Manitou conversion. Maybe I need to pull that guy out of the box where it's been "resting" for a while, and take a fresh look at it.

Don

I've driven it around in a past incarnation. It's workable. Not really a machine that will travel across a large course. That's what trailers are for. In tight spaces unloading jersey barriers I think it will be OK. Won't be able to dig or load a dump truck. The Lesu MCL8 is only slightly better in term of drivetrain. No room in there to swap parts out, so it stays stock.



I didn't include the hardware, drive pins, etc since I didn't model it. I'm not making a production-quality drawing package here. Originally i was reusing the Losi MRC steering knuckles. They have a different drive pin location than the MiniT CVD stubs. That's why the picture a few posts up shows the grey printed steering knuckles are deeper. Also lets the bearing space out a bit.