Movement in Miniature

Note: This feature is in the March TT&C 2012 issue.

Robert Denson built another remote-controlled model—a Caterpillar 140H motor grader—completely from scratch from wood. 

It is fully functional, fun to control and makes a great conversation piece. Robert started building this model by obtaining a set of drawings from a CAT brochure. He enlarged the prints to match the size of the tires he had on hand. 

There were approximately 300 photos of the actual machine accumulated over the building process. Occasionally, Robert would have to revisit the CAT dealership and take more photos in order to fine-tune the building process. 

The specifications are as follows:

• Wood is the chosen material.
• Build time: approximately 1 year.
• Length: 43 inches.
• Width: (outside of tire-to-tire) 13 inches.
• Height: (ground to top of cab) 15 inches.
• Wheels: machine aluminum with raised lug bolts. 
• Tires: Tamiya Mammoth tires, filled with plastic BB shots.
• Weight: approximately 40 pounds.
• Controller: Airtronics 10 grams. 

Robert’s motor grader is powered by four electric motors (geartrain) These motors are rated to produce 36 inch-ounce each of torque at 12 volts. 

The Sabertooth electronic speed controller (ESC) is the device that distributes the power from the battery to each motor equally. This type ESC is normally used by radio-controlled robot builders but works equally well for radio-controlled construction models. 

The steering, moldboard lifts, side-shift and wheel-tilt are all controlled by actual hydraulics. 

Want to read rest of story?  It's available in the March TT&C 2012 magazine!
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