Tamiya MAN TGX 26.540 Project

This truck marks the end of a long story.  I've been coveting RC4WD's line of hydraulic construction machinery for a long time, but they are prohibitively expensive.  They are also almost all RTR which takes a lot of the fun out of it for me.  The lowest cost item is a hydraulic truck mounted crane which is also the only one that comes as a kit.  Even then the price was a problem but RC4WD had a great holiday sale in December of 2018 so I bought one.  I was somewhat intimidated by the kit and sat on it for a couple months until beginning the build in February without any truck to mount it on.  I built a temporary mount on a block of wood which allowed me to set up and operate the crane.  The mechanical part of the build was simple enough, but getting all the plumbing done without leaking everywhere took forever.  Once I got everything working though, I found the crane incredibly capable.

It wasn't until June that I decided upon a candidate truck for the crane.  I wanted a truck that would accept that crane with minimum modifications.  I also wanted a truck that was otherwise fairly plain in appearance so the crane would be the main visual draw.  I decided upon the MAN TGX 6x4 which had plenty of room behind the cab and a sturdy chassis.  Installation of the crane required some minor mods like removing the fake side tanks and replacing them with the hydraulic reservoir and valve block.  I also had to trim various fairings and spoilers to make room for outriggers.

And then there were the major changes.  Tamiya cabover trucks install the steering servo on the left side of the chassis, but that space was now taken by the hydraulic valve block.  I had to move the steering servo up front and make my own linkage which displaced the shift servo.  This means I couldn't shift the 3-speed transmission.  Another item I'd been coveting but had no use for was the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) from RC4WD.  The lack of a working 3-speed in this model made it a good choice for this transmission but it was out of stock.  It was September before I got my hands on one.  The CVT weighs a ton and also generates a lot of waste heat.  It was not easy to install with the crane in place either.  I'd like to say that it was a rousing success, but as far as I can tell it doesn't work.  The gear ratio is supposedly variable by a factor of 5 but I can't see any evidence that it is changing at all.  It drives, but I wouldn't recommend it for the price.

I usually install an MFC (Multi-Function Control Unit) for lights, sound, and vibration on my tractor trucks but the place where the control panel would go was taken by the hydraulic reservoir.  Instead I installed a TLU-01 based light system with 20 lights and miles more wiring.

Operating this truck requires a total of 7 channels.  I need throttle and steering for the truck, and hydraulic pump with 4 valves for the crane.  I wanted to operate the crane with a twin stick radio but the truck with a pistol grip, so I had to use two different radios along with their associated ESCs and receivers.  Along with the light controllers that makes for a lot of electronics.

This is probably the most work I've ever put into a single model.  The build spanned 7 months and multiple week long building sessions.  The result is incredible though.  This truck has so much to offer.  Everything works well but the tremendous weight bottoms out the suspension and partially flattens the front tires.  I am still searching for a way to solve this problem.

Update:  This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire.  It has not been replaced.