More Than Meets The Eye: What It Takes To Convert A Semi Truck Into A Transforming Robot
Posted on: 10 February 2015
Semi trucks are often featured in monster truck shows and rallies because they can take a beating and keep on crashing through other vehicles. The headliner, or star, of these shows is often a large truck that annihilates the other vehicles in the ring. If you have ever been to a monster truck rally that features a transforming semi-into-a-robot, you may have wondered how someone was able to turn the popular 80's toy into the real thing. If you want to build your own transforming semi truck, here is what you need to do.
1. Buy a Semi Truck
Skip the trailer. You will not need it. Just like the famous cartoon character which spawned several of these popular mechanical wonders, the semi rig itself is all you need. Search commercial trucks classified ads and used semi truck lots like Arrow Truck Sales. This will reduce your construction overhead by a few hundred thousand dollars.
2. Invest in Four Hydraulic Pressure Systems
Hydraulics are the main component in the transforming process and help control the "legs" and "arms" of your truck robot. Check out the famous "Robosaurus," which utilized hyrdaulic pressure for this very reason. If you are not familiar with how hydraulic pressure and hydraulic lift systems work, you may have to hire an engineer as well as an automotive mechanic to help you build your giant robot. These systems will be attached at the junctions where your robot's "shoulders" and "hips" are when it begins and finishes transforming from a semi to a robot.
3. Hire a Team to Assist You
This project takes more than one person. By the time you finish, you and your team will have built a robot that transforms from a truck height of about twelve to fifteen feet to over twenty feet tall as a robot. You will need the following people and skill sets to help you.
- Welder
- Auto mechanics (at least 2, if not more)
- Mechanical designer or mechanical engineer to draw out the blue prints for your transforming robot and calculate the amount of pressure and reinforced metal plates your robot will need
- Driver who can handle the controls inside the robot once it is finally ready
Plan on the conversion taking at least a year, even with your team working full-time.
Have a LARGE Budget and Plenty of Cash
Some of the original transforming semi truck/robots used in monster truck rallies cost two million or more to build, not counting the payroll for everyone involved. If this seems daunting to you, consider the number of exhibits and shows your robot could be a part of, and earning back three to six dollars per ticket, per head for every show in which your robot takes part. At around $1200 per week for four shows where you have at least one hundred visitors, you could earn a fourth of your expense back in five years. You could also cut costs and find used and recycled parts, just as you did for the semi truck, to build your robot.
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