lightweight rock crawler and Hydraulic drive options

[SPEC]

It has a hyd. motor, running a trans to the transfer case...It actually has 3 different pumps hanging off the motor...I got some better pix...I'll post them up

[Baloo]

It has a hyd. motor, running a trans to the transfer case...It actually has 3 different pumps hanging off the motor...I got some better pix...I'll post them up

where the pics the Spec  ?

[Baloo]

right then heres a few pics of what l am going to biuld next, very simalar to Marks buggy but with a subaru engine instead,  several reasons for the subaru engine,  its much lower than the citroen that mark used this should give me much better visability, also the heavy parts such as the diff, crank are right on the bottom helping with the c of g , plus l have one  always helps,  but l need to hunt around for an auto gearbox for it,










before anyone points it out l wont be using the soft wood chassis rails


oak is some much stronger       and the steering wheel is on the dam wrong side again 



l have to finish my V8 buggy first, so this is just at the planning/collecting stage,  which is just as much part of the fun as biulding and using

comments  ?

[Boostinjdm]

I read through the info from that link you posted.  It seemed like a lot of people didn't think hydraulic would work well.  I am not convinced yet.  My lawn mower has a pump and a reserve tank that together are prolly 18" by 8" by 8" and two wheel motors that bolt right to the wheels similar to a pic I think you posted in that other site.  My mower weighs 680lbs and will tow 1500lbs, with traction being the limiting factor.  It has a 25hp engine that also has to run a 54" mower deck and the tires are 22".  It will do 8mph I think and some models will do up to 15mph.  I think with four of those wheel motors and a 20-25hp engine, It would crawl along just great.  Wouldn't be very fast for playin in the field, but for crawling over rocks and such, it would be great.

[Baloo]

l am with you on this one boostinjdm, the freedom that no drive shafts gives in suspension design and travel must be worth having, l think most people were saying that whilst it would work it would be very inefficent, but so what it crawls over rocks , it dosent have to earn a living, dose it matter if it only dose 8 miles to a gallon or 6 or 4 for that matter,  still plenty of decisons on the details to be made, such as how do you connect the motors up ?  if you had them all in parallel of a common manifold then lifting one might stop you as the fluid would head for the one in the air and not flow through the others, but if you connected them in seires they would all turn at the same speed for sure, but there might be occassions where one wheel was wedged up a rock and you dident want it to turn, l supose you could have a gate valve across each wheel and just short one motor  out as and when required
what would you do for steering ?, fold in the middle like a dumper truck ?   even less componets then and easier fab of the suspension arms as all 4 would/could be the same

if you look back at the diff lock forum you will see that teamidris who works in hydraulics has just posted and agrees with us, you could make a great little crawler

l still have   them hyd motors, the wheels and tyres and a honda engine and hyd pump,  although l think l should perhaps look for a twin cylinder honda instead of the single l have

you are putting ideas in my head boostinjdm 

[Boostinjdm]

Looks like I'm planting them in the right spot.  You actually get to build your ideas. Still thinking on the steering part.  I don't think you would want to use articulating steering, at least not by itself.  because that puts two tires close together and two far apart.  on a side hill or one side up in the air, that could roll you over.

[SPEC]

where the pics the Spec  ?

 :-[
Dog ate them?

[SPEC]

Here's one you guys should like

[Engineer]

right then heres a few pics of what l am going to biuld next, very simalar to Marks buggy but with a subaru engine instead,  several reasons for the subaru engine,  its much lower than the citroen that mark used this should give me much better visability, also the heavy parts such as the diff, crank are right on the bottom helping with the c of g , plus l have one  always helps,  but l need to hunt around for an auto gearbox for it,

before anyone points it out l wont be using the soft wood chassis rails


oak is some much stronger       and the steering wheel is on the dam wrong side again 



l have to finish my V8 buggy first, so this is just at the planning/collecting stage,  which is just as much part of the fun as biulding and using

comments  ?

Looks Brilliant to me Baloo!  I didn't realize Mark had used a front wheel drive setup driving front and back instead of sides, until I saw your's laid out.  It's a grand idea, the only downside I see is not being able to lock the diff in the subaru to garantee power to both front and rear.  You should have a quite nice gear ratio with the front wheel drive setup being further reduced by the axles.  Are you planning to be that long, or are you gonna shorten those shafts some?  Do you already have the connection into the tranny made?  How did you adapt the CV attachment to the U-joint?


I think hydraulics would work fine.  Speed limited as you said.  Would be best to find a complete system so you know things would work together.  A system off of a swather would work great.  50-100 HP, two motors, etc.  Pulling a 10,000 lb  swather it will go 0-16, and has quite a bit of power.


What was that yellow thing SPEC?  Trencher?

[SPEC]

Good eye E-farmer...
I retired the trencher and had been using it as a log skidder, with a hyd. winch

[Baloo]

Looks Brilliant to me Baloo!  I didn't realize Mark had used a front wheel drive setup driving front and back instead of sides, until I saw your's laid out.  It's a grand idea, the only downside I see is not being able to lock the diff in the subaru to garantee power to both front and rear.  You should have a quite nice gear ratio with the front wheel drive setup being further reduced by the axles.  Are you planning to be that long, or are you gonna shorten those shafts some?  Do you already have the connection into the tranny made?  How did you adapt the CV attachment to the U-joint?


I think hydraulics would work fine.  Speed limited as you said.  Would be best to find a complete system so you know things would work together.  A system off of a swather would work great.  50-100 HP, two motors, etc.  Pulling a 10,000 lb  swather it will go 0-16, and has quite a bit of power.


What was that yellow thing SPEC?  Trencher?

l was thinking of dropping the diff out of the subaru gearbox and welding it up so as it drove out of both outputs equally all the time, l think l would have to do that otherwise lifting just one wheel would bring me to a halt ?


 l havent really decided on the wheel base yet , those 2 props are of a sj, but theres plenty of different lenghts from lwb and swb  sj and then front and rear, plus toyota hilux will also fit, so l have plenty of scope to mix and match, the problem is what lenght do l want ?  marks is 80" wheelbase any less and it wouldent be legal for the offroad clubs over here,  but marks will lift the front wheels if you accelerate up a reasonable hill    he is thinking of extending his to about 86" wheel base,  l was thinking some where between 86 and 90"  ??
to connect the props to the cv cups l was just going to cut a steel ring that slid over the outside of the cv cup and the weld it on, this ring would be drilled so as a standard suzuki prop would bolt straight up to it, no one off props for me ,    worked on marks buggy,


whats a swather ?


Andy

[Baloo]

if l welded up the diff in the scooby gearbox could l fit a disc brake on the output flange of the gearbox, either front or rear wouldent matter if the diff was welded  and then remove the front discs and calipers and the rear drums backplates etc ?  that would save a whole bunch of wieght but would it be safe,  clearly if both your propshafts fell off your would loose your brakes too , but who has lost one prop let alone both ??





dont know if l want too get into too much fabrication but  you could move the carb as its the only thing that sticks up on the engine,  that way you could end up with an engine thats not really higher than the drivers seat,  it wouldent take much to make 2 small inlet manifolds that drop over the sides of the engine with a pair of small su carbs on 

[SPEC]

Cool Baloo,



A Swather is a machine we use to harvest alfalfa and hay, It cuts, conditions(squishes the water out) and windrows the crop

[Baloo]

Cool Baloo,



A Swather is a machine we use to harvest alfalfa and hay, It cuts, conditions(squishes the water out) and windrows the crop

cool

l see, but whats alfalfa 

[SPEC]

Alfalfa is a high grade type of feedstock (hay) we feed to milk cattle other food animal it has more nutrition than grass...It kinda looks like clover...only it grows to about 2 1/2 feet tall, Peopkle eat it too it's supposed to be really good for you ...I sometimes eat it alfaalfa sprouts on my salad
Swather
http://www.consignall.ca/browse/listing-25598.html

Alfalfa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfalfa