1/12 Scale Cat D11 Bulldozer project

[Dan Dubeau]

It brings us back to our childhood and playing in the dirt. Dirt moving equipment and playing in the dirt is just fun.

Project threads typically just don't generate much discussion. Unless you're soliciting opinions on how to do something lol.

[Glug]

Give it AI?

[RB211]

Give it AI?

I do have extra PixHawk flight controllers laying around, simply install the Rover firmware and I could give it "brains"

[RB211]

Ok, working on the main idler wheels that mount in front and the rear. Here is an example where things don't scale down to make logical sense, but the 12 2-56 screws do look cool, and cool is cool!
Looks like I will need to work on the track link geometry so the chain will wrap around all the round thingies nicely.

[Dieseldoctor]

A little insight on the sprocket tooth count. Way back in the '60s-'70s when I was working on heavy equipment my memory recalls that Cat ran an odd number of teeth on the sprocket so it would spread the wear on all the teeth and International ran an even number of teeth so that it just wore on half the teeth. Internationals thinking was that when you turned the pins and bushing to wear the other side of them then you put the chain into the unworn teeth thus you were not running good pins and bushing on old worn teeth. In my experience, Internationals way gave longer life to the track system. Maybe I should explain turning pins and bushing. If you think about it running the chains only wears on one side of the pins and of the bushings so if you press them out and rotate them 180* then you have new surfaces to wear on. Running new surfaces there wears much faster if you are running on old sprocket teeth because the pitch is off a little. Of course, you could replace the sprocket but that is extra money.

[A.K. Boomer]

This is going to be an undertaking ---- RB i got nuthin but respect if you actually finish this thing in fact even got some for just thinking about it...

[A.K. Boomer]

Years ago on this very site I think someone brought up a post about a guy who built all kinds of miniature heavy equipment and then he "mined out" his basement crawl space and actually created a small room with it or something like that lol


Who did that song "too much time on my hands" ? lol

[RB211]

A little insight on the sprocket tooth count. Way back in the '60s-'70s when I was working on heavy equipment my memory recalls that Cat ran an odd number of teeth on the sprocket so it would spread the wear on all the teeth and International ran an even number of teeth so that it just wore on half the teeth. Internationals thinking was that when you turned the pins and bushing to wear the other side of them then you put the chain into the unworn teeth thus you were not running good pins and bushing on old worn teeth. In my experience, Internationals way gave longer life to the track system. Maybe I should explain turning pins and bushing. If you think about it running the chains only wears on one side of the pins and of the bushings so if you press them out and rotate them 180* then you have new surfaces to wear on. Running new surfaces there wears much faster if you are running on old sprocket teeth because the pitch is off a little. Of course, you could replace the sprocket but that is extra money.

I suppose this way you ended up with longer service life, but Cat’s way you can go longer before heavy maintenance like that, I suppose.

[RB211]

Redesigned the track links so they would have more clearance, suppose I simplified them depending on how you would go about making them. You could press them out in a die if you wanted, maybe. The links look like they wrap around the idler wheels nicely. I suppose next on the list is the actual track plates that screw into the links.

[RB211]

This is going to be an undertaking ---- RB i got nuthin but respect if you actually finish this thing in fact even got some for just thinking about it...

CAD is a lot of work, but none of it counts until you have something tangible in your hands.

[RB211]

I am amazed every time I model something and I plop it onto this view, how well it matches! This is why I like parametric CAD packages, you can treat them like a virtual sandbox or machine shop..

[A.K. Boomer]

Wonder what this little guys going to weigh when your finished --- you may not be able to pick it up to move it from point A to point B

[Willy]

Carry it, don't be silly, that's where the lowbed truck and trailer come in.



Seriously though looks like RB211 has got his head wrapped around this project fairly well already. Looks like he's got his race-face on already, just by looking at his design conceptions to this point.
A very intimidating and complex project for sure!

[A.K. Boomer]

Carry it, don't be silly, that's where the lowbed truck and trailer come in.

!

LOL damn those are big cactus for that species is it not??? lol

[Dieseldoctor]

I suppose this way you ended up with longer service life, but Cat’s way you can go longer before heavy maintenance like that, I suppose.

Not in my experience. After you turned the pins and bushing on a Cat they didn't last as long because of them running on a mismatched sprocket pitch.