Blender
Supporting Member
No build thread on this since I wasn't a member here at the time. Now that it's painted and back together I'm calling it done. Album link at the bottom has every build photo if you'd like to browse. It'll load slow.
Machine was started in 2008, but never functional. I restarted in 2014 and had core functionality, but never progressed past. Started again in 2024 while building two simultaneously and finished one with paint. I was unhappy with tierod and draglink steering although it worked fine and redesigned the entire frame to improve the appearance. Current iteration was fully assembled without paint in early 2025 and I played with it for a year. This summer, 2026, it was torn down to make a few minor mods and paint everything.
1:14 Cat TH407C telehandler the largest of the single stage telescope machines at the time.
All images including high-res: https://ibb.co/album/4n7ZgH
Machine was started in 2008, but never functional. I restarted in 2014 and had core functionality, but never progressed past. Started again in 2024 while building two simultaneously and finished one with paint. I was unhappy with tierod and draglink steering although it worked fine and redesigned the entire frame to improve the appearance. Current iteration was fully assembled without paint in early 2025 and I played with it for a year. This summer, 2026, it was torn down to make a few minor mods and paint everything.
1:14 Cat TH407C telehandler the largest of the single stage telescope machines at the time.
- Scratch build starting with a full CAD model to check function and fitment.
- Chassis and boom are 0.8-1.5 mm thick stainless steel sheet. Other components are made from stainless rod/tube, aluminum, brass and some resin printed parts. Ferrous parts were micro tig welded. Nonferrous parts were soft soldered. Most fasteners are M2. Decals vis drytransfer.com
- 4WD using 4x N20 gearmotors. Axles use losi mini T CVDs and a custom aluminum hub. Housings/knuckles are printed in ultra stiff SLS material. Someday I'll get brass housing machines, but they'll look the same.
- 4WS via front and rear servos. Reefs 99 micro and 55 micro. Home built rack and pinion mechanism to kind of look like the 1:1 full hydro steering, but with good drive-ability. Steer modes 4wheel, crab, 2wheel are controlled via radio mixes
- Hydraulic functions are boom, fork tilt and telescope. All are powered by a Leimbach pump and valves. Cylinders are specific lengths/bores from Magom HRC. Pump motor was swapped from stock brushed 550 to an ultra slow 415kv 3508 outrunner. Motor was selected for high starting torque and low maximum rpm as to never over rev the pump. Coupler and mount were redesigned to minimize length and bulk. Reservoir was replaced with a SLA Somos tank that is just big enough to function. Pump is mixed with hydraulic functions to only run on demand. Pressure is a modest 150 psi. System runs very cool. Pump, oil and ESCs barely feels warm after a full pack. Oil is plain ISO 32.
- Hydraulic lines are soft polyurethane or self formed brass with custom fittings. Hard lines are soldered joints
- Radio is Jeti DS16. Battery telemetry is displayed on the transmitter to monitor status. Normally pump RPM would also be displayed, but this machine cannot over rev since it only uses a 2S lipo. Run time is 60-90 minutes depending on use. Battery is 2S gens ace 4000 mah "TX pack"
- Used to load self-cast jersey barriers, pallets of tires, self built arrow board, or other 1:14 scale props onto RC semi trucks. Surprisingly fun and challenging. Lifts around 3 LBS.
All images including high-res: https://ibb.co/album/4n7ZgH
