[TC6] 3 Ton Linde Forklift

[Nazgarot]

Hi,

Final model:

==========

The forklift is now done. I got the last order from bricklink and have finished off the final details like the dashboard and cabin floor. I actually completed it the 22nd, but haven't had time to take the photos before today. More pics in full resolution can be found here. A video will follow this weekend.

My main focus for this model was making it realistic, and using a linear actuator along with chains to lift the carriage and forks. I have tried to keep the rest of the model as realistic as possible, even though the scale is not exact (a few studs to wide). The model is inspired by two different models of a Linde 3 ton forklift, but not an exact replica of either. As you can see the mast is taken from the first model, while the over all design is taken from the next.

Pictures of the final MOC:

From behind; max turning angle. forks in top position, lights off.

Front view; forks in top position, lights off.

Cabin interior; dashboard above the wheel, heater with 3 "buttons" below the wheel, speaker in silver to the left and right of the dashboard, and hydraulics control on the left. The seat can barely be seen in the lower middle of the pic.

Detail shot from the rear; light on, with the seat dismantled (it was very hard to show it in any other shots)

Interior shot; here the pedals are also clearly seen.

Finer rear detail; notice the pressure gauge, gas connection and the towing hook; light on.

Side profile

The famed bottom shot shows very little, so I added some stripped side shots.

Panels, interior and battery box removed; large motor for lift visible in the lower middle, and gear train for lift and tilt visible.

M motor for tilt located under switch, similar to L on the other side. Notice servo under PF receivers and steering drive train with RTC spring to reduce play in steering.

Side panels removed, all interior in place. Finally the seat is visible...

The final model have these functions:

PF functions:

- Drive by XL motor.

- Steering by Servo, and nontraditional design on steering system.

- Mast tilt by M motor.

- Fork lift by L motor.

Manual functions:

- Interchangeable carriages for equipment (different carriages with different forks or other equipment).

- One Carriage with Adjustable interchangeable forks and towing hook.

- Rear towing hook.

- Removable LPG bottle.

- Opening rear panels to allow access to remove counter weight (battery box). Fits both standard and LiPo/AAA box battery box.

- Opening seat compartment to access technical functions (switch and PF recievers/Sbrick). Just like a real forklift where this gives access to motor or batteries.

- Opening "hood" to switch battery box on/off

Other functions:

- Steering wheel that turns along with the servo. Achieved through flex axle from a Znap set.

- Front light

- Rear light

- Work lights

- All light controlled by a switch.

Video: (Please excuse the music, it was to boring without, and I've never used music in a video before...)

WIP: Last rebuild:

==========

The last rebuild is done. I've made a new iteration of the front end of the forklift. The mast is the same, but has been moved three studs closer to the front axle, and I have rebuilt the drive train for the fork lift and mast tilt to place them lower and further back in the chassis. I had to make a second rebuild of the fork lift drive train in order to gear it properly, and this lead to a rebuild of the drivers cab as well. I am pleased with the end result, but there is still some details that need to be added. I'll have to wait for a Bricklink order to complete these changes, but they are all minor and only cosmetic.

The model is working properly, has the right gearing (after the second rebuild of the front) and is basically finished in the over all design. I have uploaded 5 preliminary images that will be replaced after the Bricklink order arrives and I can take some good shots with my SLR camera.

When starting this model I had set myself a few challenges in addition to those of the competition. First of all it should be based of the PF equipment of set 42030 Wheeled loader. This meant using the big AA battery box, and made the truck a couple of studs wider than it would otherwise have been (And a little to wide for it's scale). I also wanted it to bee as realistic as possible, and in order to achieve this it should only use a single linear actuator to lift the forks (This actually gives me 31 stud lifting height from ground to to position), and use chain links rather then the more common cord solutions. I also wanted it to be as easy as possible to rebuild for others, so no uncommon parts are used in the basic chassis except from these:

There are however a few uncommon parts used in order to achieve it's looks, and extra functions. I set out to make the model look a lot like a Linde forklift, but never used a exact model for it. It's Linde inspired, especially by the older 3 ton Linde forklifts (around 1995-97). It is however not based on any specific model. The pictures below where a great inspiration, but the finished model differs from any Linde model both in color scheme and in proportions. This was necessary to keep it to the compact scale I wanted and at the same time include the 42030 PF parts. In order to rebuild the forklift I am making a LDD file for it. This will differ from the built model in two ways; it will not have any "illegal" techniques, whereas the buildt model has tow - the narrowing of the end as well as the LPG cranes. It will also be missing the moving steering wheel as this is achieved through this uncommon part:

Here are a few pics. Remember the final finish is still lacking, but the general model is done. In the second pic you can also see the lights that are controlled by a switch beside the cabin.

I also have to make a video of it, and will make an update when it's done.

PS: I would also like your opinion of the white LPG bottle versus the black topped I made earlier. I think the withe single colored one is more realistic, bit it might be better if I use a flat silver "ring"... Your opinions? All other comments are also welcome.

WIP:

====

For the first time in a long, long time I've actually had some time to build. By girlfriend took both our kids with her to visit her sister for the weekend, and celebrate the 5 year birthday of her oldest daughter. I became sic with some kind of virus, and was asked to stay home from work, so I just spent a couple of days of uninterrupted building.Earlier this week I started to test a modification to the new type thread links, and I found a prototype of the mast of a forklift I built a couple of years ago. It was a test to see if a large Linear Actuator could be used to build a forklift mast, but it became so large and bulky that i gave it up. New parts that I have gotten over the last couple of years has made it possible to build it much more compact than i could before, so I started testing to see how good I could make one. I especially find this part usefull:

On Thursday I finished a proof of concept, but I still felt it was a bit bulky, so after my girlfriend and the kids left I sat down to redesign it. The proof of concept was a single action mast like you can see in the video linked below, but I wanted more of a challenge, so I set out to build a two stories mast that was more compact than the proof of concept. And I succeeded.

(this is the type I have based my construction on). I have tried to stay as close to a real one as possible, and its all based around a single LA and chains.

Back when I went to school I used to work as a mechanic at a local fish landing facility with several factories in my holidays. There I did among other things service forklifts from Linde. They made an impression on me even though it's 18 years since I last worked on one, so when I had made the mast I decided to make a 3 ton Linde forklift for the Sbrick competition. Today I have spent 15 hours on building and have gotten amazingly far. Much further than I had hoped, and hopefully I will have the model finished before my girlfriend and the kids get back home. I'll post pictures tomorrow, a bit to tired now... But here is what I'm going for:

I haven't used a specific model, but based the MOC on my own memory of Linde forklifts. I haven't scaled it either, but I think I'm quite close to how a Linde used to look 18 years ago (the second picture is a lot closer to that)... I have looked at some pictures, most importantly this (a nice old model from a different manufacturer), to find what tires to use, and a general scale of the forklift.

You will see my progress tomorrow. I have uploaded a .lxf of the mast to myBrickshelf.

WIP Pictures:

===========

Some pics from the build process of the first iteration. I'm not pleased with the rear corners and placement of the Mast relative to the front axle. I would also like to shorten the design with 1 stud to make the panels come closer to the rear wheels.In order to get the mast closer to the front wheels i will have to make a complete redesign, and as I also have a slight problem with grinding gears I will do so. That means to start from scratch and redesign the whole front end... Any opinions and tips are welcome as I will be changing this a lot.

The tests of the new two section mast is complete and I have installed it on a basic frame. There is still a lot that is necessary to modify. (Don't look at the mess. It's creativeness not mess...)

I had a lot of challenges with designing the steering mechanism and finding out where to place everything, but as the frame came along it was easier to see where it could all fit. It was a huge problem finding out how to mount the servo as I'm not using a standard steering setup. Because there is some tolerance in the gears the servo will have problem keeping the wheels centered, so I also worked a return to center spring into the mix. The steering setup is able to take a "unlimited" load of downward pressure, only limited by the breaking strength of the beams. In these pictures you can see the black and red body colors supplementing the gray frame. The black part of the body will be and integrated part of the frame, just like on the real Linde forklifts, while the red is simply paneling that can be removed.

It's shaping up nicely. I had to make some bodywork in order to see how much space I had for placement for the last PF parts. The standard PF battery box will be integrated as a counter weight, but very easy to remove. I will get back to this once I've done the necessary redesigns on the next iteration. I also found no way to include the standard Linde step (to enter the forklift) in the body paneling, so I deviated from the Linde design and made a step outside of the paneling (gray 6 long thin liftarm in the picture). I will add another thin liftarm to make it more realistic in size compared to forklifts from other manufacturers who use this solution... You can also see the rear corner that I'm not very pleased with.

As you can see from the images this will look like a LPG based forklift, as these are the once I have the most experience with. It will however not include a fake engine if I don't get a very good idea. You may notice that the motors I've elected is the same as the new "42030 Volvo L350F Wheel Loader". This is on purpose as many who are new to PF can get everything they need in that set.

Update - LPG Bottle:

I just finished the LPG bottle. I spent 2-3 hours looking for the parts (I have ore than 30 boxes with thousands of parts in each,as well as 10-15 assortment racks, and the regular Lego parts are not much used...), and 10 minutes to decide on the design. Building it was actually quite hard, even though I knew what design i wanted, because i needed to bend a rigid hose into a circle. In the beginning i couldn't make it round, but then I got an idea. I put a old flex cable into the hose, and suddenly it bent nicely and kept closed much more easily. I like the end result, but I don't know what color to make it in... i will have to order parts anyway as I don't have anything matching colors right now. A few of the parts will be a problem though, like the air tank that only exists in blue and white. I would love to have it in gray... But anyway, i was thinking to either make the top Gray, Chrome or white. If all else fails, it will stay as is.

Flex cable and rigid hose makes for a nice circle.

The LPG Bottle itself:

And a real one for comparison:

Redesigning the back end:

As stated before I will have to redesign the whole front end of the forklift, and that is quite a job as this is the part that took me the longest to make. I didn't really wanna do that yet, so I started work on redesigning the rear end, and have now reached a level of refinement where I concluded it's good enough.

You may not know this, but the Linde forklift range are design in cooperation with the Porsche Engineering design studio (see this link for more info). This is part of what made me want to recreate a Linde when I decided to make a forklift. Recreating the organic lines of Porsche in Lego is both a challenge and a great opportunity to make something that isn't all square and boring.

I managed to narrow the rear with two studs, and at the same time allowing it to cone in towards the back as can be seen on the pic below. This was the change that really made it all come together.

After i narrowed the rear the center upper rear end was pulled in half a stud, and it gave me room to do what I wanted with the towing hitch and solved the sharp corner problem. (The reare "axle" is disconnected in this pic...)

As I was redesigning the rear it was like the forklift designed it self, like it was telling me what needed to be done, and everything fell into place like in a puzzle. I have managed to keep all technical solutions and motors (m motor is to fit beside XL when i redesign the front) below the 5 stud level, both keeping the center of gravity low, and giving me room to work on the design on the upper part.

You may also note the (for Lego) extreme steering angle of the rear wheels. They do also have correct Ackermann geometry, and was one of the really big challenges. I'll show more of this in a later update.

The area where the towing hitch is placed was a square 5 x 7 hole in the first iteration, and is now a nicely flowing area with a functioning tow hitch.

I managed to redesign the corners so they have a round flowing line, and not the sharp edges from the first iteration.

When starting the redesign process I kept in mind that most car designs (also Porsche) has the front and/or rear making a face with the light as eyes. In the pic below you can see how the red lights make out the eyes, the beam in the middle becomes the nose, and the towing hitch makes for an angry mouth. I think I captured this very well... It strays a bit from the real Linde forklifts (even though lights are pretty common on forklifts for road use) and reaches for the Porsche concept drawings for Linde. In this setting I think that is quite ok. You can also notice that I finished the mounting for the LPG flask. That finishes off the back end. Only a few tweaks left to the steering and I can start redesigning the front.

Steering mechanism:

I've done some final tweaking on the steering assembly after I finished the back ends bodywork and saw how much space was available. This i the result I probably will use. As you can see of the second picture the steering angle is quite good for being Lego. The ackerman angle is actually to sharp, but this is done because there is some slack in wheels. By making the angle this big both wheels will flex into the right angle when the model is driven, the inner wheel flex a little bit out and the outer wheel in. My primary goal making this was a very good steering angle and "unlimited" load capability. It's capable of taking a load that squeezes the tires off the rims without flexing! It is also very easy to remove (for service etc), as only two pins are holding it from falling down.

Functions it will have is (Planned):

===========================

PF functions:

- Drive by XL motor. [OK]

- Steering by Servo, and nontraditional design on steering system. [OK]

- Mast tilt by M motor. [OK]

- Fork lift by L motor. [OK]

Manual functions:

- Interchangeable carriages for equipment (different carriages with different forks or other equipment). [OK]

- One Carriage with Adjustable interchangeable forks and towing hook. [OK]

- Rear towing hook. [OK]

- Removable LPG bottle. [OK]

- Opening "hood" panel in the rear to remove counter weight (battery box). [OK]

- Opening seat compartment to access technical functions (switch and PF recievers/Sbrick). Just like a real forklift where this gives access to motor or batteries.

- ??? I'm happy to get more ideas.

Other functions:

- I hope to be able to include a steering wheel that turns along with the servo.

- Front light (hopefully through a switch).

- Rear light [OK]

- Work lights

Updates will follow as I progress into the second iteration of the forklift and the fourth of the mast... I'll also see about making a video to show off the functions.

-ED-

Post will be updated with WIP pictures as well as a few videos when I have gotten a bit of sleep.

EDIT:

Updated with WIP progres photos 10.01.2015

Updated with WIP progres photos 12.01.2015

Updated with WIP progres and .lxf 13.01.2015

Updated with WIP progres and photos 20.01.2015

Updated with final model photos 28.01.2015

Edited February 16, 2015 by Nazgarot

[TheItalianBrick]

This looks interesting and cool!! My TC6 it's a Hyster 32-12....check it out on here if you want! I the mast looks a bit "messy" but I understand why! Why don't you try to use 2 linear actuators....one on top of the other one?

Which tires are you going to use?

[Dalafik]

Very useful links that you've provided, thanks a lot.

Let me give a tip for your project - it is very important for model's appearance that the mast is placed as closer as possible to the front axle. As it can be seen on the photo of a real forklift that you've posted, it should be completely hidden by the front wheels when viewed from the side. Though it's not always possible to do completely with Lego, it makes a noticeable difference. I am looking forward to see how you handled this.

[Nazgarot]

This looks interesting and cool!! My TC6 it's a Hyster 32-12....check it out on here if you want! I the mast looks a bit "messy" but I understand why! Why don't you try to use 2 linear actuators....one on top of the other one?

Which tires are you going to use?

Yes, I've seen it. The scale is a lot larger than mine... Cant wait to see it brick built.

I've used a single LA to keep it as compact as possible. Using two would destroy the scale of the model, and isn't necessary as I get 31 studs lift on the forks with one LA. It would however be nice in order to increase lifting power, but in this case it would make the mast 4 studs wider, and again destroy the scale.

As for the mast looking messy, it looks much better in black. I used gray in LDD to make the parts more visible. It is a little bit fatter than it should be in scale, but if you look at the pic of the white forklift you will see that multisection masts are quite fat. It would be possible to make it tow studs less deep, but that would increase width with 2 or 4 studs and would look even worse... My first build of it was also 4 studs taller, and looked more slick. But it didn't help the lifting height, so it was reasonable to make it shorter. It makes the lifting more in scale as the forks would stop before the top it the 4 studs taller mast. The drawback is that there are some irregularities on the mast (holes), but it does not affect it's function and it helps the aesthetics when the mast is lifted as it seems more in scale.

I'll be using the old 62,4x20 truck tire and the new 30,4 x 20 tire. Both on grey rims.

Very useful links that you've provided, thanks a lot.

Let me give a tip for your project - it is very important for model's appearance that the mast is placed as closer as possible to the front axle. As it can be seen on the photo of a real forklift that you've posted, it should be completely hidden by the front wheels when viewed from the side. Though it's not always possible to do completely with Lego, it makes a noticeable difference. I am looking forward to see how you handled this.

Thanks for the tip! Hadn't thought about it. I have used portal axles to place the wheels as far forward as possible. It might be possible to move it one ore tho studs forwards but that involves a complete redesign of the mast, and is not in my plans right now... Due to gear grinding i might have to do a redesign anyway, and if I do I'll keep this in mind.

-ED-

[TheItalianBrick]

Fair enough! I think you'll end up with a great entry anyway!! Can't wait to see yours built aswell!

Mine it's on it's way...within some BL orders in order to complete it!!

Keep the good work up! :)

[Nazgarot]

I have updated the opening post with New WIP progress, both photos and a deeper description of the progress.

Any comments are welcome, and thanks to Dalafik for making me decide to do another iteration with the mast closer to the wheels. You are right, it doesn't look good with 3 studs from the mast to the wheel.

-ED-

[PKW]

are you sure that a return to center steering is comfortable for this MOC?

(good MOC :3)

[LeocornoProductions]

Another brilliant entry for TC6, good job. I'm not really a fan of forklifts but this is a brilliant representation of one.

[Nazgarot]

are you sure that a return to center steering is comfortable for this MOC?

(good MOC :3)

It's not really used as a return to center. The servo is stronger than the spring and works as normal, but the spring makes sure there is less a lot less play. The result is that the servo has better control even through two setts of gears, and the wheels really is in center when the servo is. Without it there was a lot of play, and the wheels didn't center properly.

Another brilliant entry for TC6, good job. I'm not really a fan of forklifts but this is a brilliant representation of one.

There still is quite a way to go with this, but thank you!

-ED-

[PKW]

It's not really used as a return to center. The servo is stronger than the spring and works as normal, but the spring makes sure there is less a lot less play. The result is that the servo has better control even through two setts of gears, and the wheels really is in center when the servo is. Without it there was a lot of play, and the wheels didn't center properly.

-ED-

(ohw sorry I haven't see the servo i thought that it was driven by an M motor)

so you use the lego "proportional" cotroller to have an accured steering? :3

[Nazgarot]

New update in OP. I'm quite pleased with this.

LPG Bottle

And a real one for comparison:

[darksheep]

Wow looks really good , the cylinder looks really good nice work ,very impressed with that piece especially.

[TheItalianBrick]

This is getting a great shape now! Myself I like it a lot! As you said the black mast looks less messy now! And probably there is a bit more work on the rear end...but I understand it's hard to reproduces the real shapes.....I had the same problem!!

Thanks for sharing.....cool entry!!

p.s. So far in thei contest we have 3 fork lift.....and all of them different! This is amazing.....so excited!!!!!

[5imon]

Cool idea to use the return to center springy thingy and the servo combined. I have never seen this before.

Also it seems that the shape will look quite good. I'm looking forward to the end result!

[Nazgarot]

New update of OP. Pics of rear end redesign added as well as description.

-ED-

[Nazgarot]

I've done some final tweaking on the steering assembly after I finished the back ends bodywork and saw how much space was available. This i the result I probably will use. As you can see of the second picture the steering angle is quite good for being Lego. The ackerman angle is actually to sharp, but this is done because there is some slack in wheels. By making the angle this big both wheels will flex into the right angle when the model is driven, the inner wheel flex a little bit out and the outer wheel in. My primary goal making this was a very good steering angle and "unlimited" load capability. It's capable of taking a load that squeezes the tires off the rims without flexing! It is also very easy to remove (for service etc), as only two pins are holding it from falling down. As noted before, the return to center spring is there to reduce play in the gearing.

You can find a .lxf file of it here.

-ED-

Edited January 13, 2015 by Nazgarot

[Nazgarot]

OP is updated with new pics of the final iteration of of the model. Only a few minor cosmetic changes are left before I call the model done.

I would like to here what you think, and please give me a hint if there is anything you see the need to change.

-ED-

[Milan]

Probably the best forklift on this contest so far!

I would wait until you make better photos with detailed views of the inside of the cabin, back section...

[Nazgarot]

Probably the best forklift on this contest so far!

I would wait until you make better photos with detailed views of the inside of the cabin, back section...

The back section of the cabin will be actually be made in two versions, one for PF and a nicer one for Sbrick.

I would like to know what you think of the steering column as well. The real Linde forklifts have hydraulic steering, and I think the flex axle is a nice representation of this, but it requires a 24 tooth gear that doesn't really fit in... Would it be better to drop the steering altogether? or is the function worth the ugliness of the gears?

-ED-

[Milan]

That is why I said that I would wait for a better photo...cos I cant see from the picture what is going on with the 24t gear.

Well, someone will say that it is okay, some will say its not, I would say its not. That 24 gear is just out of place. I say dont drop the steering wheel function, better try to hide that gear with more interior work, like panel, dashboard...

[RSL80]

Wow the Linde Forklift looks great. I have driven the real thing. Greetz Ron

[Rockbrick]

There have been many many lego forklifts both official and MOCs but this one has to be the best looking lego forklift ever!

Love the LPG tank detail and the steering geometry is spot on

[Nazgarot]

Pics of the final model are added to the opening post. Have a look and comment! Video will follow in a few days.

Here's a sample...

-ED-

[TheItalianBrick]

Details are lovely!!!!! Overall I love it! Mine will be red too !

Can't wait for the video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Omikron]

What is that orange thingie?