3D Printed RC 5 Ton Truck

I design and 3d print scale RC cars. And I'm looking for ideas for new projects all over the Internet. Today I want to tell you about the assembling of a Custom 5 ton truck, which I saw on the Demolition Ranch YouTube channel. And I decided to make for myself the same model, but in 1:10 scale.

The model has unlocked differentials to reduce the load on driveshafts and gears. But I also designed a variant with locked diffs for those people who will print with engineering plastics.

I installed a collector motor 540 type for 27 turns, which is selected in terms of power so that parts made of PLA + plastic don’t break. But it is possible to install a more powerful 550 type engine, if the chassis parts are printed with engineering plastics.

You can see my other projects on my Instagram account.

• STL files to print the model – download here.

• PLA / ABS plastic - 4 kg (including supports)

• Printer with bed size from 220x220 mm

Fasteners

• Washer M3 - 14 pcs.

• Nut M2 - 200 pcs.

• Nut M2.5 - 4 pcs.

• Screw M2x6 DIN7985 - 42 pcs.

• Screw M2x8 DIN7985 - 30 pcs.

• Screw M2x12 DIN7985 - 86 pcs.

• Screw M2x14 DIN7985 - 7 pcs.

• Screw M2x16 DIN7985 - 13 pcs.

• Screw M2x20 DIN7985 - 56 pcs.

• Screw M2.5x8 DIN7985 - 58 pcs.

• Screw M2.5x14 DIN7985 - 24 pcs.

• Screw M2.5x16 DIN7985 - 40 pcs.

• Screw M3x6 DIN7985 - 2 pcs.

• Screw M3x8 DIN7985 - 1 pcs.

• Magnet 5x2 mm - 20 pcs.

• Nail diameter 3 mm (to make shafts for differential)

Ball bearings

• Ball bearing 697 ZZ 7x17x5 - 12 pcs.

• Ball bearing 688 2RS 8x16x5 - 6 pcs.

• Ball bearing 6900 ZZ 10x22x6 - 2 pcs.

• Ball bearing MR128RS 8x12x3.5 - 1 pcs.

• Ball bearing MR105ZZ 5x10x4 - 1 pcs.

Components

• Shock absorber 110 mm - 8 pc.

• Tire 2.2 inch - 4 pcs.

• Battery Li-Po 2s 7.4V - 1 pc.

• Servo MG946R 13 kg - 1 pc.

• LED diameter 5 mm white - 2 pcs.

• Engine brushed 540 Type 27T with ESC 60A - 1 pc.

• Transmitter Flysky FS-GR3E - 1 pc.

• Transmitter with receiver Flysky FS GT3B - 1 pc.

Fasteners

• Nut M2 - 4 pcs.

• Screw M2x8 DIN7985 - 2 pcs.

• Screw M2x12 DIN7985 - 2 pcs.

• Screw M2x16 DIN7985 - 6 pcs.

The model was designed in the Siemens NX program. To begin with, I downloaded the drawings of the M923A2 truck on the Internet, on the basis of which a custom five-ton truck was made. I placed the drawings in the scale of 1:10 into the program and started modeling.

I took the gear motor, transfer case and axles from my previous projects, this greatly simplified the creation of a new truck. I modeled a strong frame with attachment points for these parts and for cabin and body parts. And then I proceeded to modeling the cab, hood and body. In the cockpit, I provided a removable floor for the possibility of installing the interior. And in the trunk under the lid, which is mounted on magnets, a battery with a regulator will be installed.

Options

• Filament - PLA + plastic from eSun

• Nozzle - 0.4 mm

• Layer height - 0.2 mm

• Print speed - 60 mm/s

• Nozzle temperature - 215 degrees

• Bed temperature - 55 degrees

• Adhesion agent - soy sauce

For printing, I use Ender 3 series printers, I print with PLA + plastic, as it is stronger than ABS and PETG, and with the right selection of print and processing settings, it does not exfoliate and will last for many years. For example, my first truck models, printed in 2017-2018, are still used for their intended purpose. I use the latest version of the Cura slicer.

When you start printing, it is necessary to place the parts on the table so that they are as strong as possible. For example, the shafts in the axles must be placed on the table in a horizontal position. Thus, the surface area of the layer will be larger and the shaft will be more difficult to break along the layer. Because conventional (non-engineering) plastics have poor sintering between layers.

You can see in detail all the steps for assembling the model in this manual.

I start assembling the truck with chassis parts. When assembling the chassis, I use M2 and M2.5 screws, nuts, and dichloromethane to glue the parts together.

I used metal bearings in axles and gearboxes, because they cannot be printed on an FDM printer. I press the bearings with a clamp after treating the seats with dichloromethane. The gears were lubricated with a special silicone lubricant for plastic, which isn’t absorbed and doesn’t destroy it.

Cabin parts are glued together with dichloromethane. I cut out the cabin windows from sheets of transparent PET plastic 1 mm thick. The assembled cabin is mounted on the frame with 4 screws.

The hood of the model is folding, it fixed on magnets and two M2 screws. A engine with a gearbox is under the hood.

In the luggage compartment, behind a removable cover, there is a battery and a ESC with a button for turning on the model.

The bumpers are made with stiffening ribs, you won’t be afraid to tear them off, and you can safely take them to carry the model.

After assembling the first sample of the model, I always conduct sea trials to test the model for durability. Because the model has a high ground clearance and four-wheel drive, I decided to test it off-road. The car showed itself perfectly when driving uphill on soft ground. And due to well-chosen gear ratios, the power of the 540-type motor was enough for such a heavy model. And the large suspension travels have turned an ordinary truck into a real crawler that can overcome almost any obstacle.

During the tests, not a single plastic part broke, and therefore I decided to add cross-country ability to it and developed a lock in the rear axle.

The car looks quite small in the photos, but believe me, in reality, the model is quite large. Print it and see for yourself 😊. Link to the STL files.

• Length - 70 cm

• Height - 32 cm

• Width - 25 cm

• Scale - 1:10

• Four-wheel drive (4x4)

• Wheelbase - 41.7 cm

• Model weight - 5 kg