Another Bruder Mack conversion

[RCP57]

Well in order to keep busy I bought this on thursday. This is my first non-scratch build so it is a major departure from what I'm used to but it still has it's challenges. My goal is to leave as much of the original plastic in place so that it looks like the static model. So far I've only built a new front axle and got it to steer. I took a picture of it with the Euc to show the size difference:eek:.

Thanks for looking

Reg

[dabears]

Looks good so far! I want to do a Mack dump, its on my list of things I wanna build!

[RCP57]

I finally had another look at the Mack today. I picked up a $15 360 servo a couple days back for the screw drive on the box. It is a little slow...OK it's quite slow but it does work fairly well. If I get too bored waiting for it to go up and down I think I'll pick up a drill bit for it but for now it's good enough. Now I just have figure out how to drive the wheels and it will be done:confused:.

Reg

[RCP57]

Well I spent most of the day messing with the drive on this and finally got it to drive under it's own power. I'm happy that it is up and running but I'm not impressed with the power of the gear motors that I had so some different ones will be on order soon. Currently it is running on a 7.2v battery but I did try it with 12v and it was much better so I may upgrade that as well if I can find space for it. I've tried to leave this as stock and unmodified looking as I could so it hasn't been easy but thats the fun part right:confused:?

Thanks for lookin, video is to follow

Reg

[pumptech]

Very nice build Reg ,look forward to the vid.

[RCP57]

A short video of it in the house. http://youtu.be/-8qTlnosdNc

[RCP57]

I've had this ripped apart for quite some time but have been too busy to work on it. The old setup was not powerful enough to run loaded so I needed to change things around. I ordered some parts a couple weeks ago for it but when the stuff got here I realized it wasn't going to work so I did this instead. I still don't know if this will work either but I'll give it a try and see what happens. One thing is for sure, it won't lack power this time. I made up the walking beams today and modified 4 Black & Decker cordless screwdrivers to fit. They each make over 300ozin of torque at 6v and turn 130rpm. I'm running a 7.2v battery so it should be plenty good enough for my needs. I just hope it will steer!

I'll try to get it wired tomorrow so that I can giver a test drive!

Thanks for looking.

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08072_zps8a201b7d.jpg
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08082_zps00014214.jpg
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08092_zpse8e2eb8d.jpg
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08102_zps404d1bd5.jpg
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08112_zps5b4f9fa3.jpg
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08122_zpsae15997f.jpg
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08132_zpsc2f6a4e5.jpg
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08142_zpsfb8a8dbd.jpg
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08152_zps873ab0f4.jpg
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08162_zps1f3be186.jpg

Reg

[Izzy]

Way kool engineering! I like the gear head and motor set-up. Very nice.

[doodlebug]

Nice tandem's Reg :D:D:D:cool: I like it!
Cheer's, Neil.

[Lmackattack]

True walking beam. A bullet proof design still used today.

[RCP57]

I would wire them series, that way they will work like a diff. (the power will go where there is less resistance) otherwise it might not want to turn with all that ground contact..

Chris

That's what I was hoping would happen but I guess I won't know until I try it. I was also thinking that I could run a sabertooth speed control and use some mixing to slightly slow the inside wheels during a turn but that's a lot more complicated than I would like!

[RCP57]

Well away we go...Things are a little hay wire at the moment because I fried the BEC portion of the ESC when I had it in my Kenworth. I have a separate BEC hooked up so that it will power up for now but I will have to pick up another ESC down the road. Since the video I have put the 7.2v battery back in and put the box back on. I also raised the front slightly to match the rear.

Thanks for looking! http://youtu.be/_UmNEmYPtrU

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08282_zpsb0740a91.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_08282_zpsb0740a91.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08292_zpsf504f06e.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_08292_zpsf504f06e.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08312_zpsb52597a2.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_08312_zpsb52597a2.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08322_zps2313db56.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_08322_zps2313db56.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08332_zpsa3498e1c.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_08332_zpsa3498e1c.jpg.html)

[Lmackattack]

Looks like a east coast spec Mack.. Just needs spokes and "service" across the roof gard or front bumper...Looks like you have room for a side mount Hyd tank or tool box too...


Looking good!

[404]

When you do it right, people won't know you have done anything at all. This thing looks static, great work!

[Espeefan]

Nice work Reg! Those rear walking beam gear motors sure work well. I doubt a stock Tamiya rig could climb the slope like that little Bruder. Almost like having locked differentials. That's pretty impressive.

[RCP57]

Thanks a lot guys. My original plan with this truck was to keep it as out of the box looking as possible and I think I have finally got it to work well enough to make me happy while still kinda looking that way. It does have a lot of power and seems to have OK traction even with the plastic tires. I've never owned a KH so I'm not sure how it would compare. When driving on the 3/4 crush rock in our driveway you can notice the rear tires slipping a little but I think it is mostly to do with the harsh ride of no springs and no flex in the tires. One day I would like to upgrade it with some proper tires but until I can find a cheap used set I will leave it this way. I want to improve the dump a little as the plastic "ram" and mounts flex a lot with weight in the box. Once I get that done it will be time to heap it up with the Volvo and test it out.

Reg

[RCP57]

Little bit of a test run.http://youtu.be/DHys6uFcUlM

Thanks for looking!

[dabears]

Looking good!! Looks pretty smooth running!

[RCP57]

Couple crummy video's from today....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8aV2eqDwwc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Ug51smnX4

Thanks for looking

[JDH429]

That looks like alot of fun. Nice work.

[RCP57]

Thanks, Running the Cat is a little boring because of it's speed or lack of it. I think the speed is realistic though so I guess it's just one of those things you have to learn to like. I need a bruder excavator or wheel loader now to go with the truck and dozer....this never ends....

Reg

[doodlebug]

Hey Reg, How about a Melroe 880 wheel dozer, for a project? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFYPMjnXkFM or maybe a 675 Michigan loader?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnTA52Hy6xM part1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5E7fBrzA7A part2
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

Haha, Neil that 675 is a monster. I don't think I will scratch build anything at this scale yet. I wouldn't mind converting a Bruder loader though. I just can't seem to find one cheap enough. Everywhere I look at them they end up being $80-90 bucks with tax and shipping.

[doodlebug]

Yah, but it has 2 V? Detroits for power units! Screamin Meemees!
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

Yah, but it has 2 V? Detroits for power units! Screamin Meemees!
Cheer's, Neil.

I am kind of a fan of anything that has 2 stroke Detroit power....

[doodlebug]

Wow, that would be a big model in 1:14, 50 feet:3.571 feet.
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

Haha! Can you imagine it in 1/10? Whoa! I guess in 1/14 at 3.5 feet it wouldn't be much longer than my Kenworth in 1/10 but it sure would make my Mack look tiny! It would be cool though.

[RCP57]

I had a little fun with the 300 and the Mack today. Time with short lived with the Mack because the battery died but at least I got to pull a couple wheelies!:D http://youtu.be/C3fwQojwYRk

[doodlebug]

Lol! maybe some tail gate mod's? I like my high lift tail gate on my 1:1 Mack, and the bed vibrator, get's little kids attention :bounce: :D
That's some serious terrain to navigate, I'm surprised how well the Mack drive's in it!
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

Lol! maybe some tail gate mod's? I like my high lift tail gate on my 1:1 Mack, and the bed vibrator, get's little kids attention :bounce: :D
That's some serious terrain to navigate, I'm surprised how well the Mack drive's in it!
Cheer's, Neil.

Thanks Neil,

Bed vibrator....hmmm. Oh yeah on the Mack sorry.:p

It does get around pretty good. Trying to drive where I've been with my mini excavator is tough going for such a little model. I would like to get my hands on some small acme thread for the dump drive to speed it up a bit. Kinda like watching paint dry(or lately for me fiber glass) but it is powerful. I think a drill bit will make it struggle to lift it but I may try that anyway.

[doodlebug]

Hey Reg, who is the Canadian version of mcmaster Carr?
Somebody should stock it up there? (acme thread)
P.S. had to use the bed viber every load yesterday, sticky clay,
And 42 degree's just insn't steep enough, of a dump angle.
Cheers, Neil.

[RCP57]

I finally got around to upgrading the screw drive to ACME thread. Works much better now...http://youtu.be/cmOm0Gn_qnI

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_1094_zpsa8b215cd.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_1094_zpsa8b215cd.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_1095_zps9a7fdc15.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_1095_zps9a7fdc15.jpg.html)

Thanks for looking

[doodlebug]

Nice upgrade Reg, ever thought about robbing the acme thread from a cheap vice?
Cheer's, Neil.

[bigpipespete]

I quite enjoyed seeing your Bruder Mack build and the videos, you sure have a nice area to use your stuff too.

[toniolillo]

Hello friend as you have to rotate the front axle, for as you have wheels attached, you can get some pictures, I have a bruder truck and I would like to make, have made a good job

[RCP57]

I used the Bruder axle cut down leaving a stub in each wheel. Then made my own floating axle and spindles. The stubs of the Bruder axle pass through each spindle and then a washer is welded to the inside to prevent it from coming out. A little bit of lubricant on the axles and they turn easily with the light weight of this model. I'm sure there is a better way of doing this but it was very quick, easy and cheap for me to do it this way.

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_11402_zpsac01f8d5.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_11402_zpsac01f8d5.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_11422_zps0d90a43c.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_11422_zps0d90a43c.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_11412_zpsae990881.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_11412_zpsae990881.jpg.html)

Reg

[doodlebug]

Nice upgrade Reg, ever thought about robbing the acme thread from a cheap vice?
Cheer's, Neil.

Hmm, better yet, use cheap "C" clamp's to cut up for screw drive's, acme thread.
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

Good ideas Neil. The treaded rod from McMaster is pretty cheap but everybody that builds stuff has a bent C clamp don't they;). Sounds like a good swap meet item too!

[toniolillo]

Thanks friend for the explanation and the photos, I have a bruder scania and I want to modify using your own wheels and I had no idea how to do

[Themonty73]

Well I spent most of the day messing with the drive on this and finally got it to drive under it's own power. I'm happy that it is up and running but I'm not impressed with the power of the gear motors that I had so some different ones will be on order soon. Currently it is running on a 7.2v battery but I did try it with 12v and it was much better so I may upgrade that as well if I can find space for it. I've tried to leave this as stock and unmodified looking as I could so it hasn't been easy but thats the fun part right:confused:?

Thanks for lookin, video is to follow

Reg

Hi,

What motors and gears and speed controller did you use as im looking to do the same for my son as a present?
Cracking build thread.

:bounce::bounce:

[RCP57]

The original design wasn't very good and was scrapped very quickly. I then went to 4 cordless screwdriver motors and that worked well but made the truck very high and wide. I just received new, smaller motors and will have this on my bench in the near future when time allows. I will post up some pictures of the new setup once I make some progress....

[Themonty73]

Hi,

What ratio motors have you used for the model to get the realism as I do like your YouTube videos of the truck running?
Good luck with the up grades and keep the pictures coming.

Thank you

[RCP57]

Ok, I wasted the day today making some new parts for my little Mack. My cordless screwdriver gearboxes filled up with dirt making the gears very unhappy so I needed to swap them out. Add to this problem that they were too long and fat making the truck very wide and high. I got the new motors a while back so I thought today was a good day to get on with the swap.


I started out by making new walking beams that would hold the smaller motors and also reduce the rear ride height by 7.5mm.
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4951_zps9uwzreut.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4951_zps9uwzreut.jpg.html)


Once they where made up I installed the motors, wired them, and gave everything a shot of "barbeque black".
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4952_zpsodb19p6r.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4952_zpsodb19p6r.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4953_zps0oka05pg.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4953_zps0oka05pg.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4954_zpsknroudw9.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4954_zpsknroudw9.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4955_zpsyen4szlh.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4955_zpsyen4szlh.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4956_zpsvvwfcvib.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4956_zpsvvwfcvib.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4957_zpsq32jzpt0.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4957_zpsq32jzpt0.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4958_zps5otl1ion.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4958_zps5otl1ion.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4959_zpsyherlowy.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4959_zpsyherlowy.jpg.html)

Originally I had just pulled the axles out of the stock wheels and made an insert that was then glued to the center of the rim and the motor shaft. The new motors have a smaller shaft diameter so I had to make something new. I wanted to be able to remove the wheels this time around without force so I had to make up some hubs with set screws. I used the lathe to knock out the centers of the wheels and then made up these simple hubs. The hubs were glued in position and then I used body filler to help them stay put in the rims. Set screws hold them to the motor shafts
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4960_zpsctg9viyb.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4960_zpsctg9viyb.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4961_zpse4joiyhj.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4961_zpse4joiyhj.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4962_zpsafsen1lp.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4962_zpsafsen1lp.jpg.html)

Here's the underside of the truck all tidied up! All in all this is a very cheap way to convert one of these trucks as long as you have the machining capability.
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4963_zpswvdjmv8y.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4963_zpswvdjmv8y.jpg.html)

And the first test.

http://youtu.be/ER47x2HzB1c

Reg

[RCLogger]

Hey Reg I like the motor mounts you made. Good job

Greg

[RCP57]

Thanks Greg. I just trying to keep it as simple as possible.

I changed my mind about the dump box. I figured this plastic toy should stay plastic so I put the stock box back on after applying some grey paint. I was hoping for a closer match to the fender flares but no dice with what was in my paint cupboard. Guess I will see what I can find down the road.

http://youtu.be/wC8Jn78uKh8

Took some pictures with the rest of RCP's Bruder family too.:)

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4964_zpslxyaggmy.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4964_zpslxyaggmy.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4965_zpsauxbyynk.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4965_zpsauxbyynk.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4966_zpsrjzc***w.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4966_zpsrjzc***w.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4967_zpsvzmzfvvz.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4967_zpsvzmzfvvz.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_4968_zpswfpk6fkn.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_4968_zpswfpk6fkn.jpg.html)

[justin]

Great work reg

[Bouge78]

Hi Reg,
just wondering what brand of 360 servo you used on the lift? also, how did you wire up four motors to one esc?
great build mate!
cheers
ben

[Darrin]

Very nice job on the bruder I will try to build one in the near future love the videos on it.

[RCP57]

Hi Reg,
just wondering what brand of 360 servo you used on the lift? also, how did you wire up four motors to one esc?
great build mate!
cheers
ben

Sorry I missed this until today Ben. This is the servo I used. https://www.pololu.com/product/1248 They are fairly cheap but seem to have good electronics and enough torque. They have a center point adjustment and rarely creep once adjusted. I have tried 360 servos from Towerpro on something else and I couldn't get them to stop creeping. I wired the four motors together but one side of the truck needs to have the polarity reversed. Works just fine!


Very nice job on the bruder I will try to build one in the near future love the videos on it.

Thanks Darrin. Good luck with yours!

[Gator]

RCP57, thanks for the info on the continuous servo. I was a bit unsure of tearing down one of my servos and trying to make it be a 360. Much appreciated for the order site.

[RCP57]

RCP57, thanks for the info on the continuous servo. I was a bit unsure of tearing down one of my servos and trying to make it be a 360. Much appreciated for the order site.

No problem. I got the servos from a local shop but they sourced them from Sparkfun. I'm sure there are many places that sell them though.

[skeeter]

DAM! I WISH I would have saw this, before I hacked my Bruder up. :eek:
NICE job on the build. :bounce:

I removed the cab, dump box, & front bumpers from mine. I didn't do it nicely, as the plan was to place it all on a Tamiya chassis, & run. No pictures yet, as I just gutted the Bruder yesterday.

[RCP57]

Yeah this turned out ok after some trial and error. All things considered it would be a lot less effort and not much more expensive to mount the body on a tamiya chassis though.

[frizzen]

I really like the walking beam rear. How narrow do you think that rear suspension could go with the newer gearmotors?

What rpm motors did you go with?

[RCP57]

I really like the walking beam rear. How narrow do you think that rear suspension could go with the newer gearmotors?

What rpm motors did you go with?

From my couch I think the truck is a touch wider than a Tamiya semi but I haven't looked at it for a while. I think they are 135rpm 6V. Speed is pretty decent for running on dirt.