NOTE: it must be said that I am based in Australia and everything
relates to what is available and rules here, before partaking in this activity
please check with your local rules and availabilities.
It has been pointed out that if a vehicle is going
to drive on public streets it needs title/registration/license/insurance/etc
and that stuff only applies to one vehicle. If the vehicle is taken apart and
used to make one or more other vehicles those will need their own paperwork.
Thus, the modularity idea works best for farm/industry vehicles that won't
drive on public roads. All-in-all that's not a particularly significant change
since it's probably a better idea to just buy a used or broken commercial
vehicle and maintain/fix it with your machine shop (so you can drive on public
roads) than to build a vehicle from scratch and go through the process of
getting all the paperwork.
In Australia
at least a vehicle is deemed a vehicle because of the chassis/body, that can be
as little or as much as the builder can get away with. My personal vehicle
collection includes a customs that i have fitted my own Vehicle identification
number (VIN) onto and this is legal. From here I can change engines, gearbox
and most suspension parts without much difficulty, the most being changes to
the registration papers.
In stead of being called modular it
should be a custom built unit every time, using a variety of scenarios and
techniques to be developed.
For simplicity and cost reduction i
wont be looking too hard at hydraulics, im not an expert at all when it comes
to hydraulics. The use of hydraulics as shock absorbers has been done in the
realm of Formula one in the form of the ‘J damper’ this may be adaptable for
use in this application however it is currently under patent and cannot be
used. Other options are in the pipe line for reusing energy from the shock
absorbers, as well as adjustable ride height.
Im currently totally in the dark about
this option and will have to look into it. The use of an automatic gearbox with
a manual valving system allows for braking using the engine. The use of the
power cube would be possible however the size may be impracticable.
Yes, yes and yes. In theory however
this would be quite impractical in my mind. The use of somthing more like a
trailer connected to a front drive systems seems to be a better idea, this
leads to traction and other issues but these can be sorted later.
I agree with the fact it needs to load
different units and have different uses but the method of such will need to be
evaluated.
The
most suitable type of body would be a flat bed
·
It can be loaded with mission units
·
have seats bolted to it and a light weather proof
body built around it as in a bus
·
have a large water tank bolted on it for irrigation
and fire fighting
·
small sides as in a pickup
·
or a large box as in a trash compactor, minus the
compactor
A winch is a very valued item however
once units are loaded onto the truck it wont be much use to pull over or around
the mission units. A better option would be something like the backho used for
the Life track, allowing for a crane design off behind the cab or even on top.
It could then be used to load and unload the truck, instead of dragging things
onto it, and also when the unit is full for other items.
The creation of a winch that runs off hydraulics
is a good idea, specifically if it is portable powered from a powercube or the
further hydraulic power systems (life track, truck)
Brilliant Idea, but not exactly easy. Rear
steer is possible using a full hydraulic steering, but many it is not feasible to
allow a vehicle as large as a car or truck to turn around in its own length as
smaller robots and rc cars can.
On anything other than a 6 wheeled vehicle
this would not work, it may be possible with some more functions but more work
is required. If hydraulics are used a takeoff powering an external jack it
seems much more practical.
It seems that a lot of things stated in
the requirements are not equivalent with others. But again as a set of ideas to
build a truck goes this is possible. There is a design called the rock dog that
should be looked at.
I don’t understand this statement at
all. Hydraulic steering is possible, so is having a hydraulic motor on each
wheel for power but the motos must be mounted onto the body/chassis.
Interesting idea and very possible,
however the need to change bits over each time just seems impractical, better
yet leave the system in place all the time and use a valve to shut down the
rear steer. A cheaper option for the rear end is a single ended ram on each end
of the vehicle.
Hello Everyone, Blessings to all...I have often thought a modular design vehicle would have functionality. Small stackable hydraulic drives.Plug together, stackable power train. Things such as wheel size, regenrative braking, quick hydraulic connectors to enable modularity. Electric bikes are viable now. Perhaps with nickle iron batteries, we could make sustainable transport, that is effecient. With solar power, a person could become independent of the grid and the oil company's. This is where freedom starts. And economics start to work for us instead of against us.
What is needed, is a viable way to change the cost structure of transportation...Free's up a lot of captal to invest in alternatives, starts an economic feedback that becomes self fulfilling.and reinforcing. Blessings to one and all ! Mntman...
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