Hayes HD dump truck...RCP's style

[RCP57]

I started working on my own rear suspension this afternoon. I stole Wolfgang's idea and made up some springs out of a garden rake. After Wolfgang mentioned this I went and talked to my aunt and uncle that have a landscaping business. I now have plenty of broken rakes for spring making!...

Once the springs were done I made some new frame plates that lower the pivot point of the springs and the torque arms. I still need to make new torque arms to finish things up but it now has more travel(also ditched the shocks) and is stiff enough to carry a load without bottoming out completely but still flexes some. I may install a spacer between the pivot and leaves to lower the back of the truck 1/8" but I will see what happens when I make the new torque arms. Once I get that sorted out I will add some stops to the frame. This project has become WAY bigger than what I intended in the beginning. This hobby is not helping me become more of a relaxed, calm person. It's making me crazier than I already was!lol

[Claus]

Nice, much better than stock Tamiya!

[robcakes]

reg , that is excellent work , great looking truck ....

[Lil Giants]

So with the additional axle travel of this new spring setup, will the dog bone driveshaft between the diffs or from the trans not fall out?

I tried something similar to this a few yrs ago & the dog bone & cup between the diffs would pop out at max articulation. But RC4WD now has a slider driveshaft that fits perfectly between these diffs, though I don't know if it has enough telescope not to come apart.

[RCP57]

Originally Posted by Lil Giants

So with the additional axle travel of this new spring setup, will the dog bone driveshaft between the diffs or from the trans not fall out?

I tried something similar to this a few yrs ago & the dog bone & cup between the diffs would pop out at max articulation. But RC4WD now has a slider driveshaft that fits perfectly between these diffs, though I don't know if it has enough telescope not to come apart.

It doesn't seem to but it might. While putting together the second side the shaft fell out and I didn't notice until I had bolted everything back up. I couldn't get it to go back in without taking the torque arms off. I think changing the position of the trunnion and the torque arms has improved the geometry(by accident). The stock springs also increase the axle spacing as they are compressed but these are already flat so they don't change much. When I made the springs, I closed up the eyes on them so that they are tight on the bolts. Now there is very little slop in the suspension which may also help. Fingers crossed that it works. I will be putting some stops on the frame anyway as mentioned and that will limit the travel. I guess I won't know until I drive it more but I drove it over some blocks of wood and it stayed in while empty.

Reg

[JDH429]

Amazing work Reg, A true work of art. Looks great!

[Espeefan]

Great improvement on that rear suspension, Reg. Who needs shocks anyway? You could always machine a walking beam out of solid aluminum too, if you really wanted some serious load capacity.

[RCP57]

Originally Posted by JDH429

Amazing work Reg, A true work of art. Looks great!

Thanks Jason, it's almost ready to have some paint thrown at it. That should be frustrating...

Originally Posted by Espeefan

Great improvement on that rear suspension, Reg. Who needs shocks anyway? You could always machine a walking beam out of solid aluminum too, if you really wanted some serious load capacity.

I made some changes to it a couple of days ago. I raised the pivot point of the springs to lower the rear and made new mounts on the axles for the torque arms. This also reduced the travel but it still has a bit more than stock and definitely carries more weight. I made a set of walking beams a while back but they will be used in something else. I am thinking of making new frame rails for this as there are so many unused holes that it looks like Swiss cheese. I made a test piece last night and I was able to bend it without issues so that may be next on my list for this truck. There isn't much left that I plan to do now though. Air tanks, a new rear bumper, mount the mudflaps and spare. Then it's ready for the part I hate!

Reg

[sparkycuda]

Reg, some really nice work going on, again. I'm envious of how quickly you get things done, and with such great workmanship and detail.

Ken

[RCP57]

Thanks Ken. It's just a lot of hours put in....another 8hrs today alone but it is nearly ready for color.








Thanks for looking.

[Stuart]

Awesome work Reg, a piece of art and simply awesome!

[FlyingBeagle]

Wow, That truck is fantastic. I am truly in awe of your metal working abilities. I know you have have heard this before on previous builds, but the truck looks so good as it is. If painting is such an awful chore for you, dont paint it. I am a horrible painter, but nothing I have ever built looked that good to start with. For me, paint helps hide some of the screwups. In your case it hides the craftsmanship.

[Bo Wallen]

How about CLEAR Coat The MASTERPICE !!!

[RCP57]

Well I haven't posted here for a few days but I have been busy working on the little HD. I decided to cover up my handy work with the colors mentioned earlier. There is still a bunch of details to add such as company logos, marker lights and horns(if I can find them), mirrors and of course windows...

[Lil Giants]

It just blows me away the dedication & ambition you have for this hobby Reg, to bang that truck out in a lil over a month! I am for shame for how slow I am.

Another scratchbuilt masterpiece you have accomplished!

I wish you were my neighbor.

[flatdeck]

Reg. your workmanship is just amazing.. What's next.... You make it hard for the rest of us...

Wayne

[Supermario]

WICKED !!!

[Mikem]

Stunashus and amazing of course ! Mike are the colors custom or stock they go together well

[plow jockey]

This is a work of art. Your a true craftsman. Awesome job.

[Espeefan]

Reg, you are an animal! The way you crank out the models you build, no one can keep up with you. The amazing part is you still get the details too.