BELL© Remote Controlled Dump Truck:

This 1:10 scale Remote Controlled model of the actual BELL© B50D Articulated Dump Truck was built for BELL© as part of their marketing campaign during the Ruby finals in South Africa. The model was scaled down as accurately as possible to maintain proportions of mechanical components like the articulating steering and dump bucket hinges and levers.

Two brushless electric motors were housed inside the chassis of the Truck. One motor was mounted in the front underneath the cabin and the other bolted to the rear chassis between the two control arms. Two small electronic servos controlled the articulated steering and allowed for responsive steering.

Top speed was estimated around 60km p/h with the dump bucket secured in the downward position.

Materials used in the construction of this model included aluminum, steel, fibre glass and vinyl.

Chassis components were laser-cut out of 3mm aluminum sheet and folded into shape using a CNC controlled Press-break. The suspension struts were made out of 8mm aluminum plate to be able to handle the force generated by off-road use. All aluminum parts were coated in 2 layers of enamel paint and included the Fibreglass cabin. The 4 batteries were mounted inside the fibreglass cabin along with ESC (Electronic Speed Control).

This truck was designed in collaboration with Tri-Design while working as a Freelance Industrial Designer in 2008 in South Africa.