Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Very nice work Tom!

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Thanks guys-TnTlou-the motors are rated 65RPM@12V and they only give stall torque which doesn't mean anything but it is 270 oz. in.. I think 7.2V may work but I don't know yet. grumpygrady-the bank has been good about this. SmallHaul-thanks-I am slow but it is coming along. Also-lou isn't it nice to have machinist on here to tell us what we are doing wrong!

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Nice machine work, Tom. Do you think your going to have enough room for everything?

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

they look very good! if i ever make such a truck ill hit ya up for some tires :D

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Thanks a lot DP9&stuff-joe-I think it will work. Probably the biggest challenge will be the dump mechanism. It will have to be some type of screw drive. Even if I could afford hyds. there is no place to put it. I'm not much of a designer I just start building and when a problem comes up I try to solve it. It is the only way I know. I have some ideas on the dump but I have a lot of work to do before I have to jump on that.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Very nice work those tires look great and so do the rims keep it up. Ed

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Thanks jammer-while I am waiting on more parts & pieces for the chassis I was able to get the rear wheels finished. Here is a picture of the back side I had problems loading the last time-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1190.jpg
Here is the outside finished-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1192.jpg
This is a mini tapping fixture a friend made for me. It holds everything nice and straight when tapping holes-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...00_1187_00.jpg
The chassis is next and we will see what kind of challenges that brings up:eek:

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Hey modelman : The tires you made are perfect,great work.
That's a neat tapping rig,I like that, bet it works great.
Looking forward to seeing the chassis.Keep the pics coming.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

1st class craftsmanship with another fine build Tom. :cool:

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Tom, they look factory made. Can't wait to see this a little futher along.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Like those Tires and Wheels! I need one of those Tapping fixtures, seems like evertime I get out a 0-80 tap I need 2 of them to get the job done, gets expensive. Fred

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Tapping fixture can be gotten from Micro-mark. Get the arbor press and the drilling/tapping add-on. Have been using one for years. Much faster than trying to hold in your hands.

Lynn

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Thanks a lot everyone-I hope to make some progress on the chassis now. The front steering blocks are going to be tough for me to make but hopefully in a couple of weeks I can have a rolling chassis. Iron Art-the tapping fixture works great for me. I have always had trouble trying to start a tap straight by hand but this takes care of that. I am still struggling with the 0-80 screws but have managed to get a few tapped. These are really small for my tired old eyes.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

I have the chassis almost done. This truck is way overbuilt for a model this size but I scaled from a 1/50th scale norscot truck and this is how it came out. I have more to do but I thought I would share a few pictures. This is how I started-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1196.jpg
Start of the front axle-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1198.jpg
Bolted together to check fit-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1199.jpg
Motor carriers-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1200.jpg

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Next I made the hardware to hold the carriers and installed all this-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1202.jpg
I then finished the front axle and all the front end pcs.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1206.jpg
Put all this together and the chassis is built-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1218.jpg
I have more milling to do but I may get the cab started so I can work on several pcs. at once. Next I added the wheels-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1210.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1211.jpg

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

When the truck is finished and I know how much it weighs I will try to find some springs to put in the rear cylinders to give it a little bounce. The holes are only .180" and I may not be able to find any springs heavy enough but then I will just braze the shafts solid-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1212.jpg
The steering arms will need to be cut off but that won't happen until the radio is installed-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1215.jpg
That's all for now-back to work.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Wow, the frame and axle setups are great! Ingenious method of mounting and suspending the drive motors - and really nice work on the steering pieces. I hope you can find suitable springs - the axle movement under load would look good and let the truck keep tires on ground over uneven road. Hard to imagine the smaller size of all that machinery you have in there. How 'bout a soda can or something in a future picture, for size comparison? Lookin' nice!

Ken

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Very impressive Tom, and the most impressive part is that you made everything but the motors. Those wheels look great.

-Mike

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

My first reaction was "it's way to short!" but when the box and cab/hood is on it'll be just right I imagine. I like the suspension setup. I don't know about your part of the country, but around here Ace Hardware has a pretty extensive spring selection.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Sparkycuda-thanks,that's the only way I could figure out how to mount the motors and keep the wheelbase correct. Dreamweaver- thanks a lot- I do enjoy making all my own parts. That way I've got nobody else to blame if something goes wrong!:eek: Jared- yeah it is a short little "bugger" but it is correct according to scale. I think it will look different with the cab and dump bed on.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Once again your setting another high bar. Great work!

Ben

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Wow, really nice progress so far. She will really complement your shovel when finished. I was wondering with the rims you built how does it attach to the motor, setscrew(s) or some other way? Thanks. Keep up the great work.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

It's looking really good! I love the motor setup.

I have to ask, maybe I'm missing something. How will it steer? I mean it looks like the steering arms will hit the frame rails when it turns?

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Hey Tom,

that's looking very nice. A very seldom seen model. Keep the good work coming along.
How did you mount the gear heads into the rims? Did you get some extra bearing on the end of the gear heads to avoid bending?

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Wow. There is no shortage of talent these days on the forum! I am totally impressed by the chassis, wheels, and tires. You are building a heck of a model, Modelman! I like your machine work and the chassis is looking really good. I'm curious how your steering will work out. It looks like you might get a little interference with the knuckles and their arms hitting the chassis, but maybe you don't need that much angle, and I know you said you'd machine the arms down, once you got your radio gear.

I cannot wait to see this project finished! This is all just so neat to see come together. Looking forward to the updates, as they come.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Tom, are you sure you didn't find a factory kit somewhere and been holding out on us, lol because it sure does look factory made. You are one of the pro's at this model building. Can't wait to see more.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Snochaser-thanks for the kind words. Finster & lorenzo-thanks a bunch-without a lot of room, set screws are the only way I had of holding the motors to the wheels. I think it will hold okay with some good loc-tite. pugs & espeefan-thanks-the frame rails have to be milled down. I couldn't make the steering blocks any taller because the pins are already over 1" long. Since they are only .150" dia. I didn't think I could machine them any longer and keep them straight. DP9 joe-yeah you got me-it is factory made-but the factory is my "little ole workshop". Thanks a lot.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

looking geat very nice work everything looks like it came from a factory build but you are a pro and very paicent looks great keep the pics comming

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Thanks TD9-but factories are not supposed to make mistakes. I messed up on the angle of the front bumper and I really don't know how I am gonna fix it.:confused:

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

machine or cut a lil off or take a lil out of the bumper or off the rails then make a lil shim to shim it back outwhere you need it .....i had to cut the D7 front end off today and raise it all up a half inch cuz of the angle of the pic

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

It seems pretty cool hand made truck

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

kamyoncu-thanks-I'm having fun building this. I fixed the problem with the front bumper-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1230.jpg
sparkycuda-here is a size comparison pic that you wanted-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1229.jpg
I started the sheet metal work on the cab and just have a little bit done. This is gonna take awhile. Here is how I started-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...k/100_1219.jpg
That's all for now.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Looking good. I see the cutouts for the steering arms now as well, that clears it up. Can't wait to see more progress pics.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Modelman, I aways smile when I read the fact that the forum says you are a Green Horn. I can assure you that you are no Green Horn in the model making hobby, Like the new project that you have taken on! Fred

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

pugs-it's making a little more sense now but this is not a very good picture. I will show more when I get a little further along. Iron Art-I feel like a "greenhorn" when I am messin with this silly computer. Some of this stuff I just can't get into my head.:confused:

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

Greenhorn you are not......with those maching skills. Gonna look nice with a load of coal on the back

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

rc farmer-thanks a lot. I will be glad to see a load of anything on it!! I won't be working on the truck for awhile. I have to go into the hospital tomorrow for some foot surgery and I will be doing some r & r in front of the tv for a couple of weeks and then I should be ready to get back on the sheet metal work.

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

thats some nice work on your truck .......sorry to hear about your foot i hope everything goes well for you

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

TD9-thanks a lot. The surgery went well and I am feeling okay and a few days in front of the tv is good but now I am bored out of my mind!!.I have to stay off of the foot for 2-weeks so I guess I have more tv to watch. I really like watching college football but when that is over I am not sure what I will do. I guess I can read all these build threads over for the 10th. time then maybe I can get back to work!!!

Re: Cat 777D Mining Truck
 

I really feel for ya Tom, BTDT with a pelvis injury, time almost seemed to stand still... you probably didn't want to hear that last part, eh? :D

Wishing you well and a positive recovery. :)