Staind rc tank xl snow plow blade

thingiverse

Designed a snow/push blade for the XL remixed tank, a project that's been in the works for some time now. All looks good so far, but there's still one concern - whether there's enough clearance for the front of the tracks. Measuring it out seems to indicate that everything should fit fine, though if not, it's an easy fix to remake/scale the hinge pins a bit longer. You'll need to print some type of servo winch or similar device to raise and lower it remotely; there are plenty of options available on Thingiverse. The blade will require supports, but they're minimal and won't add too much time to the print. The bumper mount and hinge pins should print fine without any issues. To speed up the process, I plan on printing the mount and blade with a .6 nozzle, but the hinge pins will be printed with a .4 nozzle. First things first, though - I'm going to try out this servo winch for starters to see how it performs: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3391885. Once that's up and running, I'll move on to the next step. For those interested in seeing more of this project, here's a link to the XL remixed tank: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3026442. And yes, I'm already working on another version to fit the standard width tank; it shouldn't be too difficult to scale it down from the XL model. I've also come up with an alternative design - a curved blade that's just as effective but looks much cooler than the original pointed one. Any comments or suggestions are welcome; I'll do my best to respond soon. After getting everything printed and set up, I'll be sure to post more pics for everyone to see. In the meantime, enjoy! Update: I've printed out the hinge pins, but unfortunately, they didn't turn out quite right. Time to come up with an alternative solution - probably using M3 or M4 bolts to attach the hinge points. Remixed the Hinge connectors, giving them a bit of extra strength and swapping out the 2mm holes for 3mm ones to make it easier to connect the blade and bumper mount. Finally got everything printed out, but there was one more issue - the blade had an edge on the left angle bend that needed to be removed. And, as expected, the hinge pins were a bit short, so I made them longer by 30mm to test things out. Update (11-13-2019): Hinges are now the correct length and working fine, but I might try to come up with an even better way to connect the blade to the mount. Getting those 3mm screws into place can be a real pain due to the curve of the blade - maybe some type of pins with a clip would be easier? Update (11-15-2019): Uploaded some quick connects to join the blade and bumper mount, which should make things a lot easier to attach and remove. Print however you like; I'm laying flat with supports or standing up, but printing them flat with supports seems to work faster and might even be stronger. Update (11-16-2019): Came up with an even better quick connect system for attaching the blade to the bumper mount - these other things can be easily made to attach to the same connectors. Will post pictures of the completed setup when I get it all assembled... Stay tuned! Also working on a snow plow design that fits the original width Staind speed tank, which should be published in the next few days or so. Uploaded some pics with it mounted up - works really well, just needed to add some M3 nylon nuts to space out the connectors on the bumper mount (see pics). Now I just need to get the servo winch printed and worked out... More pics coming when I get it all sorted! Made another version that fits the standard width Staind tank: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3996914