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Hybrid Garbage Truck

January 29, 2024 Leave a comment

I had on my goals to complete another Garbage Truck for while. Now it is finally completed.

Instructions are available at Rebrickable.com.

I like trucks, and I like building them. Garbage trucks are the most interested to me. Not only do they look interesting to my eyes, but mechanically they have a lot going on inside of them. Naturally, recreating this out of LEGO fits well with the type of building I enjoy. When I started on this project, I settled on a couple of standards. First, it would be 1:21 scale, second, it would be manually functioned, and finally, it would be a rear loader.

I worked on this model differently than I normally do. Generally I design a crude frame, and place all the mechanical aspects on this frame, and slowly build out the rest of model until it is done. On the garbage truck, I worked on three sections on the build in tandem: the chassis, the body, and the compactor.

The compactor started first, and was the hardest to get right. I settled on a function that is controlled by one gear on the left of the truck. The gear moves the compactor door mount, and an interval resistance gear allows for movement of the compactor plate. The one gear controls the two movements. So when trash is added to the hopper, moving the gear extends the door down, pivots the plate, moves the door up, and then pivots the plate open again.

The body was started soon, and would need to work hand in hand with both the compactor and the chassis. The body would house both the extractor plate to push trash out of the truck, and the mechanism to pivot the compactor up to open. These two functions were simple to design, but what took the most time was making sure the body was strong to support the functions and the rear compactor, and to be smooth internally to make sure trash would not get stuck.

The chassis followed a more common building process. I started with the hardpoints like the wheelbase, length and engine placement, and slowly added in all the other parts needed. Right from the beginning I decided on a three axle chassis with axle 1 and axle 3 steering. Axle 2 would be the drive axle. As I built, it was clear there was a lot of extra space in the chassis. I added a little hybrid/EV drive to fill the space. The torque from the drive axle routes through a center differential that splits the torque between a fake electric motor and a fake piston engine. A resistance plate is added to the front of the piston engine so the torque will always start with the electric motor. When the speed increases, the torque will overwhelm the resistance plate and start using the fake piston engine too. It works just like a real hybrid engine. A selector is on the left side of the truck to select EV only where only the electric motors is used, or to select hybrid where both are used.

The truck and body are easily connected by four pins at the corner of the body. The cab tilts to make it easy to work on the engine. Finally, I created two small dumpsters for to hold trash. A small one and a larger one, and each fits with on the rear of the truck.

This ended up being one of my favorite models since the Ionos. The truck looks great, but packs lots of functional elements. The hybrid function works great and will be used again for another project. When I presented it at a show people could not get enough of watching the trash get cycled through the compactor. I always enjoy building a garbage truck, and I look forward to the next one I make.

Happy building.

Filed under Truck Tagged with Cylinder, Differential, Garbage, I3, Instructions, MOC, steering, technic, Truck

Mercedes 917

January 5, 2024 Leave a comment

A simple, but iconic truck.

Free instructions may be found at Rebrickable.com.

I am beginning to get more efficient in my builds. Many of the axles, drivetrains, and little mechanisms I have designed over the years are finding their ways into other builds. When I completed the Off Road Truck, it was clear there was a lot that could be turned into another build, rather quickly. The Off Road Truck had a great, strong chassis, a little fake engine, a working transmission, and a tipping bed. With a couple of changes it could turn into another truck.

I lengthened the chassis, and removed the crane. I added a longer bed and changed how the tipping function worked. The cab stayed the same for the most part, but I changed the grill to match the look of the Mercedes Benz 917 truck. Since much of the truck is the same as the Off Road Truck, this one still retains the I3 fake engine, the pendular rear suspension, rear wheel drive with two speed transmission, and the tilting cab. Two HOGs are on the roof, one for the steering, and one for the bed tipping function. The bed can tip in all three directions.

Sometimes these type of builds feel a little bit like cheating, as they use much of a previous build. But this little truck was a nice addition to my builds that is fun to play with and is easily built by others people who have a moderate Technic collection.

Happy building.

Filed under Truck Tagged with Cylinder, I3, steering, suspension, Tipper, Transmission, Truck

Excavator

January 2, 2024 Leave a comment

One build that turned into two.

Free instructions may be found at Rebrickable.com for the Wheel Excavator and the Tracked Excavator.

For the Eurobricks TC22 contest, Steph77 designed a little excavator that I loved. With their permission I asked if I could expand on the build, and turn it into my own creation. What attracted me to the design the simplicity of the digging arm, and of course the size. I also liked the inclusion of the fake engine on the superstructure. I rebuilt the arm, and started paying around with it.

I had just completed the Skid Excavator, so I was interested in building an excavator with similar features. The arm was already designed by Steph77, so I needed to decide where I wanted the HOG knobs to be. I decided on the main boom to be controlled on the side, and the secondary boom to be controlled by a fake air intake on the superstructure. This HOG would also power the fake I3 engine located on the rear of the superstructure. A light at the top of the cabin controls the slewing.

Then I built the chassis. A HOG gear is placed in the center of the superstructure, which controls the steering of all four wheels. Finally, a plow is added to the front of the chassis with a HOG on the back to control the up and down movement.

As I was getting ready to take the wheeled excavator apart, I thought “I could make another MOC easily by creating a tracked chassis.”

So a couple of hours later, and I built another little chassis. The superstructure is unchanged. Since no steering is needed on the tracked chassis, I used the same HOG placement that was used for the steering of the wheeled chassis to control the plow movement.

I loved this build. I love interchangeable MOCs, and a yellow construction machine is always enjoyable to build and play with. I think I like the look of the tracked excavator better, but driving the wheeled excavator around is a lot more fun. I hope you enjoyed.

Happy building.

Filed under Construction Tagged with Excavator, mLA, MOC, steering, technic

Vintage Tractor

January 2, 2024 Leave a comment

The Thirdwigg Farm now has a lot of builds, and this one was found in the back of an old barn.

Free Instructions may be found at Rebrickable.com

I tend to find new and flashy machines the most interesting, but sometimes something older can excite my creative juices. Someone suggested I build an old tractor, so this is the result. As I planned this build, it became clear that I wanted it to be part of the Thirdwigg Farm scale, so that determined the scale and some of the features right away. The Vintage tractor can be used with all the other Thirdwigg Farm builds.

I worked on the driveline which came together pretty quickly. The two cylinder engine is directly linked to the rear wheels. The steering was a little trickier. I mounted a little steering wheel on a linear actuator block, which moves a steering link to move the front steering rack. It is relatively simple, but coming up with how to make it work and look alright took a little bit of time. The seat is mounted on a pivot that allows for small suspension travel, just like an older tractor.

A little more time was spent on the bodywork. The round macaroni bricks work perfectly for the grill, and the new little panels cover the engine well. The fenders are a little fragile, but look great for the tires used.

This was a fun little build that has been well loved at shows and in my office. It turns out that an old looking tractor is something that generates some interest.

Until the next tractor, happy building.

Filed under Construction Tagged with Cylinder, Differential, steering, Thirdwigg Farm

Unimog U423

June 1, 2023 Leave a comment

For my 100th Rebrickable MOC I had to celebrate with a Unimog.

Free Instructions can be found at Rebrickable.com.

So it turns out that I have built a lot of MOCs over the years, and many of them have instructions posted on Rebrickable. Late last year, I recognized I was going to post my 100th MOC on Rebrickable, so I wanted to celebrate the occasion in some meaningful way. After a little thought, it became clear that building another Unimog was the only way to celebrate!

I have build a number of Unimogs over the years, but if one thing has happened during this time, it is the consolidation of the 1:21 scale truck that has become a standard in the LEGO MOC community. LEGO sets like 42098, 42078, and 42128 have helped to standardize the 1:21 scale truck, and many other MOCs have followed suit. Building a Unimog in this scale seemed like a good idea.

I planned right from the beginning that multiple implements would be available for the truck, so the design would need to be able to accommodate each attachment. To support this, a front, rear, and center PTO would be needed, and mounting points on the front, rear, and bed would need to be easily accessible. Once these standards were set, I measured the scale, and made a draft with all the set points fixed. As I built, the steering was finalized as well as the 2 cylinder fake engine. The truck used a rear wheel drive setup, and the rear axle has portal axles and a pendular suspension. Right above the rear axle, I placed a linear actuator to move the tipping bed. After some tinkering, I decided to use a large 36z gear on the left of the truck to move the bed up and down. It is placed just behind the steps, and looks like the left side radiator. Finally, there is a PTO on/off switch on the right of the truck that turns the rear and center PTO on and off.

As I was building the truck, I built the attachments as well, which allowed me to make sure the attachment connection points were ridged, accessible, and standardized. From the beginning I planned on the following attachments: plow, gritter, front winch, rear crane, and bed crane. The front attachments are connected using a 5l axle with stop, and the bed mounts are connected using four 3l axles with stop.

The front plow has worm gear lift and can tilt left and right. Free instructions for the plow may be found here. The rear gritter attaches at the rear and connects to the center PTO gear. When the PTO is turned on, the center auger and the rear spreader both turn. The top of the gritter can open to drop small 1×1 round plates to use as salt. Free instructions for the gritter may be found here.

The front winch and center crane and bed can be easily attached as well. The front winch has a locking mechanism that allows the winch to be locked as needed. The rear bed has a knuckleboom crane that folds up for transportation. Instructions may be found for both here.

Finally, a rear knuckleboom crane is also available. This crane uses the same crane as above, but uses a different attachment point. A small interior cam mechanism that is worm driven is used to connect the rear crane to the truck. Two outriggers are on both sides of the crane and are locked by worm gears as well. The crane folds completely and extends as needed. Again, free instructions for the crane can be found here.

Maybe I will find additional attachments, trailers, and implements for the truck but for now I am done. This project worked just a well as I had hoped and was perfect for my 100th MOC. The truck is just the right size, and has all the features I wanted it to have. The functions work well and integrate with each other well. Each attachment was great addition as well, and gave the truck lots of distinctive styles and looks. I hope you enjoyed the build as well.

Happy building!

Filed under Construction, Trial Truck Tagged with Cylinder, Differential, Instructions, MOC, Plow, steering, suspension, technic, Unimog, Worm Gear

Off Road Knuckleboom Truck

January 5, 2023 2 Comments

It was time for another truck! Free instructions can be found at Rebrickable.

I have been building a lot of tractors and construction vehicles lately. I love building them as they offer a lot of movement and features. But it was time to build another truck. LEGO truck MOCs are beginning to coalesce around the “Mack Anthem standard” which is a 15 module wide truck in about 1:20 scale. Many MOCs are being designed in this scale as it is a good playable size, and fits the scale of some of the more recent LEGO trucks that have been released. I wanted to offer another truck in this scale, with some fun playable features.

I started with a chassis that uses a simple pendular suspension on the rear axle, which is damped by 2×1 rubber connectors. The rear axle drives a simple I3 fake engine under the cab through a two speed transmission. The transmission changeover is on the right side of the truck. Front steering is controlled though the HOG light on the top of the cab.

I have found a simple way to add a three way tipper bed in my trucks, and I have used it many times before. A mini linear actuator moves simple linkage under the bed that can pivot in three different directions. Each corner of the bed has a removable axle that allows control for which way the bed tiles. But in the past the control for this tipping function was in a tricky place to reach, so I wanted to route the control to the top of the cab. I managed to add this right next to steering light. I used a top pivot design on the bed sides and rear, locked by a 3/4 pin on the bottom.

Finally, I added a crane, and since I had a little space left over, two stabilizing outriggers. The outriggers are a simple two link design that are controlled with a worm gear mechanism. The crane is a little more complicated. It is mounted on a small turntable with a rotation control on the left side of the truck. The first lift mini linear actuator is controlled by the third HOG on the top of the cab. The second lift stage is controlled by another mini linear actuator. Finally, the third stage has an extending boom that allows the reach of the crane to extend a little more. The crane can lift some; not a lot, particularly when the boom is fully extended. By removing the three HOG knobs, the cab tips to show the engine. Also, both doors open.

I loved the way this trucks looks. The beefy tires, and the cabover design give the truck presence and look of toughness. The crane was a lot of fun to play with even if it could be a little stiffer. However, this may be the last time I use this three way tipper design. I am happy I moved the control to the top of the cab, but the linkage does not have the power it needs at the start of the tip. I will have to come up with something better for the next truck.

Stay tuned, and happy building until then.

Filed under Construction Tagged with Crane, Cylinder, Differential, Instructions, MOC, steering, suspension, technic, Truck, Worm Gear

John Deere Axron

December 22, 2022 Leave a comment

What started out as a little tractor and trailer has grown into the Thirdwigg Farm! And it needed a bigger tractor.

Free instructions are available at Rebrickable.com.

I started with a simple, small, row tractor that I called the Atmos. This tractor was mid scale and in addition to steering and a fake engine like most of my builds, it featured a front implement mount, rear three point hitch, rear PTO, and rear Pneumatic PTO. Little did I know how the tractor would grow into a lot of other tractores, trailers, impliments, and farming support vehicles. At some point, I found myself interested in making a larger tractor, and I have always loved the Claas Xerion. The Claas been done in Lego Technic before, so I went the John Deere styling route for my build.

The tractor had to integrate into the other builds, so the front and rear mount and PTO placement dictated a couple of the hard points. I built the tractor with four wheel drive, and four wheel steering. A four cylinder fake engine is placed under the frond hood above the front axle. The rear most cylinder does not move as the crankshaft would have run into the steering unit, and any change I tried to fix it made for an ugly hood. A worm gear actuated rear three point hitch allows for implements to be mounted to the tractor.

The steering is controlled by a HOG light at the top of the cab, which caused some headaches for placement as I wanted the cab to be able to rotate. There is a small gear on the right of the tractor that controls the rotation through and internally mounted worm gear. Getting the cab to rotate in the right spot, without hitting anything, and while still having the pneumatic pump, required endless test rotations.

Since this is a Thirdwigg Farm tractor, there are many options to pair with this tractor, all with free instructions. My favorite is the Hookloadr trailer, but the Tandem Disc looks great too. Free instructions are available for all the options, so feel free to make your own farm.

It is always fun to make another tractor and this one was no exception. I wish the drivetrain was a little more smooth, but the rest of the tractor worked flawlessly. And it looks fantastic. Coupled with a trailer, makes it look strong and purposeful. And the rotating cab is so much fun to play with. We’ll see what gets added to the Thirdwigg Farm next!

Happy building!

Filed under Construction Tagged with 4x4, I4, Instructions, MOC, Pneumatic, PTO, steering, Thirdwigg Farm, Tractor, Worm Gear

LEGO 42136 Articulated Dumper

December 20, 2022 1 Comment

I have never made an alternative model, until now!

The popularity of alternative models has been increasing in the past couple of years as Rebrickable has allowed for an easy way for people to see what they can make from the sets they own. I tend to be more interested in making the machines I want, but I figured I should learn how to do an alternative model at some point, and this summer I was ready for a little challenge.

LEGO set 42136 is a decent little set with some simple functions and an accessible cost. After I purchased the set, and put it together, I thought about what I could turn it into. Making an alternative model means you need to think right away about the special parts you have how they could be used in another MOC. For me, the important parts were the yellow panels, the turntable, and the wheels/tires. I wanted to keep the yellow and green well integrated, otherwise the build would look messy. Going through my Pinterest account, I came across the Hydrema Dumper, and I immediately knew it would work. I got to work.

I made a draft with the tires, bed, and major panels placed. Then it was just build, rebuild, rebuild to make sure all the parts were well supported and color matched with the parts available. Sometimes I just wanted another simple connector, and I had a use another solution with the parts I had left. Looking over the remaining parts, I wish I would have used the gears, and the little tires from the trailer. The tractor finished with steering and a tipping bed, and a cute little face.

I was happy to finally do an alternative build. This one looked clean, and the functions worked well. There has been some interest in the MOC, as some people have already built it themselves. You can too! It was a fun little challenge, so I’ll make some more alternative builds in the future.

Until then, happy building.

Filed under Construction, MODs Tagged with Altbuild, Dumper, steering, technic

End Loader

November 16, 2022 1 Comment

Time for another Eurobricks contest! Free Instructions are available at Rebrickable.com.

Another Eurobricks contest was made available, and this one was right up my alley. In fact, I was so excited about the contest, I made two MOCs. The contest was to create a small, less than 10,000 cubic stud, construction vehicle. I figured an end loader is perfect for the contest theme, and it was a while since I created one. I build a quick draft of the shape including where the steering, engine, and bucket would go.

At this scale I decided quickly that adding an engine would be a great feature, but four wheel drive would only distract from the look and the function of the bucket. The engine is a little 3 cylinder unit that is mounted transversally behind, and powered by, the rear axle. This placement allowed for steering and bucket tilting to be placed in a HOG placement.

I next worked on the linkage for the bucket. It took a couple of tries, but I finally got a linkage with full movement. Two mini linear actuators are placed on the side of the loader for bucket lift, and are linked together. The manual control is a small gear on the left side. The bucket tilt uses a Z-linkage design that allows for the bucket to move correctly through the lift movement and not dump any load. This is controlled by a single mini linear actuator, with a controlling gear on the top of the engine cover. The head of the bucket allows for quick change between a bucket and forks. Finally, steering is controlled by the HOG on the top of the cabin, and keep my high standards for steering feel with low slop.

I was pleased with this little creation, but it was not as interesting as the other MOC that I designed. So while everything worked well, and looked great, I submitted the other MOC for the contest. I hope you enjoy the MOC, and feel free to build one of your own.

Happy Building!

Filed under Construction Tagged with 2022, Cylinder, Differential, Instructions, mLA, MOC, steering, technic

John Deere Scout

November 3, 2022 1 Comment

Another addition to the vastly growing Thirdwigg Farm.

I built the Atmos Tractor a couple of years ago as a small little project. Soon I had created a number of attachments and trailers to work with the tractor, and soon I was more tractors and other machines were added. But the balance needed some additional tractors, so I decided to make a little partner.

The John Deere Scout specifically so I could use the new Tractor tires that came from Lego 42122 and Lego 42129. But I wanted to it to be a smaller tractor with many of the features needed for full Thirdwigg Farm integration. Thus, the tractor had to have the common front and rear attachment points, a rear PTO, and steering because I put that it everything. Soon it was clear that the size of the tractor was going to make a fake engine poorly done, so I left it out. But I wanted some other feature to make this tractor unique.

The front bucket uses a worm gear function to lift the front arms. It is driven by a mechanism that drives rear, and then up to the top of the cab. There is a little gear for the HOG function that is just behind the steering HOG. A small worm gear mechanism is used to tilt the bucket. The arm can be easily removed if the desire is for the tractor to mount something on the front attachment point. The rear PTO is connected directly to the rear differential, and the common three point hitch is installed as well. Finally a trailer hitch is attached.

I also made a couple of attachments specifically for this tractor including a snow plow and scrapper, and a little trailer. Both may be found for free at Rebrickable.

With each additional tractor I add, I think it will be the last, but I keep having more ideas, and each one has been fun to design. I was pleased with how this tractor turned out, and how well it functioned. The tires look great at this scale. Most importantly, it matched well with each of the other tractors. The instructions are freely available at Rebrickable along with all the other Thirdwigg Farm builds, so feel free to make one of your own.

Happy building.