Russian style long-nose truck (now with a racing truck version down in the comments)

[kapteenipirk]

I was supposed to upload some naval stuff this week...but my computer decided to reset itself and i lost all progress.

So, while im getting myself re-motivated for that, i taught id put up something else to fill the quota. The navy stuff is up now.

 

About the suspension stuff.

What i have for you today, is a further development of my custom suspension idea that i created for the Dakar style racing trucks.

This time instead of going for a pivoting axle with "springs" on the ends, i went for a more leaf-spring style suspension.

I noticed when i did the original suspension module, that the thing that actually made the suspension work, was the tweakscaled MK0 fueltanks and not so much the toroidal stacks.

Using that knowledge, i tested the springiness of the MK0 tanks by creating shock-absorbers from them for a Leopard 1 replica. They worked very nicely.

So, if their springy enough to work as shocks, they should in theory be able to work as "leaf-springs".

Best thing about this new suspension style is, that this time i didn't have to use IR.

 

About the truck itself.

I wanted to make this one a little more fully detailed,, so i used tweakscale on the body to make it a little more detailed and clean, i also used IR to make a working radiator-fan, steering wheel, and a bonnet/hood that can be opened to reveal the "full" engine-bay.

My original plan was to make opening doors as-well and put a whole load of more detail on the engine-bay, but i taught it wasn't worth it.

I started the build by first making the chassis, engine, exhaust and gearbox, then i wouldn't have to worry about weather i can fit all the detail i want or not. Tough there wasn't a huge worry of that as the engine is based on an engine design i've now used in three different vehicles.

The design is heavily based on the 3-axle Russian trucks that you get to drive around in Spintires. Spintires actually was the one that made me want to build a proper truck that i could then later on customize with different addons Spintires style, and just something that's overall tough and reliable.

And i gotta say, this one turned out to really be tough and reliable with plenty of power, tough some of that power will go away once the thing has to carry a full load on it's back and a trailer as-well.

Here's a little demonstration video.

You can't really see it too well, but the springs at the front are definitely working as intended, the ones on the rear are pretty much solid cause there's no load in the back...yet.

 

Screenshots.

Spoiler

A nice overall view of the truck.

 

Since i flipped it, i might as-well take a shot of the tummy.

 

A better look at the engine.

 

Technical specks (no load).

Top speed: 25-30 m/s.

Length: 10.4m

Width: 3.2m

Height: 3.4m

Mass: 12.286t

Parts:252

 

Mods used: Infernal robotics and Tweakscale.

Download link:

Regular (no load): https://www.dropbox.com/s/oe9dfznkzg6jnq5/RST-2209.craft?dl=0

Rally special: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ia9zcg49by2nshp/RST-2209 (Rally special).craft?dl=0

Loads, trailers and whatever goes in the back.

In the future i will be adding different kinds of addon's for the truck here.

I have plans for a log carrying truck with a crane, some kind of utility version with fuel and spare-parts and maby even some kind of racing version.

 

Rally special version:

The racing version has a top speed of around 90m/s.

In dimensions it pretty similar, but it does have quite a few extra parts and weight.

You can find more info on this version down in the comments.

 

And there it is for you, a nice little truck for all kinds of tasks. I hope you enjoy it .

Edited May 16, 2018 by kapteenipirk
Blanked out some out of date information.

[eorin]

Looks awesome

[kapteenipirk]

On 2/25/2018 at 2:40 PM, eorin said:

Looks awesome

Thanks .

 

And here's something for everyone.

I completed the first addon for the truck, the log-cart with crane combo from Spintires.

(didn't want to waste time time by having to pick up a log from the runway (like the painted one), so i just docked an extra one on top of the log pyramid).

And im happy to say that it actually somewhat works.

You can load and unload logs, but it's very VERY difficult and you have to do it in one drive or...well

(IR parts like to "sink" every-time you go to the SPH or VAB and come back).

The crane "sinks" so low that loading and unloading becomes impossible.

The crane can barely lift a log without bending so low that loading becomes impossible. I could make a crane that can do that kind of lifting, but it would need to be quite a bit bigger, at witch point i might as-well just turn it into a crane truck.

 

Oh, and i case your wondering, yes the log i put in the back didn't fall of after 5 meters of driving, it was actually like it had been glued in place, except when i drove at high speed over a large bumb (don't do that as the wheels of the trailer can end up flipping upside-down cause of the freely rotating plate in witch the wheels and their suspension is mounted).

 

I will probably still do some more work on this one to try and make a version that works a little better, and until then i wont be releasing this one. Making the jib of the crane lighter would help, and maby adding some sort of a hidden counter-weight would also help.

Edited February 26, 2018 by kapteenipirk
added some more info

[kapteenipirk]

Time for the second extra addon, this time a racing version that has a lot of the same features as the racing truck that i was supposed to use in the Kerbal Dakar race (had way too many things going on IRL, so i couldn't make it).

 

The new racing version has quite a few features that make it faster, stronger, and almost unflippable.

Strength comes in the form of the suspension and an added external roll-cage that protects the passengers and the engine.

Extra speed is achieved with the help of 2 Wheesley engines.

Unflippability comes in the form of a wider wheelbase, lowered COM, and a self righting mechanism. If you flip the vehicle on it's roof, you can use the bonnet to flip yourself on to your side (not even kidding), and the landing-legs to flip yourself onto your wheels.

Spoiler

Sorry for the darkness, but i like to do my tests at night because of the increasing amount of aircraft's with more realistic aviation lights.

I hit a rather large pothole witch flipped me over.

 

"Why not try and see if the bonnet might help me flip myself". Funnily enough, the bonnet is a 100% reliable self righting mechanism.

Only problem is it will only get you half way there.

 

The rest is handled by the landing legs, that are a little more vulnerable than id like.

You can also see in this pick one of the anti flip features, witch is 6 fully loaded ore-tanks under the truck that lower the COM to increase stability.

 

Thanks to these upgrades, it's impossible to flip the vehicle by just turning at high speeds.

I drove the vehicle at near 90m/s and did a hard turn and it didn't flip.

 

It is also able to stay together after even more severe crashes quite well.

Spoiler

Wanted to try and see that just how far up the mountain i could go.

I got pretty far before i lost grip and went back down flipping and tumbling multiple time.

As you can see, the vehicle is pretty intact.

 

It's almost impossible to see, but you should see a very small white rectangle with a light shining in front of it.

That's where it ended up after flipping roof...wheels...roof...wheels down the hill about five times.

 

All in all, the only real danger when driving with this thing is huge drops and large potholes and bumbs.

 

And to customize the vehicle even further than giving it Dakar style logos, i added a little dangly ornament thingy on the rear view mirror.

I dunno why, but i guess it was one of these "why not" moments.

Spoiler

(just like in the video, you can get an interior view by klicking "focus camera" the thin wing bit that has the wiper attached to it, and zooming in.)

Just like the antenna on the Leopard 1 replica i did, the behavior of it is very unrealistic. It actually kinda feels like it's under moon gravity or something.

It uses a new version of IR witch has a freely rotating plate that you can limit the range of. With the non limited ones of regular IR, it would eventually just start spinning 360 around trough the roof and back endlessly.

That little ornament has been removed from the release version because of the new IR parts that would add another mod to the list.