Compact Loader

May 5, 2021 2 Comments


It was time for me to learn how to do Bricklink Studio, and my Atmos Tractor needed a friend to load all of the trailers.

Free instructions can be found at Rebrickable.com.

This small loader came together rather quickly. I decided to use rear wheel steering rather than articulation as this would keep the mechanics of the bucket/fork simple. Additionally, I wanted to use the new tires from LEGO 42122, and they take up a little more room while turning. Finally, I wanted to allow the tractor to switch easily from forks and a bucket, so this simple feature was the second part to figure out.

The next part of the build required a little more trial and error. End Loaders are tricky in that they have a wide range of motion, and have to fit within a little given space due to the front wheels, cab, and ground. It become clear that at this scale, a mini linear actuator was not going to work. So I used a worm gear and 24z gear with a small linkage to the boom. This gave a wide range of motion, including a very high lift height. The motion was controlled by a 20z gear at the rear of the loader.

The bucket/fork tilt was a little more tricky. A 8z gear and worm gear control the movement. I add this mechanism in many of my builds because it works well for many needs; and it is small. In this build, I needed to redesign the frame for this mechanism as the standard build would not allow for the bucket and fork to fully tilt at ground level. But with a little modification, I was able to get it to work. At the high end, the bucket tilt can bind, which is not great. The tilt stays consistent as the boom lifts, which was a requirement for me as the fork was going to be a center part of the build. Control for the tilt is at the rear of the tractor. Pulling two axles allows for quick change between the bucket and the forks.

Finally, I built this MOC with the singular focus of developing my skills with Bricklink Studio; with the goal of improving the instructions that I make available. I have made photo sequencing instructions for years, but with the 800 pound gorilla that is Rebrickable.com, more and more people are contacting me directly saying some form of “I am confused when I try to build ______.” So, after trying a couple of 100-200 part builds, I launched into this Compact Loader, and built the file in Studio. Studio takes a little time to get used to, but it is slick. And the instructions that are generated are very slick.

But it does take time. Many of my instructions have been free, and I continue to value this for many reasons, but I’ll be reevaluating this the deeper I get into this transition. Either way, enjoy the many MOCs of mine that you can build for free.

I am pleased with how this MOC turned out, and what it taught me about building in Bricklink Studio has been valuable. The model fits my design language, and functions as I expect my models to function. And now, you can clearly figure out how to build it as well. I hope you will enjoy the build as well.

Happy building!

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Unimog U500 (405.201)

January 1, 2021 2 Comments


Every couple of years I build another Unimog; they tend to be a favorite subject.

Instructions may be found here.

Unimog U500 (405.201)

Right after the LEGO Batmobile 76139 was released, I saw the front tires, and immediately planned this Unimog. The tires were perfect for a U500. I stared working on a draft before I had acquired the tires. I wanted the build to be in the theme of my Unimog 437 in that it was about 1:18 in scale, and had modular cabins and bed options. But I wanted to take this idea to the next level so that front and rear attachments could be added, as well as trailers. Many of my builds as of late are more system focused, in that a main build supports lots of other attachments, trailers, and versions of the same build. With this one, standard attachment points on the front, rear, bed, cab, and hitches allow for a variety of versions and attachments to be added quickly. I’ll make more of these soon.

Rear Hitch, Attachment point, PTO, and PPTO

I quickly set up a front and rear suspension using what was learned on the 437. The MOC has front and rear live axle suspension, four wheel drive, and front steering. A I4 engine is placed under the cab, over the front axle. Unlike the 437, I added a front and rear PTO. The rear PTO has an on/off switch. A center PTO is present as well for attachments that go in place of the rear bed. Finally, I added a Pneumatic pump behind the cabin to run pneumatics on the front or rear of the truck. A value determines if the preasure goes to the front or rear.

U500 Chassis

I added a three way tipper bed on the rear of the chassis, and created a way for the cab to be tilted. Both can be released by pulling a couple of axles out to allow for the tipping. The cab has seating for three, and both doors open. Finally, I added a front winch that is released and wound up using the fake air tanks on the left of the truck.

In the coming months I will make some attachments and trailers for this truck and for a U400/430 version that use the chassis of the U500 with some adjustments.

2016 Unimog U430

The truck turned out how I wanted it too, and had the features work the way as intended. The suspension is a little hard, but that supports various attachments well. This tipper bed and winch are a little addictive to play with. I did not spend much time making attachments for this truck, but I hope to do so soon. Until the next build or Unimog, Happy Building.

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Atmos Tractor

December 19, 2020 3 Comments


I guess I am on a little bit of a tractor kick lately.

Instructions for the tractor may be found here, which links to instructions for attachments, implements, and trailers.

Atmos Tractor

I had recently rebuilt my 9393 MOD, and as I took it apart, I wondered if I could make another tractor with the same implement attachments, improve the esthetics, and use different sized front and rear wheels. Then I thought maybe a pneumatic pump would be fun. My builds as of late have become much more dynamic, in that I like to be able to quickly change them or add a feature. Tractors work great for this, as adding a new trailer or implement can change the build dramatically. Additionally, I enjoy the challenge of making a system that supports lots of additions, while retaining the mechanics that my builds have always had.

Atmos Rear

The tractor came together very quickly for me. In 10 days I went from having a size draft of the tractor to a final MOC. I used the same driveline, albeit stretched, as the 9393 MOD so the mechanical parts were easy. Direct steering is used, and goes through a rear wheel drive system that connects to a two cylinder engine. A PTO is present at the rear of tractor, but not at the front. Adding a pneumatic pump required a stronger frame which was quickly modified, as well as a hose running to an attachment point at the rear.

The bodywork took the most time; about four days. I wanted to keep a simple hood, so I kept the design of 9393. I added some headlights to dress up the front, and the interior left some room for a steering wheel. Shaping the roof and the cabin was a little tricky due to all the half-stuff offsets of the front windshield. The fenders are simple, but match well. Just like that on day ten, the tractor was done. At the time of writing, the tractor can be built in orange, lime, white, and black.

Atmos with Mower

Part of what attracts me to building tractors is all the options one can present with a tractor: implements, trailers, plows, and on and on. The design of the tractor needed to support all of these possibilities. There is a hard point on the front, a hitch on the rear, and a three-point hitch on the rear.

Once these hard points were set, I began to spice it up. It’s no secret that set 8049 is one of my favorites, and since this tractor had a pneumatic pump, I thought a forestry trailer was needed. But then I wanted a snow plow, and a hooklift loader, and a dumper, and some farming equipment. So of course I built them all. You can find links to instructions for the tractor and most of the additions in my instructions tab.

Atmos Tractor with Trailers

The build was great little addition to my portfolio. The system supported a lot of different trailers and implements, some of which are still coming. The design language is consistent with my other builds, and the size is right in my sweet spot. I hope you enjoyed it too. Until the next build, happy building.

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John Deere 5115

February 29, 2020 1 Comment


Sometimes you just do not want to shovel your own snow. Why not get a machine to do it for you?

The full gallery may be found on Flickr.com.

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I have enjoyed building a number of tractors over the years, and I think it is mostly because I enjoy building all the implements. This little Deere is no exception. When I was making instructions for the Claas Atos, I found some inspiration from this picture. I wondered, “could I turn this into another tractor?” Yes, yes I could. So I was off on another mid-power tractor.

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I decided on the John Deere 5115, which is a mid-power, open cab row tractor. I used the chassis of the Atos, so the tractor retained the drive, steering, front and rear PTO, and the front and rear three point hitch. I added a green fake engine, a new hood, and some new wheels and tires (Batmobile!). So it was a simple modification of a simple previous build.

I added a variable V-Plow on the front from M_Longer, and a simple spreader on the rear powered by the PTO.

The MOC worked just as well as the Atos, which it should. But the Deere looked a little better. The hood looked more complete, and the proportions looked a little better. Plus the color of the green and yellow always looks sharp.

Happy building.

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Iveco Skip Loader

November 27, 2019 2 Comments


I have done a lot of small scale trucks, and it was time for me to do something bigger. 2 studs bigger to be precise.

Full gallery is here.

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This project stared as a desire to make another small truck. I have used the 43.2mm tire in my trucks a lot, and I have used the 49.5mm tire only once. I was ready for the newer size again, so I found a nice little truck to model, and I was off. I very much like the shape of the 49.5mm tire, but it presents some challenges to scale. I works much better as a 15 stud wide size, and trucks often have a dual tires on the drive axle. This leaves only 5 studs of width to work with for the chassis and driveline. While a differential will fit within this space, keeping the axle connected to the differential does not happen when driving the finished truck. So I have a 8l axle with stop connected to a bevel gear on one side, and a 5l axle with stop. The gear then runs to the front of the truck where it connects to a V-4 engine.

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Adding the skip functions were the next challenge. Adding the rear outriggers was not very difficult, but then it was complicated by adding the skip hook. Both are moved by mLA that are mounted far forward in the truck and connected by long liftarms to the back. It took a while to get the geometry of all of this to work together in conjunction with the lifting arms, but in the end it all worked well. The lifting actuators are moved by a gear on the side, and the other two functions are moved by two gears on the top of the cab protector.

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Working on the cab came next, and I used a mix of system and technic bricks. I made sure the cab could tilt, and there is a locking mechanism. The steering HOG is on the top of the cabin, and connects when the cab is down.

Finally, I added a little trailer. I added a simple function to lock the skip in place. The trailer can be towed by the truck, and when it is time to add a skip the hitch goes under the truck so it can get close enough to drop the skip.

The truck ended up doing everything I wanted. The tip and lift functions work well, and the trailer was a fun little addition. The colors work well for this truck, and the cab turned out as well. Maybe I will need to do another MOC in this scale.

Happy Building.

 

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John Deere 6130R

August 25, 2019 1 Comment


I am into a little bit of a tractor phase lately, so here is a model of the John Deere 6130R row tractor.

The full gallery including instructions may be found here.

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After the completion of my 9393 MOD, and the Claas Atos, I wanted to expand on what could be done in the tractor theme, and I wanted to use the newish large technic tires that first came from 42054. I set out to set the scale and list some of the features I wanted.  I decided on a John Deere tractor, because green looks sharp in LEGO, and the hubs I would need were available in yellow.

I first started with the driveline which is simply a differential between the rear tires, and a  couple of gears to the I4 engine (green of course). The steering was the second feature added, and runs from the HOG on the roof, goes through one bevel setup to the rack under the from engine.

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The tractor also has a front and rear PTO, with dual on/off switches, and front and rear drawbars. These features were a little tricky to add. The PTO on the rear is connected to the driveline on the right by a changeover catch, and routes rearward over the rear axle. The PTO on the from is connected to the driveline on the left, and routes under the steering axle to the front. Both drawbars can be raised and lowered by a HOG on the roof ahead and behind the steering HOG. Both use two mLAs to raise and lower the drawbar, and both can hold enough weight to tip over the tractor.

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Working on the body work took some time. After trying a couple of technic options for the front hood, and rear fenders, I settled on an option that uses mostly system bricks. I was pleased how it turned out as it does not subtract from the look of the tractor too much. The hood can open to see the engine.

The tractor worked well, and all the features functioned as they should. I will continue to design implements, and test them out as long as the tractor stays built.

Happy building.

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Volvo Ibex

December 3, 2018 1 Comment


Another contest, another build. LEGO Ideas posted a contest to build your idea of the Volvo construction vehicle of the future using LEGO Technic bricks. This was my entry for the contest, which did not win, but was a design I was happy to complete.

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The design was inspired by the Volvo Sfinx and the Hyundai HFex Concept as I was interested in trying the various tracks, and a foldable boom. I started with the track sections, with four idetntical modules. Each are connected to the center turntable with a worm gear assembly for individual track movement. The system is enough to hold the full MOC, but not overly strong.

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Next came the superstructure. I created a conventional cab on the left, and added some fuel cells on the back. These cells can slide out the back of the superstructure to be easily replaced. Next came the boom. I wanted a three section boom that would fold, and extend in a variety of directions. Each of the three pivots is operated by a worm gear mechanism. The best manage the length of the boom, the main boom used a worm and 48z gear, the second used a worm and 24z gear, and the final boom used a worm and 8z gear. I added a ball join at the end of the boom to allow for multiple attachments.

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The entry did not win the contest, but I was happy with the result. It was creative, and functioned well. I like the way it looked, and was happy with the track setup.

Happy building.

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Unimog 437

August 19, 2018 5 Comments


If my previous builds are any indication, I am a big fan of Unimogs. So it was just a matter of time before I built another one. Rather than building one this time, I built a modular system that allows for a number of different versions.

Full instructions can be found here.

This build started with a desired to make another small build with the great Fischertechnik tires I acquired. I wanted to build something small and playful like RM8s FJ or Sheepo’s Defender. As has been happening with many of my recent builds, I wanted to give the MOC some playable options and easy modifications. A Unimog was a perfect option, and who am I to turn down a Unimog? So I gave myself the following constraints: 4×4, I4 fake engine, steering, manual and PF drive options, removable cabs, removable bed, and two chassis. I set off to work.

The axles came together fairly quickly. I decided quickly not to do portal axles, because I wanted the complexity of the MOC to be elsewhere. Both axles have a differential, two soft springs, and are stabilized longitudinally via steering links and laterally via panhard links. All for shocks are mounted on crankshaft parts to get the ride height of the Unimog just right. There is about 1.5 studs of travel for each wheel, which provides adequate articulation.

The axles are connected to a fixed axle that powers a I4 fake motor. Since I wanted the MOC to be easily switched between manual control and PF, the driveline got a little over-complicated quickly. The steering axle and drive axles cross each other twice. This allows for the steering to go to the top for a HOG, and backwards so a PF servo motor can be added. A 16t gear is available at the top of the chassis to power a PTO, or add a PF XL motor to give the Unimog propulsion. The long Chassis can fit a full a full Power Functions pack. When the power pack is not installed lots of open space is available for other additions. I added a three way tipper lift mechanism for both the long and short wheelbase chassis.

Attachment points were added for the rear bed and for the cab. I created three cabs, and each can be added to both chassis (though the Doka looks best on the LWB). Two axles with stop can be pulled to free the cab. I created three beds and a power pack. Four axles with stop are required at each corner to secure the bed. A camper and a crane bed are not far behind on my building queue.

The Unimog turned out exactly as I wanted. The suspension and steering are light and smooth under manual operation, and work great with PF. I am excited about the ability to offer and develop multiple beds and cabs. Instructions are posted, so I look forward to seeing other options people develop to make their own Unimog.

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CAT 914K

June 30, 2018 1 Comment


These days, some projects are taking longer than they have in the past. The little Wiggs in my house and a mirad of other reponsibilities are slowing my production. This loader was started a little over a year ago, and it was finally finished last week.

The full gallery can be seen here.

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I was sitting on a train in Chicago, and saw a little CAT 914k out the window, and thought, “I should finally make a loader.” I got home and started to work. My collection recently added the Fischertechnik tires and the pneumatic parts from the LEGO 42053 Volvo, so I started calculating the scale. Once the scale was set I worked on the linkage for the bucket. I spent two full nights working on the linkage to take full advantage of the longer pneumatic rams. I used the longer ones on the lift, and a shorter one on the tilt.

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After the bucket mechanism was set, I worked on the chassis. The size allowed for four wheel drive. The rear axle was set in a pendular setup, which allowed for some articulation over varied terrain. The rear differential linked to a small I4 motor that was placed in the rear. The pneumatic valves were placed over the motor. The light on the roof operated the steering.

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While the project took a little too much time to complete, it was a fun project that turned out well. The linkage and bucket range worked well. It also held a load well. The stability of the loader could have been a little better when pumping the pneumatic pump, as the suspension took a lot of rigidity out of the rear. The design allowed for normal LEGO 81mm tires as well.

Happy Building.

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Claas Atos

March 17, 2018 3 Comments


Not only are my builds becoming smaller, I am also enjoying builds that offer a little more modularity. Why build one thing, when the one thing can play a number of different tasks?

When I built the Snowblower a couple of years ago, I made a couple parts of the truck removable. So after the build was complete made a couple of other options: different cabs, other beds, a crane. This kind of building continued with the 9393 updated tractor. I was hooked. So, when it came time to make a tractor, I had this feature central to the build.

The Atos started a couple of years ago when I completed the 9393 update. I wanted a front PTO in a small tractor. Lime parts were becoming more prevalent (though we are still missing a red medium wheel), so I figured I could make something work. I started with the front axle, as it would need steering, a PTO shaft, and something to lift an implement. The PTO shaft runs directly forward from the rear differential under the steering rack. Another axle runs a stud and a half to the left, which drives a worm gear to elevate the front drawbar.

The engine is mounted on top of the steering unit, and is connected to the rear differential. Off the right side of the engine is a changeover that controls the raear PTO. This drive moves to the rear, and then powers another PTO for the rear. The changeover lever is in the cabin, to the right of the steering wheel. As in the front, a worm driven drawbar is on the rear to mount an implement. A simple hitch is there for a trailer.

I build a front Lemken furrow, a rear Poettinger power harrow, and a front and rear Claas disco mower. I look forward to making other implements as well. Each attach to the front and rear by removing a 5l and 8l axle with stop. It’s simple, and allows for endless modification.

I am happy with the way the tractor turned out. It was strong enough to handle the play of my young kids, and all the functions worked well. I would have like to have an on/off switch for the front PTO. Other than that it turned out well.

Until next time, happy building.

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