Paul B Technic Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 Recently a friend of mine was selling LEGO Technic set 8436 (http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=8436-1) which was missing the rear crane attachment. After thinking about it for a little while and doing some research on it I decided that this would make a good base for my latest MOD, a front lift rubbish bin truck to add to my LEGO Technic rubbish truck fleet. We agreed on a price and the deal was done for $50. In the time between this and when he was going to drop it off to me I also asked him if he still had his large crane for sale (8421) which he did, we agreed on a price for this of $150. My plan was to break this down for pieces to use in building my front lift rubbish bin truck. Last week he came over and we did the deal. I now had the base truck and a source of parts for this project. The first thing I did when getting 8436 was to give it a good clean as it was very dusty from being on display for so long, I also fix one of the front wheels which had jammed in position. Next I broke down 8421 and sorted all the pieces before adding them to my parts collection, this took about 5 hours. My plan was to keep the red of the cabin as it was and use the yellow from 8421 to build the body and lifting forks. Over the past few weeks I have been doing some research on this type of truck so I had some good photos and information to help me with the building process. The first step in the building process was to extend the chassis to support the rear body and to add an extra axle and set of wheels as most of these trucks I see have 3 or 4 axles. I also added some extra bracing to the chassis to support the weight of the ready body. The hand of god (HOG) steering is controlled by the knob on the top of the roof and the V6 engine works the same as it does by standard in the 8436 set. Once I was happy with the length of the chassis I built the lifting arms and the geared system which is used to lift and lower this, I spent a lot of time on getting this to work how I wanted and with ensuring it was strong enough to lift a bin loaded with LEGO parts. I also had to make sure that when it went back it would tip the bin in to the rear body section and not spill the contents. To lift the arms and bin a handle is on the right hand side of the truck body, just behind the cabin. The rear body was the next area I built and this was where I spent a lot of time getting the dimensions correct and ensuring that it was strong enough to not fall to pieces but also light enough to be able to be lifted to empty. I used a studless frame under the body section with a combination studded / studless body. I also added a rear emptying tail gate with a locking system to ensure it does not open except when it is meant to. To lift the rear body section for emptying I used the pneumatic parts off 8421. The control for this is on the right hand side of the truck body, just behind the cabin near the handle for the arms. The manual pump for this is hidden under the rear body. I have used the idea off 8421 where the pneumatic valve is connected to the pneumatic cylinder to raise it but to lower it is allowed to fall by gravity and the weight of the rear body section, this seems to work quite well. When I was adding the top section of the body I added an angled piece at the front, this piece forces the bin up as it is returned back to the ground and makes sure it is the right way up. Finally I had added some details such as a flashing light on the rear, some other lights around the body and some changes to the inside and outside of the cabin. I also changed how the cabin is opened to allow this to still tilt forward. The details of the completed model are: Length: 42cm Width: 18cm Height: 23cm Out of all the MOCs / MODs I have done this would be my favourite and it will soon take pride of place in my display cabinet. Overall I would have spent about 18 hours building this. Quote
skriblez Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 Good work. Like those rubbish trucks :) All of it pnumatic? Quote
Alasdair Ryan Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 Good job Paul. Did you get two of the pneumatic brackets with the crane? Quote
Blakbird Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 A really interesting MOC! Personally I find rubbish trucks mechanically fascinating despite their mundane purpose. I am amazed that you were willing to sacrifice a 8421 for parts! For many, this set is sacred. On the other hand, 8436 is fairly disappointing so I'm happy to see that it has been used as a baseline for a massive upgrade. I'm a little distracted by all the holes in the bed due to using Technic beams, but I guess that was unavoidable unless you had 5x11 panels available. Does a single pneumatic actuator have enough authority to reasonably tilt the bed? Quote
dr_spock Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 Nice upgrade to the truck. Do the yellow lift beams on the side serve any functions? Quote
Lakop Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 Nice bin truck. I hope to build one someday but never thought of a front lift. Good job. H Quote
Paul B Technic Posted January 13, 2014 Author Posted January 13, 2014 (edited) Good work. Like those rubbish trucks :) All of it pnumatic? Thanks, just the rear body emptying, the arms are lifted via a geared system. Good job Paul. Did you get two of the pneumatic brackets with the crane? Thank you :) yes I did, I am planning on giving my collection a good sort out and selling various pieces I don't have a need for. A really interesting MOC! Personally I find rubbish trucks mechanically fascinating despite their mundane purpose. I am amazed that you were willing to sacrifice a 8421 for parts! For many, this set is sacred. On the other hand, 8436 is fairly disappointing so I'm happy to see that it has been used as a baseline for a massive upgrade. I'm a little distracted by all the holes in the bed due to using Technic beams, but I guess that was unavoidable unless you had 5x11 panels available. Does a single pneumatic actuator have enough authority to reasonably tilt the bed? Thanks for the feedback. I got 8421 cheap so I was happy to break it down, my other choice was to buy another copy of 42009 and use this but the way I did it worked out cheaper. Now I have this built I might look at buying some 5x11 panles for the sides. The pneumatic actuator does struggle a bit and it takes quite a few pumps to get it to lift, once it starts moving it does a good job. Nice upgrade to the truck. Do the yellow lift beams on the side serve any functions? Thanks. Which yellow beams are you talking about? The one on the side at the rear locks the tail gate in to position. Edited January 13, 2014 by Paul B Quote
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