Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

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DianneB
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Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by DianneB »

I need to do a couple of riding cars and looking for a quick, cheap and easy truck design. I have wheels and axles and looks aren't important.

Have you seen any designs online that might suit?

Thanks!
Kimball McGinley
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by Kimball McGinley »

The simplest I ever saw was a wide, thick bolster with big shoulder bolts for a pivot in the ends. The side frame was one-piece (thick, maybe wood?) with blind oversized bearing holes to allow the frames to pivot up and down without binding. Bronze or roller bearings were set into the side frame. No springs, but it would pass a "roll-over test" I think?
bill4227
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by bill4227 »

March 1985 of Live Steam has what you may want.

Bill
Pontiacguy1
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

Some of the early issues of live steam have designs for a utility truck which was made up of bar stock, and which was welded together with very little machining involved. I think they used bronze bushings, but putting sealed ball bearings in there wouldn't be too much of a problem. The side frames pivoted on the bolster, using a shoulder bolt or something similar. There was no suspension.

I will see if I can find that somewhere and send you a scan of the plans. They had a more-realistic looking arch bar type of side frame, and then the utility trucks.
chrfitt
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by chrfitt »

I think that the article Pontiac is refering to is one that Bob Maynard published in Live Steam in the early '70s. I got a copy of it from my dad (William Fitt who at the time published Live Steam Magazine). The article was about making economy trucks from bar stock and had 2 different versions - one he refered to as "economy" and the other as an "arch bar". The economy used straight bar stock and the arch bar had the bended (formed) stock - this article also included the die to form the stock. I am looking for the article that my dad gave me and if I can find it I will send it to you.

Also - sending you a PM.

Chris
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Bill Shields
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by Bill Shields »

Here you go...just what you are looking for.

these do not look like much, but run well, even on the roughest of tracks. You don't really want or need springs on a riding car since (at least I) don't like to feel like I am 'floating'.

This design idea came from Charlie Purinton who used to make them with WOOD side frames for his 3/4" scale tenders and riding cars as Kimball mentioned. Bill van B did a few similar..

Image

Image

after everything is cleaned up and (mostly) painted...the only comments I get is "wow, those look easy and simple to make...how do they run and may I have a set of drawings?"



Image

Image

The ball bearings in the aluminum frame are about 0.020" loose on the diameter and just sit there, allowing for all the needed flex. The bearings are held to the axles with Loctite (what else). Bore has a step on it to allow axles to float about 1/16" side to side. Use very cheap ball bearings (low grade) with rubber flex seals)

The cross bolsters (sorry no pictures) are a piece of 1 x 1.5" hot rolled bar stock.

I made them in a weekend using old scrap wheel / axle sets that failed after 2 years of running from a commercial supplier. (really annoyed me because, as expected, they failed 400 miles from home at the beginning of a long weekend of almost-running).

If you want to spruce them up and knock the corners off the side bar, it will take only a few minutes on your handy-dandy belt sander..
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Mudhop
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by Mudhop »

I have the Bob Maynard article on building the arch bar / utility trucks but the file is too large to post.

Send me a pm if you want a copy and I will email it to you - will be Sunday before I can do so though.

- Dallas
chooch
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by chooch »

DianneB wrote:I need to do a couple of riding cars and looking for a quick, cheap and easy truck design. I have wheels and axles and looks aren't important.

Have you seen any designs online that might suit?

Thanks!
Emailing: 006 (5), 007 (3), 008 (3)

Sorry--NOT SPAM. Tried to send photos. chooch


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Greg_Lewis
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Here's a design I got from Cal Tinkham. As you can see, a piece of flat bar is the bolster and the sides are cut from plate. I had the side frames laser cut but you can hog them out with a mill or torch-cut them with a template as no dimension is critical. Cal used aluminum plate, I used steel. The axles ride in R8 bearings in bored holes which in the photo are covered with round plates. Click on the photo for a larger view. In that view you can see holes in the side plates adjacent to the bolster which are for brake hangers. The brakes are yet to be made. These trucks are easy to make, ride well. and look plausible. I can provide drawings if you want.
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Mudhop
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by Mudhop »

Again, I have the Maynard article and will send by email as they are too large to attach here.

Send me a PM containing your email address and I will forward them to you.

If you have already sent me your email address, please disregard this message.

- Dallas
Pontiacguy1
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

chrfitt wrote:I think that the article Pontiac is refering to is one that Bob Maynard published in Live Steam in the early '70s.
That's exactly the article I was referring to. I'm glad that you have a copy of it. I have one, but it is in the 'best of Live Steam Volume 1' book. My LS magazines start around May 1973 and go forward from there.

The Maynard trucks look like they would be very easy to build, and in fact, you could make batches of parts and make 2 or 3 sets of them pretty quickly. Also, in the early days, most builders would try to do as much on the lathe as possible, as most home shops would not be equipped with a milling machine. This, I believe, is why bob used welded up or silver-soldered side frames... They could more easily be built on the typical 10" or smaller lathe and a regular drill press.

Ol' Bill's trucks would be even easier, in my opinion: Cut off your stock, set up your mill, drill/bore 3 holes in the proper location, remove, reload, repeat, ad nauseum.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Easy, quick, & cheap trucks?

Post by Bill Shields »

that's me - ad NAUSEUM... :lol: (before Dave says it)...

most of building a loco is like that....drill 2000 holes, insert rivets.....turn a good wheel, repeat 7 times....

As Charlie Purinton once told me -> I am building locomotives, not tenders (made his from wood), or fancy riding cars (made the trucks from pieces of oak).

He even had locos that 'shared' tenders..

The fun is -> get out there and enjoy yourself. Once you are running you can take 2-3 years building a fancy riding car..or whatever..

otherwise, too many people either die of old age or lose interest before the wheels turn on a club track.
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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